Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy

United States  Illinois   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. Randolph County (and all of Illinois) was part of Quebec until 1717, when it was officially annexed into Louisiana.

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. The county seat was also moved from Kaskaskia to Chester in 1844.


 * 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
The Catholic parish register for Kaskaskia survives in fragments only. Christenings/Baptisms are lost from mid-1721 to 1759. No marriage records before 1724 or from mid-1729 to 1740 are extent, nor are burial records before 1721 or from late 1727 to mid-1764.

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

Cemeteries
Illinois cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Randolph County and links to the information for the individuals buried there.


 * Randolph Co. IL USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks.


 * Illinois Cemeteries by county.


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


 * ePodunk list of Randolph County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.

Census
Censuses during the colonial period were irregular, but several exist. Like early American censuses, these only give the names of the head of household and the number of people in the household, but the information they contain is still of great use.


 * 1726 French census: The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732, by Charles R. Maduell, Jr. Genealogical Publishing Company: Baltimore, MD, 1972, p. 50-60.
 * 1732 French census: The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732, by Charles R. Maduell, Jr. Genealogical Publishing Company: Baltimore, MD, 1972, p.150-153.
 * 1752 French census: Kaskaskia Under the French Regime, by Natalia Maree Belting. Polyanthos: New Orleans, 1948, p. 86-98. Belting includes a genealogical commentary on each entry in the census.
 * 1787 American census: Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord. Illinois State Historical Library: Springfield, IL, 1909, p. 414-419. Alvord also includes a commentary that contains some genealogical information, although not all of it is accurate. This census only has French names on it. A (perhaps non-comprehensive) list of American men in Illinois (not just Kaskaskia) can be found at Alvord, p. 421-423, 443-445.

Church
The Church of the Immaculate Conception was a Catholic parish established originally as a Jesuit mission among the Indians in 1695 that had moved to the current site of Kaskaskia in 1703. It became a full parish in 1719. The parish register is the best available record for genealogical information before the early 1790's and the arrival of a large influx of Americans. The parish register is available (in French only) in the following sources:


 * La population des forts français d'Amérique (XVIIIe siècle) by Marthe F. Beauregard. Kaskaskia's parish record is in volume 2.  (Note: Beauregard only compiled records through 1799, even though the parish register goes well into the 19th century.)
 * LDS Family History Library
 * The Drouin Collection at ancestry.com.

Court

 * Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord, 1909. This is a compilation of civil records during the beginning of American rule in Kaskaskia. Includes a mix of court records, petitions to the American government, military records, and censuses.

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 Randolph 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

Military

 * Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord, 1909. This is a compilation of civil records during the beginning of American rule in Kaskaskia. Includes a mix of court records, petitions to the American government, military records, and censuses.

Newspapers

 * Early Kaskaskia, Illinois Newspapers, 1814-1832, by Lola Frazer Crowder: Frontier Press, 1994.

Societies and Libraries

 * Randolph County Genealogical Society 13 Westwood Drive Steeleville, IL 62288 Phone: (618) 965-3705 Email: [mailto:rcgs@egyptian.net rcgs@egyptian.net]


 * Visit our revamped website. The site includes databases and research references to help researchers locate and acquire needed documents in genealogy. The RCGS office recently moved to a larger facility. Our new offices enables researchers to visit the society and more easily access our extensive library of data. If you can not visit personally, you may contact us to request research lookups. Our collection includes a vast number of transcribed records and local history books. We also have a list of publications available for purchase. The society also offers courthouse lookup requests for a small fee. Don't miss our membership application form on the website. Please stop by the office in Steeleville, Illinois or contact us at [mailto:Vel_chick@frontier.com Vel_chick@frontier.com] for research requests.


 * Chester Public Library 733 State Street Chester, IL (618) 826-3711


 * The Chester Library in Chester, (Randolph County) Illinois has a digitized copy of William Morrison's Ledger Book on their website. The William Morrison Ledger is a handwritten ledger listing the transactions conducted at his Kaskaskia Store between 1805 and 1831. The ledger includes the customer's name, items purchased, and amount owed. The 655-page ledger offers glimpses of early merchandising methods. It lists over 1200 early settlers who pioneered or traveled through Kaskaskia (now Randolph County, Illinois).


 * In a separate book, presumably one of Morrison’s clerks compiled a handwritten index of the ledger. The ledger was also digitized as part of the project. However, it is in very fragile condition and several pages have sections missing.


 * Morrison’s descendant, another William Morrison, gave the ledger and many other Kaskaskia Store account books to the Chester Public Library.


 * The FHL has a copy of the index, which is included in the ledger. The ledger can be accessed at: http://digsrvr.shawls.lib.il.us/cht/ to see information about the ledger or at http://digsrvr.shawls.lib.il.us/cht/search.php to actually search the ledger.


 * Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois John A. Logan College Library 700 Logan College Road Carterville, Illinois 62918 Telephone: 618-985-2828, Ext. 8338 Hours: vary by season, see website


 * The Society focuses on Alexander, Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, and Williamson counties. The Society's book and microfilm collection is housed at the John A. Logan College Library. The Society publishes a newsletter (click here for recent issues) and a quarterly journal The Saga of Southern Illinois (click here for a topical index that breaks down what has been published county-by-county).

Web Sites

 * Randolph County, Illinois (USGenWeb)
 * Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)