St. Clair County, Illinois Genealogy

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

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

Historical Facts
St. Clair County is named for Arthur St. Clair who was appointed governor of the Northwest Territory.

Parent County
1790--St. Clair County was created 27 April 1790 from the Northwest Territory. County seat: Belleville

Description
The county was named for Arthur St. Clair, first governor of the Northwest Territory. The county seat is Belleville and the county was organized on 1790. The County is located in the West Central area of the state.

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
Declaration and Naturalization papers issued by the Circuit Court before 1906 were destroyed, with one exception. About 60 original naturalization papers for men whose surname began with "G" survived. This court's record also survived and consists of a sequence number, the name, and the court term the declaration or naturalization took place.

Biography

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a St. Clair County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of St. Clair County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on St. Clair county cemeteries.


 * Cemeteries of St Clair County Illinois is one of the best places to start St. Clair County cemetery searches. Among those online are 23,000+ burials in Walnut Hill Cemetery, Belleville, and a surname index to burials in more than 140 smaller to medium sized cemeteries throughout the county. Courtesy: St. Clair County Genealogical Society.


 * College Hill Cemetery, courtesy: Interment.net


 * Genealogy Trails has cemetery records for the county.


 * Holy Family Church, Cahokia Burial Record of the Holy Family Church of Cahokia, Illinois, from 1783-1819.


 * Illinois Ancestors Tombstone project.


 * Mount Hope Cemetery, Belleville, courtesy: Genealogy Trails


 * Padfield Cemetery, courtesy of RootsWeb. This is a partial transcription of the Pyle ancestor in the Padfield cemetery.


 * The Political Graveyard A database of America history.


 * Marissa Township Cemetery

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, St. Clair County on page 188.]

1870 Agricultural Census http://sites.rootsweb.com/~ilstclai/1930a-z.htm 1930 Federal Census by surname

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a St. Clair County edition. This includes a chapter on St. Clair County churches (Chapter 30). See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Baptist, Lutheran, the former Evangelical and Reformed, United Church of Christ (many translated from German), and other published church registers www.stclair-ilgs.org


 * A Collection of Histories of Some Churches in St. Clair County, Illinois. Waterloo, Ill.: The Library, 2002-. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Baptist

 * Church and Family History Research Assistance for Primitive Baptist Churches in St. Clair County, Illinois
 * 1851–1863 Oak Hill Baptist Church lists of members WorldCat (Other Libraries); WorldCat (Other Libraries); Free online index (minutes); another free online index (membership roll)


 * 1806–1909 Walsh, Diane Renner. Bethel Baptist Church Minutes, 1806-1851, Excerpts from the Minutes, 1851–1852, Membership Lists, 1809–1909. Belleville, Illinois : St. Clair County Genealogical Society (Illinois), 1993. WorldCat (Other Libraries) ; Free online index

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from 40 Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in St. Clair County available for free online (requires free registration). The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths. A Finding Aid to contents of each church register is online, courtesy St. Clair CGS


 * "Belleville," Catholic Encyclopedia. Available online.
 * Beuckman, Frederick. History, Diocese of Belleville, 1700-1914. Section One: St. Clair County. Belleville, Ill.: Buechler Pub. Co., 1914. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Church of the Holy Family drawings, photos, data, courtesy: The Library of Congress
 * Hass, Barbara A., Henry Goosens, Herbert Janson, and Julius Maurer. St. Francis, Sts. Peter Paul Catholic Church Deaths and Burials, 1842-1883. n.p.: B. Hass, 1987. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Parish Directory, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Freeburg, Illinois. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * "St. Liborius Church Records," translation online, courtesy St Clair CGS and the compiler.
 * "St. Peter's Deaths 1859-1909," translation online at the member site, St. Clair CGS
 * Smythe, Jeffrey M. and Frank X. Heiligenstein. History of St. Joseph's Church, Freeburg, Illinois. Freeburg, Ill.: Freeburg Print. and Pub., 2003. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Walthall, John A. and Elizabeth D. Benchley. The River L'Abbe Mission: A French Colonial Church for the Cahokia Illini on Monks Mound. 1987. Digital version at Internet Archive.

Church of Christ

 * Hayner Public Library (Alton, Ill.). Zion Church Deaths and Burials, 1836-1985. Millstadt, Ill.: D. Slinkard, 1988?. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Slinkard, Don. Death Register for the Zion Community. 1988?. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Freeburg, Illinois: 1858-2008, Baptisms, marriages, buials; 10,000 events were translated from German into English and extracted by St. Clair County Genealogical Society volunteers

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 * Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Belleville, East St. Louis

Evangelical

 * 100th Anniversary, Centennial History: St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Evangelical &amp; Reformed, Floraville, Illinois, September 27, 1959. St. Louis, Mo.: St. Louis County Library, Special Collections Dept., 2006. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Freeburg, Illinois: 1858-2008, 150th Anniversary. Freeburg, Ill.: Freeburg Printing &amp; Pub., 2008. WorldCat (Other Libraries). Baptisms 1859-1862 are available online.
 * Schmidt, Martha Mae. Holy Ghost United Church of Christ Church Records, Darmstadt, Illinois, 1843-1977. Translated from German into English, baptisms, marriages, confirmations, deaths. Place names of German immigrant's town of birth. 233 pp., St. Clair CGS.
 * Schmidt, Martha Mae. St. Paul United Church of Christ, Belleville, 1839-1939. Translated from German into English, 944 page book on CD-Rom, baptisms, marriages, confirmations, deaths, parents, witnesses, sponsors. St. Clair CGS.

Lutheran

 * 1868–1970 Zion Lutheran Church parish register
 * Zion Lutheran Church Records 1861 - 1961, Belleville, Illinois . The first 100 years of baptisms, marriages, confirmations, and burials were translated from German into English and extracted by St Clair County Genealogical Society volunteers over a six-year period. 4200 baptisms with parents named, 2700 confirmation entries, 1268 marriages and 1360 burials; 386 pp.
 * 1915–1919 Davis, Cindy. Trinity Lutheran Church East St. Louis, Illinois Burial Register, available online, courtesy: Genealogy Trails.


 * Buecher, Robert. 150th Anniversary History of Trinity Lutheran Church: 503 East Washington, Millstadt, IL, October 21, 1849-October 24, 1999. St. Louis, Mo.: R. Buecher, 1999. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Methodist Episcopal

 * History of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Belleville, 1840-1998 with surname index to records [http://www.stclair-ilgs.org/ www.stclair-ilgs.org/
 * History, Freeburg Methodist Church, 1867-1967. Freeburg, Ill.: Freeburg Tribune, 1967. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 * 1867–1872 Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Blessings of children
 * 1864–1874 Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints membership records and minutes

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 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for St. Clair County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Abstracts


 * 1791–1801; 1807–1810 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois, book A, marriage certificates and licenses, Feb. 1807 - July 1810 : some additional records from Deed Book A &amp; 'Loose Papers', 1791-1801. Springfield, Illinois : Folkworks Research, 1993.Other libraries (WorldCat)

Copies of original records


 * 1790–1857 Indexes to court records, by plaintiff and defendant and online Circuit Court Case Files 1819–1840
 * 1796–1818 Court records
 * 1819–1900 Circuit court dockets; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1790–1913 Circuit court index;IRAD (SIU)
 * 1901–1925 Bellevue: Justice of the Peace Dockets; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1853–1862 Mascoutah: Justice of the Peace Dockets; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1817–1841 Circuit Court record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1796–1818 Territorial County Court minutes; IRAD (SIU). A topical index and guardianships extracted, see SCCGS Quarterly volume 19 no. 2, 1996

Declaration and Naturalization Papers filed in various St Clair courts: explained, indexes availability, record locations www.stclair-ilgs.org/

Cahokia
Early records of courts that met at Cahokia in the late 1700s have been published:


 * Alvord, Clarence Walworth. Cahokia Records, Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, Volume II, 1778-1790. Publisher's bookstore.

Chancery Court

 * St. Clair County Circuit Court Chancery Case Files Index, 1815-1870 (courtesy: Illinois State Archives)

Circuit Court

 * Circuit Court Case Files 1819-1840 St. Clair County, Illinois (courtesy: St. Clair County Genealogical Society)
 * St. Clair County Circuit Court Chancery Case Files Index, 1870 (and continuing) St Clair CGS Quarterly series beginning volume 45:1 (2022

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

Local Histories
Biographical sketch indexes:  www.stclair-ilgs.org/


 * Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of St Clair County. Chicago: Munsell Pub. Co., 1907. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Portrait and Biographical Record of St. Clair County, Illinois: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Together with Biographies and Portraits of All the Presidents of the United States. Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1892. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Stevens, Thomas Wood. The Book of Words of St. Clair County Pageant. Belleville, Ill.: n.p., 1914. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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 through online sources, the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for St. Clair County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

A list of dozens of St. Clair County Grants Claimed in 1798 is available online, courtesy: Genealogy Trails.

Abstracts


 * 1791–1801 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois, book A, marriage certificates and licenses, Feb. 1807 - July 1810 : some additional records from Deed Book A &amp; 'Loose Papers', 1791-1801. Springfield, Illinois : Folkworks Research, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1831–1857 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois, from the office of the circuit court, records of brands and marks, Book II, 1831–1857. Morrisonville, Illinois: Genie-Logic Enterprises, 1997.Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1807–1831; 1796–1797; 1808–1814 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois court records, marks and brands, 1807-1831 and 1796-1797, tavern licenses granted 1808-1814. Springfield, Illinois : Folk Works Research, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Copies of original records


 * 1863 and 1899 Land ownership maps
 * 1834–1842, 1848 School land record
 * 1799–1813 St. Clair land and property records
 * 1980 Rockford Map Publishers. St. Clair County, Illinois, land atlas and plat book: 1980. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, 1969. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1786–1927 Deeds index; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1790–1875 Deed record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1798–1798 Land claims record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1865–1883 Mortgage record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1829–1874 Surveyor's record; IRAD (SIU)

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.com ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * St. Clair County Federal Township Plats

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Township Map of 1870 St. Clair County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military
Historical information about White County soldiers of the Black Hawk War, Civil War, Mexican War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 may be found in:


 * McLean County, White County, Will County Genealogical Records. Evanston, Ill.?: Illinois Society, D.A.R.?, 1945?. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Civil War
Civil War service men from St. Clair 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 St. Clair County.


 * - 2nd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies A, B, C, D, and E.
 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, C, D, E, and F.
 * - 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 16th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies F and G.
 * - 22nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 43rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, G and H.
 * - 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 115th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 117th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C, H, I and K.
 * - 142nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company H.
 * - 149th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Companies B, C, D, H, I, and K.
 * - 155th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.

Naturalizations and Citizenship
Original naturalization records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Naturalization Records for more information about using naturalization records.

The following copies of original records may be accessed online or through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Franklin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.


 * 1835–1904 Naturalization declarations of intent index;IRAD (SIU)
 * 1838–1903 Naturalization papers index; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1868–1903 Naturalization record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1904–1950 East St. Louis Declarations of IntentIRAD (SIU)

East St. Louis City Court Naturalizations Papers (1874-1906), courtesy: Illinois State Archives.

County Court Declarations and Naturalization Record (1864-1906) in the member area of the St. Clair County Genealogical Society site.

Online Records

Several St. Clair County courts issued declaration and naturalization papers. An index to the first 3 of 19 volumes (1906-1945) has been made available for free online:
 * 1800-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1856-1991 - Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry.com - index and images, ($)

"'An important find in this particular record collection is that all the Volume 3 document sets were filed in St Clair County Circuit Court convened in East St Louis, not the county seat at Belleville, presumably because of the sheer number of residents there and for their convenience.'"
 * 1906-1945 - Index to Declarations and Naturalizations, Circuit Court 1906 - c1945, St. Clair County, Illinois, courtesy: St. Clair County Genealogical Society.

Pre-1906 naturalizations have suffered heavy record loss, see Record Loss.

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Vital Records

Newspaper columns provide more than just vital statistics on area residents. Obituaries include kinship links, sometimes with out-of-state residency for surviving family. Online indexes to obituaries from The Belleville News Democrat 1994-2007, Freeburg Tribune 1904-1939, and Millstadt Enterprise 1897-1949 are available (courtesy: St. Clair County Genealogical Society). An every-name index during the war period 1917 - 1921 is also available for the Lebanon Advertiser. Vital Statistics Extracted From the Belleville (Ill.) Daily Advocate 1927 - 1954 More than 132,000 vital statistics derived from the Belleville (Ill.) Daily Advocate 1927 - 1954 constitute this database.

Poor Houses

 * St. Clair County; County Farm Board Record Index, 1874-1879, courtesy: Illinois State Archives.
 * "...Poor Farm and Hospital Ledger Inmates 1866-1872" in St Clair CGS Quarterly volume 34: 3 and 34:4 (2011).
 * Death Records of the St. Clair County Poor Farm and Hospital 1854-1916. St. Clair CGS

Private Papers
Bertille Brand Klein kept a diary or "news book" of her daily life in Hecker, Illinois from January 1930 (age 15 1/2) until December 1939 (age 25). She mentions many local family names with some birth and death dates. Her granddaughter Angie Kelly is digitizing this valuable resource. Visit Tillie's Tales to read this interesting journal (work in progress).

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1772-1964 Probate [intestate] case file index 1772-1964 - available digitally through the St. Clair County Genealogical Society, requires SCCGS membership ($)
 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images. Note: collection does not include St. Clair County.

Original estates and wills are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Probate Records for more information about using probate records.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through, the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for St. Clair County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Abstracts


 * 1772–1964 St. Clair County Genealogical Society. Index to St. Clair County, Illinois probated and non-probated wills, 1772-1964. Belleville, IL : St. Clair County Genealogical Society, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat) . Available digitally at St. Clair County Genealogical Society, requires SCCGS membership ($)
 * 1797–1832 Friedli, Frederick J. and Virginia Merrills. Probate Court records, St. Clair County Courthouse, Belleville, Illinois, will record "A" &amp; "B". 
 * 1794–1811 Daughters of the American Revolution. Belleville Chapter (Illinois). St. Clair County, Illinois marriage register, 1807-1845 : courthouse at Belleville, Illinois; alphabetical by 1st letter of groom's surname, includes letters A-C only. (Includes wills 1794–1811.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1970.

Copies of original records


 * All of the following are also located at the Belleville Public Library, courtesy Saint Clair CGS
 * 1772–1800 Wills
 * 1772–1925 Index of wills
 * 1772–1920 Wills
 * 1796–1818 Court records related to probate and guardian records
 * 1870–1964 Probate appraisement record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1817–1906 Probate case files; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1821–1901 Probate record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1772–1970 Probate wills; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1827–1963 Probate wills, non-probated; IRAD (SIU)

Additional Resources

Additional resources for St. Clair probates may be found in the topic page of the FamilySearch Catalog. Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche may be available for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Also find Illinois Probate resources available at many libraries (WorldCat). Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * O'Fallon Illinois Family History Center

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
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. Southern Illinois University houses the records for St. Clair County.

Societies

 * St Clair County Illinois Genealogical Society PO Box 431 Belleville, IL 62222-0431 Email:[mailto:sccgsoffice@stclair-ilgs.org sccgsoffice@stclair-ilgs.org] Facebook Website
 * SCCGS Collections that are at the Belleville Public Library:
 * Death and marriage registers from the county clerk’s office (microfilm)
 * Green Mount (non-sectarian), Mt. Hope and Walnut Hill cemeteries lot cards, indexes, maps.
 * Probate case files 1770s – 1964 with original will, and intestate case files for those who died without a will. (776 microfilm rolls)
 * Church records for the county’s Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and United Church of Christ denominations, for example. (microfilm and books)
 * Newspapers of Lebanon, Mascoutah, and O’Fallon (microfilm)


 * St. Clair County Historical Society 701 East Washington Belleville, IL 62220 Phone Number 618-234-0600 E-mail:[mailto:stcchs@att.net stcchs@att.net] Facebook Website
 * Belleville Historical Society PO Box 23682 633 E Garfield St Belleville, IL 62220 Phone 618-531-7753 Email:[mailto:bellevillehistoricalsociety@gmail.com bellevillehistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Facebook Website
 * Belleville Heritage Society 3121 N Illinois St, Swansea, IL 62226-2368 Phone 618-235-6471
 * Freeburg Historical & Genealogical Society PO Box 69 306 North Edison Street Freeburg, IL 62243-1235 Phone 618-539-5264
 * Lebanon Historical Society c/o Prairie Dog Press 114 East St.Louis Street Lebanon, IL 62254-0126 Phone 618-537-8420 Website
 * Marissa Historical and Genealogical Society 210 N Main Marissa, IL 62257-0047 Phone 618-295-2632 Email:[mailto:marissahgs@frontier.com marissahgs@frontier.com] Facebook Website
 * The Society maintains a museum and a genealogical/historical library.


 * Mascoutah Historical Society 306 West Main Street Mascoutah, IL 62258 Phone 618-566-9774 Email:[mailto:maschistsoc@gmail.com maschistsoc@gmail.com] Facebook Website
 * Millstadt Historical Society Glenn Schaefer, President 618-476-3696 Website
 * O'Fallon Historical Society PO Box 344 101 West State Street O'Fallon, IL 62269 Phone 618-624-8409 Email:[mailto:info@ofallonhistory.net info@ofallonhistory.net] Facebook Websiteor Try Website

Taxation

 * 1844–1869 Tax sale record IRAD (SIU) Search for St. Clair records How to use IRAD

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 until the year 1916 are kept by the St. Clair 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 usually kept by the County Clerk from the establishment of the county to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online databases, the Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for St. Clair County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

General
Vital Statistics Extracted From the Belleville (Ill.) Daily Advocate 1927 - 1954 More than 132,000 vital statistics derived from the Belleville (Ill.) Daily Advocate 1927 - 1954 constitute this database.

Births
Abstracts of Birth Records


 * Dickinson, H.B. and Elda Jones. Birth records, Dr. H.B. Dickinson, Coulterville, Illinois. Marissa, Illinois : Marissa Historical &amp; Genealogical Society, 2003. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Copies of Original Birth Records


 * 1901–1904 Birth Records
 * 1830–1900 Birth certificates
 * 1843–1856 Birth and death record; IRAD (SIU)

Marriages
Abstracts of Marriage Records


 * 1807–1810 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. St. Clair County, Illinois, book A, marriage certificates and licenses, Feb. 1807 - July 1810 : some additional records from Deed Book A &amp; 'Loose Papers', 1791-1801. Springfield, Illinois : Folkworks Research, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1807–1845 Daughters of the American Revolution. Belleville Chapter (Illinois). St. Clair County, Illinois marriage register, 1807-1845 : courthouse at Belleville, Illinois; alphabetical by 1st letter of groom's surname, includes letters A-C only. (Includes wills 1794–1811.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1970.
 * 1807–1850 Dodd, Jordan. Illinois Marriages, 1790-1806, available online, courtesy: Ancestry ($). Includes St. Clair County marriages 1807-1850.
 * 1897–1949 Buecher, Robert. Millstadt [IL] "Enterprise" marriage index, 1897-1949. St. Louis, Missouri : R. Buecher, 1992.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1906–1950 in the St Clair CGS Quarterly series beginning volume 30:2 (2007) through volume 44: 4 (2021). Bride and groom indexes with date and license number.

Copies of original Marriage Records


 * 1807–1950 Marriage licenses (there is one license in 1806)
 * 1807–1845 Marriage records, A–D
 * 1807–1946 Marriage record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1807–1976 Marriage licenses IRAD (SIU)

Online Resources


 * 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)
 * 1790–1860 Illinois Marriage index found at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index

Deaths
Copies of original Death Records


 * 1843–1856 Birth and death record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1878–1896 Death Register Extracts (and continuing) in St Clair CGS quarterlies (2007-2020).
 * 1878–1888 Belleville: Burial permit record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1888–1923 Belleville: Death record; IRAD (SIU) and Belleville Public Library
 * 1916–1950 St. Clair County Deaths 1916-1950, available online, courtesy: Genealogy Trails.

Online Resources
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1854-1916 Death Records of the St. Clair County Poor Farm and Hospital 1854-1916 at St. Clair County Genealogical Society - digitized book ($)
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

Additional Resources
Additional resources for St. Clair births, marriages and deaths may be found in the topic page of the FamilySearch Catalog. Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche may be available for viewing at Family History Centers. 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.


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

MyHeritage ($)''
 * 1850–1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry.com ($)

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:

Websites

 * ST Clair County ILGenWeb
 * St. Clair County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * St. Clair County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * St. Clair County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * St. Clair County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)