Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy

United States &gt; Illinois &gt; Randolph County

History
The first European settlement in the area that is now called Randolph County, Illinois, was Kaskaskia in 1703. The town was originally settled by the French and Native Americans. The French also settled Prairie du Rocher and Cahokia (the latter in nearby St. Clair County). Kaskaskia was the largest of these settlements throughout its early existance.

As a result of the French and Indian War, France lost its North American holdings east of the Mississippi River, including Kaskaskia. Although the British had the rights to Kaskaskia on paper, they did not arrive until 1766. The British ruled the area until it was conquered by the American colonies during the American Revolution. The Americans took Kaskaskia on July 4, 1778, but the Northwest Territory was not clearly in American hands until the conclusion of the Battle of Vincennes on 23 February 1779.

Americans started arriving in Randolph County in the late 1770's, many of them Virginians who had been part of the army that took Kaskaskia. Within 20 years, Americans outnumbered the French and the Mississippi River area of Randolph County and the surrounding area was called the American Bottom (a name it still retains today). Most French settlers migrated across the river to Missouri, which at the time was controled by Spain and later France.

Kaskaskia was made the capital of Illinois Territory in 1809. When Illinois became a state in 1818, Kaskaskia was the state capital. The capital was moved, however, in Vandalia, in 1820, which ended Randolph County's prominence in Illinois history.


 * Parent County
 * 1795--Randolph County was created 5 October 1795 from the Northwest Territory and St. Clair County.
 * County seat: Chester

Boundary Changes

 * 1816-- Jackson County was formed with the southeastern portion of Randolph County and part of Johnson County.
 * 1816-- Monroe County was formed with the northwest portion of Randolph County and part of St. Clair County.
 * 1827-- Perry County was formed with the eastern portion of Randolph County and part of Jackson County.

Record Loss
Internal link

Populated Places
Cities and towns


 * Baldwin
 * Chester (county seat)
 * Coulterville
 * Ellis Grove
 * Evansville
 * Kaskaskia
 * Percy
 * Prairie du Rocher
 * Red Bud
 * Rockwood
 * Ruma
 * Sparta
 * Steeleville
 * Tilden

Unincorporated communities


 * Glenn
 * Grigg
 * Menard
 * Modoc
 * Schuline
 * Walsh
 * Welge
 * Wine Hill

Neighboring Counties

 * Jackson
 * Monroe
 * Perry
 * Perry County, Missouri
 * Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri
 * St. Clair
 * Washington

Local Histories

 * A Directory, Business Mirror, and Historical Sketches of Randolph County by E. J. Montague - the first history of Randolph County, Illinois, published in 1859. It includes biographical sketches of early settlers of Randolph County (mostly Americans) and a directory listing the head of household and occupation of every 1859 resident of the county.
 * Kaskaskia Under the French Regime by Natalia Maree Belting, published in the 1940's and still one of the authoritative sources on French colonial life in Randolph County (especially Kaskaskia).
 * The History of Kaskaskia, Illinois, in a Family History Context

Web Sites

 * Family History Library Catalog.
 * Randolph County, Illinois (USGenWeb)