Putnam County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Putnam 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 Israel Putnam, who was a general in the American Revolution. The county seat is Hennepin and the county was organized on 1825. The County is located in the Central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Putnam County Courthouse 120 N 4th St Hennepin, IL 61327 Phone: 815-925-7016 Putnam County Courthouse

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

 * 1850,1860,1870,1880 U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry($) These include the deaths occurring twelve months before the census was taken.
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Church Records
 Society of Friends (Quakers)
 * Franklin, Lucretia Smith, et al. 150 Years in Review of Clear Creek Families and Friends, Putnam County, Illinois. [Illinois]: Clear Creek Monthly Meeting, 1991. Includes minutes of the Society of Friends' (Quakers) Clear Creek Monthly Meeting beginning in 1841 and burials at Friends Cemetery.;

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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. Online Court Indexes and Records
 * Putnam County Government courtesy Genealogytrails.com. Includes Township election results from 1872-1889, juror selection for 1858, delegates to the 1866 State Republican Convention, County officers for 1873 and more.

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 or through the FamilySearch Library.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1800s-Present Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a research establish location and lead to National Archives' records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are housed at the National Archives.
 * 1800s-Present Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales from Illinois State Archives also provides an index to federal land sales.


 * 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, found at Ancestry ($).
 * Putnam County Federal Township Plats

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Outline of Putnam County Over Google Map--by Home Town Locator
 * 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County.
 * - 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
 * - 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 77th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 123rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 139th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company B.

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
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 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

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Putnam County Clerkwhile 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 FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Putnam County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

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
 * 1831-1844 Early Marriages in Putnam County from ILGenWeb

Death

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; also at MyHeritage($)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage ($) - index
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index

Archives
 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses 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 Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for Putnam County. Learn more about finding and using their records.
 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository c/o Regional History Center Founders Memorial Library, Room 400 Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115 Telephone: (815) 753-1807

FamilySearch Centers

 * Morris Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Ottawa Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Bureau County Genealogy Society - an affiliate library
 * LaSalle County Genealogy Guild - an affiliate library

Libraries
Putnam County Public Library District 214 North Fourth St. Box 199 Hennepin, IL 61327 Telephone: (815) 925-7020

Societies
Putnam County Historical Society 327 Old Highway 26 Hennepin, IL 61327-0074 Phone 815-303-5107 or 815-925-7560 E-mail:[mailto:pchs61327@yahoo.com pchs61327@yahoo.com] Website

Websites

 * Putnam County IL Genealogy
 * Putnam County Links, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Putnam ILGenWeb
 * Illinois Genealogy Trails Putnam County Site
 * USGenWeb Archives Putnam County Site
 * – 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.