DeWitt County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois DeWitt County

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

Historical Facts
DeWitt County, like Clinton County, is named for who was the Governor of New York and chief promoter of the Erie Canal.

Parent Counties

 * 1 March 1839: - DeWitt County was created from Macon and McLean

Places/Localities
To see a list of places in DeWitt County, click on [Show] in the bar, above. The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

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

Cemeteries
Find A Grave, list of cemeteries. Additional information can be found at local level (city, township, etc.)


 * witt.htm DeWitt Co. IL USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks.


 * Illinois Cemeteries by county.


 * Cemeteries of DeWitt County Illinois

Federal
For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.

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, DeWitt County on page 186.]

History

 * Portrait and Biographical Album of DeWitt and Piatt Counties, Illinois. Chicago: Chapman Brothers Publishing Company, 1891. For DeWitt County portion only DeWitt Co. ILGenWeb

Land and Property
Copies of original records are available:

1839-1875 Deed Records IRAD- ISU

Maps

 * Cemetary Maps of DeWitt County

Civil War
Civil War service men from DeWitt 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 Dewitt County.


 * - 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and I.
 * - 41st Regiment, Illinois Infantry

Companies C, F and K.

1865-1939 Military Discharge Record, Civil War. IRAD-ISU

Naturalization and Citizenship
1866-1903 Naturalization Records, County Court. IRAD-ISU

Probate Records
1873-1894 Probate Administrator's Accounts IRAD-ISU

Archives

 * Inventory of the county archives of Illinois, no.20, Historical Record Survey

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

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
Illinois Regional Archives Depository

Illinois State Universtiy 2016 Warehouse Road Campus Box 1520 Normal, Illinois 61802 Phone: 309-452-6027

Illinois Regional Archives Depository System - Local Governmental Records Listings Arranged by County

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

Taxation
1845-1851 Taxable Land Lists. IRAD-ISU

1888-1897 Road Tax Lists, Delinquent IRAD-ISU

1894-1911 Road Tax List. IRAD-ISU

Births
1877-1905 Birth Records. IRAD-ISU

1880-1930 Birth Certificates, Delayed. IRAD-ISU

1924-1958 Cirth Certificates. IRAD-ISU

Indexes
1860-1950 Birth Records Index, Delayed. IRAD-ISU

1877-1959 Birth Records Index. IRAD-ISU

Marriages
1839-1955 Marriage Record. IRAD-ISU

1876-1935 Marriage License Applications. IRAD-ISU

Index
1839-1949 Marriage record Index. IRAD-ISU

Deaths
1878-1917 Death Records. IRAD-ISU

1886-1957 Death Certificates. IRAD-ISU

Index
1878-1962 Death Record Index. IRAD-ISU

Societies with Libraries and Museums
DeWitt County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 632 Clinton, Illinois 61717-0632 dewittcgs@yahoo.com

This library has extensive DeWitt County only extractions of many census. They have marriage index. They publish a quarterly Journal with extracts about people from old newspapers that include births, marriages and funerals. The also include little family notices about who was visiting who and who was at weddings and other family news items.

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * DeWitt County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)