Massac County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Massac 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 Fort Massac. The county seat is Metropolis and the county was organized on February 8, 1843. The County is located in the Southern tip of the state.

County Courthouse
Massac County Courthouse 101 W 8th St Metropolis, IL 62960 Phone: 618-524-4850 Massac County Courthouse County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Massac County are kept, see the Massac 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:

Census Records

 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry ($)

For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.

Church Records
 List of Churches and Church Parishes A chapter on Massac County, Illinois religious history appears in a local history (1900), available Archive.org, beginning on page 100.
 * FamilySearch Places

 Baptist
 * First Baptist Church (Metropolis, Ill.). Church History, 1841-1939. MSS. Copy:.
 * Macadonia Baptist Church. Church Minutes, 1851-1868. MSS. Copy:.
 * New Hope Baptist Church (New Columbia, Ill.). Church Roll (Alphabetical). MSS. Copy:.

 Catholic FamilySearch has made parish records from two Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Massac County available online. The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:
 * 1729-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only

Christian
 * First Christian Church (Metropolis, Ill.). Church History, 1912-1968. Copy:.
 * McMahan, Abbie Deegan. The Early Years of the Christian Church of Brookport, Illinois. 1957..

 Community of Christ (Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
 * Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Joppa Branch. Church Records, 1909-1919. MSS., RLDS Library Archives, Independence, Mo. Copy:.

 Lutheran (Evangelical)
 * Foss, Carolyn Cromeenes et al. Massac County, Illinois Zion's Evangelical Church Records 1854-1927 and Cemetery. Newburgh, Ind.: J.F. Lee, 1993..
 * Foss, Carolyn Cromeenes et al. Massac County, Illinois, St. John's Lutheran Church Records, 1860-1889 and Cemetery. 1991..
 * Foss, Carolyn Cromeenes et al. Massac County, Illinois, St. Stephen's Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, 1865-1925, and Cemetery. 1992..
 * St. John Lutheran Church: Route 4, Metropolis, Illinois: 125th Anniversary. Metropolis, Ill.: The Church, 1986. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

 Methodist
 * First Methodist Church (Metropolis, Ill.). Church Records, 1839-1884. MSS. Copy:.
 * 100th Anniversary, Powers United Methodist Church, June 23, 1974. . WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Powers United Methodist Church: Historical Perspective, 1874-1992. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

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 FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Massac County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page. Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1843-1849 Order book, A
 * 1843-1849 Circuit court record IRAD (SIU)

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 Cemeteries

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. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online sources, the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Massac County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * 1816-1878 Massac County Genealogical Society. Massac County, Il. land entries and swamp land sales, 1816-1878. Metropolis, Illinois : Massac County Genealogical Society (Illinois), 1998.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1842-1900 Grantor index
 * 1843-1896 Deeds
 * 1843-1900 Grantee index
 * 1843-1900 Deed index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1843-1911 Deed record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1984 Rockford Map Publishers. Massac County (Illinois), land atlas and plat book, 1984. Rockford, Ill. Rockford Map Publishers, [©1984]. 12052115 Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * Plat of Macadonia Cemetery south side
 * St. John Lutheran church, old cemetery plat
 * Plat of L.W. Smith &amp; Salem Trustees addition of Salem Cemetery
 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family maps of Massac County, Illinois: with homesteads, roads, waterways, towns, cemeteries, railroads and more. Norman, Oklahoma Arphax Pub. Co., c2008.Other libraries (WorldCat) The publisher's bookstore includes a free online surname index.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Ancestry ($)
 * Massac County Federal Township Plats
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories
The online Shawnee Community College Local History Project includes dozens of personal interviews and even a "Letter From the Birdman of Alcatraz," that give you a taste of historic Massac County.
 * Page, Oliver J. History of Massac County, Illinois: With Life Sketches and Portraits. Metropolis, Ill.: O.J. Page, 1900. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive.

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

Military Records
 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Massac 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 Massac County.
 * - 6th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A
 * - 15th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company B (Carmichael's Cavalry Company)
 * - 29th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies H and K
 * - 56th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and D
 * - 131st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, D, and H
 * - 136th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company I

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 ($)

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate Records
Original estates and wills are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. 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 ($) — index and images
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
 * 1846-1894 Probate index
 * 1860-1894 Will and index ; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1866-1885 Probate journals IRAD (SIU)
 * 1846-1964 Probate case files index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

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
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Massac 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 Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Massac County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.
 * 1849-1869 Fellows, Paul E. Massac County memories. Metropolis, Illinois: Massac Print., 1992. libraries (WorldCat)

Birth

 * 1864-1941 Births
 * 1864-1877 Birth record delayed IRAD (SIU)
 * 1878-1916 Birth record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1878-1941 Birth record index IRAD (SIU)

Marriage

 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast index ($)
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1790-1860 Illinois Marriage index at Ancestry ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1816-1865, 1866–1880 Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1843-1900 Foss, Carolyn Cromeenes and Judy Foreman Lee. Massac County, Illinois early marriage records. [Newburgh, IN] (6688 Outer Gray St., Newburgh 47630): J.F. Lee, 1991-&lt;1993&gt;. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1854-1923 Marriage records and index
 * 1854-1923 Marriage record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1854-1901 Marriage record index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1858-1903 Massac County Genealogical Society. Massac County, Illinois marriages from misc. sources, 1858-1903. Metropolis, Illinois: Massac County Genealogical Society (Illinois), 1998.Other libraries (WorldCat)

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
 * 1878-1902 Massac County Genealogical Society. Massac County, Ill. death records. Metropolis, Illinois : Massac County Genealogical Society, 1992. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1878-1915 Death recordIRAD (SIU)
 * 1878-1971 Deaths
 * 1878-1971 Death record indexIRAD (SIU)
 * 1896-1914 Coles, James E. and Brenda Jenkins. Massac County, Illinois coroner's reports : volume one (Book A 1869-1914). [Metropolis, Illinois]: Massac County Geneal. Society, 1992. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1906-1908; 1913–1917 Ferrell, Ed. Index to obituaries and death notices which appeared in the Metropolis Herald, Massac County, Illinois, 1906-1908; 1913-1917. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index

Archives
 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) 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. Southern Illinois University houses the records for Massac County.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Carbondale Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Eldorado Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Paducah Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Herrin City Library - an affiliate library
 * McCracken County Public Library - an affiliate library
 * The State Historical Society of Missouri - Cape Girardeau - an affiliate library

Societies
Massac County Genealogical Society PO Box 1043 Metropolis, IL 62960-1043 Email:[mailto:IL-MCGS-L-request@rootsweb.com IL-MCGS-L-request@rootsweb.com] Website

Massac County Historical Society 405 Market Street IL 62960 Metropolis, IL 62960 Phone 618-524-7203 E-mail:[mailto:thecrow@midwest.net thecrow@midwest.net] Website

Websites

 * Massac County ILGenWeb
 * Massac County IL Genealogy
 * Massac 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.