Massac County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Massac County

Massac County Organization
Massac County's civil records start the following years:

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

Historical Facts
Massac County gets it's name from Fort Massac which was named in honor of the Marquis de Massiac who was a French Naval minister.

Parent County

 * 1843--Massac County was created 8 February 1843 from Pope and Johnson Counties. County seat:  Metropolis

Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Massac County boundary changes.

Cemeteries
One of the best places to start Massac County cemetery searches are the six volumes published by the Massac County Illinois Genealogical Society. Free surname indexes are available online, courtesy: ILGenWeb.

The Illinois Cemeteries page provides general explanations of the following online Massac County resources:

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

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from two Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Massac County available online. The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


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

Court Records

 * 1843–1849 Circuit court record IRAD (SIU)

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 IllinoisCemeteries

History
The online Shawnee Community College Local History Project includes dozens of personal interviews and even a "Letter From the Birdman of Alcatraz," that give you a taste of historic Massac County. Was your relative one of the interviewed individuals?


 * Page, Oliver J. History of Massac County, Illinois: With Life Sketches and Portraits. Metropolis, Ill.: O.J. Page, 1900. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive.

Land and Property
Family Maps of Massac County, Illinois (2008) plats the land of many nineteenth-century Massac County residents. The publisher's bookstore includes a free online surname index.

The following copies of original records are available:


 * 1843–1900 Deed index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1843–1911 Deed record IRAD (SIU)

Military Records

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


 * - 56th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A and D.

Probate Records

 * 1871–1883 Probate records are also available in . Click on the browse through images link, select Massac County, and select the record type you are interested in.


 * 1846–1964 Probate case files index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1866–1885 Probate record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1860–1894 Probate will record IRAD (SIU)

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

Societies
Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois has a page with details about its' activities.

Vital Records
The following copies of original records are available:

Births

 * 1878–1916 Birth record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1878–1941 Birth record index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1864–1877 Birth record delayed IRAD (SIU)

Marriages

 * 1854–1923 Marriage record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1854–1901 Marriage record index IRAD (SIU)

Deaths

 * 1878–1915 Death recordIRAD (SIU)
 * 1878–1971 Death record indexIRAD (SIU)

Places / Localities
To see a list of places in Massac 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.



Web Sites

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