Illinois, Soldier Burial Places - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of an Index from a card file of soldiers buried in the state of Illinois. Most of these soldiers served from 1774 to 1974.

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
These records usually contain the following information:


 * Name
 * Rank
 * Company
 * Regiment or vessel
 * Death date
 * Name of cemetery
 * Location of cemetery (city and county)
 * Location of grave
 * Information about monument

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the soldier
 * The date of death for the soldier
 * The burial place for the soldier

Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life

What Do I Do Next?
Once you have located your ancestor’s burial record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Burial records are often brief so it can be easy confuse individuals. Next, look at the pieces of information given in the burial record for new information. Add any new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I was Looking For, What Now?

 * The cemetery sexton may be able to provide you with the name of the undertaker or mortuary. This could lead you to funeral records which often include the names and residences of other family members
 * Use the time period the soldier was living and the location to search for other records such as census and church records
 * Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname, this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"Illinois, Soldier burial places, 1774-1974." Database. FamilySearch http://FamilySearch.org. Citing Illinois State Archives, Springfield, Illinois.
 * Collection Citation:

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