St. Clair County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to St. Clair County, Illinois ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.



Description
The county was named for Arthur St. Clair, first governor of the Northwest Territory. The county seat is Belleville and the county was organized on 1790. The County is located in the West Central area of the state.

County Courthouse
St. Clair County Courthouse 10 Public Square Belleville, IL 62220 Phone: 618-277-6600 St. Clair County Courthouse

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

Populated Places
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:

Biographies

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a St. Clair County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of St. Clair County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Cemeteries

 * Padfield Pyle Ancestors
 * St. Clair Political Graveyard

Census Records
For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1870 1870 Agricultural Census
 * 1930 1930 Federal Census by surname

 1840 Pensioners
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. ; ; digital version at Google Books. [See Illinois, St. Clair County on page 188.]

Church Records
The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a St. Clair County edition. This includes a chapter on St. Clair County churches (Chapter 30). See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes. Baptist, Lutheran, the former Evangelical and Reformed, United Church of Christ (many translated from German), and other published church registers www.stclair-ilgs.org  Baptist  Catholic FamilySearch has made parish records from 40 Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in St. Clair County available for free online (requires free registration). The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths. A Finding Aid to contents of each church register is online, courtesy St. Clair CGS  Church of Christ  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  Evangelical
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * A Collection of Histories of Some Churches in St. Clair County, Illinois. Waterloo, Ill.: The Library, 2002-. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Church and Family History Research Assistance for Primitive Baptist Churches in St. Clair County, Illinois
 * 1851-1863 Oak Hill Baptist Church lists of members WorldCat (Other Libraries); WorldCat (Other Libraries); Free online index (minutes); another free online index (membership roll)
 * 1806-1909 Walsh, Diane Renner. Bethel Baptist Church Minutes, 1806-1851, Excerpts from the Minutes, 1851–1852, Membership Lists, 1809–1909. Belleville, Illinois : St. Clair County Genealogical Society (Illinois), 1993. WorldCat (Other Libraries) ; Free online index
 * "Belleville," Catholic Encyclopedia. Available online.
 * Beuckman, Frederick. History, Diocese of Belleville, 1700-1914. Section One: St. Clair County. Belleville, Ill.: Buechler Pub. Co., 1914. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Church of the Holy Family drawings, photos, data, courtesy: The Library of Congress
 * Hass, Barbara A., Henry Goosens, Herbert Janson, and Julius Maurer. St. Francis, Sts. Peter Paul Catholic Church Deaths and Burials, 1842-1883. n.p.: B. Hass, 1987. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Parish Directory, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Freeburg, Illinois. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * "St. Liborius Church Records," translation online, courtesy St Clair CGS and the compiler.
 * "St. Peter's Deaths 1859-1909," translation online at the member site, St. Clair CGS
 * Smythe, Jeffrey M. and Frank X. Heiligenstein. History of St. Joseph's Church, Freeburg, Illinois. Freeburg, Ill.: Freeburg Print. and Pub., 2003. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Walthall, John A. and Elizabeth D. Benchley. The River L'Abbe Mission: A French Colonial Church for the Cahokia Illini on Monks Mound. 1987. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * Hayner Public Library (Alton, Ill.). Zion Church Deaths and Burials, 1836-1985. Millstadt, Ill.: D. Slinkard, 1988?. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Slinkard, Don. Death Register for the Zion Community. 1988?. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Freeburg, Illinois: 1858-2008, Baptisms, marriages, buials; 10,000 events were translated from German into English and extracted by St. Clair County Genealogical Society volunteers
 * Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Belleville, East St. Louis
 * 1867-1872 Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Blessings of children
 * 1864-1874 Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints membership records and minutes
 * 100th Anniversary, Centennial History: St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Evangelical &amp; Reformed, Floraville, Illinois, September 27, 1959. St. Louis, Mo.: St. Louis County Library, Special Collections Dept., 2006. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Freeburg, Illinois: 1858-2008, 150th Anniversary. Freeburg, Ill.: Freeburg Printing &amp; Pub., 2008. WorldCat (Other Libraries). Baptisms 1859-1862 are available online.
 * Schmidt, Martha Mae. Holy Ghost United Church of Christ Church Records, Darmstadt, Illinois, 1843-1977. Translated from German into English, baptisms, marriages, confirmations, deaths. Place names of German immigrant's town of birth. 233 pp., St. Clair CGS.
 * Schmidt, Martha Mae. St. Paul United Church of Christ, Belleville, 1839-1939. Translated from German into English, 944 page book on CD-Rom, baptisms, marriages, confirmations, deaths, parents, witnesses, sponsors. St. Clair CGS.

 Lutheran  Methodist Episcopal
 * 1868-1970 Zion Lutheran Church parish register
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1915-1919 Davis, Cindy. Trinity Lutheran Church East St. Louis, Illinois Burial Register, available online, courtesy: Genealogy Trails.
 * Buecher, Robert. 150th Anniversary History of Trinity Lutheran Church: 503 East Washington, Millstadt, IL, October 21, 1849-October 24, 1999. St. Louis, Mo.: R. Buecher, 1999. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * History of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Belleville, 1840-1998 with surname index to records[http://www.stclair-ilgs.org/ www.stclair-ilgs.org/
 * History, Freeburg Methodist Church, 1867-1967. Freeburg, Ill.: Freeburg Tribune, 1967. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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 or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for St. Clair County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1791-1801; 1807–1810 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois, book A, marriage certificates and licenses, Feb. 1807 - July 1810 : some additional records from Deed Book A &amp; 'Loose Papers', 1791-1801. Springfield, Illinois : Folkworks Research, 1993.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1790-1857 Indexes to court records, by plaintiff and defendant and online Circuit Court Case Files 1819–1840
 * 1796-1818 Court records
 * 1819-1900 Circuit court dockets; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1790-1913 Circuit court index;IRAD (SIU)
 * 1901-1925 Bellevue: Justice of the Peace Dockets; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1853-1862 Mascoutah: Justice of the Peace Dockets; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1817-1841 Circuit Court record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1796-1818 Territorial County Court minutes; IRAD (SIU). A topical index and guardianships extracted, see SCCGS Quarterly volume 19 no. 2, 1996
 * Declaration and Naturalization Papers filed in various St Clair courts: explained, indexes availability, record locations www.stclair-ilgs.org/

 Circuit Court
 * Circuit Court Case Files 1819-1840 St. Clair County, Illinois (courtesy: St. Clair County Genealogical Society)
 * St. Clair County Circuit Court Chancery Case Files Index, 1870 (and continuing) St Clair CGS Quarterly series beginning volume 45:1 (2022

 Chancery Court
 * St. Clair County Circuit Court Chancery Case Files Index, 1815-1870 (courtesy: Illinois State Archives)

Directories

 * 1939 Polk's Belleville, St. Clair County, Illinois, City Directory, 1939 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African Americans
 * 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

Land and Property Records
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 Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for St. Clair County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * A list of dozens of St. Clair County Grants Claimed in 1798 is available online, courtesy: Genealogy Trails.
 * 1791-1801 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois, book A, marriage certificates and licenses, Feb. 1807 - July 1810 : some additional records from Deed Book A &amp; 'Loose Papers', 1791-1801. Springfield, Illinois : Folkworks Research, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1831-1857 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois, from the office of the circuit court, records of brands and marks, Book II, 1831–1857. Morrisonville, Illinois: Genie-Logic Enterprises, 1997.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1807-1831; 1796–1797; 1808–1814 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois court records, marks and brands, 1807-1831 and 1796-1797, tavern licenses granted 1808-1814. Springfield, Illinois : Folk Works Research, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1863 and 1899 Land ownership maps
 * 1834-1842, 1848 School land record
 * 1799-1813 St. Clair land and property records
 * 1980 Rockford Map Publishers. St. Clair County, Illinois, land atlas and plat book: 1980. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1969. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1786-1927 Deeds index; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1790-1875 Deed record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1798-1798 Land claims record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1865-1883 Mortgage record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1829-1874 Surveyor's record; IRAD (SIU)
 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * St. Clair County Federal Township Plats

Local Histories
Biographical sketch indexes: www.stclair-ilgs.org/
 * Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of St Clair County. Chicago: Munsell Pub. Co., 1907. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Portrait and Biographical Record of St. Clair County, Illinois: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Together with Biographies and Portraits of All the Presidents of the United States. Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1892. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Stevens, Thomas Wood. The Book of Words of St. Clair County Pageant. Belleville, Ill.: n.p., 1914. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1788-1940 Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Township Map of 1870 St. Clair County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Historical information about White County soldiers of the Black Hawk War, Civil War, Mexican War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 may be found in:
 * McLean County, White County, Will County Genealogical Records. Evanston, Ill.?: Illinois Society, D.A.R.?, 1945?. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from St. Clair 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 St. Clair County.
 * - 2nd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies A, B, C, D, and E.
 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, C, D, E, and F.
 * - 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 16th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies F and G.
 * - 22nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 43rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, G and H.
 * - 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 115th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 117th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C, H, I and K.
 * - 142nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company H.
 * - 149th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Companies B, C, D, H, I, and K.
 * - 155th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Original naturalization records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Naturalization Records for more information about using naturalization records.

The following copies of original records may be accessed online or through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Franklin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1835-1904 Naturalization declarations of intent index;IRAD (SIU)
 * 1838-1903 Naturalization papers index; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1868-1903 Naturalization record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1904-1950 East St. Louis Declarations of IntentIRAD (SIU)
 * East St. Louis City Court Naturalizations Papers (1874-1906), courtesy: Illinois State Archives.
 * County Court Declarations and Naturalization Record (1864-1906) in the member area of the St. Clair County Genealogical Society site.
 * 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * 1906-1945 Index to Declarations and Naturalizations, Circuit Court 1906 - c1945, St. Clair County, Illinois, courtesy: St. Clair County Genealogical Society.

Newspapers
See St. Clair Newspaper columns provide more than just vital statistics on area residents. Obituaries include kinship links, sometimes with out-of-state residency for surviving family. Online indexes to obituaries from The Belleville News Democrat 1994-2007, Freeburg Tribune 1904-1939, and Millstadt Enterprise 1897-1949 are available (courtesy: St. Clair County Genealogical Society). An every-name index during the war period 1917 - 1921 is also available for the Lebanon Advertiser. Vital Statistics Extracted From the Belleville (Ill.) Daily Advocate 1927 - 1954 More than 132,000 vital statistics derived from the Belleville (Ill.) Daily Advocate 1927 - 1954 constitute this database.
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Other Records
 Cahokia Early records of courts that met at Cahokia in the late 1700s have been published:
 * Alvord, Clarence Walworth. Cahokia Records, Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, Volume II, 1778-1790.

 Poor Houses  Private Papers Bertille Brand Klein kept a diary or "news book" of her daily life in Hecker, Illinois from January 1930 (age 15 1/2) until December 1939 (age 25). She mentions many local family names with some birth and death dates. Her granddaughter Angie Kelly is digitizing this valuable resource. Visit Tillie's Tales to read this interesting journal (work in progress).
 * St. Clair County; County Farm Board Record Index, 1874-1879, courtesy: Illinois State Archives.
 * "...Poor Farm and Hospital Ledger Inmates 1866-1872" in St Clair CGS Quarterly volume 34: 3 and 34:4 (2011).
 * Death Records of the St. Clair County Poor Farm and Hospital 1854-1916. St. Clair CGS

Probate Records
Original estates and wills are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Probate Records for more information about using probate records. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through, the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for St. Clair County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1772-1964 Probate [intestate] case file index 1772-1964 - available digitally through the St. Clair County Genealogical Society, requires SCCGS membership ($)
 * 1772-1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
 * 1772-1964 St. Clair County Genealogical Society. Index to St. Clair County, Illinois probated and non-probated wills, 1772-1964. Belleville, IL : St. Clair County Genealogical Society, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat) . Available digitally at St. Clair County Genealogical Society, requires SCCGS membership ($)
 * 1797-1832 Friedli, Frederick J. and Virginia Merrills. Probate Court records, St. Clair County Courthouse, Belleville, Illinois, will record "A" &amp; "B". 
 * 1794-1811 Daughters of the American Revolution. Belleville Chapter (Illinois). St. Clair County, Illinois marriage register, 1807-1845 : courthouse at Belleville, Illinois; alphabetical by 1st letter of groom's surname, includes letters A-C only. (Includes wills 1794–1811.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1970.
 * All of the following are also located at the Belleville Public Library, courtesy Saint Clair CGS
 * 1772-1800 Wills
 * 1772-1925 Index of wills
 * 1772-1920 Wills
 * 1796-1818 Court records related to probate and guardian records
 * 1870-1964 Probate appraisement record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1817-1906 Probate case files; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1821-1901 Probate record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1772-1970 Probate wills; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1827-1963 Probate wills, non-probated; IRAD (SIU)

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1844-1869 Tax sale record IRAD (SIU) Search for St. Clair records How to use IRAD

Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the St. Clair 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 Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for St. Clair County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Birth

 * Dickinson, H.B. and Elda Jones. Birth records, Dr. H.B. Dickinson, Coulterville, Illinois. Marissa, Illinois Marissa Historical &amp; Genealogical Society, 2003. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1901-1904 Birth Records
 * 1830-1900 Birth certificates
 * 1843-1856 Birth and death record; IRAD (SIU)

Marriage

 * 1807-1810 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois, book A, marriage certificates and licenses, Feb. 1807 - July 1810 : some additional records from Deed Book A &amp; 'Loose Papers', 1791-1801. Springfield, Illinois : Folkworks Research, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1807-1845 Daughters of the American Revolution. Belleville Chapter (Illinois). St. Clair County, Illinois marriage register, 1807-1845 : courthouse at Belleville, Illinois; alphabetical by 1st letter of groom's surname, includes letters A-C only. (Includes wills 1794–1811.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1970.
 * 1807-1850 Dodd, Jordan. Illinois Marriages, 1790-1806, available online, courtesy: Ancestry ($). Includes St. Clair County marriages 1807-1850.
 * 1897-1949 Buecher, Robert. Millstadt [IL] "Enterprise" marriage index, 1897-1949. St. Louis, Missouri : R. Buecher, 1992.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1906-1950 in the St Clair CGS Quarterly series beginning volume 30:2 (2007) through volume 44: 4 (2021). Bride and groom indexes with date and license number.
 * 1807-1950 Marriage licenses (there is one license in 1806)
 * 1807-1845 Marriage records, A–D
 * 1807-1946 Marriage record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1807-1976 Marriage licenses IRAD (SIU)
 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)
 * 1790-1860 Illinois Marriage index at Ancestry ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Death
MyHeritage ($)''
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1843-1856 Birth and death record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1854-1916 Death Records of the St. Clair County Poor Farm and Hospital 1854-1916 at St. Clair County Genealogical Society - digitized book ($)
 * 1878-1896 Death Register Extracts (and continuing) in St Clair CGS quarterlies (2007-2020).
 * 1878-1888 Belleville: Burial permit record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1888-1923 Belleville: Death record; IRAD (SIU) and Belleville Public Library
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index; ''Also at:
 * 1916-1950 St. Clair County Deaths 1916-1950, available online, courtesy: Genealogy Trails.
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index

Archives
 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) IRAD is a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories managed by the Illinois State Archives, housing the archival records of local Illinois counties, townships, municipalities and school districts. The seven Regional Depositories are housed on state university campuses scattered throughout Illinois. Southern Illinois University houses the records for St. Clair County.

FamilySearch Centers

 * O'Fallon Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * St Louis Missouri FamilySearch Center
 * Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society - an affiliate library
 * Mississippi Valley District Library-Collinsville - an affiliate library
 * Mississippi Valley District Library-Fairmont - an affiliate library
 * O'Fallon Public Library - an affiliate library
 * St Louis County Library - an affiliate library
 * St Louis Public Library - Central Library - an affiliate library
 * St. Louis Public Library-Divoll Branch Library - an affiliate library
 * St. Louis Public Library - Julia Davis Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Major holdings include the microfilmed St Clair County probate case files and record books filed in the various courts from the late 1700s to circa 1964 (wills, guardianships, estates); marriage registers 1807-1919, deaths registers 1878-1943 and proofs of death back to 1843; and grantor-grantee indexes to circa 1905, all of which are part of the acquisitions and collections of the St Clair County Genealogical Society. Virtually all extant newspapers published in the county and on microfilm (1840s - present) are on location in the Archives. Obituary indexes from nearly all issues have been compiled, including those from the East St. Louis Journal 1863-1979, and editions of various Belleville papers beginning 1840, the Freeburg Tribune 1904-1999, and Marissa Messenger 1887-1985. A wide variety of news articles are abstracted from East St Louis and Belleville newspapers through 1940 including civil and religious events, pioneers, the everyday to prominent citizen, village and city growth and business, disease, catastrophes, social events, and so forth.
 * Archives and Genealogy Department of the Belleville Public Library 121 E. Washington St. Belleville, IL 62220 (618) 234-0441 Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-8pm, Fri-Sat 9am-5pm Website
 * O'Fallon Public Library 120 Civil Plaza O'Fallon, IL 62269 618-632-3783 Open Mon-Thu: 9am-8pm, Fri: 9am-5pm, Sat: 9am-4pm, Sun: 1pm-5pm Website

Societies

 * St Clair County Illinois Genealogical Society PO Box 431 Belleville, IL 62222-0431 Email:[mailto:sccgsoffice@stclair-ilgs.org sccgsoffice@stclair-ilgs.org] Website
 * SCCGS Collections that are at the Belleville Public Library:
 * Death and marriage registers from the county clerk’s office (microfilm)
 * Green Mount (non-sectarian), Mt. Hope and Walnut Hill cemeteries lot cards, indexes, maps.
 * Probate case files 1770s – 1964 with original will, and intestate case files for those who died without a will. (776 microfilm rolls)
 * Church records for the county’s Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and United Church of Christ denominations, for example. (microfilm and books)
 * Newspapers of Lebanon, Mascoutah, and O’Fallon (microfilm)


 * St. Clair County Historical Society 701 East Washington Belleville, IL 62220 Phone Number 618-234-0600 E-mail:[mailto:stcchs@att.net stcchs@att.net] Website
 * Belleville Historical Society PO Box 23682 633 E Garfield St Belleville, IL 62220 Phone 618-531-7753 Email:[mailto:bellevillehistoricalsociety@gmail.com bellevillehistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Website
 * Belleville Heritage Society 3121 N Illinois St, Swansea, IL 62226-2368 Phone 618-235-6471
 * Freeburg Historical & Genealogical Society PO Box 69 306 North Edison Street Freeburg, IL 62243-1235 Phone 618-539-5264
 * Lebanon Historical Society c/o Prairie Dog Press 114 East St.Louis Street Lebanon, IL 62254-0126 Phone 618-537-8420 Website
 * Marissa Historical and Genealogical Society 210 N Main Marissa, IL 62257-0047 Phone 618-295-2632 Email:[mailto:marissahgs@frontier.com marissahgs@frontier.com] Website
 * The Society maintains a museum and a genealogical/historical library.


 * Mascoutah Historical Society 306 West Main Street Mascoutah, IL 62258 Phone 618-566-9774 Email:[mailto:maschistsoc@gmail.com maschistsoc@gmail.com] Website
 * Millstadt Historical Society Glenn Schaefer, President 618-476-3696 Website
 * O'Fallon Historical Society PO Box 344 101 West State Street O'Fallon, IL 62269 Phone 618-624-8409 Email:[mailto:info@ofallonhistory.net info@ofallonhistory.net]

Websites

 * ST Clair County ILGenWeb
 * St. Clair County IL Genealogy
 * St. Clair County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.