Macoupin County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Macoupin County, Illinois ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The county was named for Macoupin Creek, which flows through the county and is derived from the Indian word for the water lillies that grew along the creek. The county seat is Carlinville and the county was organized on January 17, 1829. The County is located in the central part of the state.

County Courthouse
Macoupin County Courthouse 201 E Main St Carlinville, IL 62626 Phone: 217-854-3214 Macoupin County Courthouse

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

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:

Census Records
 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, Macoupin County on page 187.]

Church Records
 List of Churches and Church Parishes The Macoupin County ILGenWeb has an extensive list of current local congregations as well as historical records and pictures.
 * FamilySearch Places

 Baptist  Catholic  Christian  Congregational  Episcopal  Lutheran  Methodist
 * 1836-1897 Concord Primitive Baptist Church.Courtesy of ILGenWeb.
 * 1849-1908 Charity Baptist Church Records. Courtesy of ILGenWeb.
 * Ss. Mary and Joseph Catholic Church
 * 1887-1928 Everly Chapel Church Records Includes membership records and baptisms. Courtesy of ILGenWeb. Online digital copy, courtesy of Google Books.
 * 1923 Chesterfield Congregational Church.Courtesy of ILGenWeb.
 * The First Redeemer Lutheran Church purchased the original St. John's Episcopal Church which was the "Oldest Building in Town."
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * The First Redeemer Lutheran Church purchased the original St. John's Episcopal Church which was the "Oldest Building in Town."
 * 1868-1945Union Chapel Methodist Church. Courtesy of ILGenWeb.

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 FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for MaCoupin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1829-1849 Macoupin County Records
 * 1829-1911 Circuit Court Case Files Index, Chancery and Common Law IRAD-UIS
 * 1830-1975 Circuit Court Record, Chancery IRAD-UIS
 * 1847-1946 Circuit Court Record Index, Chancery IRAD-UIS
 * 1858-1900 Circuit Court Record Index IRAD-UIS
 * 1870-1956 Jail Registers IRAD-UIS
 * 1899-1905 Circuit Court Fee Books, Chancery IRAD-UIS
 * 1919-1920 Circuit Court Dockets, Chancery IRAD-UIS

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African Americans
 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records
 * Illinois African-American Resource Guide by the Illinois State Archives describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
 * African-American Resources for Illinois

Land and Property Records
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 online, through the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Macoupin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1819-1917 Land Patent Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1829-1880 Marks and brands ; IRAD-UIS
 * 1829-1888 Deed Index IRAD-UIS
 * 1829-1918 Deed Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1831-1918 Land records and indexes
 * 1868-1921 Mortgage Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1873-1881 Coal Contract Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1880-1880 Plat Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1908-1913 Oil Lease Record IRAD-UIS
 * 1909-1960 Mine Entry Books IRAD-UIS
 * 1916-1947Master's Certificates of Purchase IRAD-UIS
 * BLM GLO Records. Search original land patents for Macoupin County from the Govenment Land Office (GLO) or Eastern States Office. Some searches include images of the original warrants. All search results include the patant details needed for requesting copies of the land entry files at the National Archives.The GLO is the custodian of millions of land title documents. The General Land Office Automated Records Project is responsible for making these important documents available to the public.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales. The Illinois State Archives has an online index to the records of Public land sales held by the State Archives. The indexes are by purchasers name and by legal description. This is a statewide collection with nearly 550,000 land sales fro 54740 square miles.
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Macoupin County Federal Township Plats
 * 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 and Gazetteers

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

Military Records
 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Macoupin 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 Macoupin County.
 * - 1st Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company B
 * - 3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L.
 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies F and K.
 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F
 * - 32nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C and I
 * - 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I
 * - 97th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A
 * - 122nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, and K.
 * - 133rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies F, G, and H.
 * - 140th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D.
 * - 152nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company I.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry - index and images ($)

Newspapers

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

Probate Records
Original probate records are held by the Macoupin. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records. A few copies of probate records are held at IRAD. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS.

Online Probate Indexes and Records Other abstracted probate records for Macoupin County can be explored through a subject search of the.
 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
 * 1835-1939 Probate Records
 * 1835-1881 Probate Index A Courtesy of USGenWeb
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
 * 1882-1883 Probate Dockets IRAD–UIS
 * Leonard, Cindy. The Macoupin Connection. Staunton, IL: Leonard Data Quest, 1991- (Probate Index Listings–no dates)

Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth (1857) and death (1877) records are kept by the Macoupin 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 1829 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 FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Universtiy of Illinois–Springfield(UIS). Search Macoupin County records in the Local Governmental Records Holdings Database. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD–UIS Wiki page. found in the FamilySearch Catalog. Other libraries(at WorldCat) also hold copies of abstracted Macoupin County vital records. (How to explore WorldCat).

Birth

 * 1857-1903 Birth Records Index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1857-1881, 1942–1943 Various birth records. Courtesy of USGenWeb.
 * 1878-1901 Birth Records.
 * 1857-1962 Birth record, Delayed IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records..
 * 1920-1949 Birth record,Staunton City IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.

Marriage

 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1829-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1829-1850 Illinois Marriages 1790 to 1860. Search for Macoupin county records.Ancestry ($). The source of this collection is films in the FamilySearch Library's collection.
 * 1829-1900 Marriage records index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1829-1900 Marriage Records IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * 1876-1905 Marriage License Applications IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * Marriage Records. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.

Death

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1835-1938 Death Record, Coroner's Online index. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1877-1910 Death Records Index. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * 1877-1901 Death Record. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * 1878-1910 Death Index Courtesy of USGenWeb.
 * 1902-1903 Death Record, Virden City. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * 1902-1903 Burial Permit, Virden City. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * 1911-1918 Death Record, Coroner's IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macoupin County records.
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage($)
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index Search for Macoupin County.
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index Search for Macoupin County.
 * 1916-1951 Death Record, Staunton City. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macoupin county.
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * Funeral CardsCourtesy of USGenWeb.
 * Obituaries. Courtesy of USGenWeb.
 * Obituary Index. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * Macoupin Death Records. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * A list of Macoupin County Patient Deaths at the Illinois State Hospital (1910s-1930s) is available online, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois. The site also provides a list of WWII Deaths.

Archives
 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. The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) houses the records for Macoupin County. The link will help you find and use the records. There address is: Illinois Regional Archives Depository LIB144 University of Illinois at Springfield Region One University Plaza, MS BRK 140 Springfield, Illinois 62703-5407 217-206-6520

FamilySearch Centers

 * Alton Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Jacksonville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Litchfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * St Louis Missouri North FamilySearch Center
 * Springfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Chatham Area Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Kathryn Linnemann Branch Library - an affiliate library
 * St Charles City-County Library - an affiliate library
 * Six Mile Regional Library District - Delmar Branch - an affiliate library
 * Six Mile Regional Library District - Johnson Branch - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Blackburn College Library 700 College Avenue Carlinville, IL 62626-1498 Phone: 217-854-3231 Ext 4220 Website
 * Collection includes historical and genealogical information.


 * Bunker Hill Public Library 220 East Warren St P O Box P Bunker Hill, IL 62014-0664 Phone: 618-585-4736 Website
 * Collection includes newspapers, census books, histories and cemetery listings, also holds surname files for researchers.


 * Carlinville Public Library 510 North Broad Street P.O. Box 17 Carlinville, IL 62626 Phone: 217-854-3505 Website
 * Extensive genealogical collection including surname files and local newspapers.


 * Frank Bertetti Benld Public Library 308 East Central Avenue Benld, IL 62009 Phone: 217-835-4045 Benld History Section Website
 * Grand Prairie of the West Public Library District 142 W. Jackson St. Virden, IL 62690-1257 Phone: 217-965-3015 Email: vie@lcls.org
 * Collection includes local newspapers, cemetery listings, and census records.


 * Girard Township Library 210 W. Madison St. Girard, IL 62640 Phone: 217-627-2414
 * Has local newspapers and census films.


 * Macoupin County Historical Museum Library P.O. Box 431 Carlinville, IL 62626 Phone: 217-854-2850
 * Collection includes family histories and research records.


 * Mt. Olive Public Library 100 North Plum Street Mt. Olive, IL 62069-1755 Phone: 217-999-7311 E–mail: mtolivepubliclibrary@yahoo.com
 * Collection includes local newspapers.


 * Staunton Public Library George and Santina Sawyer Genealogy Room 306 West Main Staunton, IL 62088 Phone: 618-635-3852 E-mail:familytree@stauntonpl.org Website
 * Collection includes local newspapers, cemetery listings, county histories, surname lists, and historical society quarterlies.

Museums

 *  Macoupin County Historical Museum Library 920 W. Breckenridge St Carlinville, IL 62626 Phone: 217-854-2850 or 217-854-2561 Hours: Wednesday May - Nov 10 AM - 2 PM Sunday Jun - Aug 1 PM - 5 PM

Societies

 * Macoupin County Historical Society PO Box 432 920 West Breckenridge Street Carlinville, IL 62626 Phone: 217-854-2850 Website

Websites

 * Macoupin County IL Genealogy
 * Macoupin ILGenWeb
 * Macoupin County, IL Linkpendium
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.