Illinois Census

United States &gt;  U.S. Census  &gt;  Illinois  &gt;  Census

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Illinois, click here

Microfilm images

 * Mortality Schedules of Illinois, 1850–1880. Illinois: Record Management Division, Secretary of State Office, 1967. (Family History Library films 1421024–030.)

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Illinois, click here.

State, territorial, and colonial censuses
1865--Though not complete, a separate card index to the 1865 state census is at the Illinois State Archives.

1810–1855--Territorial, state, and federal censuses have been indexed in one alphabetical sequence along with county election returns and other records. Records for the 1825, 1835, and 1845 state censuses of many counties are missing or incomplete. The Illinois State Archives has the original card index complete through 1855.

A microfilm copy made before the index was completed is:


 * Name Index to Early Illinois Records. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Archives, 1975. (On 248 Family History Library microfilms beginning with 1001592.) At the time the index was microfilmed, most of the indexing of the 1855 census had not been completed.

1807-- Some earlier Illinois residents were also listed in the 1807 Indiana territorial census:


 * Census of Indiana Territory for 1807. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society, 1980. (Family History Library book 977.2 X2c 1807; film 1033927, item 4, or 1428705, item 5.)
 * Jackson, Ronald Vern, et al. Indiana 1807 Census Index. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1986. (Family History Library book 977.2 X22j 1807.)


 * A 1787 American census of French settlers of Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher is available at Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord. Illinois State Historical Library: Springfield, IL, 1909: p. 414-420.
 * A French colonial census, taken in 1752 can be found in Kaskaskia Under the French Regime, by Natalia Maree Belting. Polyanthos: New Orleans, 1948, p. 86-98. Belting includes a genealogical commentary on each entry in the census.
 * Two French colonial censuses of Illinois (1726 and 1732) are available in The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732, by Charles R. Maduell, Jr. Genealogical Publishing Company: Baltimore, MD, 1972, p. 50-60.

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Illinois censuses, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types