Brown County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Description
Brown County was named for U.S. General Jacob Brown, who defeated the British at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor in 1813 and was founded in 1839. The county seat is Mount Sterling and is located in the West-Central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Brown County Courthouse 200 W Court St #5 Mt. Sterling, II 62353 Phone: 217-773-2713 Brown County Website County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Brown County are kept, see the Brown 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:

Cemeteries

 * Brown County Cemeteries GenealogyTrails
 * Brown County Cemetery Linkpendium

Census Records
 Federal
 * 1840 federal census of Brown County, Illinois, pub. 200?
 * 1850 Brown County, Illinois federal census, pub. 1983
 * Illinois 1870 census index, Brown County, pub. 1997
 * 1880 federal census, Brown County, Illinois: complete, indexed; pub. 2003
 * Ancestry.com ($)
 * heritagequestonline.com ($)
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry.com (free)

 State
 * Illinois State Census, 1825-1865 Ancestry.com ($)

 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, Brown County on page 186.]

Church Records
 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 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 Brown County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the WIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1837-1853 Circuit Court records
 * 1841-1895 Circuit court fee books IRAD–WIU
 * 1853-1924 Chancery records

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. 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 Brown County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the WIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1817-1853 Lists of lands subject to taxation
 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * Brown County Federal Township Plats

 Abstracts
 * Boyd, Gregory. Family maps of Brown County, Illinois: with homesteads, roads, waterways, towns, cemeteries, railroads, and more. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Publishing Company, 2005. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1986 Rockford Map Publishers. Land atlas and plat book, Brown County, Illinois, 1986. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1986. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Local Histories

 * Biographical Review of Cass, Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois: Containing Biographical Sketches of Pioneers and Leading Citizens. Chicago: Biographical Review Pub. Co., 1892. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Genealogy Trails; Internet Archive; USGenWeb (partial).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1788-1940 Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Birds eye view of Mount Sterling, Brown County, Illinois 1869.' Drawn by A. Ruger.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1860s-1960s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1943-1950 Military Discharge Record Index IRAD–WIU
 * 1901-1951 Military Discharge Record IRAD–WIU

 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Brown 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 Brown County.
 * - 3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G.
 * - 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company K.
 * - 16th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 50th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 84th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 119th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and E.
 * - 137th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company H.

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 & images ($)

Newspapers
For local newspapers, please check Brown.
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.
Brown County Almshouse Registers Index, 1882-1963, courtesy: Illinois State Archives

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. 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 Brown County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the WIU IRAD Wiki page.

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
 * SAMPUBCO - Index of testators of wills.

 Copies of original records
 * 1839-1923 Probate Related records
 * 1844-1964 Probate record indexes
 * 1844-1922 Probate records
 * 1849-1936 Administrator's records
 * 1850-1967 Probate fee books IRAD–WIU
 * 1869-1928 Executor's Records, vol. B–E
 * 1869-1927 Wills
 * 1873-1963 Will packets index
 * 1873-1963 Will packets
 * - Probate Index

Tax Records

 * 1817-1853 Lists of lands subject to taxation

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 Brown 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 Brown County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Birth

 * 1830-1900 Birth certificates
 * 1854-1895 Birth record index IRAD–WIU
 * 1865-1895 Birth record index
 * 1877-1895 Birth record IRAD–WIU
 * 1901-1904 Birth Records

Marriage

 * Hoffman, Laurie. Early Marriages -- Brown County Illinois 1839 - 1850, courtesy: ILGenWeb
 * 1959 Brown County, Illinois Marriages and Deaths
 * 1839-1850 Marriages
 * 1839-1951 Marriage record index
 * 1839-1995 Marriage record index IRAD–WIU
 * 1839-1951 Marriage record IRAD–WIU
 * 1868-1951 Marriage licenses IRAD–WIU
 * 1886-1951 Marriage licenses
 * 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
 * 1839 Brown County, IL 1839 Marriages found at USGenWeb Archives Illinois.
 * Brown County Marriage Records found at USGenWeb Archives 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
 * 1877-1915 Death record IRAD–WIU
 * 1877-1945 Death record index IRAD–WIU
 * 1877-1915 Deaths
 * 1878-1945 Deaths index
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
 * 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
 * 1959 Brown County, Illinois Marriages and Deaths

Archives
Inventory of the county archives of Illinois, no. 5, Brown County (Mt. Sterling), Historical Records Survey; pub. 1938

FamilySearch Centers
There are over 4500 FamilySearch Centers in more than 80 countries offering public access to genealogical records from all over the world. FamilySearch Centers provide patrons with access to over a billion online records and approximately 2.5 million circulating microfilms. Centers are staffed by local volunteers who are eager to provide genealogical research assistance. Currently there are no FamilySearch Centers located directly in Brown County. To find the nearest FamilySearch Center, check out the Family Search Centers page on the FamilySearch.org website.

 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD-WIU) 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 Brown County.

Libraries

 * Brown County Public Library District 143 West Main Street Mt. Sterling, IL 62353 Telephone: 217-773-4723
 * Versailles Branch Library 112 West 2nd Street Versailles, IL 62378 Telephone: 217-225-3102

Societies

 * Brown County Historical Society 200 South Congress Rushville, IL 62681 Email:[mailto:scranton@adams.net scranton@adams.net]
 * Versailles Area Genealogical and Historical Society PO Box 92 113 W. First Street Versailles, IL 62378 Phone 217-225-3401 E-mail: [mailto:vaghs83@yahoo.com vaghs83@yahoo.com] Website

Websites

 * Brown County ILGenWeb
 * Brown County IL Genealogy
 * Brown County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (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.