Williamson County, Illinois Genealogy

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

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



Historical Facts
Williamson County, Illinois is named for Williamson County, Tennessee because of the many settlers who originated from that area.

1839--Williamson County was created 28 February 1839 from Franklin County. County seat:

Description
The county was named for Williamson County, Tennessee. The county seat is Marion and the county was organized on February 28, 1839. The County is located in the area of the state known as Little Egypt.

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.

The present area of Williamson County, or parts of it, were at one time included in the following counties :

1818–1839 Franklin 1816–1818 Jackson 1812–1818 Gallatin 1812–1816 Johnson 1795–1816 Randolph 1790–1801 Knox, Northwest Territory

Record Loss
1875  On 30 May, a fire burned the courthouse and some records were lost or damaged.

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:

Records and Resources
Williamson County Illinois Historical Society Their official website is located at www.wcihs.org which includes historical information on the towns,​ people and points of interest of Williamson County.

Marion, Illinois is the county seat. Their website is http://www.mihp.org/

Census
Illinois Counties 1900-1990

1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Williamson County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.

See Williamson County, IL census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project.

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, Williamson County on page 188.]

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

A chapter on early Williamson County, Illinois church history appears in an 1887 local history, available for free online, beginning on page 515.

Histories of early churches in the county appear in:


 * Parks, Nannie Gray. Williamson Co., Illinois, Pioneer Families. MSS. Copy:.

See also:


 * Grisham, Violet Lee Carter. Williamson County Churches. Marion, Ill.: Williamson County Historical Society, 1997. . WorldCat (Other Libraries); WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Crain, Hazel Edith. Hurricane Church Begins a New Life. 1996. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Harris, Wilma. Shake Rag Church. MSS. Copy:.
 * History of Mt. Pleasant "Shed" Church. 1990s. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Baptist

 * The History of ArnoldView FreeWill Baptist Church
 * Bethel Old School or Predestinarian Baptist Association et al. Minutes of the Bethel Association of Old School or Predestinarian Baptists, 1932-1954: Volume 3A. 1932-1954..
 * Boyd, Harry C. Second in Name Only: A Recounting of the First Ninety Years of Marion Second Baptist Church. Marion, Ill.: Second Baptist Church, 2000. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Center Baptist Church (Marion, Ill.). Records, 1887-1950. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Church and Family History Research Assistance for Primitive Baptist Churches in Williamson County, Illinois
 * Crenshaw Baptist Church (Energy, Ill.). Records, 1914-1964. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Early and Present Day History of Williamson County Baptist Association. Marion, Ill.: Williamson County Baptist Association, 1965. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * First Baptist Church (Marion, Ill.). Records 1865-1980. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Harrelson, Ralph S. Lake Creek Baptist Church: Williamson County, Illinois. 1993. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Howard, Charles M. The Blood Over Williamson: The Heritage of Williamson County Baptist Association. Carbondale, Ill.: Paraklete Press, 1980. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Spring Hill Baptist Church. Church Records, 1849-1878. MSS. Copy: . WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * Tanner, Delores and Springhill Missionary Baptist Church (Stonefort, Ill.). From Sweet Gum Trees on Sugar Creek to Pine Trees on a Hill with a Spring: A 150-year History of Springhill Missionary Baptist Church and Gum Springs and Pleasant Hill. Ill.: D. Tanner, 1999. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from four Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Williamson County available online (free registration is required). The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.

Christian

 * Abney, Ella Lorine Rogers et al. Membership and Friends, First Christian Church: Disciples of Christ. Marion, Ill.: First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ, Marion, Ill.), 1999..
 * Lake Creek Christian Church. Church Records, 1892-1897. MSS. Copy:.

Church of Christ

 * History of Zion United Church of Christ

Disciples of Christ

 * History of the Disciples of Christ in Illinois, Williamson County section begins on page 441, courtesy: Internet Archive.

Methodist

 * Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church. 1984. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Court Records
1840–Present Original Court records are available at the Williamson County, Illinois Courthouse. See Illinois Court Records for information about how to use county court records.


 * 1938–1941 Sheriff's Process Dockets, Criminal.IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records. How to use IRAD

The following records are abstracted:


 * 1840–1903 Moore, Mary Jo. Williamson County Miscellaneous Court Records, 1840-1903. S.l.: s.n.,2002.
 * 1921–1922 Moore, Mary Jo. Bar Docket, Circuit Court of Williamson County. West Paducah, Kentucky: M.J. Moore, 2003.
 * Murphy, Charla S. and Helen Sutt Lind. Criminal Records Index Circuit Clerk's Office, Williams County, Illinois Court House. Johnston City, Illinois: H.S. Lind, 2006.

African American
United States African Americans Illinois African Americans


 * Illinois State Archives pamphlet on African American Research describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

Message Boards

 * Williamson County, IL Family History and Genealogy Message Board (Ancestry)
 * Williamson County, IL Genealogy Forum (GenForum)
 * Williamson County, IL Genealogy Queries (CousinConnect)

General
Parks' collection is a great place to learn if genealogists have studied your Williamson County family in the past:


 * Parks, Nannie Gray. Williamson Co., Illinois, Pioneer Families. MSS. Microfilmed 1974..

The following collections contain genealogies about many families in the county:


 * Crain, Charles L. and Barbara Crain. Whose Family Line Is It ... Anyway: A Brief History of the Crain, Snider, Burkitt, Plumlee, Shingleton and Isom Families in Franklin, Williamson and Surrounding Counties in Southern Illinois. n.p.: C.L. Crain, 2001..
 * Grisham, Violet Lee Carter. My Williamson County Pioneer Kinfolks and Descendants. Marion, Ill.: V.L.C. Grisham, 1995..
 * Lind, Helen Sutt, Charla Schroeder Murphy, et al. The Barham Connection: Barham Cemetery Inscriptions and Family Genealogy. 1997?.
 * Malone, Daisy Hearne Roberts. A Group of Family Trees of the Early Settlers of Corinth Township, Williamson County, Illinois and Allied Families. Pueblo, Colo.: Rocky Mountain Bank Note Co., 1939.

Local Histories
The 1876 local history is also available at Ancestry ($).


 * History of Gallatin, Saline, Hamilton, Franklin, and Williamson Counties, Illinois: From the Earliest Time to the Present, Together with Sundry and Interesting Biographical Sketches, Notes, Reminiscences, etc., etc. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1887. Digital versions at Ancestry ($) (1967 reprint); Internet Archive.
 * Centennial History of McKendree College. 1928. Digital version at The USGenWeb Project. Includes chapters on St. Clair's history under French rule, under British rule, under American rule, and information about early settlers.

Land and Property
See Illinois Land and Property for more information.

1836-present The original land and property records for Williamson County are held by the County Recorder. See the Williamson County Courthouse page for contact information. The following copies are available:


 * 1814–1860 Original Entry
 * 1836–1891 Deed Record IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records. How to use IRAD
 * 1836–1890 Deed Record
 * 1836–1928 Deed Record Index
 * 1859–1906 Certificates of Levy, Sales and Redemption, vol. B, includes index
 * 1865–1909 Sheriff's Deed Record, Vol A

The following abstracts are available:


 * 1800's–1900's Moore, Mary Jo and Charla S. Schroeder. Williamson County, Illinois Deeds, Mortgages and Land Records.Marion, Illinois : Williamson County Historical Society (Illinois), 1997.
 * 1824, 1829–1877 Johnson, Janice. Franklin County, Illinois Land Records, Book B. West Frankfort, Illinois : J. Johnson, 1995.
 * 1868 Davis, Patricia S. Williamson County, Illinois 1868 Taxes.Marion, Illinois : P.S. Davis, 1995.
 * 1876 Plat map index; Courtesy of Ilinois Genealogy Trails
 * Land acquired for the Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge Courtesy of Illinois Trails
 * Lind, Helen Sutt and Charla S. Murphy. Chancery Partition, Dower &amp; Deed Records Index Circuit Clerk's Office, Williamson County, IL. Johnston City, Illinois : H.S. Lind, 2006.
 * Rockford Map Publishers. Land Atlas and Plat Book, Williamson County, Illinois, 1985. Rockford, Illinois : Rockford Map Publishers, 1985.

Online Resources


 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Williamson County Federal Township Plats

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)


 * Williamson County Federal Township Plats


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

Revolutionary War
Veterans of the Revolutionary War settled in Williamson County.

See also Census

War of 1812
Veterans of the War of 1812 settled in Williamson County.


 * List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. ; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 3, Illinois, Williamson County, pp. 640-642. Identifies War of 1812 and other veterans living in the county in 1883.]

Civil War
Civil War service men from Williamson 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 Williamson County.


 * - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 29th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 31st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and E.
 * - 56th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 60th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 81st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies E, G and H.
 * - 107th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 110th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 120th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 128th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I.

World War I

 * Baird, S. S. Williamson County, Illinois, in the World War: Containing a Brief Review of the World War, Complete History of Williamson County's Activities, Photographs and Service Records of Williamson County's Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, Industrial Review of Business and Professional Firms Who Have Made This History Possible. Marion: Williamson County War History Society, c1919. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive.

Naturalization and Citizenship
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 ($)

Information about the following newspapers is available through the Illinois Newspapers Project:


 * 1936-1936 Egyptian Democrat (Marion)
 * 1925-1926 Marion Evening Post
 * 1921-1922 Marion Semi-weekly Leader
 * 1929-1946 Marion Weekly Leader
 * 1917-1971 Spokesman (Heriman)
 * 1862-1947 Abstracts of obituaries and other newspaper articlesfrom multiple papers. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.

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

For more information about probate records see Illinois Probate Records.

1840–present The original probate records for Williamson County are held by the Circuit Court Clerk. See the Williamson County Courthouse page for contact information. The following copies are available:


 * 1851–1971 Probate Case Files Index IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records. How to use IRAD.
 * 1852–1859 Probate Record IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records. How to use IRAD
 * 1853–1919 Probate Will Record IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records. How to use IRAD
 * 1853–1919 Will Record vols. A–D
 * 1850–1859 Estate Book, vol. B

The following abstracts are available:


 * 1847–1872 Grisham, Violet Lee Carter. Williamson County, Il. Wills, Book A.(Marion, Illinois):V.L.C.Grisham, 1998. Worldcat
 * 1898–1911 Murphy, Charla Schroeder. Probate Book C, Circuit Clerk's Office: Administrators Book A, County Clerk's Office, Williamson County, Illinois. S.l: C.S. Murphy, 2004.Worldcat

Online Resources


 * 1853–1919 Probate records are also available in . Click on the browse through images link, select Williamson County, and select the record type you are interested in.

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Foxcroft Illinois Family History Center (Johnston City)

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
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. Southern Illinois University houses the records for Williamson County.

Societies

 * Herrin Area Historical Society PO Box 127 Herrin, IL 62948 Email:[mailto:doris.frey1946@gmail.com doris.frey1946@gmail.com] Facebook
 * Marion Illinois History Preservation Email:[mailto:www.mihp.org www.mihp.org] Website
 * Williamson County Historical Society Museum and Genealogy Library 105 S. Van Buren St. Marion, Illinois 62959 Phone Number 618-997-5863 Website

Vital Records
See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.

Births
1877–present - The original Williamson County birth records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. The following copies are available:


 * 1877-1916 IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records. How to use IRAD
 * 1877-1967 Index IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records. How to use IRAD
 * 1877-1966 Birth index –
 * 1877-1925 Births –

The following abstracts are available:


 * 1830-1926 Selected births Courtesy of the The American History and Genealogy Project.
 * 1877–1881 Moore, Mary Jo. Williamson County, Illinois Birth Records. S.P.: MJ. Moore, 2008. Worldcat
 * 1877–1906 Birth Record Vol 1–2 (Continue to page 2) Courtesy of the The American History and Genealogy Project.
 * Pre–1917 Burke, Bille Jean et al. Delayed Birth Records, Williamson County, Illinois: prior to 1917. Marion, Illinois: Williamson County Historical Society, 2001–.Worldcat

Marriage
1839–present - The original Williamson County marriage records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. Copies of marriage licenses and other marriage records are available through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository system at Southern Illinois University. How to use IRAD


 * 1839–1870 Marriage Licenses, 1839- 1870 IRAD-SIU 6/0325/09
 * 1839–1916 Marriage Record, 1839-1916 IRAD-SIU 6/0325/07
 * 1865–1885 Marriage Record Index 1865-1885 IRAD-SIU 6/0325/06

Other copies of marriage records:
 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1830–1850 An index to marriages in Williamson County, 1830-1850 is available on the USGenWeb Archives.
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1839–1916 Marriage record Indexes at beginning of volumes.
 * 1840–1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.
 * 1865-1885 Index to marriages
 * 1839–1850 County marriage records at Ancestry ($)

The following abstracts are available:


 * 1830–1850 Illinois USGenWeb Archives
 * 1839–1853, 1865 Winget, Judy Walley. Williamson County, Illinois marriages, 1839 to 1853 and 1865; Pope County, Illinois marriages, 1826 to 1845; Johnson County, Illinois marriages, 1857 to 1860. S.P.: Saline County Genealogical Society (Illinois), 1984. Worldcat
 * 1839–1902 Hoffard, Gay Roberson and Joyce Stephens Smith.Marriages on Record in Marion, Williamson County, Illinois Courthouse. Marion, Illinois: Williamson County Historical Society [Illinois], 1988. Worldcat

The Williamson County Marriage Project is a user-contributed listing of about 600 Williamson County marriages. Many listings include e-mail contact information for the individual who contributed the information.

Deaths

 * 1877-present The original Williamson County death records 1877–present are housed at the County Clerk's office. The following copies are available:
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 Mortality Schedules, courtesy: Ancestry ($)
 * 1877-1914 IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records. Information about how to use IRAD
 * 1877-1914 Death index IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records.
 * 1877-1925 Death Record, Stillbirths IRAD-SIU Search for Williamson records.
 * 1877-1914 Index to Deaths
 * 1877-1915 Death record, vol. 1-3
 * 1912-1919 Hathaway, John.Register of funerals, 1912-1919.Manuscript. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974.

The following abstracts are available:
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1850 Mortality Schedule, Courtesy of USGenWeb Mortality Schedule Courtesy of Illinois Trails
 * 1860 Mortality Schedule, Courtesy of USGenWeb Mortality Schedule Courtesy of Illinois Trails
 * 1862-1947 Abstracts of obituaries and other newspaper articlesfrom multiple papers. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * 1877-1903 Murphy, Charla S.Williamson County, Illinois Death Records.J(Johnston City, Ill.) (1211 Monroe, Johnston City 62951-1516) : H. Lind, [1998?] Worldcat
 * 1880 Lind, Helen Sutt. 1880 Williamson County, Illinois Mortality Schedule.[Johnston City, Illinois] : H.S. Lind, 1998. Worldcat
 * 1914-1929 Albert Storme Funeral Home Records, Courtesey of USGen Web
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)
 * 1916-1947 
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Williamson County deathsabstracted from the Illinois Statewide Death Index, Courtesy of the The American History and Genealogy Project. (Scroll to the screen bottom for alphbetical links.)
 * Pre-1916 As of March 2011, the Illinois State Archive database Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre–1916 does NOT include any Williamson County deaths.
 * 1999-2009 Obituaries. Partial listing. Courtesy of ILGenWeb.
 * 2001–present Obituaries. Select "Local Obits". Courtesty of ILGenWeb
 * Moore, Mary Jo. Williamson County Coroner's Inquest Records . (Johnson City, Illinois: H.S. Ling, 1998. Worldcat
 * Grisham, Violet Lee Carter. Register of Interment Permits, Jan. 10, 1902-May 21, 1903. Marion, Illinois: Williamson County Historical Society, 199? Worldcat

Online Resources
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

Websites

 * Williamson County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Williamson County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Williamson County, ILGenWeb Part of the USGenWeb Project. Genealogy resources, queries.
 * Williamson County, Illinois (The American History and Genealogy Project)
 * Williamson County IL Genealogy