Williamson County, Illinois Genealogy

United States   Illinois    Williamson County

Parent County

 * 1839--Williamson County was created 28 February 1839 from Franklin County. County seat:

Boundary Changes
The present area of Williamson County, or parts of it, were at one time included in the following counties :

1818–1839 Franklin 1816–1818 Jackson 1812–1818 Gallatin 1812–1816 Johnson 1795–1816 Randolph 1790–1801 Knox, Northwest Territory

Record Loss
May 30, 1875 -- Courthouse burned and some records were lost or damaged.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research
 * http://blogs.ancestry.com/circle/?p=2424

Places / Localities
To see a list of places in Williamson County, click on [Show], in the bar above. The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. Localities listed in red have no wiki page yet. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

African American
United States African Americans Illinois African Americans


 * Illinois State Archives pamphlet on African American Research describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records

Cemeteries
The Illinois Cemeteries page provides explanations of the following online resources:

Census
Illinois Counties 1900-1990

1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Williamson County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.

See Williamson County, IL census assignments, including links to transcribed files. [The USGenWeb Census Project].

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, Williamson County on page 188.]

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from four Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Williamson County available online. The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

Message Boards

 * Williamson County, IL Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Williamson County, IL Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Williamson County, IL Genealogy Queries (CousinConnect)

General
As of March 2011, a query for persons born in Williamson (County), Illinois at World Connect, results in more than 30,000 entries.

Parks' collection is a great place to learn if genealogists have studied your Williamson County family in the past:


 * Parks, Nannie Gray. Williamson Co., Illinois, Pioneer Families. MSS. Microfilmed 1974..

The following collections contain genealogies about many families in the county:


 * Crain, Charles L. and Barbara Crain. Whose Family Line Is It ... Anyway: A Brief History of the Crain, Snider, Burkitt, Plumlee, Shingleton and Isom Families in Franklin, Williamson and Surrounding Counties in Southern Illinois. n.p.: C.L. Crain, 2001..
 * Grisham, Violet Lee Carter. My Williamson County Pioneer Kinfolks and Descendants. Marion, Ill.: V.L.C. Grisham, 1995..
 * Lind, Helen Sutt, Charla Schroeder Murphy, et al. The Barham Connection: Barham Cemetery Inscriptions and Family Genealogy. 1997?.
 * Malone, Daisy Hearne Roberts. A Group of Family Trees of the Early Settlers of Corinth Township, Williamson County, Illinois and Allied Families. Pueblo, Colo.: Rocky Mountain Bank Note Co., 1939.

Local Histories
The 1876 local history is also available at Ancestry ($).


 * History of Gallatin, Saline, Hamilton, Franklin, and Williamson Counties, Illinois: From the Earliest Time to the Present, Together with Sundry and Interesting Biographical Sketches, Notes, Reminiscences, etc., etc. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1887. Digital versions at Ancestry ($) (1967 reprint); Internet Archive.

Revolutionary War
Veterans of the Revolutionary War settled in Williamson County.

See also Census

War of 1812
Veterans of the War of 1812 settled in Williamson County.


 * List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. ; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 3, Illinois, Williamson County, pp. 640-642. Identifies War of 1812 and other veterans living in the county in 1883.]

Civil War
Civil War service men from Williamson 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 Williamson County.


 * - 56th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 60th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 81st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies E, G and H.

World War I

 * Baird, S. S. Williamson County, Illinois, in the World War: Containing a Brief Review of the World War, Complete History of Williamson County's Activities, Photographs and Service Records of Williamson County's Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, Industrial Review of Business and Professional Firms Who Have Made This History Possible. Marion: Williamson County War History Society, c1919. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive.

Newspapers
Information about the following newspapers is available through the Illinios Newspapers Project:

1936-1936 Egyptian Democrat (Marion)

1925-1926 Marion Evening Post

1921-1922 Marion Semi-weekly Leader

1929-1946 Marion Weekly Leader

1917-1971 Spokesman (Heriman)

Marriages
An index to marriages in Williamson County, 1830-1850 is available on the USGenWeb Archives.

Copies of marriage licenses and other marriage records are available through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository system at Southern Illinois University.


 * Marriage Licenses, 1839- 1870 SIU 6/0325/09
 * Marriage Record, 1839-1916 SIU 6/0325/07
 * Marriage Record Index 1865-1885 SIU 6/0325/06

The Illinois State Archives Illinois Statewide Marriage Index includes Williamson County marriages from 1840-1900.

The Williamson County Marriage Project is a user-contributed listing of about 600 Williamson County marriages. Many listings include e-mail contact information for the individual who contributed the information.

Deaths
The Illinois State Archives database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916–1950 includes Williamson County.

As of March 2011, the Illinios State Archive database Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre–1916 does NOT include any Williamson County deaths.

Societies and Libraries

 * Marion Carnegie Library 206 South Market Street Marion, IL 62959 618/993-5935


 * 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

 * Williamson County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Williamson County, ILGenWeb Part of the USGenWeb Project. Genealogy resources, queries.
 * Williamson County, Illinois (The American History and Genealogy Project)
 * Williamson County, Illinois (The American History and Genealogy Project)