Shelby County, Illinois Genealogy

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

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

Historical Facts
The county is named after Kentucky's First Governor Isaac Shelby (1750-1826).

Parent County

 * 1827--Shelby County was created 23 January 1827 from Fayette County. County seat: Shelbyville

Description
The county was named for Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky and hero of the Revolutionary War. The county seat is Shelbyville and the county was organized on 1827. The County is located in the 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
1894 Fire burned the courthouse on 17 November and destroyed or damaged some records.

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:

Neighboring Counties

 * Christian
 * Coles
 * Cumberland
 * Effingham
 * Fayette
 * Macon
 * Montgomery
 * Moultrie

Biography

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

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, Shelby County on page 188.]

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Timeline of some of the major churches in Shelby County:


 * 1825 - Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church in Shelbyville was the pioneer church in the county
 * 1832 - Church of Christ (Baptist) in Shelbyville. Their first meetinghouse was built in 1843. 1839 - Walnut Grove Presbyterian Church. This congregation did not thrive.
 * 1832 - Ash Grove Baptist Church south of Windsor
 * 1834 - Sand Creek
 * 1843 to 1852 - Shelbyville Presbyterian Church
 * 1844 - Union Church, aka Union Predestinarian Baptist Church, aka Flat Branch Church located at Pleak (or Pleak's Corner), Flat Branch Township
 * 1850 - St. Paul's Reformed Church located northwest of Shelbyville
 * 1852 -Shelbyville Presbyterian Church organized at Prairie Bird. First building condtructed in Shelbyville in 1856
 * 1859 - Windsor Baptist Church
 * 1860 - Antioch Baptist Church
 * 1860 - Bethany Baptist Church
 * 1860 - Welborn Creek Baptist Church
 * 1860 - West Okaw Presbyterian Church in Prairie Home.
 * 1862 - Shelbyville Baptist Church was the second Baptist Church organized in the County after the original Church of Christ created in 1832
 * 1867 - Tower Hill Presbyterian Church
 * 1867 - Moweaqua Presbyterian Church.
 * 1875 - African Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church in Shelbyville
 * 1881 - Cowden Free Methodist was the first Free Methodist church organized in the county. Several others have been organized since.

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 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Shelby County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page.


 * 1827–1847 Circuit Court Dockets IRAD–EIU
 * 1828–1871 Circuit Court Case Files IRAD–EIU

Online Resources


 * 1828-1871 Shelby County Circuit Court Case Files Index (Illinois State Archives)

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

History

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

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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Shelby County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of original records


 * 1827–1926 Deed records and indexes
 * 1827-1926 Deed Record IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.
 * 1828-1892 Deed IndexIRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records. Information about how to use IRAD
 * 1833–1891 Land book: record of taxable lands
 * 1985 Land atlas and plat book

Abstracts


 * Family Maps. Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Shelby County, Illinois. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., c2007.

Online Resources


 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database. Also available at Ancestry ($)
 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Shelby County Federal Township Plats
 * 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 researcher establish location and lead to National Archives’ records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are at the National Archives.

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Shelby County land and property may be found online in the. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. 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.

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)


 * Shelby County Federal Township Plats


 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military

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

Civil War
Civil War service men from Shelby 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 Shelby County.


 * - 3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company M.
 * - 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G.
 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
 * - 35th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 41st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 53rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 54th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies F and H.
 * - 115th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and G.
 * - 116th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 126th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 143rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company G.

Naturalization 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 through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Shelby County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page.


 * 1874–1888 Naturalization Dockets IRAD–EIU
 * 1858–1895 Naturalization Record IRAD–EIU
 * 1870–1888 Naturalization Record of Minors IRAD–EIU
 * 1904–1907 Naturalization Record of Minors IRAD–EIU
 * 1876–1888 Naturalization Record, Final IRAD–EIU

Online Records


 * 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry.com - index and images, ($)

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * USGenWeb, Shelby County, Illinois (ILGenWeb), Obituaries and Death Notices

Poor House records

 * 1870–1942 Almshouse Registers IRAD–EIU

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images

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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Shelby County records. For information on how to use IRAD see theEIU IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of original records


 * 1828–1922 Probate records
 * 1839–1869 Probate Record IRAD–EIU
 * 1854–1890 Probate MinutesIRAD–EIU
 * 1859–1894 Probate Administrator's RecordIRAD–EIU
 * 1859–1905 Probate Executor's Record IRAD–EIU
 * Browse images of Shelby County probate records at.
 * 1869–1873 Probate Inventory, Appraisement and Sale Record IRAD–EIU
 * 1870–1918 Probate Will Record IRAD–EIU
 * 1872–1895 Probate Guardian's RecordIRAD–EIU
 * 1872–1894 Probate Inventory RecordIRAD–EIU
 * 1872–1922 Probate Miscellaneous RecordIRAD–EIU
 * 1874–1881 Probate Sale Record, Real Estate IRAD–EIU
 * 1884–1889 Probate Administrator's and Executor's Final Reports IRAD–EIU

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Shelby County probates may be found in the, and on the topic pages of the FamilySearch Catalog. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. 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.

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

Family Search Centers
There are over 4500Family History Centers worldwide which serve as branch facilities of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Volunteers provide research assistance to help patrons identify their ancestors. Some microfilm and microfiche may be available at local family histroy centers. Locate your nearest Family History Center at the FamilySearch website. Call ahead to verify operating hours. All are welcome. The following centers are accessible to residents of Shelby County, Illinois: Champaign Illinois Family History Center 604 W Windsor Rd Champaign, Champaign, Illinois Phone: 217-352-8063 Hours: Thur-Sat 9:30-12:30pm; Thur 7pm-9pm; or by appt  Decatur Illinois Family History Center 3955 Lourdes Ln Decatur, Macon, Illinois Phone: 217-875-9396 Hours: T, Sat 10am-3pm; Th 6pm-9pm  Springfield Illinois Family History Center 3601 Buckeye Dr Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois Phone: 217-529-7930 Hours: T 6pm-9pm; W 10am-2pm, 6pm-9pm; Sat 10am-2pm  Please note: Addresses posted are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
The Illinois State Archives administers a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) to manage the archival records of local governments. Local governments which have transferred records to the regional depositories include counties, townships, municipalities, and school districts. The records of Shelby County come under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) regional depository.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) Booth Library Eastern Illinois University (EIU) 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston, IL 61920 Telephone: (217) 581-6093 Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Note: The depository is staffed by graduate student interns. Because of class scheduling conflicts, hours may vary somewhat from the published schedule. Researchers are urged to call before planning a visit.

Libraries
Dry Point Township Library County Highway 651 Cowden, IL 62422 Phone: (217) 783-2616 Facebook

Herrick Township Public Library 303 North Broadway Herrick, IL 62431 Phone: (618) 428-5223

Moweaqua Public Library District 600 North Putnam Street Moweaqua, IL 62550 Phone: (217) 768-4700

Shelbyville Public Library 154 North Broadway Shelbyville, IL 62565 Phone: (217) 774-4432

Windsor Storm Memorial Public Library District 102 South Maple Windsor, IL 61957 Phone: (217) 459-2498

School Records

 * 1891–1971 School teachers' daily registers IRAD–EIU

Societies

 * Moweaqua Historical Society 129 S Main Street Moweaqua, IL 62550 Phone 217-768-3019 Facebook
 * Shelby County, Illinois Historical and Genealogical Society 151 South Washington Street Shelbyville, IL 62565 Telephone Number: 217-774-2260 E-mail:[mailto:shelbycounty@consolidated.net shelbycounty@consolidated.net] Facebook Website

Taxation

 * 1828–1891 Taxable Lands Lists IRAD–EIU

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 Shelby 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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Shelby County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Births
Copies of Original Birth Records


 * 1848–1915 Birth Certificates and index
 * 1848-1915 Birth Certificates - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1848-1906 Birth Record Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.

Marriages
Copies of original Marriage Records


 * 1827–1831 Marriage licenses
 * 1827–1922 Marriage records and index
 * 1827-1922 Marriage Record IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.
 * 1854–1871 Marriage records
 * 1871–1876 Marriage License Applications IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1878-1906 Marriage Record Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.

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


 * 1878-1917 Death records and index
 * 1878-1917 Death Record IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1878-1902 Death Record Index IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.
 * 1919-1984 Coroner's Inquest Files IRAD–EIU
 * 1926-1975 Coroner's Inquest Record IRAD–EIU
 * 1952-1955 Death Certificates, Coroner - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.

Online Resources
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

Additional Resources
Additional resources for Shelby County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the, the , and the topic pages of the FamilySearch Catalog. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. 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.

Websites

 * Shelby County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Shelby County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

Databases pertinent to Shelby County


 * Local Governmental Records Database IRAD
 * Name Index to Illinois Local Governments IRAD
 * Shelby County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * USGenWeb, Shelby County, Illinois (ILGenWeb)
 * USGenWeb, Shelby County, Illinois (ILGenWeb)