Greene County, Illinois Genealogy

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

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.

Description
The county was named for General Nathanael Greene, a hero of the Revolutionary War. The county seat is Carrollton and the county was organized on 1821. The County is located in the West-Central part of the state.

Parent County

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

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Illinois county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Illinois County Boundary Maps" (1790-1869) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Biography
All of the family biographies from The History of Greene County, Illinois (1879) published by Donnelley, Gassette &amp; Loyd are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Cemeteries

 * 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.


 * Cemeteries of Greene County, Illinois


 * Linkpendium has many links to cemetery records and cemetery projects in Greene County.

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.]

Church Records
Churches of many denominations abound in Greene County. The leading denominations in oyder of membership are currently Evangelical denominations, Catholic, American Baptist churches, Assemblies of God, Christian (Disciples of Christ), Presbyterian, and Methodist. For a guide to Greene County churches on the internet Click Here.


 * 1823–1837 Minutes of the Sangamon United (later Regular) Baptist Association

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 Family History Library or the http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/IRAD/home.html Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)] located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Greene County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of Original Records


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

Abstracts


 * Maire, Jean M. Early records of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois (Springfield, Illinois:Allers and Gochanour, 1986) ;

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.
 * All of the biographies from The History of Greene County, Illinois (1879) published by Donnelley, Gassette &amp; Loyd are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.

Land and Property
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 Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Greene County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.


 * Deed records 1824 to 1887 IRAD-UIS Broken link (13 Mar 2019)
 * Entry books 1821 to 1853 IRAD-UIS Broken link
 * Estray papers 1831 to 1971 IRAD-UIS Broken link
 * Estray records 1866 to 1904 IRAD-UIS Broken link
 * School land sale records 1834 to 1859 IRAD-UIS Broken link

Online Resources


 * 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.


 * 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 ($)


 * "U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796 to 1907" Available at Ancestry.com ($). 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/.


 * Greene County Federal Township Plats


 * 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.

Copies of original records


 * 1821–1853 Land records
 * 1821–1929 Deeds records and indexes
 * 1822–1839 Land records
 * 1831–1877 School land records
 * 1866–1915 Estray record

Abstracts


 * Greene County Deeds/Land Courtesy USGenWeb Archives Illinois

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Greene County land and property may be found online in the, and. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Township Map of 1870 Greene County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)

Multiple Wars
IRAD Holdings:


 * Military Discharge records 1863 to 1801
 * Military Discharge 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.


 * - 12th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company F.
 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 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.
 * - 122nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 133rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies C and G.
 * - 144th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.

Naturalization
Online Records
 * 1800-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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:

Neighboring Counties

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

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images

Original probate records are held by the circuit court clerk. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records. No probate records are held at IRAD. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS. The following copies are available in the FamilySearch Catalog:


 * 1836–1923Index to Probate Files Online images. Browse for Greene records. {{{{FHL|180583|item|disp=1306488 item 3}}
 * 1836–1981 Estate Index {{FHL|380196|item|disp=FHL Film 1310079}}
 * 1836–1848Probate Index Online images. Browse for Greene records.
 * 1836–1917Probate Records{{RecordSearch|1834344}} Online images. Browse for Greene records.
 * 1836–1981 Probate Records {{FHL|180583|item|disp=FHL Film 1306488 (first of 14 films)}} Includes indexes to all records.
 * 1845–1915Will Record{{RecordSearch|1834344}} Online images. Browse for Greene records.
 * 1836–1921 Will Records {{FHL|330740|item|disp=1306486–1306488}}
 * 1864–1927Inventory Records {{FHL|380196|item|disp=FHL Film 1310079–1310083}}

County Courthouse
Greene County Courthouse 519 N. Main Street Carrollton, IL 62016-1033

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.

Family History Center
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States) and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy.

Greene county does not have a family history center. Center addresses are not mailing addresses. Some of the nearest centers are:


 * Alton Illinois Family History Center 6500 Humbert Rd Godfrey, Illinois Telephone: 618-466-4352
 * Jacksonville Illinois Family History Center 1053 E. Vandalia Rd Jacksonville Illinois Telephone: 217-245-8113

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
The Archives hold many records for Greene County. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page

Illinois Regional Archives Depository LIB144 University of Illinois at Springfield Region One University Plaza, MS BRK 140 Springfield, Illinois 62703-5407 217-206-6520

Public Libraries
Carrollton Public Library  509 South Main Street Carrollton, IL 62016-1251 (217) 942-6715 e-mail: cte@lcls.org Website

Greenfield Public Library 515 Chestnut Street Greenfield, IL 62044 Phone: (217) 368-2613 Fax: (217)368-2613 Website

Roodhouse Public Library 220 West Franklin Street Roodhouse, IL 62082 Phone: (217) 589-5123

White Hall Township Public Library 119 East Sherman Street White Hall, IL 62092 Phone: (217) 374-6014 Fax: (217) 374-6554 E-mail: whelib@gcctv.com Website

The White Hall Library has a genealogy file, which contains dates of birth, death, and marriages, which have appeared in the local newspaper, dating 1869 to present time. These newspapers are on microfilm, and are used in the library by people throughout the U.S. We also have other local history information available for use in the library.

Societies
Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society PO Box 137 Carrollton, Illinois 62016 Telephone Number: 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
See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois. See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded since 1877 are kept by the Greene 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 kept by the County Clerk from 1877 to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk.

Copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Universtiy of Illinois–Springfield(UIS). Search Greene County records in the Local Governmental Records Holdings Database. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD–UIS Wiki page.

found in the FamilySearch Catalog. Other libraries(at WorldCat) also hold copies of abstracted Greene County vital records. (How to explore WorldCat).

Births

 * 1877–1981 Birth Record Index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Greene County records.
 * 1877–1981Birth records Index 1877 to 1981
 * 1877–1901 Birth Record IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Greene County records.
 * 1877–1901Birth records
 * 1862–1972 Delayed Birth Record Index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Greene County records.
 * 1860 to 1972 Index to delayed births

Marriages

 * 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810–1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1821–1981 Marriage Record Index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Greene County records.
 * 1821–1901 Marriage Record IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Greene County records.
 * 1821 to 1900 Statewide Marriage Index search for Greene County records.
 * 1821–1981 Marriages with index
 * 1821–1850 Greene County marriages in Illinois Marriages 1790 to 1860. Ancestry ($) The source of this collection is films in the Family History Library's collection
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1851–1900 Greene County marriages in Illinois Marriages 1851 to 1900. Ancestry ($) The source of this collection is films in the Family History Library's collection

Deaths

 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1877–1981 Death Record Index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Greene County records.
 * 1877–1901 Death Record IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Greene County records.
 * 1877–1901Death records with indexes
 * Pre-1916 Death Index
 * 1916–1950 Illinois Statewide Death Index. Search for Greene records.
 * 1916–1947 Deaths and Stillbirths Online index.
 * 1850 Sheffer, Mabel T. 1850 Greene County, Illinois Census, Mortality Schedule. Carrollton, Ill.(P.O. Box 137, Carrollton): The Society, [198-].
 * 1850–1880 U.S. Census Mortality Schedules Ancestry ($)

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
 * Greene County death links

Websites

 * Greene County ILGenWeb
 * Greene County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Greene County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * 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