Effingham County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Description
Effingham County was named for Gen. Edward Effingham, who is noted for resigning his commission as general in the British army in 1775 and refusing to serve in the war against the colonies. The county seat is Effingham and the county was organized on 1831. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Effingham County Courthouse 120 W Jefferson Effingham, Illinois 62401 Phone: 217-342-4065 Effingham County Courthouse County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Effingham County are kept, see the Effingham County Courthouse page.

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:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

History Timeline

 * 20 December 1832: Fully organized, detached from Crawford and Fayette. (Ill. Laws 1832-1833, pp. 22-23)
 * 26 February 1845: Legislature authorized Effingham to gain from Shelby the northern half of township 9 north, ranges 4 to 6 east, dependent on local referendum that failed [no change]. (Ill. Laws 1844-1845, p. 164) (source: Newberry Library)

Biographies

 * Portrait and Biographical Record of Effingham, Jasper and Richland Counties, Illinois. Chicago, IL: Munsell Pub. Co., 1910. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Census Records
For information and tips on using and accessing online census records, see Illinois Census.  Federal
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1840-1850 1840-1850 Effingham County census
 * 1840 Pensioners A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. .  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Illinois, Effingham County on page 186.
 * 1850 United States census 1850; pub. 1979
 * 1860 1860 census of Effingham County, Illinois; pub. 1983
 * 1870 1870 Effingham County census; pub. 1984
 * 1880 Effingham County, Illinois 1880; pub. 1990 Vol. 1. Banner, Bishop, Douglas, Jackson, Liberty &amp; Lucas townships Vol. 2. Mason, Moccasin, Mound, St. Francis, Summit, Teutopolis, Union, Watson &amp; West townships.
 * 1900 1900 federal census; pub. 1999

 State
 * 1855 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1855, Name index to early Illinois records
 * 1855, State Census
 * 1865, State Census

Church Records
 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. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Effingham County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (EIU).

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1833-1874 Circuit Court Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1833-1882 Circuit Court Execution Dockets IRAD-EIU
 * 1833-1925 Circuit Court Index IRAD-EIU
 * 1838-1880 Justice of the Peace Dockets IRAD-EIU
 * 1858-1870 County Court Execution Dockets IRAD-EIU
 * 1859-1870 County Court Fee Books IRAD-EIU
 * 1864-1910 Circuit Court Record, Chancery IRAD-EIU
 * 1868-1972 Circuit Court Record, Criminal IRAD-EIU
 * 1872-1964 Jail Registers IRAD-EIU
 * 1872-1917 County Court Record, Criminal IRAD-EIU
 * 1874-1973 Circuit Court Judgment and Execution Dockets IRAD-EIU
 * 1875-1919 Circuit Court Record, Common Law IRAD-EIU
 * 1893-1911 Insanity Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1897-1901 Circuit Court Dockets IRAD-EIU
 * 1958-1968 Circuit Court Case Files IRAD-EIU

Directories

 * 1924-1925 Effingham County, Illinois city and county directories, 1924-1925: each directory in alphabetical order, surname index in back; pub. 1990 Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
 African Americans
 * 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

Genealogies

 * Estate settlements &amp; genealogy; pub. 2008 Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library
 * The Hirtzel family of Effingham County, Illinois; pub. 1999

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. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online sources, the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Effingham County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (EIU).

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records at Ancestry ($)
 * 1820-Onward Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * 1829-1895 Land Book. Effingham County (Illinois) Recorder.
 * 1833-1889 Deed Index IRAD-EIU
 * 1833-1936 Deed Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1833-1945 Deeds and Mortgages, 1833-1945; index 1833-1895. Effingham County (Illinois) Recorder.
 * 1836-1899 Effingham County, Illinois public domain land sales, 1836-1899. (Effingham, Illinois : Effingham County Genealogical Society, 1990.) ;
 * 1845-1855 Delinquent tax records, 1845 through 1855, Effingham County, Illinois: these records include owner's names, parts of section, section nos., range, acres, valuation, year tax due, state revenue, state special tax, county tax, poor tax, and total amount due. (Effingham, Illinois : Effingham County Genealogical Society, 1995.) ;.
 * 1854-1905 Mortgage Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1859-1867 Swamp Land Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1875-1895 Mortgage Index IRAD-EIU
 * 1945-1962 Chattel Mortgage Index and Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1986 Land Atlas and plat book, Effingham County, Illinois, 1986. (Rockford, Illinois : Rockford Map Publishers, c1986.) ;
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales at the Illinois State Archives. Online index to the records of Public land sales held by the State Archives. The indexes are by purchasers name and by legal description. This is a statewide collection with nearly 550,000 land sales from 54740 square miles.
 * Illinois Federal Township Plats, by County
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records at Ancestry ($). 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.
 * Family Maps. Family Maps of Effingham County, Illinois. By Gregory A. Boyd. (Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., c2007.),.
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Effingham County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Effingham County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.


 * Effingham, Illinois fiftieth anniversary, 1853-1903. Effingham, Illinois : Effingham County Genealogical Society, 1984. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * History of Effingham County, Illinois. Edited by William Henry Perrin. Evansville, Indiana : Unigraphic, 1972. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1788-1940 Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * 1870 Township Map of 1870 Effingham County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * GIS Search
 * 1899 1899 plat index of Effingham County, Illinois townships and towns
 * 1986 Land atlas and plat book, Effingham County, Illinois, 1986
 * Effingham County Federal Township Plats
 * Family maps of Effingham County, Illinois
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Effingham County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Effingham County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.
 * Veteran burials, Effingham County, Illinois, 1862-1955

 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from Effingham 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 Effingham County.
 * - 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L.
 * - 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L.
 * - 11th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company G.
 * - 11th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies E, F, and G.
 * - 26th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A
 * - 35th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 38th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 54th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and I.
 * - 62nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 71st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * - 98th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and K.
 * - 135th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies C and D.
 * - 143rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F.
 * - 154th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.


 * Civil War Companies, Organized in Effingham County, Illinois] Effingham Co ILGenWeb

 Military Records
 * The Adjutant General's Report of Effingham County, Illinois soldiers, 1831-32, 1846-48 and 1861-66, 1898-99
 * Civil war soldiers from Effingham County

 World War II
 * World War II veterans, Effingham County, Illinois

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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Effingham County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (EIU).

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1840-1905 Naturalization Papers IRAD-EIU
 * 1857-1906 Naturalization Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1859-1892 Naturalization records.
 * 1859-1892 Naturalization Declarations of Intent and final record IRAD-EIU
 * 1870-1888 Naturalization Record of Soldiers and Minors IRAD-EIU
 * 1849-1906 Osborn, Arnetia Bannick, Mary Brown and Rose Shadwell, Naturalization records, 1849-1906 (Effingham, Illinois: Effingham County Genealogical and Historical Society.) ;
 * 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 ($)

Obituaries
Newspaper clippings and obituaries from Clay and Effingham counties, Illinois and Yakima County, Washington

Other Records
 Correctional Institutions
 * 1898-1933 Register of prisoners, 1898-1933; also known as Effingham County (Illinois) County Jail

Periodicals

 * Crossroad trails
 * Effingham County Genealogical and Historical Society newsletter See note.

Probate 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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Effingham County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (EIU).

Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1772-1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1834-1920 Probate Will Record
 * 1835-1893 Probate Record
 * 1838-1964 Probate Record Index
 * 1848-1926 Probate Claim Dockets
 * 1851-1932 Probate Accounts Current Record
 * 1853-1853 Probate Administrator's and Executor's Bonds and Letters
 * 1854-1939 Probate Administrator's Record
 * 1854-1935 Probate Sale Record, Personal Property
 * 1855-1939 Probate Appraisement Record
 * 1858-1896 Probate Settlements Due Dockets
 * 1862-1927 Probate Judgment Dockets
 * 1871-1894 Probate Guardian's Record
 * 1873-1914 Probate Inventory Record, Guardians
 * 1874-1895 Probate Sale Record, Real Estate, Guardians
 * 1889-1891 Probate Guardian's Report Record
 * 1890-1904 Probate Inventory Record
 * 1838-1920 Probate records
 * 1836-1882 Sargent, W.F., Wills and estate settlements, 1836-1882 (Effingham, Illinois:Effingham County Geneal. Society, [198-?].) (
 * Garbe, Audrey and Eleanor Poe Bounds, Estate settlements and genealogy: Effingham County, Illinois (Effingham, Illinois: Effingham County Genealogical and Historical Society, c2008.) ;
 * 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only

School Records
Effingham County school history, centennial 1918 online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

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
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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Effingham County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (EIU).

Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1845-1855 Delinquent tax records, 1845 through 1855, Effingham County, Illinois
 * 1851-1853 Collector's Books IRAD-EIU
 * 1852 Tax records 1852
 * 1853-1965 Assessor's Books IRAD-EIU
 * 1853-1886 Tax Sale and Redemption Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1854-1858 Tax records 1854-1858
 * 1854-1861 Collector's Receipt Record for Tax Books IRAD-EIU
 * 1890 tax lists v. 1. Banner, Bishop, Douglas, Jackson, Liberty &amp; Lucas townships v. 2. Moccasin, Mound, St. Francis, Summit, Teutopolis, Union, Watson and West townships.

Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Clinton 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 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. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online databases, the FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Effingham County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (EIU).

Birth

 * 1877-1916 Birth Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1877-1915 Birth Record Index IRAD-EIU
 * 1877-1916 Birth records, 1877-1916, stillbirths are included. Index 1877-1915 - Film 1010043 Vol. 1-2 1877-1901 - Film 1010043 Vol. 3-4 1902-1914 - Film 1010044 Vol. 5 1911-1916 - Film 1010045 ''

Marriage

 * 1839-1920 Marriage Record- IRAD-EIU
 * Marriage records, 1839-1920 at
 * Effingham County, Illinois marriages at
 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * 1790-1860 Illinois Marriage index found at Ancestry ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index

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
 * 1860, 1870, 1880 Richland County Genealogical Society, Mortality schedules, 1860, 1870, 1880 ([S.I.:s.n.] 1978.)
 * 1869-1934 Coroner's Inquest Record IRAD-EIU'''
 * 1878-1915 Death Record IRAD-EIU
 * 1878-1915 Death Record Index IRAD-EIU
 * 1878-1901 Death Record, Stillbirths IRAD-EIU
 * 1878-1915 Death records, 1878-1915
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950
 * 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
Inventory of the county archives of Illinois, no. 25, Effingham County (Effingham), pub. 1940

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) The Illinois State Archives administers a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) to manage the archival records of local governments. Local governments which have transferred records to the regional depositories include counties, townships, municipalities, and school districts. The records of Edwards County come under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) regional depository. Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) Booth Library 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston, IL 61920 Phone: 217-581-6093

FamilySearch Centers

 * Alton Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Centralia Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Champaign Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Litchfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Mattoon Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * O'Fallon Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Clay County Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * Knox County Public Library - Indiana - an affiliate library
 * O'Fallon Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Sullivan County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Altamont Public Library 121 W Washington Altamont, IL 62411 Phone: 618-483-5457 Website Beecher City Branch Library  108 N James St Beecher City, IL 62414 Phone: 618-487-9400 Helen Matthes Library 100 E. Market Ave. Effingham, IL 62401-3499 Phone: 217-342-2464 Fax: 217-342-2413 Email: [mailto:hmlib@effinghamlibrary.org hmlib@effinghamlibrary.org] Website

Societies
County Genealogical and Historical Society PO Box 1166 200 N. 3rd Street Effingham, Il 62401

Websites

 * Effingham County IL Genealogy
 * Effingham ILGenWeb
 * Effingham County, IL 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.