Kendall County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Kendall 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 Amos Kendall, a newspaper editor who later became an important advisor to President Andrew Jackson. He also became U.S. Postmaster in 1835. The county seat is Yorkville and the county was organized on 1841. The County is located in the Northeast part of the state.

County Courthouse
Kendall County Courthouse 807 W. John St Yorkville, IL 60560 Phone: 630-553-4208 Kendall County Courthouse

County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Kendall County are kept, see the Kendall 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 Kendall County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Kendall County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Church Records
Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. It is usually best to locate church records with a search at a local level such as the city, town, or village.
 * USGenWeb's Kendall County Church Records directory of Kendall County churches, and links to several compiled church records.
 * Dickson, Elmer George. The Ministers; Priests of Kendall County, Illinois. Chico, California: E. Dickson, 1992. ;

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African American
 * 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. Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1841-1926 Deed records
 * 1841-1892 Grantor index
 * 1841-1891 Grantee index
 * Family Maps of Kendall County, Illinois (2005) plats the land of many nineteenth-century Kendall County residents. The publisher's bookstore includes a free online surname index.
 * 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 research establish location and lead to National Archives' records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are housed at the National Archives.
 * 1800s-Present Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales from Illinois State Archives also provides an index to federal land sales.
 * Land Records Kendall County, Illinois at ILGenWeb includes indexes to federal lands sales, and the 1859, 1870, 1922, and 1941 plat maps of Kendall County.
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Kendall County Federal Township Plats

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
 War of 1812 Dickson, Elmer George Kendall County veterans of the Civil, Mexican &amp; Spanish-America wars and the War of 1812 (Chico, California: E. Dickson, c1993) pages 39 FS Library Book 977.3263 M2

 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Kendall 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 Kendall County.
 * - 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C (Also known as Dollins' Cavalry Company).
 * - 15th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I.
 * - 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, E, F, and I.
 * - 89th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 91st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 127th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, F, and K.
 * - 132nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company C.
 * - 141st Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F.
 * - 147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 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 ($)

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 — How to Use this Collection; Images only

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 Kendall 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 Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Kendall County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Birth

 * 1877-1903 Birth Records IRAD-NIU
 * 1877-1918 Birth Record Index IRAD-NIU
 * 1887-1903 Kendall County Birth Records Courtesy USGenWeb Archives Illinois
 * Kendall County Vital Records at ILGenWeb includes births, marriages, and deaths.

Marriage

 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1841-1915 Marriage Records IRAD-NIU
 * 1841-1897 Marriage Record Index IRAD-NIU
 * 1877-1918 Marriage Record Index IRAD-NIU
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1841-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives; Index
 * 1841-1915 Kendall County Marriage Records Courtesy USGenWeb Archives Illinois

Death

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1877-1903 Death Records IRAD-NIU
 * 1877-1903 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives; Index
 * 1877-1903 Kendall County Death Records Courtesy USGenWeb Archives Illinois
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives; Index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index

Archives
 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses 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. The Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for Kendall County. Learn more about finding and using their records.
 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository c/o Regional History Center Founders Memorial Library, Room 400 Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115 Telephone: (815) 753-1807

FamilySearch Centers

 * Buffalo Grove Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Chicago Heights Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Chicago Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Chicago Illinois Hyde Park FamilySearch Center
 * Griffith Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Joliet Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Morris Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Naperville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Orland Park Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Ottawa Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Valparaiso Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Westchester Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Wilmette Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Arlington Heights Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Barrington Area Library - an affiliate library
 * Cook Memorial Public Library District - an affiliate library
 * Downers Grove Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Glenview Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Lake County IL Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * Oak Lawn Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Schaumburg Township District Library - Hoffman Estates - an affiliate library
 * Valparaiso Public Library/Porter County Public Library System - an affiliate library

Libraries
The following Kendall County libraries have collections of particular interest to genealogists. Oswego Public Library District 32 W. Jefferson St. Oswego, IL 60543 Phone: (630) 554-3150
 * Volunteers from the Fox Valley Genealogical Society assist researchers with the Local History and Genealogy Collection at designated times.

Plano Community Library District 15 N. Center Plano, IL 60545 Phone: (630) 552-2009 Website
 * Their collection includes histories, directories, cemetery records, church and school records, and more.

Yorkville Public Library 902 Game Farm Road Yorkville, IL 60560 Phone: (630) 553-4354 Website
 * The library has microfilms of census records and The Kendall County Record newspaper.

Museums

 * Little White School Museum Box 23 72 Polk Street Oswego, IL 60543 Telephone (630) 554-2999
 * The museum holds records of local interest, including indexes, histories, maps, photos, and more. Check in advance for their limited hours.

Societies

 * Fern Dell Historic Association 9 E Front St Newark, IL 60541 Phone 815-695-5240 Email:[mailto:info@ferndell.org info@ferndell.org]
 * Fox Valley Genealogical Society PO Box 5435 Naperville, IL 60567-5435 Email:[mailto:info@ilfvgs.org info@ilfvgs.org] Website
 * Kendall County Historical Society PO Box 123 7935 State Route 71 Yorkville, IL 60560 Phone 630-553-6777 Library at Lyon Farm Email:[mailto:lyonfarmkchs1@gmail.com lyonfarmkchs1@gmail.com] Website
 * Plano Historical Society 4 S. West Street Plano, IL, 60545
 * Oswegoland Heritage Association PO Box 23 72 Polk Street Oswego, IL 60543 Phone 630-554-2999 Email:[mailto:info@littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org info@littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org] Website

Websites

 * Kendall County Kin
 * Kendall County IL Genealogy
 * Kendall ILGenWeb, ILGenWeb
 * Kendall County, IL 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.