Scott County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Scott County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records. Illinois Online Genealogy Records

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

Historical Facts
Scott County was established on February 16, 1839 from a portion of Morgan County. It's territory was first part of Illinois County, created by Virginia in 1783. In 1787 this sparsely settled county became part of the Territory Northwest of the Ohio River. In 1790 present day Scott became part of St. Clair County which was one of the initial counties located in Indiana Territory when it was formed in 1800. In 1809, that county became part of the new Illinois Territory and Scott county's territory moved through several county organizations as the population of Illinois began to expand rapidly: first Madison in 1812; next Greene in 1821; and as the last step before becoming its own county it became part of Morgan in 1823. This very rural county retains much the look it had during it's early days. See the diagram of the county's derivation at the Scott County ILGenWeb Project


 * Scott County was formed 16 February 1839 from Morgan County.
 * Named after Scott County, Kentucky through influence of emigrants from that county.

Parent County

 * 1839--Scott County was created 16 February 1839 from Morgan County. County seat:  Winchester

Description
The county was named for Scott County, KY. The county seat is Winchester and the county was organized on 1839. The County is located in the West Central area of the state.

Boundary Changes

 * No known 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.

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

 * Greene
 * Morgan
 * Pike

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, Scott County on page 188.]


 * 1850 Census


 * Index: 1850 Census of Scott County, IL at Rootsweb– Free; index


 * 1850 Mortality Schedule


 * 1850 Scott County Mortality Schedule at Rootsweb– Free; alphabetical


 * 1860 Census


 * 1860 Census of Scott County, IL at Rootsweb– Free; index


 * 1860 Mortality Schedule


 * 1860 Scott County Mortality Schedule at Rootsweb – Free; Alphabetical


 * 1870 Census


 * 1870 Census of Scott County, IL at http://sites.rootsweb.com/~ilmaga/index_scott.html Rootsweb – Free; Index


 * 1870 Mortality Schedule


 * 1870 Scott County IL Mortality Schedule at Rootsweb – Free; Alphabetical


 * 1880 Mortality Schedule


 * 1880 Scott County IL Mortality Schedule at Rootsweb — Free; Alphabetical

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

The earliest Christian congregations in Scott County were likely Camp Meetings organized by Methodist preachers who came to the area in the early 1820s. The Baptists were also in the county by about 1825. Other denominations didn't appear to be established till later: the Catholics in 1860, Episcopalians in the 1870s, followed by like the Free Methodists and German Lutherans.

A few resources referring to Scott County churches and their records have been found on the internet.


 * See Linkpendium. For references to various church related sources.
 * WorldCat has Scott County church directories for 196? and 1979
 * Records for 1891 to 1900 of the Presbyterian Church in Wincester are available through the FamilySearch Library.

Major denomination in Scott County, Illinois include Evangelical Denominations, Catholic Church, American Baptist Churches, Assemblies of God, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical Lutheran Church, United Methodist Church. To see more about the churches by town, Click here.

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

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.

Records at the FamilySearch Library


 * Deeds 1839 to 1897; index 1888 to 1901

IRAD holdings


 * Deed records 1839 to 1874

Online Resources


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

Maps

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

Civil War 1861–1865
Civil War service men from Scott 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 Scott County.


 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 28th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 61st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 91st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 129th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, H, and I.
 * - 137th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company E.

Other Civil War records may be locate to help you with your ancestors.


 * Civil War Discharge Papers at RootsWeb – Free; Alphabetical

Spanish-American War 1898

 * Volunteer Soldiers of '98 and '99 at Rootsweb – Free; History, biographical sketches.

Naturalization and Citizenship
IRAD Holdings


 * Natutalization Records, Circuit Court 1859 to 1904
 * Naturalization Records, County Court 1864 to1906

Online Records


 * 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry - index and images, ($)

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * Newspaper and Other Articles of Genealogical Interest to Scott County Researchers at Rootsweb – Free; Incomplete

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

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

Family History Centers

 * Centralia Illinois Family History Center
 * Jacksonville Illinois Family History Center
 * Litchfield Illinois Family History Center
 * Springfield Illinois Family History Center


 * Athens Municipal Library - an affiliate library
 * Chatham Area Public Library - an affiliate library

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
IRAD Depository (UIS) LIB 144 University of Illinois at Springfield One University Plaza, MS BRK 140 Springfield IL 62703-5407 Telephone: (217) 206-6520

Public Libraries
Bluffs Public Library 110 North Bluff Street Bluffs, IL 62621 Phone: (217) 754-3804

Winchester Public Library 215 North Main Street Winchester, IL 62694 Phone: (217) 742-3150

Societies
Scott County Historical Society PO Box 85 Winchester, IL 62694-0085

Vital Records
See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.

Marriages were first recorded in Scott County in 1839--when the county was organized. The early marriage records may or may not contain the marriage application (which would contain parent names). Birth records were first recorded in Scott County in 1860; deaths were first recorded in 1877. It was not until 1916 that the recording of births and deaths became mandatory. These vital records are available through the Scott County Clerk/Recorder, 35 East Market St., Winchester, IL 62694. Phone: 217.742.3178.

Birth Records
IRAD Holdings


 * Birth Certificates 1880 to 1900
 * Birth Records 1877 to 1903
 * Birth Records Index 1877 to 1903
 * Birth Afftdavit Records, Chidren of Civil War Casualties 1861 to 1875

Published abstracts:


 * Early Births Registered in Scott County, Illinois (1850s-1860s), courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * Births During 1900: Scott County, Illinois, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois

Marriage Records

 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1839-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 for Scott County 1839 to 1900

IRAD Holdings


 * Marriage License Applications 1876 to 1900
 * Marriage Licenses 1876 to 1927
 * Marriage Records 1839 to 1914
 * Marriage Record Index 1839 to1945

Published abstracts:


 * Scott County, Illinois Marriages Groom Index 1900 - 1915, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * Scott County, Illinois Marriages Bride Index 1900 - 1915, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois

Death Records
at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950

Online Resources
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

IRAD Holdings


 * Death Records 1877 to 1913
 * Death Record Index 1877 to 1913

Published abstracts:


 * Scott County, Illinois Deaths 1878 - 1903, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * Scott County Patient Deaths at the Illinois State Hospital (1910s-1930s), courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * WWII Deaths from Scott County, Illinois, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois

Websites

 * Scott County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Scott County - ILGenWeb/USGenWeb
 * Scott County IL Genealogy
 * Scott County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Scott County, Illinois Resources (Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois) Extensive Atlases, Cemetery, Census, Directories, Local Histories, Military, Soldiers' and Sailors' Home Records, Vital Records
 * Scott County, Illinois Resources (Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois) Extensive Atlases, Cemetery, Census, Directories, Local Histories, Military, Soldiers' and Sailors' Home Records, Vital Records