Adams County, Illinois Genealogy

''This article is about a western Illinois county. For other uses, see Adams.''

United States Illinois Adams County

Historical Facts
Named for John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States of America.

Parent County
13 January 1825 -- Adams County was created 13 January 1825 from Pike County.

Record Loss
9 December 1835 - Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.  9 January 1875 - Courthouse burned again, and may records damaged.

The 1890 census burned. The Directories section includes a reference to an 1892 directory that can be used to learn who lived in the county at approximately the same time.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see Burned Counties Research.

Places/Localities
To see a list of places in Adams County, click on [Show], 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. Localities listed in red have no wiki page yet. 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

Archives and Libraries

 * Inventory of the county archives of Illinois, no. 1, Historical Records Survey, pub. 1939

Biography

 * The History of Adams County, Illinois: containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc.; a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late Rebellion ... portraits of early settlers and prominent men; history of the Northwest, history of Illinois ... etc., etc. Reprint 1977 (original 1879)
 * The History of Adams County, Illinois: containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc.; a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men...miscellaneous matters, etc., etc., pub. 1879
 * The History of Adams County, Illinois: containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc.; a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men...miscellaneous matters, etc., etc., apparent reprint with index
 * Memorials to those involved in the legal profession, filed by the clerk, with birth and death dates, ca. 1807-1961,
 * Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois: including the late Colonel John Tillson's History of Quincy, together with biographical sketches of many of its leading and prominent citizens and illustrious dead; pub. 1905
 * Portrait and biographical record of Adams County, Illinois: containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens; pub. 1892.

Indexes

 * Naturalization index and bar association index, Adams County, Illinois; pub. 1993

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


 * A report on Hunsaker burial grounds in Illinois, pub. 1959, Q. Maurice Hunsaker, President, Hunsaker Family Organization.

Census
Census records were created by federal or state governments. Individuals, genealogical or historical societies, and others may publish census indexes, transcriptions, or abstracts for a county taken from these federal or state records. These publications may also include annotated information, adding additional family information such as marriages, thereby providing added help in researching families. The indexes might also allow you to see a list of spelling variations that can help identify an ancestor or related families that may not be viewed in a major online census image provider search results.

Known publications for Adams County include:

1830 Census, Quincy only: Adams County ILGenWeb Project

1840 Census, Rural Adams County (No names from Quincy): Adams County ILGenWeb Project

1850 Census, Adams County, Illinois ; other libraries

1860 Census, Adams County, Illinois ; other libraries

1865 State Census transcription for the City of Quincy


 * USGenWeb Archives Page 218; Page 219; Page 238; Page 239
 * Adams County ILGenWeb Project: Page 218; Page 219; Page 238; Page 239; Page 251; Page 256; Page 260

1870 Census of Adams County, Illinois Quincy Public Library

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

Court Records

 * Adams County Courthouse


 * Judici.com, go back only to 1987.

Directories

 * Adams County, IL, 1892. Quincy, IL, USA: Stone &amp; Co., 1892. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

History

 * The History of Adams County, Illinois: Containing History of the County, Its Cities, Towns, etc., A Biographical Directory of Its Citizens, War Record of Its Volunteers in the Late Rebellion, General and Local Statistics, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, History of the Northwest, History of Illinois, Map of Adams County, Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, etc., etc. Chicago: Murray, Williamson &amp; Phelps, 1879. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive. Reprint:.
 * Portrait and Biographical Record of Adams County, Illinois: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens: Together with Biographies and Portraits of All the Presidents of the United States. Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1892. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Quincy and Adams County History and Representative Men. Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1919. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive; World Vital Records ($).

Maps

 * Interactive map of Adams County

Military History and Records

 * Civil War Civil War service men from Adams 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 Adams County.


 * - 50th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, and K.
 * - 78th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, E, F, G, I, and K.
 * - 84th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies E and I.

Newspapers
The Quincy Public Library Newspaper Archive is a great resource for learning about everyday life in Adams County, Illinois from 1835 through 1919. In addition to mentions of births, marriages, and deaths, the newspapers also include details of family celebrations (and feuds), delinquent taxes, unclaimed letters at the Post Office, out of town guests, and the travels of local community members. Legal notices and mentions of crop failures or outbreaks of certain diseases were also published.

The archive is indexed and searchable, and linked to images of the actual pages. You can view either the article alone, or the entire page where it appears. To learn more about the area at the time your ancestors lived there, click on [Browse the Archive] and select a particular timeframe.

Newspapers included in the archive:


 * Quincy Daily Herald
 * Quincy Daily Journal
 * Quincy Daily Whig
 * Quincy Morning Whig
 * Quincy Herald
 * Quincy Whig Republican
 * Quincy Whig

Obituaries published in the Quincy Herald Whig can be searched for a range of years at the newspaper's website.

Vital Records
To learn how to order birth, marriage, and death records, visit the County Clerk's website:

Adams County Clerk Vital Records Georgia Volm 507 Vermont St Quincy, IL 62301 217-277-2150

Websites

 * Adams County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)