McHenry County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  McHenry County

McHenry County Organization
McHenry County's civil records start the following years:

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

Historical Facts
McHenry County was created 16 January 1836 from Cook County.



McHenry County was named for who was a pioneer of White County, a soldier and was involved in politics as both an Illinois State Representative and Senator

Boundary Changes
Historically, all or part of the present county were parts of the following counties : If your ancestor lived in what is now McHenry County prior to the county formation in 1836, you may find records mentioning your ancestor in one of these counties.

See an interactive map of McHenry County boundary changes.

McHenry County borders the following counties:

Biography
Some McHenry County histories include biographies of the local citizens. See McHenry County History. See also the Illinois Biography wiki page for more biographical links. Other groups of compiled biographies include:


 * [1872–1878] Swanson, Viola Ashman, et al. Autobiographies of Fox Valley Pioneers. Elgin, Illinois : Elgin Genealogical Society, 1981.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [1877] Biographical directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County.Evansville, Indiana: Unigraphic, 1976. Other libraries(WorldCat)Google Books Online transcription courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * [1877, index] Johnson, Martin W. Index to the short biographies in the 1877 Biographical Directory of the tax-payers and voters of McHenry County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989.
 * [1832–1968] Nye, Lowell Albert. McHenry County, Illnois, 1832–1968. Woodstock, Illinois: McHenry County Board of Supervisors, 1968.
 * McHenry County Biographies courtesyof Illinois Trails. From various sources, including abstracts from the McHenry County 1885 History. Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1885, 991 pgs. Heritage Quest  Other libraries (WorldCat)

Cemeteries
Illinois cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation. The Illinois Cemeteries page provides general explanations of the following online McHenry County resources:


 * Obenchain, Elaine. McHenry County, Illinois Cemeteries.  McHenry, Illinois : McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society, 1990-2000.  Other libraries(WorldCat)  Contents: vol. 1. Northwest townships: Alden, Chemung, Dunham, Greenwood, Hartland &amp; Hebron -- v. 2. Southwest townships: Coral, Dorr, Grafton, Marengo, Riley &amp; Seneca -- v. 3. Northeast townships: Burton, Mchenry, Richmond -- v. 4. Southeast townships: Algonquin, Nunda.

Census
Federal Census 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of McHenry County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census. See McHenry County, IL census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project. Locally abstracted census indexes are often more accurate than national indexes. Abstracted indexes for federal census records in McHenry County are as follows:


 * Bauer, Phyllis J., Roberta Smith, Linda Stengele. McHenry County, Illinois 1840 Federal Census. McHenry, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society, 1986. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * McHenry County Genealogical Society. McHenry County, Illinois 1860 Federal Census. McHenry, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society, 1986. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * Stambazze, Dee–Ann. 1870 McHenry County, Illinois Federal Census . Crystal Lake, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Geneal. Society, 1992. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Non-Population Schedules

1850–1880 agricultural, industry and manufacturing schedules were kept for McHenry County in addtion to the population schedules. See Illinois Census for more information. Selected copies are available at Ancestry ($). See McHenry Deaths for information about the mortality schedule.

State Census

A census for the state of Illinois was taken in McHenry County in 1855 and 1865. For information about Illinois state census records, see Illinois Census. Available on Ancestry ($).

Church Records
Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. The following copies or indexes are available:


 * [1852–1909] Early Records of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Johnsburg, McHenry County, Illinois. an index to Volume I, 1852-1868, has been created by the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society. A partial online index courtesy of Illinois Trails. Other libraries(WorldCat)


 * Johnson, Martin William. Church Records from Four McHenry County, Illinois Churches and one Kane County, Illinois church: Abstracts of Surnames, Villages, Towns or Cities, Deaths and Confirmations. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1992. Microproduction of original manuscripts. Includes the following churches: Trinity Lutheran Church, Hampshire, Kane Co.; St. John's United Church of Christ (formerly a Lutheran Church) Harmony, McHenry Co.; Trinity Lutheran Church, Huntley, McHenry County; Zion Lutheran Church, Marengo, McHenry Co.; St. John's Lutheran Church, Union, McHenry Co.   Partial online transcription of Zion's Lutheran Church only courtesy of Illinois Trails.

Other libraries also hold copies of abstracted McHenry County church records. (How to explore WorldCat).

Court Records
See Illinois Court Records for information about how to use county court records.

22nd Judicial Circuit Court, Public Case Access to search for family court cases. Database also includes traffic violations, small claims, and criminal complaints.

African American

 * Database of Servitude and Emancipation Records (1722–1863)

This database includes approximately 3,400 names found in governmental records involving the servitude and emancipation of Africans and, occasionally, Indians in the French and English eras of colonial Illinois (1722–1790) and African-Americans in the American period of Illinois (1790–1863). The Archives extracted the names of servants, slaves, or free persons and masters, witnesses, or related parties from selected governmental records to produce this database. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.

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

German
Early German immigrants to the Algonquin area. Courtesy of the Algonquin Historic Commission.

Genealogy

 * McHenry County Genealogical Society. McHenry County, Illinois Genealogical Society Surname Index. Crystal Lake, Illinois : McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society, 1982-1990 Other libraries (WorldCat) Online copy 1985–2004.
 * Family Histories in the McHenry County Genealogical Society Collection. Use WorldCat to find if these publications are available at other libraries. Many histories are manuscripts submitted to the historical society. These histories are housed at the McHenry Library. See McHenry Library for contact information.

It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * 1) Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * 2) Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * 3) Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]


 * [Behrens] Behrens, Bradley H. The Behrens Family. Oak Park, Illinois: B.H. Behrens, ca. 1990. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Button-Kronwall] Walworth County Genealogical Society.Button-Kronwall Family Scrapbooks: Walworth County, WI &amp; McHenry County IL. Delavan, Wisconsin : Walworth County Genealogical Society, 2003. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Fanning] The Fanning Family Tree. Gibson, Louisiana: M.F. Giroir, 199-?.
 * [Frink] Frink, Sidney Richard. A Saga of the Frink Family. Loves Park, Illinois: R.G. Peterson, 1982. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Hart] Reeve, Kenneth J. Rev. Ichabod Andrews Hart, his Ancestors and Descendants: a Hart Family History and Genealogy. Columbus, Indiana : K. J. Reeve, 1980. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Heald] Drury, Edwin. Line of descent from John Heald in Concord, Massachusetts, 1635, to Mary Elizabeth Heald who died Feb. 1, 1871, at McHenry, Illinois. Wilmette, Cook County, Illinois: E. Drury, 1880. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Herbes] Wollenzein, Eleanor Herbes. Henry Herbes, Come on Over: a History of the German emigrant, Henry Herbes, 1840-1901. Provo, Utah: E. H. Wollenzien, 2001. Online Copy Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Hesselgrave] Kahler, Polly Upson. Hesselgrave Families in America. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1979. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Kline] Lee, Ruth Kline. The Ancestors and Descendants of Israel and Barbara (Notestine) Kline, 1625-1971.Washington [District of Columbia]: L.C. Photoduplication Service, 1985. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Neale] Carman, Gay. Carman collection: ancestry of Frederick D. Carman (b. 1858, Jacksonville, N.Y.) and Gay Neale (b. 1872, McHenry, Illinois) and Genealogical Data on the Sheffield, Gibbs, Carpenter, Gaylord, Bacon, Miner, etc. Families. Manuscript on film.
 * [Nokes] Schvaneveldt, Evelyn Crawford. Sidney Ostler Silcox and Maria Bates Nell, Their Descendants and Ancestors. Salt Lake City, Utah : E.C. Schvaneveldt, 1993.
 * [Owen] Owen, Charles Starr. Genealogy of the Descendants of Daniel Owen, Jr. of McHenry, Illinois: With Especially Attention Given to the Descendants of his son, Edwin Mortimer Owen, and the Allied Families of Norton, Warner, Stanton and Patterson.
 * [Pfeifer] Shuman, Barbara. The family of Mathias John Pfeifer and Mary Barbara Scheuring Pfeifer.Oakes, North Dakota: B. Shuman, 1988.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Schumacher] Noteman, Gene.A genealogy of the families of Michael and Anna Maria Gerber and Andrew and Anna Smith. Adams, Minnesota: G. Noterman, 1975. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Thorne] Walker, Dorothy Thorne. The Descendants of William Thorne and his Wife, Sophronia Metcalf. Anchorage, Alaska : D.T. Walker, 1992. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Van Ness] Van Ness family Bible records, ca. 1770-1831. Houston, Texas: Houston Genealogical Forum, 1963.
 * [Wayne] Eder, Linda Farroh. Charles H. Wayne.West Chicago, Illinois: Micro Data, 1989.
 * [Wilson] Stevens, Ken. Scotch Wilsons from Western Massachusetts. Walpole, New Hampshire: K. Stevens, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat)

History
A short McHenry County history is found on the McHenry County Government site. Scroll to the heading "McHenry County's Early History." An additional online McHenry County history and town and township histories courtesy of Illinois Trails.


 * [Pre-1885] History of McHenry County, Illinois : together with sketches of its cities, villages and towns, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens : also a condensed History of Illinois, embodying accounts of pre-historic races, aborigines, Winnebago and Black Hawk wars, and a brief review of its civil and political history. Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1885, 991 pgs. Heritage Quest  Other libraries (WorldCat)  Online index courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * [Pre-1922]History of McHenry County, Illinois; Chicago: Munsell Pub. Co., 1922, 1076 pgs. Heritage Quest Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [1831–1857] McHenry County Old Settlers' Association members. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * [1855–1856]The Northern Counties Gazetteer and Directory, for 1855-6
 * [1943-1996] McHenry County Yearbooks IRAD-NIU . Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD. These books include information about population, county and township offices, post offices, schools and political offices for any given year.
 * Enclyclopedia of Chicago website gives short histories of most McHenry County villages.  Type the name of the village in the search box.
 * National Register of Historic Places in McHenry County

Land and Property
1830–present Original land and property records for McHenry County are available at the County Recorder's Office. This office is offsite from the McHenry County Government Building. See Illinois Land and Property for more information.

Land records are extraordinarily accessible in McHenry County. The County Recorder's web site includes a free web search. The index to deeds, mortgages, affidavits, liens, and more can be searched by name and/or document type and/or date. The system can return a maximum of 200 hits, and begins with the most recent transactions first. Because the index contains thousands of entries, searchers may need to include a date range as well as surname, to ensure that the oldest records are included in the results.

Records from the original leather-bound first volume of the McHenry County Commissioners’ Court Minutesfrom 1837 - 1848 are available in PDF format online at the County Recorder's site, as well. This Board established precincts (townships would come later), set the rate for taxable property, and began the process of laying out roads and determining the location for the county seat. Because Lake County wasn't divided off until March of 1839, early Lake County information is included.

Copies of the original records are available as follows:


 * 1841-1945 Deed Index IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1841–1901 Deed Indexes
 * 1845-1945 Deed Record IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1845–1871 Deed Record first of 31 films


 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Each purchase entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, numeric code indicating the county in which the land is located, legal description (township, section, range), volume and page numbers of original entry, and variously, the sale type, and the purchaser's sex and residence. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.

Maps
Township map of McHenry County. Courtesy of Illinois State Archives.


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of McHenry County, Illinois. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co.,2008. Plats the land of many nineteenth-century McHenry County residents. The publisher's bookstore includes a free online surname index. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * McHenry County (Illinois) Land Atlas and Plat Book, 1985. Rockford, Illinois : Rockford Map Publishers, 1985. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * Current map of McHenry County
 * [1872, 1892, 1908] U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918. ($)  [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Various publishers of County Land Ownership Atlases. Microfilmed by the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Multiple Wars
Veterans Databases Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives. Includes War of 1812, Indian Wars, Mexican War and various other databases.

Civil War
Civil War service men from McHenry 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 McHenry County.


 * –3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A (at right, 1863)
 * –8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G, H, I.
 * –9th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G.
 * -15th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, D, and F.
 * –17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G.
 * –15th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, D, and F.
 * –36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H. Diary of Wallace P. Benson courtesy of the Algonquin Historic Commission.
 * –47th(Consolidated) Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * –52nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * –95th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, D, F, H, and I.
 * –141st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * –147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * –153rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and K.


 * Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives
 * Database of Illinois Civil War Veterans Serving in the U.S. Navy Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives
 * Database of Illinois Civil War Veterans of Missouri Units Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives
 * Civil War Volunteers of McHenry County. Database including name, company, service term, death, and burial information. Courtesy of the Algonquin Historic Commission.
 * [1861–1863] McHenry County Military Censusfor all men ages 18–45. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * U.S. Army Officers from McHenry County in the Civil War. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * [1877]Veterans listed in the 1877 McHenry County Directory. Courtesy of Illinois Trails. Biographical directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County. Evansville, Indiana: Unigraphic, 1976. Other libraries(WorldCat)Google Books.
 * [1883] List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883. Senate Document, 1883. Google Books.

World War I

 * [1917–1918] World War I Draft Registration Cards Ancestry($)

World War II

 * [1942] –Browsable images of WW II Draft (old men's draft)
 * McHenry County World War II Casualties. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * McHenry County World War II Army Casualties.

Naturalization
Naturalization records may give immigrant information including hometown, arrival in the U.S., marriage and family data. See Illinois Naturalization and Citizenship for more about these records.


 * 1840–1950 Naturalization Index   To access this record you must have the soundex number for your name of interest.  Explore how to use soundex.  Copy all  information listed on the soundex card.  First, check the court name of the record you are seeking, then check for which type of naturalization record is listed in the index.  Compare your findings with the available records below. Or, contact the McHenry County circuit court clerk.
 * 1924–1932–Naturalization Record
 * 1928–1949–Naturalization Record
 * 1929-1933–Declaration of Intention Index at the beginning of the images
 * 1929–1947–Naturalization Record

For each of these online records:


 * 1) Select View Browsable Images
 * 2) Select McHenry County
 * 3) Select the correct span of years and record title

Newspapers and Obituaries
McHenry County obituary index spans 1884–2009. This index is provided by the McHenry County Historical Society and Museum. The organization's website states that not all people buried in McHenry County are included in the index. Copies of obituaries may not name the newspaper where the obituary was originally printed.

County-wide


 * [2005–Present] Northwest Herald Genealogy Bank ($).


 * [2003–2006] Northwest Herald incomplete Ancestry ($)

Algonquin



[2005–present] The Algonquin Area Newspapers Index includes obituaries appearing in the Northwest Herald and Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Countryside from January 1, 2005 - Present. Selected obituaries mentioning Algonquin or Lake in the Hills from the Daily Herald and Elgin Courier News are also included.


 * [1997–2006] Algonquin Countryside. Genealogy Bank ($).
 * [2006–present] Algonquin Countryside with News of Lake in the Hills Genealogy Bank ($).

Cary/Fox Grove


 * Cary–Grove Countryside Genealogy Bank ($).

Crystal Lake/Nunda

Crystal Lake Herald


 * [1880–1979] Marriages, 1880-1979 These indexes represent a list of couples whose notice of marriage license issued, or marriage performed or wedding conducted, or news items for anniversaries celebrated, appeared in the weekly Crystal Lake Herald newspaper. Information was not necessarily limited to residents of Crystal Lake and/or Nunda Township. Researchers should look for variant spellings within each index.

The Index, broken down by 10 year intervals, gives: Bride’s name, Groom’s name, and Issue date and page.


 * [1880–1945] Index to Deaths Appearing in the Nunda (Crystal Lake) Herald. The McHenry County Genealogical Society has created an index to the names of deceased individuals whose notice of death appeared in the weekly Crystal Lake Herald newspaper. Information was gleaned from obituaries, death notices, police reports, and newspaper articles and is not necessarily limited to residents of Crystal Lake and/or Nunda Township. It was not unusual for a death notice to appear months and even years after the event, particularly in the case of war dead. Researchers should scan several indexes when searching for the name of a specific individual and look for variant spellings within each index.




 * Index to Deaths Appearing in the Crystal Lake Herald


 * [2005–present] Crystal Lake Herald Genealogy Bank ($)

Elgin Daily Herald,  Elgin Courier News

Marengo

Republican


 * [1872–1989] Index to Deaths appearing in the Marengo Repubican.  Courtesy of the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society. Not all years are included in this index.

Woodstock

Woodstock Sentinel


 * [1865–1889] Death Notices Index




 * Sullivan, Gary L. Abstracts of Notices Published in the Woodstock Sentinel. Crystal Lake, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Geneal. Society, 1998-2002. Other libraries (WorldCat)1856–1862 1863–1866 Other libraries (WorldCat)Includes full-name indexes. Abstracted primarily from pages 3 and 4 of each issue.

Woodstock Independent


 * [2003–2008] (Incomplete) Ancestry ($)

Periodicals
Local periodicals can be rich with county information. Read more about periodicals on the Illinois state and U.S. wiki pages.


 * McHenry County, Illinois Connection Quarterly is a publication of the McHenry County Genealogical Society. It contains general research helps and as well as ideas about research unique to McHenry County. Volumes may include abstracted records. Publication dates are from 1983 to the present. Other libraries (WorldCat) Indexed in PERSI as ILMC. Online Index 1983–2008.
 * Twigs and Branches (Rockford, Illinois) is a publication of the North Central Illinois Genealogical Society. Research in McHenry and surrounding counties are its subject. It is indexed in PERSI as ILTB. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1950-2006)
 * Illinois Heritage (1997-2008)

Probate Records
Illinois Probate Records for more information. Probate records may give death and family relationship information. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records.

Original McHenry County probate records are available at the McHenry County Courthouse by the circuit court clerk. See Illinois Probate Records wiki page for more information about using probate records. The following copies of probate records are available:


 * 1886–1976 –
 * 1840–1843 –
 * 1840–1957 –Probate Packets
 * 1844–1985 –
 * 1898–1923 –
 * 1915-1919 – This record overlaps the previous record of wills.
 * Wills in Alphabetical Order

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

Family History Centers
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.

The FHC center in McHenry County is located in Crystal Lake. Be sure to call and visit its wiki page for hours of service and other information.

Crystal Lake Illinois Family History Center 480 N. Walkup Avenue Crystal Lake, Illinois 815-459-7475

You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site, if you live outside the area.

Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD)
The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses 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.

The Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for McHenry County. Learn more about finding and using their records.


 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository c/o Regional History Center Founders Memorial Library, Room 400 Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115 Telephone: (815) 753-1807

Public Libraries
Algonquin Area Public Library

2600 Harnish Dr. Algonquin, IL 60102 (847) 458-6060


 * Genealogy and Local History collections at the Algonquin Area Public Library are described in the document Genealogy Pathfinder for Algonquin Library.
 * Algonquin Area Obituary Index, a searchable listing of selected obituaries mentioning Algonquin or Lake in the Hills from from the Daily Herald and Elgin Courier News beginning January 1, 2005.
 * The Illinois Digital Archives includes a collection of Algonquin and Lake in the Hills photos and documents.

Crystal Lake Public Library 126 Paddock Street Crystal Lake, IL 60014 815.459.1687 815.459.9581 fax

The Cystal Lake library has a genealogy collection that is helpful in McHenry County research. On-line resources include indexes to the the Lake Avenue, Mt. Thabor, and Union cemeteries.

The McHenry County Genealogcial Society houses a portion of its collection at this library.

Harvard Diggins Library 900 East McKinley Street Harvard, IL 60033 Telephone: (815) 943-4671

Local history collection includes Harvard and Hebron newspapers on microfilm from 1860 through 1986 (some early issues are not included.)

McHenry Public Library 809 N. Front St. (Route 31) McHenry IL 60050 (815) 385-0036

The McHenry County Genealogcial Society houses a portion of its collection at this library.

Marengo-Union Library 200 S. State St. Marengo, Illinois 60152 (815) 568-8236

Woodstock Public Library 414 W. Judd Street Woodstock, IL 60098 (815) 338-0542


 * A significant genealogical resource available through the Woodstock Public Library's Genealogy and Local History web site is the on-line searchable Woodstock Surname Index, an every-name index of 13 local history publications.
 * Many of the library's local history pamphlets and local ephemera have been digitized are available on the LookAtIllinois web site.
 * How to Research Your Old House is an excellent research guide to library collections and county records.


 * Woodstock Illinois Historic Photographs local historic photos collection.

Reference librarians are very knowledgeable about Woodstock-area genealogical resources, and are accessible through the library's Contact Us on-line reference request form.

Social Groups Online
Illinois Research Community Facebook group which discusses Illinois resources and search strategies.

Message Boards You may subscribe to an online message board which focuses on the following areas in or near McHenry County.

IL-BARRINGTON (town of Barrington and surrounding areas)Message Board. Scroll to information about the IL-BARRINGTON message board.

IL-NORTHERN (Northern Illinois)   Scroll to information about the Il-Northern message board

GenForum McHenry County Message Board.

Rootsweb McHenry County Message Board.

McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society Surname List

Societies
McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society PO Box 184 Crystal Lake, Illinois 60039 McHenry County Illinois Historical Society and Museum 6422 Main Street PO Box 434 Union, Illinois 60180 (815) 923-2267 Email: [mailto:info@mchsonline.org info@mchsonline.org]

Reservations must be made in advance to use the McHenry County Historical Society and Museum'scollection. Call at least 24 hours in advance to make an appointment. Research fees apply unless you are a member of the society.

Cary–Grove Historical Society P.O.Box 483 Cary IL 60013 (847) 639-3790

Crystal Lake Historical Society PO Box 1151 Crystal Lake, IL 60039-1151

The Crystal Lake Historical Society is located in the Colonel Palmer House at the intersection of Illinois Route 176 and Terra Cotta Road in Crystal Lake. Their Research/Archives Room resources include newspapers from 1875, published county and local histories, atlases, maps and family files. On-line resources include the Index to Death Notices/Obituaries in the Nunda/Crystal Lake Herald, which provides details of name, age, date of death and date of burial for more than 33,000 people, dating back to 1875.

Fox Lake–Grant Township Historical Society 411 Washington St. PO Box 224 Ingleside, IL 60041 (847)587-0544 e-mail:FLGrantHall@yahoo.com

Lake County Genealogical Society 1170 North Midlothian Road Mundelein, Illinois 6009

Illinois State Historical Society P.O. Box 1800 Springfield, IL 62705-1800 217/525-2781

The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1950-2006)

Illinois Heritage (1997-2008)

Taxation

 * [1877] Biographical Directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County Other libraries(WorldCat)
 * [1877, index] Johnson, Martin W. Index to the short biographies in the 1877 Biographical Directory of the tax-payers and voters of McHenry County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989.

This book includes listings of men registered to vote or who paid taxes in 1877. Some listings include brief biographies giving his occupation, the date and place of birth for both the man and his wife, their marriage date, and the number of children.

Vital Records
See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois. Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded since 1877 are kept by the McHenry 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 1837 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 Northern Illinois University (NIU). Search McHenry County records in the Local Governmental Records Holdings Database. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD–NIU Wiki page.

found in the Family History Library Catalog. Other libraries (WorldCat) also hold copies of abstracted McHenry County vital records. (How to explore WorldCat).

Births

 * 1877–present - McHenry County birth records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. Original records are to 1916; copies are after 1916. Additional copies are available as follows:
 * 1849-1900–Birth Certificates, Delayed IRAD–NIU. Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.

Delayed birth records include submissions by individuals who were born before the state officially collected birth records, but who are in need of a birth record for identification.These may include affidavits by family members or Bible records.


 * 1849-1916–Birth Record Index IRAD–NIU. Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1849-1900–Birth Certificates, Delayed
 * 1877-1902–Birth Records IRAD–NIU. Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1878–1902–Birth Record Index
 * 1878-1902–Birth Records

Marriages
The original McHenry County marriage records are held by the McHenry County Clerk and the Illinois Department of Health.

The following indexes to McHenry marriages are available:


 * 1837-1900–Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 Search for McHenry County marriages in this online index then find the complete marriage record in one of the above-mentioned repositories.
 * 1837-1923–Marriage Record Index IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. How to use IRAD
 * 1837-1850 Illinois Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry–($); Index, INCOMPLETE
 * 1851-1900 Illinois Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry–($); Index, INCOMPLETE

Copies of McHenry County marriage records are available as follows:


 * 1837-1923–Marriage Records IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. How to use IRAD
 * 1837–1923–Marriage Registers and Returns, 1837-1923
 * 1877-present– McHenry County Clerk - Vital Records Information and Request Form
 * Marriages in McHenry County may also have been mentioned in area newspapers.

The following abstracts of marriage records are available:


 * 1878–1899–Stengele, Linda, et al. McHenry County, Illinois, Marriages . Crystal Lake, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Geneal. Society, 2003–2006. FHL lacks volume 1 and it is no longer in print.
 * 1880-1979 Crystal Lake Herald Marriage Index These indexes represent a list of couples whose notice of marriage license issued, or marriage performed or wedding conducted, or news items for anniversaries celebrated, appeared in the weekly Crystal Lake Herald newspaper. Information was not necessarily limited to residents of Crystal Lake and/or Nunda Township. Researchers should look for variant spellings within each index.

Deaths
1877–present - The McHenry County death records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. Original records are to 1916; copies are after 1916. The following copies and indexes are available:


 * 1877–1909 IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1878–1909 Death Records and Index, 1878-1909
 * 1877–1924 Death index IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records.
 * 1916–1947 Deaths and Stillbirths
 * 1916–1950 Index to McHenry County Deaths Use the index to discover the death date and death certificate number for an ancestor, then contact the McHenry County Clerk to order the corresponding death certificate.
 * Index to deaths listed in Chapter 10 of the 1885 McHenry County History. Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1885, 991 pgs. Heritage Quest Other libraries (WorldCat)  Courtesy of Illinois Trails.

McHenry County death certificates prior to 1916 are not included in the Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre–1916 on the Illinois State Archives web site (as of July 2011).


 * 1850–1880 US Census Mortality Schedule. Only those persons dying in the 12 months prior to the census are listed on this schedule. Browse for McHenry County. Ancestry ($).

Additional death information can be found in indexed newspaper obituaries found in the Nunda Township/Crystal Herald.

Voter Registration

 * [1877] Biographical Directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County Other libraries(WorldCat)
 * [1877, index] Johnson, Martin W. Index to the short biographies in the 1877 Biographical Directory of the tax-payers and voters of McHenry County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989.

This book includes listings of men registered to vote or who paid taxes in 1877. Some listings include brief biographies giving his occupation, the date and place of birth for both the man and his wife, their marriage date, and the number of children.

Places / Localities
McHenry County Townships

Township Offices

McHenry County Villages and Cities Link Name Index to Local Governments Courtesy of IRAD.

Historic Areas:

Bull Valley

Harmony