Will County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Will County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. 

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

Historical Facts
Will County is named for Dr. Conrad Will who was a active politician in the early days of Illinois statehood.

Parent County
1836--Will County was created 12 January 1836 from Cook and DuPage Counties. County seat: Joliet

Description
The county seat is Joliet and the county was organized on January 12th 1836. The County is located in the North East 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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Neighboring Counties

 * Cook
 * DuPage
 * Grundy
 * Kane
 * Kankakee
 * Kendall
 * Lake County, Indiana

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Will county cemeteries.


 * ePodunk list of Will County cemeteriesgives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and website.

In 1946, the Aaron Miner Chapter D.A.R. (Chicago) prepared a List of Cemeteries in Cook - Lake - Will Counties Containing Graves of the Military Dead Who Served in the Wars of the United States. Ancestry ($) digitized this publication.

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, Will County on page 188.]

Church Records
Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. It is usually best to locate church records with a search at a local level such as the city, town, or village.


 * IL GenWeb list of Will County churches provides addresses with some links to histories, photos, and church websites.


 * Linkpendium offers links to several Will County church records.

Catholic


 * St. John the Baptist Catholic Church was founded in 1852. The church served many of the early German immigrants. In the 1870's Franciscan friars of the St. Louis province arrived and served the community for nearly 135 years. Today the church serves newer immigrants of Mexican-Americans descent.
 * [1838–1856] Bale, D. Andrew and Jane P. Campbell, editors. The Combined Parish Register of Christ Episcopal Church, Joliet, Ill. &amp; St. John's Episcop. Church, Lockport, Ill., 1838-1856. Wilmington, Illinois: Will/Grundy Counties Genealogical Society, 1990. This indexed book includes a map.
 * [1838–1851] Werling, Norman G. The First Catholic Church in Joliet, Illinois, Including Baptism, Marriage and Death Records for Parts of Northeastern Illinois, 1838-1851. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1987. This book is indexed.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * [1908–1910] Joliet Branch membership records and minutes of meetings.

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 Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at Northern Illinois University - search for Will County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the NIU IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of original records


 * 1836-1938 Circuit Court Records :*1848, 1860, 1862 Court dockets
 * 1836-1863 Circuit Court Judgment Dockets IRAD-NIU
 * 1836-1887 Circiut Court Record IRAD-NIU
 * 1837-1864 Circuit Court Exeucution Dockets IRAD-NIU
 * 1838-1931 Circuit Court Case Files, Criminal IRAD-NIU
 * 1839-1920 Circuit Clerk's Miscellaneous Files IRAD-NIU
 * 1846-1869 Justice's Transcript Record IRAD-NIU
 * 1857-1892 Insolvent Debtor Record IRAD-NIU
 * 1862-1938 Circuit Court Record, Criminal IRAD-NIU
 * 1866–1894 Circuit court in chancery records [includes divorces] ; IRAD-NIU
 * 1872-1894 County Court Case Files IRAD-NIU
 * 1924-1928 Circuit Court Record, Common Law IRAD-NIU

Abstracts


 * 1914 The Joliet Prison Post Courtesy Internet 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

Germans
Archives, Libraries, and Museums Biographies Church Records Cemetery Records Court Records Histories Immigration/emigration/migration Maps Newspapers Societies

Local Histories
A variety of early Will County genealogical records are transcribed in:


 * McLean County, White County, Will County Genealogical Records. Evanston, Ill.?: Illinois Society, D.A.R.?, 1945?. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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 or copies of original records may be accessed online or through the Family History Library.

Online Resources


 * 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.


 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)


 * 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. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)


 * Will County Federal Township Plats

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Will County land and property may be found online in the and. 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)
 * Township Map of 1870 Will County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)

Civil War
Civil War service men from Will 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 Will County.


 * - 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company D (Also known as Quinby's Escort).
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies F and K.
 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company D.
 * - 13th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies C and F.
 * - 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, New Company A and Companies B, F, and K.
 * - 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, E, and G.
 * - 64th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Yates’ Sharpshooters), Companies E, F, G, and I.
 * - 90th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and D.
 * - 100th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, all Companies.

Naturalization
Online Records


 * 1800-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
The Herald News is a subsidiary of the Chicago Sun Times and writes about events in the Joliet area.

Probate Records
Online Probate 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 Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Will County records. For information on how to use IRAD see theNIU IRAD Wiki page.


 * 1837-1905 Probate Records IRAD-NIU
 * 1837-1900 Probate Case Files IRAD-NIU
 * 1837–1905 Will records
 * 1837–1900 Probate Records
 * 1847–1889 Probate case files

Additional Resources
Additional resources for Will County probates may be found in the topic page 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 Will County are kept, see the Will County Courthouse page.

Family History Center
Family History Library is located in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States) and there are Family History Centers located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy. See Introduction to Family History Centers

You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site. The following center serves Will County:


 * Joliet Illinois Family History Center 655 Springfield Joliet, Illinois 60435 Telephone: (815) 725-8621
 * Naperville Illinois Family History Center

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 Will 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

Public Libraries
Joliet Public Library 150 N. Ottawa St. Joliet, IL 60432 Phone: 815-740-2660 Hours: M-F 9am – 9pm, S 9am – 4pm Closed Sundays during the summer Sunday Hours (other than summer): 1:00pm – 5:00pm

The Main Branch holds microfilm of local Joliet newspapers from the 1840s through current. Among them are the Joliet Signal (1846), Joliet True Democrat (1861), Joliet Daily Sun (1874), Joliet Weekly Press (1883) and Joliet Daily News, Joliet Weekly News, and Joliet Republican from the 1860s until the Joliet News was first published in 1877. The Joliet Herald was instituted in 1904. It later became The Herald-News, its present day name.

The Joliet Public Library Main Branch also houses a local history section containing information about the history of Joliet and Will County, including Joliet city directories dating back to the 1870s.

Joliet Junior College Library 1215 Houbolt Rd. Joliet, IL 60431-8938 Phone: 815-280-2665 (Circulation Desk) 815-280-2344 (Reference Desk)

The Joliet Junior College Library holds several searchable databases, including Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970, listed under their “Magazine and Journal Search” heading.

Coal City Public Library 85 N. Garfield St. Coal City, IL 60416 Phone: 815-634-4552 Hours: M–Th 9am – 8pm F 9am – 6pm, S 9am – 4pm Genealogy Collection

Societies
Will/Grundy Counties, Illinois Genealogical Society PO Box 24 Wilmington, IL 60481-0024 Website The Will Grundy Counties Genealogy Society Library collection is housed at the Coal City Public Library.

Will County Historical Society 803 S State St Lockport, IL Telephone Number: 815-838-5080 Hours: W-Su 12pm - 4pm Website The Will County Historical Society holds more than 70,000 documents including plat maps, obituary files, and anniversary files.

Fox Valley Genealogical Society PO Box 5435 Naperville, IL, 60567-5435 E-mail:[mailto:ilfvgs@gmail.com ilfvgs@gmail.com] Website

Lockport Area Genealogical and Historical Society 222 E. 9th Street Lockport, IL 60441 E-mail:[mailto:Info@lockporthistory.org Info@lockporthistory.org] Website

Northern Will County Genealogical Society 603 Derbyshire Lane Bolingbrook, IL 60440 Telephone Number: 630-739-7924

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 Will 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. Information on obtaining Vital Records can also be obtained from the County Clerk's Office.

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 Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Will County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Birth Records
Copies of Original Birth Records


 * 1858–1959,1862–1902 Birth Certificates, original and delayed
 * 1858-1922 Birth Records and Certificates IRAD-NIU
 * 1877–1915 Registers of birth

Marriage Records

 * 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $

Copies of original Marriage Records


 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1836–1928 Marriage records
 * 1836-1928 Marriage Licenses and Applications IRAD-NIU
 * 1916–1928 Marriage license applications, licenses and register


 * USGenWeb Archives has resources for marriage records.

Death Records
Copies of original Death Records


 * 1877-1916 Death certificates [also has 7 certificates from 1960 –1980]


 * 1877-1937 Death registers


 * 1877-1938 Death Records IRAD-NIU


 * 1910-1915 Coroner's Death Records IRAD-NIU

Online Records
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 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.
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950


 * USGenWeb Archives has resources for Deaths.

Divorce

 * 1866–1894 Circuit court in chancery records [includes divorces]

Additional Resources
Additional resources for Will County births, marriages and deaths may be found in 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

 * Will County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Will County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Will County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Will County: Preserving History's Heritage includes indexes to deeds (1836-1885), the 1873 &amp; 1909 Combination Atlas Maps, the Shorewood Sentinel Newspaper (1961-1963), Plainfield Enterprise Obituaries (1893-present), Plainfield Township cemetery Burials (1837-2000), and more, all of which was compiled by the Plainfield Public Library and the Plainfield Historical Society.
 * U.S. GenWeb Archives
 * U.S. GenWeb Archives