Macoupin County, Illinois Genealogy

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

County Organization
Macoupin County's civil records start the following years:

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

Historical Facts
Macoupin County is named for Macoupin Creek which is a tributary of the Illinois River, which it joins near the village of Hardin, Illinois.

Parent County

 * 1829--Macoupin County was created 17 January 1829 from Madison and Greene Counties. County seat: Carlinville

Description
The county was named for Macoupin Creek, which flows through the county and is derived from the Indian word for the water lillies that grew along the creek. The county seat is Carlinville and the county was organized on January 17, 1829. The County is located in the central part 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.

Populated Places
Barr (township) Benld (city) Bird (township) Brighton (township &amp; village) Brushy Mound (township) Bunker Hill (city &amp; township) Cahokia (township) Carlinville (city &amp; township) Chesterfield (village &amp; township) Dorchester (village &amp; township) Eagarville (village) East Gillespie (village) Gillespie (city &amp; township) Girard (city &amp; township) Hettick (village) Hillyard (township) Honey Point (township) Lake Ka-Ho (village) Medora (village) Miles Station Modesto (village) Mount Clare (village) Mount Olive (city &amp; township) Nilwood (town &amp; township) North Otter (township) North Palmyra (township) Palmyra (village) Plainview Polk (township) Sawyerville (village) Scottville (village &amp; township) Shaws Point (township) Shipman (town &amp; township) South Otter (township) South Palmyra (township) Standard City (village) Staunton (city &amp; township) Virden (city &amp; township) Western Mound (township) White City (village) Wilsonville (village) Womac

Neighboring Counties

 * Greene
 * Jersey
 * Madison
 * Montgomery
 * Morgan
 * Sangamon

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Macoupin county cemeteries.


 * Macoupin County Cemeteries. Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.


 * Confederate soldiers buried in Macoupin County. Courtesy of Genealogy Trails.


 * Illinois Ancestors Tombstone Project.


 * ePodunk list of Macoupin County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.


 * Illinois State Genealogical Society Cemetery Location Project.


 * Macoupin County Cemeteries by township. Courtesy of the Illinois State Genealogical Society.

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, Macoupin County on page 187.]

Church Records
Church records may give birth, death and marriage information as well as indictate family relationships. See Illinois state wiki article Church Records for more ideas about how to use church records in your research. Many libraries( WorldCat) and the hold abstracts of church records for Macoupin County. Learn more about how to search WorldCat and the FamilySearch Catalog.

The Macoupin County ILGenWeb has an extensive list of current local congregations as well as historical records and pictures.

Baptist


 * 1836–1897 Concord Primitive Baptist Church.Courtesy of ILGenWeb.
 * 1849–1908 Charity Baptist Church Records. Courtesy of ILGenWeb.

Catholic


 * Ss. Mary and Joseph Catholic Church

Christian


 * 1887–1928 Everly Chapel Church Records Includes membership records and baptisms. Courtesy of ILGenWeb. Online digital copy, courtesy of Google Books.

Congregational


 * 1923 Chesterfield Congregational Church.Courtesy of ILGenWeb.

Episcopal


 * First Redeemer Lutheran Church The First Redeemer Lutheran Church purchased the original St. John's Episcopal Church which was the "Oldest Building in Town."

Lutheran


 * First Redeemer Lutheran Church The First Redeemer Lutheran Church purchased the original St. John's Episcopal Church which was the "Oldest Building in Town."

Methodist


 * 1868–1945Union Chapel Methodist Church. Courtesy of ILGenWeb.

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


 * 1829-1849 Macoupin County Records
 * 1829-1911 Circuit Court Case Files Index, Chancery and Common Law IRAD-UIS
 * 1830-1975 Circuit Court Record, Chancery IRAD-UIS
 * 1847-1946 Circuit Court Record Index, Chancery IRAD-UIS
 * 1858-1900 Circuit Court Record Index IRAD-UIS
 * 1870-1956 Jail Registers IRAD-UIS
 * 1899-1905 Circuit Court Fee Books, Chancery IRAD-UIS
 * 1919-1920 Circuit Court Dockets, Chancery IRAD-UIS

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

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 online, through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Macoupin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.

Online Resources


 * BLM GLO Records. Search original land patents for Macoupin County from the Govenment Land Office (GLO) or Eastern States Office. Some searches include images of the original warrants. All search results include the patant details needed for requesting copies of the land entry files at the National Archives. The GLO is the custodian of millions of land title documents. The General Land Office Automated Records Project is responsible for making these important documents available to the public.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales. The Illinois State Archives has an online index to the records of Public land sales held by the State Archives. The indexes are by purchasers name and by legal description. This is a statewide collection with nearly 550,000 land sales fro 54740 square miles.
 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Macoupin County Federal Township Plats
 * Sheldon, Theodore. Land registration in Illinois. Chicago: Callaghan Co., 1901. Digital book. Expains the laws regarding land and the land systems used in Illinois. Includes court cases involving land issues. In addition to being on Ancestry, this book is available online at no cost at Internet Archives and Google Books.

Copies of original records


 * 1819-1917 Land Patent Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1829–1880 Marks and brands ; IRAD-UIS
 * 1829-1888 Deed Index IRAD-UIS
 * 1829-1918 Deed Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1831–1918 Land records and indexes
 * 1868-1921 Mortgage Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1873-1881 Coal Contract Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1880-1880 Plat Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1908-1913 Oil Lease Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1909-1960 Mine Entry Books IRAD-UIS
 * 1916-1947Master's Certificates of Purchase IRAD-UIS

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Macoupin 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)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Macoupin 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 Macoupin County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company B


 * - 3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L.
 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies F and K.
 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F
 * - 32nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C and I
 * - 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I
 * - 97th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A
 * - 122nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, and K.
 * - 133rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies F, G, and H.
 * - 140th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D.
 * - 152nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company I.

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

Original probate records are held by the circuit court clerk. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records. A few copies of probate records are held at IRAD. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS. The following copies are available at IRAD–UIS and in the FamilySearch Catalog:


 * 1835–1926 Probate Records Index Browse for Macoupin records.
 * 1835–1939 Probate Records
 * 1835–1881 Probate Index A Courtesy of USGenWeb
 * 1849–1924 Administrator's Records Browse for Macoupin records.
 * 1859–1924 Executor's Records Browse for Macoupin records.
 * 1849–1923 Guardian Records Browse for Macoupin records.
 * 1849–1915 Probate Records Browse for Macoupin records.
 * 1835–1925 Will Record Browse for Macoupin records.
 * 1874–1883 Court Papers Index Browse for Macoupin records.
 * 1882–1883 Probate Dockets IRAD–UIS
 * Leonard, Cindy. The Macoupin Connection. Staunton, IL: Leonard Data Quest, 1991- (Probate Index Listings–no dates)

Other abstracted probate records for Macoupin County can be explored through a subject search of the.

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

Macoupin County Historical Museum Library
920 W. Breckenridge St Carlinville, IL 62626 Phone: 217-854-2850 Phone: 217-854-2561 Hours: Wednesday May - Nov 10 AM - 2 PM Sunday Jun - Aug 1 PM - 5 PM

Family History Center
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States) and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy. Currently there are no Family History Centers located directly in Cass County.

You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site.

The following centers are located in surrounding counties. Their wiki pages may supply hours and other information.

Litchfield Illinois Family History Center 12367 Roberson Rd. Litchfield, Illinois 62056 217-324-2396

Springfield Illinois Family History Center 3601 Buckeye Dr. Springfield, Illinois 62707 217-529-7930

Alton Illinois Family History Center 6500 Humbert Rd. Godfrey, Illinois 618-466-4352

Jacksonville Illinois Family History Center 1053 E. Vandalia Rd, Jacksonville, Illinois 62650 217-245-8113

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.

The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) houses the records for Macoupin County. The link will help you find and use the records. There address is:

Illinois Regional Archives Depository LIB144 University of Illinois at Springfield Region One University Plaza, MS BRK 140 Springfield, Illinois 62703-5407 217-206-6520

Public Libraries
Frank Bertetti Benld Public Library 308 East Central Avenue Benld, IL 62009 Phone:(217) 835-4045 Benld History Section

Blackburn College Library 700 College Avenue Carlinville, IL 62626-1498 Phone: 217-854-3231 Ext 4220 Collection includes historical and genealogical information.

Bunker Hill Public Library 220 East Warren St P O Box P Bunker Hill, IL 62014-0664 Phone: 618-585-4736 Collection includes newspapers, census books, histories and cemetery listings. The library also holds surname files for researchers.

Carlinville Public Library 510 North Broad Street P.O. Box 17 Carlinville, IL 62626 Phone: 217/854-3505 Extensive genealogical collection including surname files and local newspapers.

Girard Township Library 210 W. Madison St. Girard, IL 62640 Phone: 217/627-2414 Local newspapers and census films.

Macoupin County Historical Museum Library P.O. Box 431 Carlinville, IL 62626 Phone: 217-854-2850 Collection includes family histories and research records.

Mt. Olive Public Library 100 North Plum Street Mt. Olive, IL 62069-1755 Phone: 217/999-7311 E–mail: mtolivepubliclibrary@yahoo.com Collection includes local newspapers.

Staunton Public Library George and Santina Sawyer Genealogy Room 306 West Main Staunton, IL 62088 Phone: 618-635-3852 E-mail:familytree@stauntonpl.org

Collection includes local newspapers, cemetery listings, county histories, surname lists, and historical society quarterlies.

Grand Prarie of the West Public Library District 142 W. Jackson St. Virden, IL 62690-1257 Phone: 217/965-3015 Email: vie@lcls.org

Collection includes local newspapers, cemetery listings, and census records.

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 (1857) and death (1877) records are kept by the Macoupin 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 kept by the County Clerk from 1829 to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk.

Copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Universtiy of Illinois–Springfield(UIS). Search Macoupin County records in the Local Governmental Records Holdings Database. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD–UIS Wiki page.

found in the FamilySearch Catalog. Other libraries(at WorldCat) also hold copies of abstracted Macoupin County vital records. (How to explore WorldCat).

Birth

 * 1857–1903 Birth Records Index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1857–1881, 1942–1943 Various birth records. Courtesy of USGenWeb.
 * 1878-1901 Birth Records.
 * 1857–1962 Birth record, Delayed IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records..
 * 1920–1949 Birth record,Staunton City IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.

Marriage

 * 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810–1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1829–1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1829–1850 Illinois Marriages 1790 to 1860. Search for Macoupin county records.Ancestry ($). The source of this collection is films in the Family History Library's collection.
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * Marriage Records. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.


 * 1829–1900 Marriage records index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1829–1900 Marriage Records IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1876–1905 Marriage License Applications IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.

Death

 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1877-1910 Death Records Index. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * 1877-1901 Death Record. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index Search for Macoupin County.
 * 1878-1910 Death Index Courtesy of USGenWeb.
 * 1835-1938 Death Record, Coroner's Online index. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * 1911-1918 Death Record, Coroner's IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 Search for Macoupin County.
 * 1916-1951 Death Record, Staunton City. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * 1902-1903 Death Record, Virden City. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * 1902-1903 Burial Permit, Virden City. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * Funeral CardsCourtesy of USGenWeb.
 * Obituaries. Courtesy of USGenWeb.
 * Obituary Index. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * Macoupin Death Records. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.


 * A list of Macoupin County Patient Deaths at the Illinois State Hospital (1910s-1930s) is available online, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois. The site also provides a list of WWII Deaths.

Websites

 * Macoupin County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Macoupin County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Macoupin County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * Macoupin County, Illinois (Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois) Cemetery, Local Histories, Soldier's and Sailor's Home, Vital Records
 * http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilmaga/index_macoupin.html Macoupin County section of the Morgan Area Genealogy website.
 * http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilmaga/index_macoupin.html Macoupin County section of the Morgan Area Genealogy website.