Champaign County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Illinois Online Genealogy Records

Champaign County Organization
Copies of historic Champaign County records are available through The Urbana Free Library as part of the Champaign County Historical Archives. Birth, marriage, death, obituary, newspaper, yearbook, cemetery, probate and other records have been indexed and can be searched at Local History Online. For more information about Champaign County's records, see the Champaign County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts
Large numbers of Ohio residents settled in frontier Champaign County, Illinois. The name of the county (Champaign) is reminiscent of Champaign County, Ohio - the previous residence of many pioneer settlers.

Description
The county was named for Champaign County, Ohio. The County Seat is Urbana and was founded 1833. It is located in the East-Central area of the state.

Boundary Changes

 * 20 February 1833: Champaign County was created from Vermilion County.


 * 1790-1801 originally part of Knox, Northwest Territory 1801-1812 St. Clair (Illinois Territory) 1812-1813 Madison (Illinois Territory) 1815-1816 Edwards (Illinois Territory) 1816-1819 Crawford (Illinois Statehood 1818) 1819-1823 Clark County, Illinois 1823-1826 Edgar County, Illinois 1826-1833 Vermilion County, Illinois

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.

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes


 * FamilySearch Places

A Commemorative History of Champaign County, Illinois, 1833-1983. by Willis C. Baker and Patricia L. Miller contains a section on church history in the county. WorldCat

The Champaign County Historical Archives (CCHA) at The Urbana Free Library has hundreds of church record books, membership directories, photos and published books about churches in Champaign County. To search the collections, type the word "Church" in Local History Online Catalog. Or limit your search to a specific denomination and/or location by including those terms in your search. Some Lutheran church records housed at CCHA are in German. To see those, include the word "German" in your search.

Catholic
Catholic Churches in Champaign County are part of the Diocese of Peoria.

Church of Christ

 * 1853-1885 - Community United Church of Christ, Baptism Index 1853-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1853-1895 - Community United Church of Christ, Baptism Index 1853-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Lutheran
Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church 


 * Baptism Record Extractions, 1874-1927
 * Confirmation Record Extractions, 1875-1926
 * Marriage Register Record Extractions, 1892-1925
 * Burial Register Extractions, 1874-1925
 * Records of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hensley Township, Champaign County, Illinois, 1874-1928. Champaign County Historical Archives; WorldCat

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church


 * Index to Baptism Register, 1860-1875,
 * Index to Confirmations,
 * Index to Marriages
 * Index to Burials
 * Records of St. John's Lutheran Church, Champaign, Illinois, 1860-1988. Champaign County Historical Archives; WorldCat

St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church Sadorus, IL


 * Parish Records of St. Paul's Evangelical Church, 1887-1959. By Wayne M. Fabert WorldCat

St. Paul German Evangelical Church Arcola, IL


 * Parish records of St. Paul German Evangelical Church, Arcola, Illinois, 1867-1935. By Wayne M. Fabert WorldCat

Evangelical St. Peter's Church 


 * Index to Confirmations (1866-1915)
 * Index to Marriages (1866-1908)
 * Index to Burials (1865 to 1905) item 3
 * Parish Records of St. Peter's Evangelical Church 1865-1943. by Wayne M. Fabert WorldCat


 * 1865-1885 - St. Peter's Evangelical Church, Champaign, Baptism Index 1865-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1865-1895 - St. Peter's Evangelical Church, Champaign, Marriage Index 1865-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church 101 E Van Buren St. Philo, IL 61864


 * Parish Records of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church at Philo, Illinois, 1875-1931. by Wayne M. Fabert WordCat

Methodist
First United Methodist Church  210 West Church Street Champaign, IL 61820


 * Records of the First United Methodist Church, pastors, 1856-2002, marriages 1868-1948, baptisms 1868-1948 and summary church history. by Wilson M. Zaring. WorldCat


 * 1870-1904 - First Methodist Episcopal Church, Champaign, Baptism Index 1870-1904 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.
 * 1869-1908 - First Methodist Episcopal Church, Champaign, Marriage Index 1869-1908 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batch.

First Methodist Church, Urbana

Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church 2201 CR 900 E, Champaign, IL 61822


 * History of Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church, by Phillip R. Francis. WorldCat

Shiloh Methodist Church 352 County Road 2700 North Mahomet, IL 61853


 * Shiloh Methodist Episcopal Church Records, 1899-1970.

Presbyterian
First Presbyterian Church, Champaign

Other Christian Denominations
Oak Grove Church Condit Township, IL


 * List of members, minutes of meetings and Sunday School records, 1909-1925. items 7-9

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 Champaign County Historical Archives is the official repository for non-current Champaign County records and holds county probate, chancery, and circuit court cases from 1833-2005. These records have been indexed and can be searched online through Local History Online Catalog.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for Champaign County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.


 * Court Record 1833-1852, 1857-1872
 * Circuit Court Recognizance Record 1869-1877 IRAD (ISU)

Directories
Available at Ancestry:

J.S.Lothrop's Champaign County Directory 1870-1871.

Additional directories available at: Linkpendium.

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
 * Champaign County African-American History Committee Champaign Park District, Douglass Annex 512 E. Grove Champaign, IL 61820 Email:[mailto:littlefi@uiuc.edu littlefi@uiuc.edu] Website eBLACKcu Website

Genealogy

 * Champaign County Genealogical Society 210 W. Green St Urbana 61801 Phone 217-367-4025 Facebook Website


 * The Urbana Free Library Champaign County Historical Archives 210 West Green Street Urbana, IL 61801 Phone 217- 367-4025 Website

History

 * Museum of the Grand Prairie 950 North Lombard, Rt 47 Mahomet, IL 61853 Phone 217-586-2612 Email:[mailto:pcain@ccfpd.org pcain@ccfpd.org] Facebook Website
 * Champaign County History Museum 102 East University Avenue Champaign, IL 61820-4177 Phone 217-356-1010 Email:[mailto:president@champaigncountyhistory president@champaigncountyhistory.org] Facebook Website

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 Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for Champaign County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of Original Records


 * 1833-1927 Deed Index. - Also available through the Family History Library and its Centers
 * 1833-1902 Deed Record - Also available through the Family History Library and its Centers (first film)
 * 1862-1877 Chattel Mortgage Record IRAD (ISU)
 * 1959-1965 Chattel Mortgages IRAD (ISU)

Online Resources


 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * Champaign County Federal Township Plats

Military History and Records
Linkpendium links data to information and records for the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, and World War II.

Revolutionary War
Veteran Burials (Genealogy Trails History Group)

War of 1812
Some Military Land Grants Champaign County Illinois For Soldiers of the War of 1812 (USGenWeb)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Champaign 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 Champaign County.


 * - 3rd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company D

Cavalry


 * - 2nd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I
 * - 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I
 * - 16th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L

Infantry


 * - 20th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company A
 * - 25th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company C, Company G, Company I, and Company K
 * - 26th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company F, and Company I
 * - 38th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company C.
 * - 51st_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company B, and Company E.
 * - 67th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K
 * - 71st_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company C, Company F, and Company ;H.
 * - 72nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, G.
 * - 76th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company B, and Company G.
 * - 125th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E, Company F, and Company H
 * - 133rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K
 * - 135th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, and Company B
 * - 154th_Regiment,_Illinois_Infantry, Company A, and Company B


 * Behrens, Robert H. From Salt Fork to Chickamauga: Champaign County Soldiers in the Civil War, includes full-name index of 3,200 men. ,


 * Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)


 * A list of the GAR post in Illinois additional site for post list Library of Congress


 * Black Eagle Post, Urbana 1913

World War I
World War I Draft Registration Cards 1917-1918.(Ancestry)

World War II
Army Enlistees Alphabetical list - USGenWeb

Army Casualties Part 1U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Army Casualties Part 2 U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

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

The Champaign County Historical Archives is the official repository for non-current Champaign County records and holds naturalization records from 1859-1929. These records have been indexed and can be searched online through Local History Online Catalog.

The following copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Champaign County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

IRAD


 * Circuit Court:


 * 1858-1906 Naturalization Records
 * 1866-1906 Naturalization Records of Minors
 * 1866-1892 Naturalization Records of Soldiers
 * 1872-1906 Naturalization Records


 * County Court:


 * 1860-1902 Naturalization Records
 * 1866-1896 Naturalization Records of Minors
 * 1866-1889 Naturalization Records of Soldiers
 * 1896-1906 Naturalization Declarations of Intent

Family History Library and Centers


 * 1858-1906 Naturalization records (Circuit Court)
 * 1860-1906 Naturalization records (County Court)

Online Records


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

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1852-2019 - Microfilm at Champaign County Historical Archives. List of newspapers and holdings.
 * Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections


 * Newspapers Published in Champaign County


 * Chronicling America  Library of Congress

Ancestry.com ($) has:


 * Champaign, Illinois 'Newspaper Index', 1892 search by name, date and event.
 * The Evening Courier: 1935-39 and1941-1944.

Obituaries
Newspaper death notices and obituaries from 1894 to the present are included in the Champaign County Historical Archives, and can be searched on-line using Local History Online. Obituaries are indexed by both a woman’s maiden as well as her married name(s) if that information was included in the obituary. The index covers the following newspapers:


 * Urbana Courier -  August 1894– March 1979
 * Champaign News-Gazette -  September 1938 – 2020

Obituaries from other newspapers, including the Champaign County Gazette, Champaign Daily Gazette, Champaign Daily News and others may be included in the index, but those newspapers have not been fully indexed and so may not include every obituary published. The Champaign County Historical Archives is able to provide off-site patrons with photocopies or scanned images of records for a fee. See 'How to Order Copies' webpage for more information. $

Probate Records
The original files for all known probate cases from 1833 - 1922 are kept at the Champaign County Historical Archives at The Urbana Free Library.

Original estates and wills from 1923 to the present are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. Probate records from 1992 to the present are indexed and available on-line at Champaign County's Public Access Case Lookup System.

See Illinois Probate Records for more information about using probate records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Illinois State University

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU). To see all probate records available for Champaign County, search the Local Government Record Holdings with Champaign County selected and the word "probate" in the title search box. For more information about how to access records held at an Illinois Regional Archive Depository, see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

1835-1976 Probate Record Index 1833-1953 Probate Will Records 1833-1891 Probate Case Files (microfilm copies) 1838-1851 Probate Records 1859-1952 Probate Inventory Record 1864-1943 Probate Appraisement Record 1868-1907 Probate Sale Record, Real Estate 1950-1955 Probate Appraisement Review Record


 * Family History Library and Centers

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

1833-1851 Probate Records. - Items 4-5 1851-1921 Probate Records. - 1877-1900 Probate Packets. -

Online Resources


 * 1851-1921 Wills are also available in . Click on the browse through images link, select Champaign County, and select the record type you are interested in.


 * Champaign County Historical Archives


 * 1833-1948 Probate Will Records (handwritten copies in Will Books) 1833-1922 Probate Case Files (complete, original files)

Public Records

 * IRAD - ISU Holdings


 * 1833-1942 Board of Supervisors' Minutes
 * 1956-1964 County Officials' Bonds and Oaths of Office
 * 1872-1966 Notary Public Registers
 * 1916-1922 Optometrist Registers
 * 1869-1872 Patent Record, Invention
 * 1877-1965 Professional Registers
 * 1950-1962 Drainage District Accounts
 * 1937-1963 Drainage District Assessment Record, Delinquent
 * 1942-1947 Drainage District Bank Books
 * 1928-1951 Drainage District Collector's Books
 * 1908-1957 Drainage District Collector's Books, Kankakee District
 * 1911-1955 Drainage District Collector's Books, Special District
 * 1914-1931 Drainage District Ledgers

Repositories

 * County Courthouse

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


 * Family History Center Find a FamilySearch Center


 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) Illinois State University (ISU) 2016 Warehouse Road Campus Box 1520 Normal, Illinois 61802 Phone: 309-452-6027 Illinois Regional Archives Depository System Illinois State University Region


 * Public Libraries

Urbana Free Library    210 West Green Street     Urbana, IL 61801     Phone: (217) 367-4025 Expanding on a card based index created in the 1960s and 1970s, the Champaign County Historical Archives located at The Urbana Free Library has created an on-line index of Champaign County historical records of genealogical interest called Local History Online. Included are newspaper mentions of birth, marriage and death notices, along with official county records of birth, marriage, death, wills, probate, cemetery and other records. The index includes details (names and dates) that make it easy to identify records of interest.

Copies (non-certified) can be requested. See the Library's 'How to Order Copies' page. $

Societies

 * Champaign County Genealogical Society 210 W. Green St Urbana 61801 Phone 217-367-4025 Facebook Website
 * Champaign County African-American History Committee Champaign Park District, Douglass Annex 512 E. Grove Champaign, IL 61820 Email:[mailto:littlefi@uiuc.edu littlefi@uiuc.edu] Website eBLACKcu Website

Taxation
IRAD - ISU (Illinois State University)


 * 1857-1872 Tax Sale Record
 * 1935-1945 Tax Assessment Abstracts
 * 1947-1965 Tax Ledgers
 * 1906-1964 Collector's Accounts
 * 1950-1966 Collector's and Treasurer's Accounts
 * 1931-1964 County Annual Audit Reports
 * 1948-1965 Treasurer's Ledgers
 * 1946-1958 Motor Fuel Tax Allotment Record

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 Champaign 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 Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for Champaign County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

Births

 * Birth Record Index- IRAD years unlisted.
 * 1878-1901 Birth Record - IRAD (ISU). Also available through 
 * 1878-1918 Champaign County Birth Record - indexed in Champaign County Historical Archives Local History Online 
 * 1940-1946 Birth Certificates - IRAD (ISU) Adoptees. - may be restricted

Marriages

 * 1864-1932 Marriage Record Index. IRAD (ISU)
 * 1833-1915 Marriage Licenses. IRAD (ISU)
 * 1833-1932 Marriage Record IRAD (ISU) Also available with index through first film
 * 1878-1973 Marriage License Applications IRAD (ISU)

Online Resources


 * 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 and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index

Deaths

 * 1878-1949 Death Record Index - IRAD (ISU) Also available through Family History Library and its centers first film
 * 1878-1901 Death Record - IRAD (ISU) Also available through Family History Library and its centers first film
 * 1902-1915 Death Certificates - IRAD (ISU)
 * 1986-2001 Champaign County Coroner’s Death Certificates - indexed in Champaign County Historical Archives Local History Online

Online Resources


 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)
 * 1850–1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry ($)

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:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Societies and Libraries
The Urbana Free Library 210 West Green Street Urbana, Illinois 61801-5326 217-367-4025 217-531-7088 Fax

The Champaign County Historical Archives located at The Urbana Free Library offers a variety of resources to new and experienced genealogists, including access to on-line premium genealogy databases Ancestry Library Edition, Findmypast,Fold3, Heritage Quest, MyHeritage Library Edition, Newspapers.com, and more than 25,000 books and journals. See Local History Online to search the index of Champaign County birth, marriage, death, probate, burial, yearbook, and other records available through the library.

Family History Centers

 * Champaign Illinois Family History Center
 * Danville Illinois Family History Center
 * Decatur Illinois Family History Center


 * Champaign County Historical Archives - an affiliate library
 * Danville Public Library-Illinois - an affiliate library
 * Vespasian Warner Public Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * Champaign County IL Genealogy
 * Champaign County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Champaign County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Champaign County Illinois Ancestors
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project for Champaign County, Illinois

Databases Pertinent to Champaign County

 * Local Governmental Records Database
 * Name Index to Illinois Local Governments
 * Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
 * Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916–1950
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * Federal Township Plats of Illinois