Henry County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Henry 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 Patrick Henry - a Revolutionary war period lawyer, orator and statesman. The county seat is Cambridge and the county was organized on 1837. The County is located in the North-Western part of the state.

County Courthouse
Henry County Courthouse 307 W Center St Cambridge, IL 61238 Phone: 309-937-3572 Henry County Courthouse County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Henry County are kept, see the Henry 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

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 Henry County. Learn more about how to search WorldCat and the FamilySearch Catalog.  List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1857-1887 Gifford, B.R. Clergyman's private register. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1980.
 * The History of Henry County. Kett, H.F., Chicago: 1877. Free digital copy. Internet Archive. Many church histories are found in the town histories beginning on page 530. Churches not included in the town histories are listed beginning on page 541.
 * FamilySearch Places

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 Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Henry County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the WIU IRAD Wiki page. Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1840-1927 Probate Record books on microfilm, FamilySearch Catalog
 * 1847-1872 Circuit Court Record IRAD–WIU
 * 1849-1923 County court Minutes
 * 1857-1928 Circuit Court Case Files, Criminal IRAD–WIU
 * 1872-1961 County Court Record, Criminal IRAD–WIU
 * 1873-1963 Circuit Court Record, Criminal IRAD–WIU
 * starting 1892 Index to probate records
 * 1894-1901 Probate Records, Volume C images on-line
 * 1915-1940 Circuit Court Record, Chancery IRAD–WIU

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African American
 * 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. 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 Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Henry County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the WIU IRAD Wiki page. Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1818-1901 Deed records
 * 1836-1903 Grantee index
 * 1840-1898 Grantor index
 * 1850 Taxable Lands Lists IRAD–WIU
 * 1987 Land atlas and plat book Many libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Henry County Federal Township Plats

Local Histories

 * The History of Henry County, Illinois: Its Tax-payers and Voters: Containing also a Biographical Directory, a Condensed History of the State, Map of the County, a Business Directory, an Abstract of Every-day Laws, War Record of Henry County, Officers of Societies, Lodges, etc., etc.. Chicago: H.F. Kett &amp; Co., 1877. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive; Internet Archive.
 * Kiner, Henry L. History of Henry County, Illinois. Chicago: Pioneer Pub. Co., 1910. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Google Books; Internet Archive.
 * Portrait and Biographical Album of Henry County, Illinois: Containing Full-page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, Together with Portraits and Biographies of All the Governors of Illinois, and of the Presidents of the United States: Also Containing a History of the County, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1885. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records
 General  Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Henry 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 Henry County.
 * 1860-1975 Military Discharge Record Index IRAD–WIU
 * 1860s-1960s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1862-1865 Civil War bounty order registers IRAD–WIU
 * 1861-1865 County Clerk.Index to soldier's records and roster of soldiers entering the United States service from Henry County, Illinois during the rebellion. 2 rolls at FamilySearch Catalog
 * - 1st Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company D.
 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies B, C, and H.
 * - 17th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 19th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * - 37th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 42nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and B.
 * - 57th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 57th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and H.
 * - 65th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Scotch Regiment), Company D.
 * - 83rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 112th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, D, G, H, I, and K.
 * - 124th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and F.
 * - 132nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company G.
 * - 134th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company H.
 * - 139th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K.
 * - 148th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Original naturalization records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Naturalization Records for more information about using naturalization records.

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 ($)
 * Declarations of Intent for Citizenship of the United States courtesy Genealogytrails.com.

Newspapers

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

Other Records
 Poor House Records
 * 1903-1932 Blind Relief Application Record IRAD–WIU
 * 1889-1902 Almshouse Registers IRAD–WIU

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and 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. 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 Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Henry County records. For information on how to use IRAD see theWIU IRAD Wiki page.
 * 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
 * 1860-1926 Probate records, and widows relinquishment records for Henry County probate records are also available in.
 * starting 1892 Index to probate records
 * 1840-1927 Probate Record books
 * 1851-1900 Probate Case Files IRAD–WIU
 * 1852-1924 Will records and index
 * 1856-1928 Guardian's records and index
 * 1856-1930 Administrator's records {FHL|533470|item|disp=FS Library first film 1435953 Item 1(first of 2 films)}}
 * 1858-1923 Executor's records
 * 1860-1926 Widow's relinquishments and selections
 * 1907-1930 Conservator's bonds and letters

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

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1850 Taxable Lands Lists IRAD–WIU
 * 1873 State Tax Refunding Record IRAD–WIU

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 Henry 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 Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Henry County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page. The website of the Henry County Clerk explains how to order birth, marriage, civil union, and death records. Downloadable Vital Records Forms.

Birth

 * 1860-1915 Birth Record Index IRAD–WIU
 * 1860-1900 Birth Certificates, Delayed IRAD–WIU
 * 1877-1900 Birth Record IRAD–WIU
 * 1877-1901 Register of Births
 * 1942-1975 Delayed births
 * Prior to 1916 Index to births

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 indexfound at Ancestry ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1837-1985 Marriage Record index IRAD–WIU
 * 1837-1923 Index to Marriages and Marriage Records IRAD–WIU
 * 1867-1922 Marriage License Applications IRAD–WIU

Death
MyHeritage ($)''
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1877-1902, 1905 Register of deaths, v. 1
 * 1870-1905 Coroner's Inquest Record IRAD–WIU
 * 1877-1902 Death Record IRAD–WIU
 * 1877-1915 Death Record Index IRAD–WIU
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * Prior to 1916 Death index
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index; ''Also at:
 * 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. Western Illinois University houses the records for Henry County.

FamilySearch Centers

 * Davenport Iowa FamilySearch Center
 * Dekalb Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Morris Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Ottawa Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Sterling Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Bureau County Genealogy Society - an affiliate library
 * LaSalle County Genealogy Guild - an affiliate library
 * Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
'''Annawan-Alba Twp. Library''' 200 North Meadow Lane, Suite 2 Annawan, IL 61234 Phone: 309-935-6483 Fax: 309-935-6483 Website Atkinson Public Library District  109 South State Street Atkinson, IL 61235 Phone: 309-936-7606 Cambridge Public Library District  212 West Center Street Cambridge, IL 61238 Phone: 309-937-2233 Fax: 309-937-2873 Clover Library District 440 North Division Street Woodhull, IL 61490 Phone: 309-334-2680 Fax: 309-334-2945 Email: [mailto:wi_wood@winco.net wi_wood@winco.net]Website Galva Public Library District 120 N.W. Third Avenue Galva, IL 61434 Phone: 309-932-2180 Fax: 309-932-2280 Website Geneseo Public Library District 218 S State St Geneseo, IL 61254 Phone: 309-944-6452 Fax: 309-944-6721 Email: [mailto:gpld@geneseo.lib.il.us gpld@geneseo.lib.il.us]Website Kewanee Public Library District 102 S. Tremont St. Kewanee, IL 61443 Phone: 309-852-4505 Website Colona Public Library 911 1st Street Colona, IL 61241 hone: 309-792-0548 Fax: 309-792-2143 Email: [mailto:contact@colonalibrary.com contact@colonalibrary.com]Website Western District Library 1111 4th Street Orion, IL 61273 Phone: 309-526-8375 Website '''York Twp. Public Library''' 1005 West Main Street Thomson, IL 61258 Phone: 815-259-2480 Fax: 815-259-2480 Email: [mailto:thomsonlib@grics.net thomsonlib@grics.net]Website

Museums

 * Geneseo Historical Museum 205 S State St Geneseo, IL 61254 Phone 309-944-3043 Website

Societies

 * Andover Historical Society 418 Locust St Andover, IL 61282 Email:[mailto:andoverhistoricalsociety@gmail.com andoverhistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Website
 * Cambridge Historical Society RR #2 Box 96 301 North Prospect Street Cambridge, IL 61238-9633 Phone 309-945-6823
 * Galva Historical Society 906 W Division St Galva, Ill 61434
 * Henry County Genealogical Society PO Box 346 Kewanee, IL 61443 Email:[mailto:steven.morrison@comcast.net steven.morrison@comcast.net] Website
 * Henry County Historical Society PO Box 48 202 Park Street Bishop Hill, IL 61419 Phone 309-927-3528 Email:[mailto:director@visithenrycounty.com director@visithenrycounty.com] Website
 * Kewanee Historical Society 125 N Tremont Street Kewanee, IL 61443 Phone 309-370-9857 or 309-854-1618 Email:[mailto:kewaneehistory@kewanee.com kewaneehistory@kewanee.com] Website

Websites

 * Henry County IL Genealogy
 * Henry ILGenWeb
 * Henry 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.