Saline County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Saline County

Quick Dates
Saline County's civil records start the following years:

Historical Facts
Many pioneer settlers migrated into this area from Western Kentucky. Muhlenberg County, Kentucky was the previous residence of several early families that settled in the area that is now Saline County.

Parent County

 * 1847 - Saline County was created 25 February 1847 from Gallatin County. 

Boundary Changes
For more information as well as maps of Saline County through time, see Illinois County Maps and Atlases.

Record Loss

 * Census: 1890

Places / Localities
The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

African American
The following have information concerning African American research.


 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records
 * Illinois State Archives pamphlet on African American Research describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
 * African-American Resources for Illinois

Cemeteries
There are more than 100 burial grounds in Saline County.

To view a list, visit Saline County, Illinois Cemeteries.

Census
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Saline County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than online nationwide indexes. See Illinois Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes. See Saline County, IL census assignments, including links to transcribed files (The USGenWeb Census Project®).

1850

 * 1850 Census of Saline County, Illinois. Transcription and Index. Courtesy: USGenWeb.
 * Tri-City Genealogical Society (Richland, Wash.). The 1850 Census of Saline County, Illinois. Richland, Wash.: Tri-City Genealogical Society, 1973..

1850-1880 Mortality Schedules
Murphy abstracted Saline County's 1850 to 1880 mortality schedules:


 * Murphy, John V. Saline County, Illinois Deaths. Carrier Mills, Ill.: J. Murphy, 1984. 2 vols. World Cat 11399472; World Cat 11281467, [Volume 2 covers the mortality schedules.]

Online transcripts:


 * Saline County Mortality Schedule 1850, available online, courtesy: USGenWeb.
 * Saline County 1850 Mortality Schedule, available online, courtesy: Genealogy Trails.

1855

 * Murphy, John V. Saline County, 1855 Illinois State Census. Carrier Mills, Ill.: J.V. Murphy, 1986..

1860

 * Murphy, John V. Saline County, Illinois, 1860, 8th United States Census Transcribed from National Archives Microfilm Publication, Microcopy 653, Roll No. 223, Population Schedules of the Eighth Census of the United States, 1860; Illinois, Volume 35 (789-1034), Saline County. Carrier Mills, Ill.: J.V. Murphy, 1981..

1865

 * Murphy, John V. Saline County, 1865 Illinois State Census. Carrier Mills, Ill.: J.V. Murphy, 1986..

1870

 * Moore, Bernard W. 1870 Federal Census, Saline County, Illinois. Utica, Ky.: McDowell Publications, 1978..

1880

 * Murphy, John V. and Mary Afton Anderson. Saline County, Illinois, 1880 10th United States Census. Carrier Mills, Ill.: J. Murphy, 1983..

1920

 * Miller-Mathis, Averil. 1920, 14th United States Census, Saline County, Illinois. 3 vols. Eldorado, Ill.: A. Miller-Mathis and R.N. Mathis, 1993..

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General
As of August 2010, a query for persons born in Saline County, Illinois at World Connect, results in more than 35,000 entries.

Message Boards and Lists

 * Saline Co., IL Family History &amp; Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry.com)
 * Saline Co., IL Genealogy Forum (Genealogy.com)
 * Saline Co., IL Genealogy Queries (CousinConnect.com)
 * Saline Co., IL Mailing List (RootsWeb.com) Search or browse the archive.
 * MidWestern States Forum (FamilySearch.org)

Immigration
Early migration routes to and from Saline County for European settlers included:


 * Ohio River pre-historic
 * Wabash River pre-historic
 * Russellville - Shawneetown Trail

Land
Because of Illinois’s history as an agricultural state many residents owned land. For more information about types of land records see Illinois Land and Property.

Local Histories

 * History of Gallatin, Saline, Hamilton, Franklin, and Williamson Counties, Illinois: From the Earliest Time to the Present, Together with Sundry and Interesting Biographical Sketches, Notes, Reminiscences, etc., etc. Chicago: Goodspeed, 1887. WorldCat 2793052; WorldCat 3832741; WorldCat 3525055; WorldCat 6452351; WorldCat 9904971; WorldCat 42044116*; WorldCat 10944911; WorldCat 12664093; WorldCat 25635984; WorldCat 42986633; WorldCat 55884600*; WorldCat 61313399*; WorldCat 81890512; WorldCat 20150322; WorldCat 287889485; WorldCat 48204237; WorldCat 181343565; ; digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive;.

War of 1812

 * List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. ; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Illinois, Saline County, p. #. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War
Civil War service men from Saline 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 Saline County.


 * - 56th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E. For an extensive list, see Civil War Companies Organized in Saline County, Illinois (courtesy: ILGenWeb).

Historic
The Library of Congress has identified the following historic newspapers for Saline County, Illinois on their Chronicling America website. For publication details, including dates of publication, frequency, preceding and succeeding titles, and to find out which libraries have holdings, click on the newspaper title.


 * Carrier Mills News (Carrier Mills, Ill.) 19??-1957.
 * Eldorado Daily Journal (Eldorado, Ill.) 1921-current.
 * Eldorado Examiner (Eldorado, Ill.) 19??-1957.
 * Harrisburg Chronicle (Harrisburg, Ill.) 18??-1881.
 * Harrisburg Chronicle (Harrisburg, Ill.) 188?-1???.
 * Harrisburg Chronicle-Sentinel (Harrisburg, Ill.) 1881-188?.
 * Harrisburg Democrat (Harrisburg, Ill.) 1882-1???.
 * Raleigh Egyptian and Poet's Record (Raleigh, Ill.) 185?-1???.
 * Saline County Democrat (Harrisburg, Ill.) 188?-1882.
 * Saline County Register (Harrisburg, Ill.) 18??-187?.
 * Saline County Register (Harrisburg, Ill.) 189?-19??.
 * Saline County Republican (Eldorado, Ill.) 18??-1918.
 * The Daily Register (Harrisburg, Ill.) 19??-current.
 * The Egyptian Legionnaire (Eldorado, Ill.) 1929-19??.
 * The Eldorado Journal (Eldorado, Ill.) 1911-1921.
 * The Illinois Baptist (Harrisburg, Ill.) 190?-????.
 * The Raleigh Flag (Raleigh, Ill.) 1856-1???.
 * The Toilers' Friend (Harrisburg, Ill.) 1892-1???.

Major
These periodicals regularly publish articles about Saline County:


 * Saga of Southern Illinois (Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois). For a breakdown of articles about Saline County, visit the online topical index.
 * Saline County Genealogical Society Newsletter
 * The Shawnee
 * Shawnee Newsletter
 * Springhouse

Minor
These periodicals occasionally publish articles about Saline County:


 * Ansearchin' News
 * Bend of the River
 * Facts and Findings
 * Footprints in Williamson County, Illinois
 * Fulton County [Illinois] Historical &amp; Genealogical Society Newsletter
 * ILL-IA-MO Searcher
 * Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly
 * Illinois State Historical Society Journal
 * Journal of Illinois History
 * Sabbath Recorder
 * Searching Illinois Ancestors
 * Smith County [Tennessee] Historical and Genealogical Society Quarterly Newsletter
 * Tree Climber
 * Tri-State Packet

Probate
Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. For further information see probate records in State Probate Records.

Taxation
Tax-related records are kept by the offices of the county Assessor, Auditor, Sheriff, and Treasurer. Taxes were levied on real and personal property and can help establish ages, residences, relationships, and the year an individual died or left the area. They can be used as substitutes for missing or destroyed land and census records.

Newspapers include tax information. For example, Harrisburg taxpayers, 1862-1893 are included in newspapers held at the Illinois State Historical Library.

Published abstracts

 * 1840-1877 - Tax Records, 1840-77
 * 1845-1849 - Forfeited for Taxes, 1845-49
 * 1847-1848 - Delinquent Taxes, 1847 and 1848
 * 1852-1921 - Treasurer's Book, T 10, R 5 E, 1852-1921
 * 1889 - Delinquent Tax List, 1889
 * 1903 - Personal Property Tax, 1903
 * 1904 - Assessment, 1904, Eagle Creek twp

Birth
County birth registration began in 1866. The original records are kept at the courthouse. Microfilm copies:. Pait published abstracts of the earliest records:


 * Pait, Guylene. Saline County, Illinois Delayed Births, 1866-1884. Harrisburg, Ill.: Saline County Genealogical Society, 1996..

Online abstracts of births from 1877 to 1903 are available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives. Abstracts of select records (beginning 1877) are also available online, courtesy: USGenWeb.

Marriage
County marriage registration began in 1847. The original records are kept at the courthouse. Microfilm copies:. Records from 1847 to 1900 are indexed in the online Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, courtesy: Illinois State Archives.

Published abstracts:


 * 1847-1850 - Saline County, Illinois Marriages 1847-1850, available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1847-1880 - Saline County, Illinois Marriages, 1847-1880, by Bernard W. Moore World Cat 3249020,
 * 1878-1898 - Saline County, Illinois, Marriage Register, Book A-1, 1878-1898, by John V. Murphy World Cat 11060438,
 * 1879-1916 - Saline County, Illinois Marriage Records, by John V. Murphy World Cat 14992369,
 * 1898-1908 - Saline County, Illinois Marriage Register, Book B, 1898-1908, by John V. Murphy World Cat 13328285,
 * 1914-1921 - Saline County, Illinois Marriage Register, Book C, by Mary Douglas Brimm World Cat 57424148

During the first two decades of the twentieth century, (some) Saline County residents (eloped) to Piggot, Arkansas to get married.

Divorce
The first book of divorces begins in 1897 and is kept at the courthouse. Microfilm copy:.

Death
County death registration began in 1877. The original records are kept at the courthouse. Microfilm copy:. Abstracts:


 * 1877-1922 - Saline County, Illinois Deaths, by John V. Murphy World Cat 11399472; World Cat 11281467,  - includes 1850-1880 mortality schedules
 * 1903-1912 - Saline County, Illinois Death Record Book 2 (1903-1912), by John V. Murphy; available online, courtesy: USGenWeb Archives.

Saline County's USGenWeb page includes online transcripts and links to the 1850 mortality schedule, coroner's reports (1901-1919), obituaries (1917-1919, 1922), and statewide death indexes.

Societies and Libraries

 * Saline County Genealogical Society 110 E Locust Street Harrisburg, Illinois 62946 Telephone: Hours: Monday thru Friday: 8:00 a.m. to noon

The Society has a library, meets the third Sunday of every month, and publishes books and a newsletter. An order form of current publications is available online. A membership application is also available online.


 * Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois John A. Logan College Library 700 Logan College Road Carterville, Illinois 62918 Telephone: 618-985-2828, Ext. 8338 Hours: vary by season, see website

The Society focuses on Alexander, Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, and Williamson counties. The Society's book and microfilm collection is housed at the John A. Logan College Library. The Society publishes a newsletter (click here for recent issues) and a quarterly journal The Saga of Southern Illinois (click here for a topical index that breaks down what has been published county-by-county).

Web Sites

 * Saline County ILGenWeb project
 * Saline County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Saline County, Illinois History & Genealogy (Genealogy Trails)
 * Saline County, Illinois History & Genealogy (Genealogy Trails)