McLean County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Description
McLean County was named for John McLean, a pioneer lawyer, territorial judge, first Representative in Congress from Illinois (1818) and United States Senator (1824/1825). The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
McLean County Courthouse 104 W Front St Bloomington, IL 61701 Phone: 309-888-5001 McLean County Courthouse

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

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit [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:

Biographies

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a McLean County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of McLean County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.
 * Family Biographies from The History of McLean County, Illinois (1879) published by Wm. LeBaron, Jr. Co. are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.
 * McLean County Biography Bibliography WorldCat

Census Records
 1840 Pensioners
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. ; . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Illinois, McLean County on page 187.

Church Records
Cemetery, Church and Family Records of Illinois. by Daughters of the American Revolution. item 5 West Twin Grove Christian Church, Bloomington, Illinois: membership and board meetings, 1847-1908. transcribed by Gerald W. Kattke. item 12. FS Library Book 977.359 K2k Bloomington Methodist Church. by McLean County Historical SocietyWorldCat  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

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African American
 * 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. Online Land Indexes and Records 1909-1926 Coal Mine Maps - IRAD-ISU

Local Histories
Hasbrouck, Jacob Louis. History of McLean County, Illinois. 2 vols. Topeka: Historical Publishing Co., 1924. *Volume 1. Volume 2.
 * E. Duis, The Good Old Times in McLean County
 * The History of McLean County, Illinois: containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, general statistics, map of McLean County, history of Illinois, illustrated, history of the Northwest, illustrated, constitution of the United States, miscellaneous matters. Chicago: Wm. LeBaron, Jr., Co., 1879.
 * Portrait and Biographical Album of McLean County, Ill.: containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, together with Portraits and Biographies of all the Governors of Illinois and of the Presidents of the United States. Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1887.
 * The Biographical Record of McLean County, Illinois. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1899.
 * A variety of early McLean 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 ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Township Map of 1870 McLean County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
For information about using Military records see Illinois Military Records

 Revolutionary War 1835 Revolutionary War Pensioners  War of 1812 Custer, Milo Soldiers of the Revolution and the War of 1812 buried in McLean County, Illinois (bloomington, Illinois Bloomington Norman Genealogical Society, 1969) pages 25 Military Land Grants McLean CountyIllinois for Soldiers of the War of 1812 - USGenWeb  Blackhawk War  Captain M.L.Covell's Company- USGenWeb  Captain Robert McClure's Company- USGenWeb  Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from McLean 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 McLean County.  Cavalry
 * - 1st Regiment, Illinois Cavalry - Company A
 * - 3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I
 * - 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G, and Company L
 * - 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C

 Infantry
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company K.
 * - 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
 * - 24th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months), Company K
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 years), Company K
 * - 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry,Company C
 * - 24th Regiment, Illinois Infantry,Company B
 * - 26th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K
 * - 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, Company C, andCompany G
 * - 37th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G
 * - 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B, andCompany K.
 * - 58th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G
 * - 62nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, (part of Kentucky Brigade)Company H
 * - 63rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D
 * - 68th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F, and Company G
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H
 * - 82nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E
 * - 94th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, Company B, Company C, Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G, Company H, Company I, andCompany K.
 * - 116th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F
 * - 117th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A
 * - 145th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B, Company I, and Company K
 * - 146th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G
 * - 150th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, and Company B
 * - 152nd regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B, and Company C
 * - 8th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company E

Soldiers of the Revolution and the War 1812 Buried in McLean County, Illinois. by Milo Custer item 4 FS Library book: 977.359 V22c Also Online at Internet Archives Grand Army of the Republic(GAR) A list of GAR Post in Illinoisadditional site for post in Illinois; Library of Congress<br [http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/mclean/military/civilwar/rosters/garchase611nmt.txt Chas. E. Hovey Post,] Normal 1913 - USGenWeb Chenoa Post, Cheona1913 - USGenWeb H.W. Wood Post, McLean 1913 - USGenWeb Thomas Riddle Post, Le Roy 1913 - USGenWeb W. T. Sherman Post, Bloomington 1913 - USGenWeb  Indian Wars Military Land Grantsin McLean County, Illinois for Soldiers of the Indian Wars - USGenWeb  World War I McLean County, Illinois in the World War, 1917-1918 World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918  World War II Army Casualties Part 1U.S. Natiional Archives and Records Administration Army Casualties Part 2  U.S. National Archives and records Administration

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 FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for McLean County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page. The website of the McLean County Circuit Clerk includes a free online naturalization index (produced with the help of the McLean County Genealogical Society). 1853-1965 Naturalization Abstracts. by Phyllis Abner and McLean County Genealogical Society items 4-6 FS Library book: 977.359 P4n

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 ($)
 * Newspapers Published in McLean County
 * Chronicling AmericaLibrary of Congress
 * 1850-1870 Central Illinois Obituaries,
 * 1871-1880  Central Illinois Obituaries

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records 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 FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for McLean County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.
 * 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
 * 1834-1900 Illinois Will & Probate Records Index at genealogytrails.com -- index
 * 1834-1934 McLean County Probate Record Index -- index
 * 1834-1934 Probate Record -IRAD-ISU
 * 1838-1940 Probate Will Record -IRAD-ISU
 * 1850-1928 Probate Inventory Record - IRAD-ISU
 * 1862-1939 Probate Dockets - IRAD-ISU
 * 1866-1944 Probate Executor's Record IRAD-ISU
 * 1881-1965 Probate Guardian's and Conservator's Account Record - IRAD-ISU
 * 1831-1946 Index to Probate Records, McLean County, Illinois. by Nola G. Marquardt

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

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records 1898-2001 Inheritance Tax Record IRAD-ISU

Vital Records
The website of the McLean County Clerk's Office explains how to order copies of birth, marriage, and death records.

Birth

 * 1860-1900 Birth Index - IRAD-ISU. Available at the FamilySearch Library items 3-9. FS Library book: 977.359 V21b
 * 1877-1902 Birth Record - IRAD-ISU. Available at the FamilySearch Library
 * 1860-1915 Birth Index Search on the McLean County Clerk Office's website.

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

Death

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1877-1900 Death Record - IRAD-ISU. Available at the FamilySearch Library
 * 1878-1899 Death Index Cards. McLean County Clerk.
 * 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
IRAD is a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories managed by the Illinois State Archives, housing 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. Illinois State University houses the records for McLean County.

 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) Illinois State Universtiy 2016 Warehouse Road Campus Box 1520 Normal, Illinois 61802 Phone: 1-309-452-6027 Illinois Regional Archives Depository System - Local Governmental Records Listings Arranged by County IRAD–ISU Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Normal Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Peoria Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * El Paso District Library - an affiliate library
 * Eureka Public Library District - an affiliate library
 * McLean County Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
McLean County Public Libraries Website McLean County Libraries Website

Societies

 * Lexington Genealogical and Historical Society 318 West Main Street Lexington, Illinois 61753 Phone 309-365-4591 E-mail:[mailto:thefortoflex@aol.com thefortoflex@aol.com] Website
 * McLean County Museum of History P. O. Box 488 200 N Main St Bloomington Illinois, 61701 Phone Number 309-827-0428 Email:[mailto:marketing@mchistory.org marketing@mchistory.org] Website

Websites
Databases Pertinent to McLean County Local Governmental Records Database
 * McLean County IL Genealogy
 * McLean ILGenWeb
 * McLean County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * – 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.