Richland County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Richland County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records. Illinois Online Genealogy Records

Richland County Organization
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Richland County are kept, see the Richland County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts
Richland County is named for Richland County, Ohio which is where many of the settlers of this area originated.

Parent County

 * 1841--Richland County was created 24 February 1841 from Clay and Lawrence Counties. County seat:  Olney

Description
The county seat is Olney and the county was organized on 1841. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Illinois county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Illinois County Boundary Maps" (1790-1869) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places / Localities
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Census
The Genealogy Library has County Census books from 1850 to 1940
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry ($)

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Abstracts


 * 1869–1959 Scherer, Mary. St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1869-1959, Richland County, Illinois. Olney, Illinois: Mary Scherer, 1985.

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from two Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Richland County available online. The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.

Court Records
Original court records are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Court Records for more information about using court records.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library


 * 1841–1852 Richland County Genealogical &amp; Historical Society. Richland County, Ill. board minutes. Olney, Illinois: Richland County Genealogical &amp; Historical Society, [1985?].

African American
The following have information concerning African American research.


 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records


 * Illinois African-American Resource Guide by the Illinois State Archives describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
 * African-American Resources for Illinois

Local Histories

 * Biographical and Reminiscent History of Richland, Clay and Marion Counties, Illinois. Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen &amp; Co., 1909. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive.

Land and Property
Original land records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Land and Property for more information about using land records.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online sources, the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Franklin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page.


 * 1829-1974 Deed Indexhttps://www.ilsos.gov/isa/localgovrecordssrch.jsp IRAD-EIU]:*1840–1863 Grantor and grantee indexes
 * 1840–1901 Deeds
 * 1841-1975 Deed Record https://www.ilsos.gov/isa/localgovrecordssrch.jsp IRAD-EIU]
 * Family Maps. Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Richland County, Illinois.  Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., c2007.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database. Also available at Ancestry ($)
 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Richland County Federal Township Plats
 * 1800s – Present - Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records, including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a researcher establish location and lead to National Archives’ records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are at the National Archives.

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Richland County land and property may be found online in the and. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)


 * Richland County Federal Township Plats
 * USGenWeb, Richland County, Illinois (ILGenWeb), Maps


 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Civil War
Civil War service men from Richland County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Richland County.


 * - 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company F.
 * - 6th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company D.
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 13th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 21st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 60th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 63rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, E, and I.
 * - 98th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, G and H.
 * - 130th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 136th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies C and G.

World War II

 * USGenWeb, Richland County, Illinois, (ILGenWeb), WWII Honor List of Dead and Missing

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records


 * 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

The Richland Co Genealogy Society has microfilm of newspapers and thousands of fully searchable obits.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry — index and images $
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images
 * [No probate record holdings noted in IRAD-EIU Richland County Listing.] Search for Richland County records. Information about how to use IRAD
 * 1841–1917 Probate records
 * 1855–1938 Will and guardian records

Additional resources for Richland County probates may be found in the topic pages of the FamilySearch Catalog. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

County Courthouse
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Richland County are kept, see the Richland County Courthouse page.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Centralia Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Evansville Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Vincennes Indiana FamilySearch Center


 * C.E. Brehm Memorial Public Library District - an affiliate library
 * Knox County Public Library - Indiana - an affiliate library
 * Sullivan County Public Library - an affiliate library

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
The Illinois State Archives administers a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) to manage the archival records of local governments. Local governments which have transferred records to the regional depositories include counties, townships, municipalities, and school districts. The records of Richland County come under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) regional depository.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) Booth Library Eastern Illinois University (EIU) 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston, IL 61920 Telephone: (217) 581-6093 Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Note: The depository is staffed by graduate student interns. Because of class scheduling conflicts, hours may vary somewhat from the published schedule. Researchers are urged to call before planning a visit.

Public Libraries
Olney Public Library 400 West Main Olney, IL 62450 Phone: 618-392-3711 Website

Societies
Richland County Genealogical and Historical Society P O Box 202 Olney IL 62450 E-mail:[mailto:richlandcogensoc@hotmail.com richlandcogensoc@hotmail.com] Facebook Website

Vital Records
See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois. See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Richland County Clerk while those recorded after 1916 are kept by the Illinois Department of Public Health with a copy to the County Clerk. Original marriage records are usually kept by the County Clerk from the establishment of the county to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online databases, the FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Richland County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Births

 * 1859-1904 Birth Record, Delayed - IRAD-EIU Search for Richland County records.
 * 1877–1916 Index to births IRAD-EIU
 * 1877–1972 Birth records book
 * 1885–1972 Delayed birth record books
 * 1889-1905 Birth Record - IRAD-EIU Search for Richland County records. How to use IRAD

Marriages

 * 1840–1950 Marriage records
 * 1841–1950 Marriage RecordsIRAD-EIU
 * 1841-1950 Marriage Record Index IRAD-EIU
 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * 1790–1860 Illinois Marriage index found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index

Deaths

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1877-1950 Death Record - IRAD-EIU Search for Richland County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1877-2003 Death Record Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Richland County records.
 * 1878-1940 Index of death records
 * 1883-1904 Still Births
 * 1884-1904 Death Record, Stillbirths - IRAD-EIU Search for Richland County records.
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index($)


 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index

Additional Resources
Additional resources for Richland County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the, the topic page of the FamilySearch Catalog. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Websites

 * Richland County, IL Genealogy Society
 * USGenWeb, Richland County, Illinois (ILGenWeb)
 * Richland County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Richland County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Richland County Network Group on Facebook

Databases pertinent to Richland County


 * Local Governmental Records Database IRAD
 * Name Index to Illinois Local Governments IRAD
 * Richland County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Richland County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)