Edwards County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Edwards 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 Ninian Edwards, the Territorial Governor of Illinois. The county seat is Albion and the county was organized on 1814. The County is located in the south-eastern part of the state.

County Courthouse
Edwards County Courthouse 50 E Main Street Albion, IL 62806 Phone: 618-445-2016 Edward County Courthouse County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Edwards County are kept, see the Edwards 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:

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

Biographies

 * Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois: with illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers; J. L. McDonough Pub, Philadelphia, PA, 1883. Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library


 * USGenWeb Archives

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

 Federal  1830
 * Edwards County, Illinois 1830 Federal census (heads of family only); pub. 1968, Decatur Genealogical Society

 1880
 * 1880 census by the United States of America of Edwards County Illinois, pub. 1981

 State  1825
 * 1825 state census of Edwards County, Illinois, Illinois State Archives
 * Edwards County, Illinois 1825 census record; pub. 196?, Bond, Corene
 * Edwards County, Illinois: 1825 state census, early history, marriages, and patron list from 1813 to 1880; pub. 1973; Eberhart, Elsie Swartz

Church Records
Churches of Edwards County; pub. 19??; Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records


 * Guardian index to files, Albion, Illinois : includes insolvents, adoption and insane persons from circuit clerk's office, Edwards County, Illinois, pub. 19??, ECHS
 * USGenWeb Archives

Emigration and Immigration

 * Report of aliens, 1818-1822; filmed 1981, IRAD-EIU,
 * Encyclopedia of American immigration, pub. 2001, Edwards County is mentioned in this series.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African Americans
 * 1815-1860 Database of Servitude and Emancipation Records at ILGovDataBase. Also available at Ancestry ($).
 * 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

 Blackhawk War Detachment of Capt. Hunter's Company, Detachment of Capt. Champion S. Mading's Company, Captain Solomon Hunter's Detachment USGenWeb Archives

Funeral Homes
Ingram Funeral Home records, 1939-1971, Albion, Illinois; filmed 2005 note: the records were filmed in Wayne County, Illinois courthouse.

Genealogies
A History of Edwards County, Illinois; pub. 1980, 1993

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 online, through the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at Eastern Illinois University - search for Edwards County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page. Unlike most Illinois counties, Edwards is divided into Road Districts, as opposed to Townships found in other counties.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1804-1891 1804-1891 Edwards County Federal Township Plats (Called Road Districts in Edwards)
 * 1816-1865 Deed Grantee Index Genealogy Trails
 * 1800s – Present Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records, including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a researcher establish location and lead to National Archives’ records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are at the National Archives.
 * 1815-1888 Deed Indexes, Deed Record 1815-1890 ; Grantees, Grantor, Deed records and Warranty deeds
 * 1815-1978 Deed Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1888-1900 Grantee and Grantor Index
 * 1888-1899 Deed Index IRAD-EIU
 * 1890-1902 Land and Deed Records ; Grantees, Grantors, Deed records
 * 1855-1874 Land Records, 1855-1874 Record of swamp and overflow lands
 * 1874 Plat Record, Original Survey IRAD-EIU
 * 1814 Edwards County Historical Society. Original Land Sales, Edwards County, Illinois, beginning 1814. Albion, Illinois: Edwards County Historical Society (IL), 1983. ,
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database. Also available at Ancestry ($)

Local Histories

 * Edwards County (Ill.)--History - pamphlet
 * Pictures from the past-- Edwards County, Illinois. Volume 1; pub. 2003
 * Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois: with illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, pub. 1883, reprint 2001 WorldCat, Internet Archive, HathiTrust Digital Library, ,
 * Edwards County sesquicentennial 1814-1964, WorldCat,
 * Edwards County, Illinois, 1825 census with additions, early history beginnings of pioneers, marriages and patrons lists from 1813 to 1880; pub. 1973; WorldCat,
 * A History of Edwards County, Illinois, pub. 1980, 1983 ,
 * History of the English settlement in Edwards County, Illinois, founded in 1817 and 1818; pub. 1882, Birkbeck and Flower; (alternative title: Prairie Albion: an English settlement in pioneer Illinois), Ebookee, Questia,, ,
 * Real estate &amp; personal property assessment of Edwards County, Il., 1899 from the Albion Journal, Edwards County justices of the peace, 1814-1849, historical articles on early Edwards County justice &amp; West Salem, Il. from Richland County newspapers; pub. 1996, ,
 * Yester years in Edwards County, Illinois: a simple tale for simple people; pub. 1948-1950; WorldCat
 * Barns of Edwards County, pub. 2008
 * A history of southern Illinois: a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests; Internet Archive, WorldCat Volume 1 FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Digitized Books, Volume 2 FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Digitized Books, Volume 3 FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Digitized Books.
 * USGenWeb Archives

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1788-1940 Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Edwards County Federal Township Plats
 * Federal township plats of Illinois (1804-1891). Edwards County
 * Edwards County (Ill.)--Maps - pamphlet
 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Edwards County, Illinois. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., 2007. ,
 * W. W. Hixson Map, 1919, showing schools, churches and cemeteries
 * W. W. Hixson Map, 1926
 * Land atlas and plat book, Edwards - Wabash County, Illinois, 1970,
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
 Pensions
 * 1860s-1960s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1883 1883 Pension Roll USGenWeb Archives

 War of 1812 Some Military Land Grants USGenWeb Archives

 Indian Wars Some Military Land Grants USGenWeb Archives

 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Edwards 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 Edwards County.
 * - 6th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 26th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 38th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * - 40th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * - 56th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 63rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 87th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and H.
 * - 136th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company H.
 * - 152nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company F.

 World War II Army Enlistment Records USGenWeb Archives

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 ($)
 * Index to the newspapers, Albion Journal and Albion Pioneer, 1869-1906, filmed 1975
 * Gleanings of old newspapers, pub. 2009 Newspaper clippings from various newspapers in Clay, Richland, Edwards, Lawrence, Wabash and Wayne Counties in Illinois. Include obituaries, birth announcements, weddings, court news and articles of general interest on those counties.
 * USGenWeb Archives

Obituaries

 * Edwards County, Il obituaries; DAR, pub 1994; from the Albion journal-register, Albion, Illinois, 1941; More libraries
 * Edwards Co., Illinois, obituaries, filmed 1975, manuscript
 * Obituaries from Richland &amp; Edwards Counties; pub. 2001
 * USGenWeb Archives

Other Records
 Centennial Celebrations, etc Edwards County sesquicentennial 1814-1964; pub. 1964?; Edwards County Historical Society

 Photographs and Post Cards
 * Photographs USGenWeb Archives
 * Post Cards USGenWeb Archives

Periodicals

 * Edwards County Historical Society journal
 * Edwards County Historical Society newsletter
 * Edwards County Historical Society quarterly

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
 * 1817–present The original Edwards county probate records are housed at the Edwards.
 * 1815-1869 Probate Court Files Guardian Index
 * 1815-1916 Probate Will Record; IRAD-EIU
 * 1815-1871 Probate Case Files; IRAD-EIU
 * 1831-1885 Probate Record; IRAD-EIU
 * 1815-1922 Will Records
 * 1815-1869 Probate Court Files Index to administrations
 * 1815-1869 Probate Court Files Index
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Illinois Probate Records for more information.
 * For information and tips about records, IRAD-EIU

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
See also: Illinois Vital Records have more information.

Birth
1877–present The original Edwards County birth records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. The following copies are available:
 * 1877-1933 IRAD-EIU Search for Edwards records. Information about how to use IRAD
 * 1877-1933 Index IRAD-EIU Search for Edwards records. Information about how to use IRAD
 * 1877-1933 Birth index –
 * 1877-1900 Births –
 * 1877-1900 Delayed births –
 * 1886-1900 Delayed births –
 * 1901-1905 Delayed birth cerificates – IRAD-EIU Search for Edwards records. Information about how to use IRAD

Marriage
For information and tips about records, see IRAD-EIU 1815–present — The original Edwards County marriage records 1815-present are housed at the Edwards office. The following copies are available:
 * 1815-1968 Marriage Record; IRAD-EIU
 * 1815-1968 Index; IRAD-EIU
 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1815-1900 Edwards County Marriages Index A–G, H–Z (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1815-1820 Oldest county marriage records
 * 1815-1936
 * 1815-1926 Ancestry ($) Indexed
 * 1832-1910 Index –
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1815-1900 Illiniois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 (1815-1900 for Edwards County); IRAD
 * 1815-1844 Early marriages, includes index to 1831, and bride's index to 1844
 * 1845-1855 Goodson, Lois Jean. Marriage Book B, Edwards County Illinois, 1845–1855: Complete Alphabetical Listing of Males and Females. Albion, Illinois: Edwards County Historical Society, 1992.
 * USGenWeb Archives

Death
For information and tips about records, see IRAD-EIU
 * 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-present The original Edwards County death records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. The following copies are available:
 * 1877-1950 Death Record; IRAD-EIU
 * 1877-1933 Death index; IRAD-EIU,
 * 1877-1901 Register of deaths May be included in 1877-1950 Death Record, too.
 * 1880 Mortality Schedule Index listed by Road District (Genealogy Trails)
 * 1916-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950 (1916-1950 for Edwards County)
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * USGenWeb Archives

Archives
 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) The Eastern Illinois Regional Archives Depository is located at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. See the IRAD–EIU wiki page for more about this depository and its holdings.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Centralia Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Champaign Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Danville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Eldorado Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Evansville Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Mattoon Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Terre Haute Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Vincennes Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Marshall Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Putnam County Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Vigo County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Albion Public Library 6 North 4th Street Albion, IL 62806 Phone: (618) 445-3314
 * West Salem Public Library 112 West South Street West Salem, IL 62476 Phone: (618) 456-8970
 * SILNET (Southern Illinois Library Network) Website
 * Allen County Public Library
 * C. E. Brehm Memorial Library District Website
 * Fairfield Public Library Website
 * John A. Logan Library Website
 * Marion Carnegie Library Website
 * Mascoutah Public Library Website
 * Metropolis Public Library Website
 * Mount Carmel Public Library Website
 * Olney Public Library Website
 * Steeleville Area Public Library Website

Societies

 * Edwards County Historical Society 9 North 5th Street Albion, IL 62806 Phone 618-445-3433 Email:[mailto:edwardscountyhistory@frontier.com edwardscountyhistory@frontier.com]

Websites

 * Edwards County IL Genealogy
 * Edwards ILGenWeb
 * Genealogy Village
 * Edwards 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.