Scott County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Description
Scott County was named for Scott County, KY. The county seat is Winchester and the county was organized on 1839. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Scott County Courthouse 35 E Market St Winchester, IL 62694 Phone: 217-742-5217 Scott County Courthouse

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

History Timeline
Scott County was established on February 16, 1839 from a portion of Morgan County. Its territory was first part of Illinois County, created by Virginia in 1783. In 1787 this sparsely settled county became part of the Territory Northwest of the Ohio River. In 1790 present day Scott became part of St. Clair County which was one of the initial counties located in Indiana Territory when it was formed in 1800. In 1809, that county became part of the new Illinois Territory and Scott county's territory moved through several county organizations as the population of Illinois began to expand rapidly: first Madison in 1812; next Greene in 1821; and as the last step before becoming its own county it became part of Morgan in 1823. This very rural county retains much the look it had during its early days.

Census Records

 * 1840 Pensioners
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. ; . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Illinois, Scott County on page 188.


 * 1850 Census
 * Index: 1850 Census of Scott County, IL at Rootsweb; index


 * 1850 Mortality Schedule
 * 1850 Scott County Mortality Schedule at Rootsweb; alphabetical


 * 1860 Census
 * 1860 Census of Scott County, IL at Rootsweb; index


 * 1860 Mortality Schedule
 * 1860 Scott County Mortality Schedule at Rootsweb; alphabetical


 * 1870 Census
 * 1870 Census of Scott County, IL Rootsweb; index


 * 1870 Mortality Schedule
 * 1870 Scott County IL Mortality Schedule at Rootsweb; alphabetical


 * 1880 Mortality Schedule
 * 1880 Scott County IL Mortality Schedule at Rootsweb; alphabetical

Church Records
The earliest Christian congregations in Scott County were likely Camp Meetings organized by Methodist preachers who came to the area in the early 1820s. The Baptists were also in the county by about 1825. Other denominations didn't appear to be established till later: the Catholics in 1860, Episcopalians in the 1870s, followed by like the Free Methodists and German Lutherans. A few resources referring to Scott County churches and their records have been found on the internet. Major denomination in Scott County, Illinois include Evangelical Denominations, Catholic Church, American Baptist Churches, Assemblies of God, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church.
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * See Linkpendium. For references to various church related sources.
 * WorldCat has Scott County church directories for 196? and 1979
 * Records for 1891 to 1900 of the Presbyterian Church in Winchester are available through the FamilySearch Library.

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1820-Onward Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * 1839-1874 Deed records 1839 to 1874 at IRAD
 * '''1839-1901
 * Illinois Federal Township Plats, by County
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales at the Illinois State Archives. 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 from 54740 square miles. Also at Ancestry ($).
 * Sheldon, Theodore. Land registration in Illinois. Chicago: Callaghan Co., 1901. Explains the laws regarding land and the land systems used in Illinois. Includes court cases involving land issues. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

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

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 ($)
 * Naturalization Records, Circuit Court1859 to 1904 at IRAD
 * Naturalization Records, County Court 1864 to1906 at IRAD

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Newspaper and Other Articles of Genealogical Interest to Scott County Researchers at Rootsweb; incomplete

Other Records
 Civil War 1861–1865 Regiments. Civil War service men from Scott 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 Scott County.
 * Civil War Discharge Papers at RootsWeb; alphabetical
 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 28th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 61st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 91st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 129th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, H, and I.
 * - 137th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company E.

 Spanish-American War 1898
 * Volunteer Soldiers of '98 and '99 at Rootsweb. History, biographical sketches.

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

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Vital Records
Marriages were first recorded in Scott County in 1839--when the county was organized. The early marriage records may or may not contain the marriage application (which would contain parent names).Birth records were first recorded in Scott County in 1860; deaths were first recorded in 1877. It was not until 1916 that the recording of births and deaths became mandatory. These vital records are available through the Scott County Clerk/Recorder, 35 East Market St., Winchester, IL 62694.Phone: 217-742-3178.

Birth

 * Birth Certificates1880 to 1900 at IRAD
 * Birth Records1877 to 1903 at IRAD
 * Birth Records Index1877 to 1903 at IRAD
 * Birth Afftdavit Records, Chidren of Civil War Casualties, 1861 to 1875 at IRAD
 * Early Births Registered in Scott County, Illinois (1850s-1860s), courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * Births During 1900: Scott County, Illinois, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois

Marriage

 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1839-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 for Scott County 1839 to 1900
 * 1876-1900 Marriage License Applications 1876 to 1900 at IRAD
 * 1876-1927 Marriage Licenses 1876 to 1927 at IRAD
 * 1839-1914 Marriage Records 1839 to 1914 at IRAD
 * 1839-1945 Marriage Record Index 1839 to 1945 at IRAD
 * Scott County, Illinois Marriages Groom Index 1900 - 1915, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * Scott County, Illinois Marriages Bride Index 1900 - 1915, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central 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
 * 1877-1913 Death Records 1877 to 1913 at IRAD
 * 1877-1913 Death Record Index 1877 to 1913 at IRAD
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * Scott County, Illinois Deaths 1878 - 1903, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * Scott County Patient Deaths at the Illinois State Hospital (1910s-1930s), courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * WWII Deaths from Scott County, Illinois, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois

Archives
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) IRAD Depository (UIS) LIB 144 University of Illinois at Springfield One University Plaza, MS BRK 140 Springfield IL 62703-5407 Phone: 217-206-6520

FamilySearch Centers

 * Centralia Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Jacksonville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Litchfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Springfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Athens Municipal Library - an affiliate library
 * Chatham Area Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Bluffs Public Library 110 North Bluff Street Bluffs, IL 62621 Phone: 217-754-3804 Winchester Public Library 215 North Main Street Winchester, IL 62694 Phone: 217-742-3150

Societies
Scott County Historical Society PO Box 85 Winchester, IL 62694-0085

Websites

 * Scott ILGenWeb
 * Scott County - ILGenWeb/USGenWeb
 * Scott County IL Genealogy
 * Scott County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Scott County, Illinois Resources (Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois) Extensive Atlases, Cemetery, Census, Directories, Local Histories, Military, Soldiers' and Sailors' Home Records, Vital Records
 * – 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.