McHenry County, Illinois Genealogy

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

McHenry County Organization
Circuit Clerk: maintains the court records of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, including probate and divorce records.

County Clerk: Maintains county birth, death and marriage records, voter registration. Walk-in location: 667 Ware Road, Suite 107.

County Recorder: maintains real estate records, documents and plats of subdivision.

Historical Boundaries
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.

McHenry County was created 16 January 1836 from Cook County.

Historically, all or part of the present county were parts of the following counties : If your ancestor lived in what is now McHenry County prior to the county formation in 1836, you may find records mentioning your ancestor in one of these counties.

McHenry County borders the following counties:

Boone Cook DeKalb Lake Kane Kenosha County, Wisconsin Walworth County, Wisconsin

Description
The county was named for Major William McHenry, an Indian fighter who died in Vandalia in 1835. The county seat is Woodstock and the county was organized on January 16th, 1836. The County is located in the West Northern area of the state.

Records Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Biography
Some McHenry County histories include biographies of the local citizens. See McHenry County History. See also the Illinois Biography wiki page for more biographical links. Other groups of compiled biographies include:


 * [1872–1878] Swanson, Viola Ashman, et al. Autobiographies of Fox Valley Pioneers. Elgin, Illinois : Elgin Genealogical Society, 1981.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [1877] Biographical directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County.Evansville, Indiana: Unigraphic, 1976. Other libraries(WorldCat)Google Books Online transcription courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * [1877, index] Johnson, Martin W. Index to the short biographies in the 1877 Biographical Directory of the tax-payers and voters of McHenry County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989.
 * [1832–1968] Nye, Lowell Albert. McHenry County, Illinois, 1832–1968. Woodstock, Illinois: McHenry County Board of Supervisors, 1968.
 * McHenry County Biographies courtesyof Illinois Trails. From various sources, including abstracts from the McHenry County 1885 History. Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1885, 991 pgs. Heritage Quest  Other libraries (WorldCat)

Census
Federal Census Federal population schedules 1830-1930 for McHenry County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census. See McHenry County, IL census assignments, including links to transcribed files. The USGenWeb Census Project. Locally abstracted census indexes are often more accurate than national indexes. Abstracted indexes for federal census records in McHenry County are as follows:


 * Bauer, Phyllis J., Roberta Smith, Linda Stengele. McHenry County, Illinois 1840 Federal Census. McHenry, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society, 1986. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * McHenry County Genealogical Society. McHenry County, Illinois 1860 Federal Census. McHenry, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society, 1986. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * Stambazze, Dee–Ann. 1870 McHenry County, Illinois Federal Census . Crystal Lake, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Geneal. Society, 1992. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Non-Population Schedules

1850–1880 agricultural, industry and manufacturing schedules were kept for McHenry County in addtion to the population schedules. See Illinois Census for more information. Selected copies are available at Ancestry ($). See McHenry Deaths for information about the mortality schedule.

State Census

A census for the state of Illinois was taken in McHenry County in 1855 and 1865. For information about Illinois state census records, see Illinois Census. Available on Ancestry ($).

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. The following copies or indexes are available:


 * [1852–1909] Early Records of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Johnsburg, McHenry County, Illinois. an index to Volume I, 1852-1868, has been created by the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society. A partial online index courtesy of Illinois Trails. Other libraries(WorldCat)


 * Johnson, Martin William. Church Records from Four McHenry County, Illinois Churches and one Kane County, Illinois church: Abstracts of Surnames, Villages, Towns or Cities, Deaths and Confirmations. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1992. Microproduction of original manuscripts. Includes the following churches: Trinity Lutheran Church, Hampshire, Kane Co.; St. John's United Church of Christ (formerly a Lutheran Church) Harmony, McHenry Co.; Trinity Lutheran Church, Huntley, McHenry County; Zion Lutheran Church, Marengo, McHenry Co.; St. John's Lutheran Church, Union, McHenry Co.   Partial online transcription of Zion's Lutheran Church only courtesy of Illinois Trails.

Other libraries also hold copies of abstracted McHenry County church records. (How to explore WorldCat).

Court Records
See Illinois Court Records for information about how to use county court records.

African American

 * Database of Servitude and Emancipation Records (1722–1863)

This database includes approximately 3,400 names found in governmental records involving the servitude and emancipation of Africans and, occasionally, Indians in the French and English eras of colonial Illinois (1722–1790) and African-Americans in the American period of Illinois (1790–1863). The Archives extracted the names of servants, slaves, or free persons and masters, witnesses, or related parties from selected governmental records to produce this database. Courtesy of the Illinois State Archives.

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

Genealogy

 * McHenry County Genealogical Society. McHenry County, Illinois Genealogical Society Surname Index. Crystal Lake, Illinois : McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society, 1982-1990 Other libraries (WorldCat) Online copy 1985–2004.
 * Family Histories in the McHenry County Genealogical Society Collection. Use WorldCat to find if these publications are available at other libraries. Many histories are manuscripts submitted to the historical society. These histories are housed at the McHenry Library. See McHenry Library for contact information.

Use this list to:


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


 * [Behrens] Behrens, Bradley H. The Behrens Family. Oak Park, Illinois: B.H. Behrens, ca. 1990. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Button-Kronwall] Walworth County Genealogical Society.Button-Kronwall Family Scrapbooks: Walworth County, WI &amp; McHenry County IL. Delavan, Wisconsin : Walworth County Genealogical Society, 2003. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Fanning] The Fanning Family Tree. Gibson, Louisiana: M.F. Giroir, 199-?.
 * [Frink] Frink, Sidney Richard. A Saga of the Frink Family. Loves Park, Illinois: R.G. Peterson, 1982. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Hart] Reeve, Kenneth J. Rev. Ichabod Andrews Hart, his Ancestors and Descendants: a Hart Family History and Genealogy. Columbus, Indiana : K. J. Reeve, 1980. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Heald] Drury, Edwin. Line of descent from John Heald in Concord, Massachusetts, 1635, to Mary Elizabeth Heald who died Feb. 1, 1871, at McHenry, Illinois. Wilmette, Cook County, Illinois: E. Drury, 1880. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Herbes] Wollenzein, Eleanor Herbes. Henry Herbes, Come on Over: a History of the German emigrant, Henry Herbes, 1840-1901. Provo, Utah: E. H. Wollenzien, 2001. Other libraries (WorldCat);
 * [Hesselgrave] Kahler, Polly Upson. Hesselgrave Families in America. Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1979. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Kline] Lee, Ruth Kline. The Ancestors and Descendants of Israel and Barbara (Notestine) Kline, 1625-1971.Washington [District of Columbia]: L.C. Photoduplication Service, 1985. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Neale] Carman, Gay. Carman collection: ancestry of Frederick D. Carman (b. 1858, Jacksonville, N.Y.) and Gay Neale (b. 1872, McHenry, Illinois) and Genealogical Data on the Sheffield, Gibbs, Carpenter, Gaylord, Bacon, Miner, etc. Families. Manuscript on film.
 * [Nokes] Schvaneveldt, Evelyn Crawford. Sidney Ostler Silcox and Maria Bates Nell, Their Descendants and Ancestors. Salt Lake City, Utah : E.C. Schvaneveldt, 1993.
 * [Owen] Owen, Charles Starr. Genealogy of the Descendants of Daniel Owen, Jr. of McHenry, Illinois: With Especially Attention Given to the Descendants of his son, Edwin Mortimer Owen, and the Allied Families of Norton, Warner, Stanton and Patterson.
 * [Pfeifer] Shuman, Barbara. The family of Mathias John Pfeifer and Mary Barbara Scheuring Pfeifer.Oakes, North Dakota: B. Shuman, 1988.Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Schumacher] Noteman, Gene.A genealogy of the families of Michael and Anna Maria Gerber and Andrew and Anna Smith. Adams, Minnesota: G. Noterman, 1975. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Thorne] Walker, Dorothy Thorne. The Descendants of William Thorne and his Wife, Sophronia Metcalf. Anchorage, Alaska : D.T. Walker, 1992. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [Van Ness] Van Ness family Bible records, ca. 1770-1831. Houston, Texas: Houston Genealogical Forum, 1963.
 * [Wayne] Eder, Linda Farroh. Charles H. Wayne.West Chicago, Illinois: Micro Data, 1989.
 * [Wilson] Stevens, Ken. Scotch Wilsons from Western Massachusetts. Walpole, New Hampshire: K. Stevens, 1993. Other libraries (WorldCat),

History
A short McHenry County history is found on the McHenry County Government site. Scroll to the heading "McHenry County's Early History." An additional online McHenry County history and town and township histories at Illinois Genealogy Trails.


 * [Pre-1885] History of McHenry County, Illinois : together with sketches of its cities, villages and towns, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens : also a condensed History of Illinois, embodying accounts of pre-historic races, aborigines, Winnebago and Black Hawk wars, and a brief review of its civil and political history. Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1885, 991 pgs. Heritage Quest  Other libraries (WorldCat), . Online index at Illinois Genealogy Trails.
 * [Pre-1922]History of McHenry County, Illinois; Chicago: Munsell Pub. Co., 1922, 1076 pgs. Heritage Quest Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * [1831–1857] McHenry County Old Settlers' Association at Illinois Genealogy Trails.
 * [1855–1856]The Northern Counties Gazetteer and Directory, for 1855-6
 * [1943-1996] McHenry County Yearbooks IRAD-NIU . Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD. These books include information about population, county and township offices, post offices, schools and political offices for any given year.
 * Enclyclopedia of Chicago gives short histories of most McHenry County villages.  Type the name of the village in the search box.
 * National Register of Historic Places in McHenry County

Land and Property
1830–present Original land and property records for McHenry County are available at the County Recorder's Office. This office is offsite from the McHenry County Government Building. See Illinois Land and Property for more information.

Land records are extraordinarily accessible in McHenry County. The County Recorder's web site includes a free web search. The index to deeds, mortgages, affidavits, liens, and more can be searched by name and/or document type and/or date. The system can return a maximum of 200 hits, and begins with the most recent transactions first. Because the index contains thousands of entries, searchers may need to include a date range as well as surname, to ensure that the oldest records are included in the results.

Records from the original leather-bound first volume of the McHenry County Commissioners’ Court Minutesfrom 1837 - 1848 are available in PDF format online at the County Recorder's site, as well. This Board established precincts (townships would come later), set the rate for taxable property, and began the process of laying out roads and determining the location for the county seat. Because Lake County wasn't divided off until March of 1839, early Lake County information is included.

Copies of the original records are available as follows:


 * 1841-1945 Deed Index IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1841–1901 Deed Indexes
 * 1845-1945 Deed Record IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1845–1871 Deed Record first of 31 films


 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales at Illinois State Archives. Each purchase entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, numeric code indicating the county in which the land is located, legal description (township, section, range), volume and page numbers of original entry, and variously, the sale type, and the purchaser's sex and residence.

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Township map of McHenry County. Courtesy of Illinois State Archives.


 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of McHenry County, Illinois. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., 2008. Plats the land of many nineteenth-century McHenry County residents. Arphax Publishing provides online surname list. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * McHenry County (Illinois) Land Atlas and Plat Book, 1985. Rockford, Illinois : Rockford Map Publishers, 1985. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * Current map of McHenry County
 * [1872, 1892, 1908] U.S., Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Multiple Wars
Veterans Databases at Illinois State Archives. Includes War of 1812, Indian Wars, Mexican War and various other databases.

Civil War
Civil War service men from McHenry 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 McHenry County.


 * –3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company A (at right, 1863)
 * –8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G, H, I.
 * –9th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G.
 * -15th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, D, and F.
 * –17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G.
 * –15th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, D, and F.
 * –36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H. Diary of Wallace P. Benson at Algonquin Historic Commission.
 * –47th(Consolidated) Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * –52nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * –95th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C, D, F, H, and I.
 * –141st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * –147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * –153rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and K.


 * Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database at Illinois State Archives
 * Database of Illinois Civil War Veterans Serving in the U.S. Navy at Illinois State Archives
 * Database of Illinois Civil War Veterans of Missouri Units at Illinois State Archives
 * Civil War Volunteers of McHenry County. Database including name, company, service term, death, and burial information.
 * [1861–1863] McHenry County Military Census for all men ages 18–45, at Illinois Genealogy Trails.
 * U.S. Army Officers from McHenry County in the Civil War at Illinois Genealogy Trails.
 * [1877] Veterans listed in the 1877 McHenry County Directory. Courtesy of Illinois Trails. Biographical directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County. Evansville, Indiana: Unigraphic, 1976. Other libraries(WorldCat)Google Books.
 * [1883] List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883. Senate Document, 1883. Google Books.

World War I

 * [1917–1918] World War I Draft Registration Cards Ancestry ($)

World War II

 * [1942] Browsable images of WW II Draft (old men's draft) United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
 * McHenry County World War II Casualties. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * McHenry County World War II Army Casualties.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Naturalization records may give immigrant information including hometown, arrival in the U.S., marriage and family data. See Illinois Naturalization and Citizenship for more about these records.


 * 1840–1950 Naturalization Index   To access this record you must have the soundex number for your name of interest.  Explore how to use soundex.  Copy all  information listed on the soundex card.  First, check the court name of the record you are seeking, then check for which type of naturalization record is listed in the index.  Compare your findings with the available records below. Or, contact the McHenry County circuit court clerk.
 * 1924–1932 Naturalization Record
 * 1928–1949 Naturalization Record
 * 1929-1933 Declaration of Intention Index at the beginning of the images
 * 1929–1947 Naturalization Record

For each of these online records:


 * 1) Select View Browsable Images
 * 2) Select McHenry County
 * 3) Select the correct span of years and record title

Online Records


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

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

McHenry County obituary index spans 1884–2009. This index is provided by the McHenry County Historical Society and Museum. The organization's website states that not all people buried in McHenry County are included in the index. Copies of obituaries may not name the newspaper where the obituary was originally printed.

County-wide


 * [2005–Present] Northwest Herald Genealogy Bank ($).


 * [2003–2006] Northwest Herald incomplete Ancestry ($)

Algonquin



[2005–present] The Algonquin Area Newspapers Index includes obituaries appearing in the Northwest Herald and Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Countryside from January 1, 2005 - Present. Selected obituaries mentioning Algonquin or Lake in the Hills from the Daily Herald and Elgin Courier News are also included.


 * [1997–2006] Algonquin Countryside. Genealogy Bank ($).
 * [2006–present] Algonquin Countryside with News of Lake in the Hills Genealogy Bank ($).

Cary/Fox Grove


 * Cary–Grove Countryside Genealogy Bank ($).

Crystal Lake/Nunda

Crystal Lake Herald


 * [1880–1979] Marriages, 1880-1979 These indexes represent a list of couples whose notice of marriage license issued, or marriage performed or wedding conducted, or news items for anniversaries celebrated, appeared in the weekly Crystal Lake Herald newspaper. Information was not necessarily limited to residents of Crystal Lake and/or Nunda Township. Researchers should look for variant spellings within each index.

The Index, broken down by 10 year intervals, gives: Bride’s name, Groom’s name, and Issue date and page.


 * [1880–1945] Index to Deaths Appearing in the Nunda (Crystal Lake) Herald. The McHenry County Genealogical Society has created an index to the names of deceased individuals whose notice of death appeared in the weekly Crystal Lake Herald newspaper. Information was gleaned from obituaries, death notices, police reports, and newspaper articles and is not necessarily limited to residents of Crystal Lake and/or Nunda Township. It was not unusual for a death notice to appear months and even years after the event, particularly in the case of war dead. Researchers should scan several indexes when searching for the name of a specific individual and look for variant spellings within each index.




 * Index to Deaths Appearing in the Crystal Lake Herald


 * [2005–present] Crystal Lake Herald Genealogy Bank ($)

Elgin Daily Herald,  Elgin Courier News

Marengo

Republican


 * [1872–1989] Index to Deaths appearing in the Marengo Repubican.  Courtesy of the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society. Not all years are included in this index.

Woodstock

Woodstock Sentinel


 * [1865–1889] Death Notices Index




 * Sullivan, Gary L. Abstracts of Notices Published in the Woodstock Sentinel. Crystal Lake, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Geneal. Society, 1998-2002. Other libraries (WorldCat)1856–1862 1863–1866 Other libraries (WorldCat)Includes full-name indexes. Abstracted primarily from pages 3 and 4 of each issue.

Woodstock Independent


 * [2003–2008] (Incomplete) Ancestry ($)

Periodicals
Local periodicals can be rich with county information. Read more about periodicals on the Illinois state and U.S. wiki pages.


 * McHenry County, Illinois Connection Quarterly is a publication of the McHenry County Genealogical Society. It contains general research helps and as well as ideas about research unique to McHenry County. Volumes may include abstracted records. Publication dates are from 1983 to the present. Other libraries (WorldCat) Indexed in PERSI as ILMC. Online Index 1983–2008.
 * Twigs and Branches (Rockford, Illinois) is a publication of the North Central Illinois Genealogical Society. Research in McHenry and surrounding counties are its subject. It is indexed in PERSI as ILTB. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1950-2006)
 * Illinois Heritage (1997-2008)

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


 * See Illinois Probate Records for more information. Probate records may give death and family relationship information. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records.

Original McHenry County probate records are available at the McHenry County Courthouse by the circuit court clerk. See Illinois Probate Records wiki page for more information about using probate records. The following copies of probate records are available:


 * 1886–1976 –
 * 1840–1843 –
 * 1840–1957 –Probate Packets
 * 1844–1985 –
 * 1898–1923 –
 * 1915-1919 – This record overlaps the previous record of wills.
 * Wills in Alphabetical Order

Repositories
See also - Illinois Archives and Libraries.

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Beloit Wisconsin Family History Center
 * Buffalo Grove Illinois Family History Center
 * Crystal Lake Illinois Family History Center
 * Rockford Illinois Family History Center
 * Schaumburg Illinois Family History Center


 * Algonquin Area Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Barrington Area Library - an affiliate library
 * Cary Area Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Huntley Area Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Lake County IL Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * McHenry Public Library District - an affiliate library
 * Schaumburg Township District Library - Central - an affiliate library
 * Wauconda Area Library - an affiliate library

Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (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 McHenry 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
Algonquin Area Public Library 2600 Harnish Dr. Algonquin, IL 60102 (847) 458-6060


 * Genealogy and Local History collections at the Algonquin Area Public Library are described in the document Genealogy Pathfinder for Algonquin Library.
 * Algonquin Area Obituary Index, a searchable listing of selected obituaries mentioning Algonquin or Lake in the Hills from from the Daily Herald and Elgin Courier News beginning January 1, 2005.
 * The Illinois Digital Archives includes a collection of Algonquin and Lake in the Hills photos and documents.

Crystal Lake Public Library 126 Paddock Street Crystal Lake, IL 60014 815.459.1687 815.459.9581 fax

The Cystal Lake library has a genealogy collection that is helpful in McHenry County research. On-line resources include indexes to the the Lake Avenue, Mt. Thabor, and Union cemeteries.

The McHenry County Genealogical Society houses a portion of its collection at this library.

Harvard Diggins Library 900 East McKinley Street Harvard, IL 60033 Telephone: (815) 943-4671

Local history collection includes Harvard and Hebron newspapers on microfilm from 1860 through 1986 (some early issues are not included.)

McHenry Public Library 809 N. Front St. (Route 31) McHenry IL 60050 (815) 385-0036

The McHenry County Genealogical Society houses a portion of its collection at this library.

Marengo-Union Library 200 S. State St. Marengo, Illinois 60152 (815) 568-8236

Woodstock Public Library 414 W. Judd Street Woodstock, IL 60098 (815) 338-0542


 * On-line searchable Woodstock Surname Index every-name index of 13 local history publications. Part of the Genealogy and Local History collection.
 * Many of the library's local history pamphlets and local ephemera have been digitized are available on the LookAtIllinois web site.
 * How to Research Your Old House is an excellent research guide to library collections and county records.
 * Woodstock Illinois Historic Photographs local historic photos collection.

Reference librarians are very knowledgeable about Woodstock-area genealogical resources, and are accessible through the library's Contact Us on-line reference request form.

Social Groups Online
Illinois Research Community Facebook group which discusses Illinois resources and search strategies.

Message Boards You may subscribe to an online message board which focuses on the following areas in or near McHenry County.

IL-BARRINGTON (town of Barrington and surrounding areas)Message Board. Scroll to information about the IL-BARRINGTON message board.

IL-NORTHERN (Northern Illinois)   Scroll to information about the Il-Northern message board

GenForum McHenry County Message Board.

Rootsweb McHenry County Message Board.

McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society Surname List

Societies

 * McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society PO Box 184 Crystal Lake, Illinois 60039-0184 Phone 815-687-0436 Facebook Website
 * McHenry County Illinois Historical Society and Museum PO Box 434 6422 Main Street Union, Illinois 60180-0434 Phone 815-923-2267 E-mail:[mailto:soinfo@mchnline.org soinfo@mchnline.org] Facebook Website
 * Cary–Grove Historical Society PO Box 483 335 Wooded Knoll Dr Cary IL 60013 Phone 847-639-3790 Email:[mailto:cghistorical@aol.com cghistorical@aol.com] Facebook
 * Crystal Lake Historical Society PO Box 1151 660 Terra Cotta Avenue Crystal Lake, IL 60039-1151 Phone 815-455-1151 Email:[mailto:info@cl-hs.org info@cl-hs.org] Facebook Website
 * The Crystal Lake Historical Society is located in the Colonel Palmer House at the intersection of Illinois Route 176 and Terra Cotta Road in Crystal Lake.
 * The Research/Archives Room resources include newspapers from 1875, published county and local histories, atlases, maps and family files.
 * On-line resources include the Index to Death Notices/Obituaries in the Nunda/Crystal Lake Herald, which provides
 * details of name, age, date of death and date of burial for more than 33,000 people, dating back to 1875.


 * Greater Harvard Area Historical Society PO Box 505 308 North Hart Street Harvard, IL 60033-0505 Phone 815-943-6141 Email:[mailto:harvardhistoricalsociety@gmail.com harvardhistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Facebook
 * Fox Lake–Grant Township Historical Society PO Box 224 411 Washington St. Ingleside, IL 60041 Phone 847-587-0544 Email:[mailto:FLGrantHall@yahoo.com FLGrantHall@yahoo.com] Facebook Website
 * Lake County Genealogical Society Vernon Hills Village Hall 290 Evergreen Dr Vernon Hills, IL 60060 Phone 847-918-3584 Email:[mailto:lcigs1170@gmail.com lcigs1170@gmail.com] Facebook Website

Taxation

 * [1877] Biographical Directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County Other libraries(WorldCat)
 * [1877, index] Johnson, Martin W. Index to the short biographies in the 1877 Biographical Directory of the tax-payers and voters of McHenry County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989.

This book includes listings of men registered to vote or who paid taxes in 1877. Some listings include brief biographies giving his occupation, the date and place of birth for both the man and his wife, their marriage date, and the number of children.

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 since 1877 are kept by the McHenry 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 kept by the County Clerk from 1837 to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk.

Copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Search McHenry County records in the Local Governmental Records Holdings Database. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD–NIU Wiki page.

found in the FamilySearch Catalog. Other libraries (WorldCat) also hold copies of abstracted McHenry County vital records. (How to explore WorldCat).

Births

 * 1877–present - McHenry County birth records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. Original records are to 1916; copies are after 1916. Additional copies are available as follows:
 * 1849-1900–Birth Certificates, Delayed IRAD–NIU. Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.

Delayed birth records include submissions by individuals who were born before the state officially collected birth records, but who are in need of a birth record for identification.These may include affidavits by family members or Bible records.


 * 1849-1916–Birth Record Index IRAD–NIU. Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1849-1900–Birth Certificates, Delayed
 * 1877-1902–Birth Records IRAD–NIU. Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1878–1902–Birth Record Index
 * 1878-1902–Birth Records

Marriages
The original McHenry County marriage records are held by the McHenry County Clerk and the Illinois Department of Health.

The following indexes to McHenry marriages are available:


 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810–1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1837-1900–Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 Search for McHenry County marriages in this online index then find the complete marriage record in one of the above-mentioned repositories.
 * 1837-1923–Marriage Record Index IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. How to use IRAD
 * 1837-1850 Illinois Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry–($); Index, INCOMPLETE
 * 1851-1900 Illinois Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry–($); Index, INCOMPLETE

Copies of McHenry County marriage records are available as follows:


 * 1837-1923–Marriage Records IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. How to use IRAD
 * 1837–1923–Marriage Registers and Returns, 1837-1923
 * 1877-present– McHenry County Clerk - Vital Records Information and Request Form
 * Marriages in McHenry County may also have been mentioned in area newspapers.

The following abstracts of marriage records are available:


 * 1878–1899–Stengele, Linda, et al. McHenry County, Illinois, Marriages . Crystal Lake, Illinois: McHenry County Illinois Geneal. Society, 2003–2006. FS Library lacks volume 1 and it is no longer in print.
 * 1880-1979 Crystal Lake Herald Marriage Index These indexes represent a list of couples whose notice of marriage license issued, or marriage performed or wedding conducted, or news items for anniversaries celebrated, appeared in the weekly Crystal Lake Herald newspaper. Information was not necessarily limited to residents of Crystal Lake and/or Nunda Township. Researchers should look for variant spellings within each index.

Deaths

 * 1877–present - The McHenry County death records 1877-present are housed at the County Clerk's office. Original records are to 1916; copies are after 1916. The following copies and indexes are available:
 * 1877–1909 IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records. Information about how to use IRAD.
 * 1877–1924 Death index IRAD-NIU Search for McHenry records.

Online Records
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1850-1880 US Census Mortality Schedule. Only those persons dying in the 12 months prior to the census are listed on this schedule. Browse for McHenry County. Ancestry ($).
 * 1878–1909 Death Records and Index, 1878-1909
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)
 * 1916–1947 Deaths and Stillbirths
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)
 * Index to deaths listed in Chapter 10 of the 1885 McHenry County History. Chicago: Inter-State Pub. Co., 1885, 991 pgs. Heritage Quest Other libraries (WorldCat)  Courtesy of Illinois Trails.

Additional death information can be found in indexed newspaper obituaries found in the Nunda Township/Crystal Herald.

Voter Registration

 * 1877 Biographical Directory of the Tax-payers and Voters of McHenry County Other libraries(WorldCat)
 * 1877, index Johnson, Martin W. Index to the short biographies in the 1877 Biographical Directory of the tax-payers and voters of McHenry County. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989.

This book includes listings of men registered to vote or who paid taxes in 1877. Some listings include brief biographies giving his occupation, the date and place of birth for both the man and his wife, their marriage date, and the number of children.

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:

Websites

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