Greene County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Greene County

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

Historical Facts


Greene County was named for Nathanael Greene who was a major general during the American Revolution, becoming Washington's most dependable officer.

Parent County

 * 1821--Greene County was created 20 January 1821 from Madison

Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Greene County boundary changes.

Neighboring Counties

 * Calhoun
 * Jersey
 * Macoupin
 * Morgan
 * Pike
 * Scott

Cemeteries
Illinois cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Greene County and links to the information for the individuals buried there.


 * Greene Co. IL USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks.


 * Illinois Cemeteries by county.


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Greene County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.

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

1840 Pensioners

 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. ; ; digital version at Google Books. [See Illinois, Greene County on page 187.]

Court Records
IRAD Holdings:


 * Circuit Court execution dockets 1821 to 1840
 * Jail registers 1836 to 1972

African American
The following have information concerning African American research.


 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records


 * Illinois State Archives pamphlet on African American Research describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
 * African-American Resources for Illinois

History
History of Greene County -- Its Past and Present by Clement L. Capp can be viewed for no charge online at the Internet Archive. "The book is dated 1879, so it includes the history of the county and its residents from the beginning of the county up to 1879. This is a wonderful resource for a genealogist if they have family that lived in Greene County before 1879. The book has 784 pages and contains detailed information on the history of the county, including the history of the towns within Greene County. There are illustrations of farms, pioneer dwellings, companies, and Indians and their impact on the history of the county. Portraits are also included of some of the early pioneers. The book also contains maps, War Records, Directories, and an abstract of Illinois State Law." It can also be downloaded to view on a Kindle.

Land and Property
IRAD Holdings


 * Deed records1824 to 1887
 * Entry books 1821 to 1853
 * Estray papers 1831 to 1971
 * Estray records 1866 to 1904
 * School land sale records 1834 to 1859

BLM GLO Records. Search original land patents for Greene County from the Govenment Land Office (GLO) or Eastern States Office. Some searches include images of the original warrants. All search results include the patant details needed for requesting copies of the land entry files at the National Archives. The GLO is the custodian of millions of land title documents. The General Land Office Automated Records Project is responsible for making these important documents available to the public.

Land records that include Bond County at Ancestry.com $:


 * "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.
 * "U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796 to 1907:" Records of Illinois are among the 13 states included in this set. It includes images of the land patents which contain the information necessary for ordering the complete case files from the National Archives. This appears to be the same information that is online at the Federal Land Office site http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/.
 * Sheldon, Theodore. Land registration in Illinois. Chicago: Callaghan Co., 1901. Digital book. Expains the laws regarding land and the land systems used in Illinois. Includes court cases involving land issues. In addition to being on Ancestry, this book is available online at no cost at Internet Archives and Google Books.

Land records at Family History Library


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Greene County, Illinois. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., 2007
 * Green County Deed records from the Probate and County Courts. Indexes 1821 to 1926, Deeds 1830 to 1887
 * Green County Deed records from the Justice of the Peace 1822 to 1837

Military
IRAD Holdings


 * Military Discharge records 1863 to 1801
 * Military Dicharge records index 1862 to 1981
 * Military Discharge records, Civil War 1865 to 1891
 * Militia roll records 1861 to 1862

Civil War Civil War service men from Greene 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 Greene County.


 * - 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 61st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, E, and G.
 * - 91st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies G, H, I, and K.

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

Public Libraries
Carrollton Public Library  509 South Main Street Carrollton, IL 62016-1251 (217) 942-6715

Societies
Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 137 Carrollton, Illinois 62016 (217) 942-6013

The Greene County Historical &amp; Genealogical Society is located in the Lee-Baker-Hodges House on North Main Street on the northwest corner of the square in Carrollton, Illinois. The Society Library and Museum hours are currently Wednesday &amp; Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The entrance is at the side door at the top of the ramp. For more information, see their website.

The genealogical society has a file folder for each surname. The folders contain summaries of newspaper articles, burial locations (including some unmarked graves) and extractions of marriage and probate records.

The courthouse is located across the street and the County Clerk's office is open on Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The courthouse has birth, marriage and death records that they will search for a fee. There are originals of wills that you can see and copy for a minimal cost.

Vital Records
Marriages 1821 to 1891 with indexes 1821 to 1981; Birth records 1877 to 1901 with index to delayed births ca. 1860 to 1972; Death records 1877 to 1901 with indexes 1877 to 1901

Births
IRAD holdings:


 * Birth records 1877 to 1901
 * Birth records Index 1877 to 1981
 * Birth recods index, delayed 1862 to 1972

Marriages
IRAD holdings:


 * Marriage records 1821 to 1901
 * Marriage records index 1821 to 1981

Available through Ancestry.com $:


 * Greene county marriages in "Illinois Marriages 1790 to 1860." The source of this collection is films in the Family History Library's collection
 * Greene County marriages in "Illinois Marriages 1851 to 1900." The source of this collection is films in the Family History Library's collection

Deaths
Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois offers the following online free death indexes:


 * Deaths 1909-1911
 * Greene County Patient Deaths at the Illinois State Hospital
 * WWII U.S. Army Deaths
 * Index to Greene County Illinois Inquest Files
 * Simpson Funeral Home Records
 * Coroner's Record Books: Book 1 (1874-1883) and Book 2 (1884-1919)

IRAD holdings:


 * Death records 1877 to 1901
 * Death records index 1877 to 1981

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Greene County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Greene County, Illinois (Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois) Cemeteries, Census, Death Records, Local Histories, Military, Naturalizations, Newspapers, Probate Index, Soldier's and Sailor's Home
 * Greene County, Illinois (Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois) Cemeteries, Census, Death Records, Local Histories, Military, Naturalizations, Newspapers, Probate Index, Soldier's and Sailor's Home