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United States Illinois  McHenry County

McHenry County Organization
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.

McHenry County borders the following counties:

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:


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.

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.

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.

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


 * An index to the Early Records of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Johnsburg, McHenry County, Illinois, Volume I, 1852-1868 has been created by the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society.
 * 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.

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
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

Genealogy

 * McHenry County Genealogical Society. McHenry County, Illinois Genealogical Society Surname Index. Crystal Lake, Illinois : McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society, 1982-1990.

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.
 * [Button-Kronwall] Walworth County Genealogical Society.Button-Kronwall Family Scrapbooks: Walworth County, WI &amp; McHenry County IL. Delavan, Wisconsin : Walworth County Genealogical Society, 2003.
 * [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.
 * [Hart] Reeve, Kenneth J. Rev. Ichabod Andrews Hart, his Ancestors and Descendants: a Hart Family History and Genealogy. Columbus, Indiana : K. J. Reeve, 1980.
 * [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.
 * [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
 * [Hesselgrave] Kahler, Polly Upson. Hesselgrave Families in America. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1979. {{FHL|111333|item|disp=FHL Fiche 6088481, FHL Book 929.273 H465h
 * [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. {{WorldCat|281935}} {{FHL|item|301344|disp=FHL Film 1429817 Item 3}}
 * [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. {{FHL|354538|item|disp=FHL Film 928041 Item 19}}
 * [Nokes] Schvaneveldt, Evelyn Crawford. Sidney Ostler Silcox and Maria Bates Nell, Their Descendants and Ancestors. Salt Lake City, Utah : E.C. Schvaneveldt, 1993. {{FHL|672874|item|disp=FHL Film 1750742 Item 16, FHL Book 929.273 Si32se}}
 * [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.{{FHL|441934|item|disp=FHL Film 1036548 Item 9, FHL Book 929.273 Ow2a}}
 * [Pfeifer] Shuman, Barbara. The family of Mathias John Pfeifer and Mary Barbara Scheuring Pfeifer.Oakes, North Dakota: B. Shuman, 1988.{{WorldCat|57344999}} {{FHL|377826|item|disp=FHL Fiche 6126178, FHL Book 929.273 P476sb}}
 * [Schumacher] Noteman, Gene.A genealogy of the families of Michael and Anna Maria Gerber and Andrew and Anna Smith. Adams, Minnesota: G. Noterman, 1975. {{WorldCat|4153238}} {{FHL|576839|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 G313n}}
 * [Thorne] Walker, Dorothy Thorne. The Descendants of William Thorne and his Wife, Sophronia Metcalf. Anchorage, Alaska : D.T. Walker, 1992. {{WorldCat|29429164}} {{FHL|707467|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 T393w}}
 * [Van Ness] Van Ness family Bible records, ca. 1770-1831. Houston, Texas: Houston Genealogical Forum, 1963. {{FHL|629203|item|disp=FHL Film 1036745 Item 4, FHL Book 76.4 A1 no. 108.}}
 * [Wayne] Eder, Linda Farroh. Charles H. Wayne.West Chicago, Illinois: Micro Data, 1989. {{FHL|649163|item|disp=FHL Film 1674468 Item 8}}
 * [Wilson] Stevens, Ken. Scotch Wilsons from Western Massachusetts. Walpole, New Hampshire: K. Stevens, 1993. {{WorldCat|31234178}} {{ FHL|700939|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 W691sk vol. L, FHL Film 1698017 Item 23}}

History
A short McHenry County history is found on the McHenry County Government site. Scroll to the heading "McHenry County's Early History."


 * 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
 * Pre-1922History of McHenry County, Illinois; Chicago: Munsell Pub. Co., 1922, 1076 pgs. Heritage Quest
 * 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.

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.

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

Addtional land records are also available:


 * 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.
 * McHenry County (Illinois) Land Atlas and Plat Book, 1985. Rockford, Illinois : Rockford Map Publishers, 1985.

Maps
http://gis.mchenrycountygis.org/athena/

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).

-36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.

-52nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.

-95th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, D, F, H, and I.

World War II

 * 1942 –Browsable images of WW II Draft (old men's draft)

Naturalization

 * 1924–1932–Naturalization Record
 * 1928–1949–Naturalization Record
 * 1929-1933–Declaration of Intention Index at the beginning of the images
 * 1929–1947–Naturalization Record

Newspapers
Crystal Lake Herald

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
 * Issue date and page

Daily Herald Elgin Courier News

Northwest Herald

Woodstock Independent

1987-present

Woodstock Sentinel


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

Obituaries
Algonquin

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.

Crystal Lake/Nunda

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 Nunda (Crystal Lake) Herald

Index to Deaths Appearing in the Crystal Lake Herald

Probate Records
Original McHenry County probate records are available at the McHenry County Courthouse. 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
Crystal Lake Family History Center

480 N Walkup Ave Crystal Lake, IL 60014 815/459-7475

Family History Centers are branches of FamilySearch's Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and circulate microfilm and microfiche from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Contact the Crystal Lake Family History Center to learn more about their facilities and resources.

Illinois Regional Archives Depositories
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. Northern Illinois University houses the records for McHenry County.

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.


 * 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.)


 * 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.

Societies

 * McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society
 * PO Box 184
 * Crystal Lake, Illinois 60039


 * McHenry County Illinois Historical Society
 * 6422 Main Street
 * PO Box 434
 * Union, Illinois 60180
 * Phone:815-923-2267
 * Email: [mailto:info@mchsonline.org info@mchsonline.org]


 * 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.


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


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


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


 * Illinois Heritage (1997-2008)

Births
The original McHenry County birth records are held by the McHenry County Clerk and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Copies of birth records for McHenry County are available through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Northern Illinois University and the Family History Library as follows:


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

Marriages
The original McHenry County birth 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
 * To-1850 Illinois Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry–($); Index, INCOMPLETE
 * 1790-1860 Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860 at Ancestry–($); Index, INCOMPLETE (McHenry marriages begin in 1837)
 * 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 original McHenry County death records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. The following copies 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.

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).

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

Voter Registration
The 1877 Biographical Directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County 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

Historic Villages and Cities no longer incorporated:

Bull Valley

Harmony

Web Sites

 * McHenry County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * McHenry County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)