Shelby County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Shelby County

Shelby County Organization
Shelby 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 Shelby County are kept, see the Shelby County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts
The county is named after Kentucky's First Governor Isaac Shelby (1750-1826).

Parent County

 * 1827--Shelby County was created 23 January 1827 from Fayette County. County seat: Shelbyville

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

Record Loss
November 17, 1894 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research
 * http://blogs.ancestry.com/circle/?p=2424

Neighboring Counties

 * Christian
 * Coles
 * Cumberland
 * Effingham
 * Fayette
 * Macon
 * Montgomery
 * Moultrie

Cemeteries
Illinois Cemeteries for more information. Illinois cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Shelby County and links to the information for the individuals buried there.


 * Shelby 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.


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Shelby County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.
 * USGenWeb, Shelby County, Illinois (ILGenWeb), Cemetery Records

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, Shelby County on page 188.]

Church Records
Timeline of some of the major churches in Shelby County:


 * 1825 - Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church in Shelbyville was the pioneer church in the county
 * 1832 - Church of Christ (Baptist) in Shelbyville. Their first meetinghouse was built in 1843. 1839 - Walnut Grove Presbyterian Church. This congregation did not thrive.
 * 1832 - Ash Grove Baptist Church south of Windsor
 * 1834 - Sand Creek
 * 1843 to 1852 - Shelbyville Presbyterian Church
 * 1850 - St. Paul's Reformed Church located northwest of Shelbyville
 * 1852 -Shelbyville Presbyterian Church organized at Prairie Bird. First building condtructed in Shelbyville in 1856
 * 1859 - Windsor Baptist Church
 * 1860 - Antioch Baptist Church
 * 1860 - Bethany Baptist Church
 * 1860 - Welborn Creek Baptist Church
 * 1860 - West Okaw Presbyterian Church in Prairie Home.
 * 1862 - Shelbyville Baptist Church was the second Baptist Church organized in the County after the original Church of Christ created in 1832
 * 1867 - Tower Hill Presbyterian Church
 * 1867 - Moweaqua Presbyterian Church.
 * 1875 - African Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church in Shelbyville
 * 1881 - Cowden Free Methodist was the first Free Methodist church organized in the county. Several others have been organized since.

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

Land and Property
Illinois Land and Property for more information. 1827-present The original land and property records for Shelby County are held by the County Recorder. See the info box above for contact information. The following copies are available:


 * 1828-1892 Deed Index IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records. Information about how to use IRAD
 * 1827-1926 Deed Record IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database. Also available at Ancestry ($)
 * Shelby County Federal Township Plats
 * 1800s – Present - Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records, including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a researcher establish location and lead to National Archives’ records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are at the National Archives.
 * Family Maps. Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of Shelby County, Illinois.  Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., c2007.

Maps

 * Shelby County Federal Township Plats

Military

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


 * - 35th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company.
 * - 41st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 53rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 54th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies F and H.

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * USGenWeb, Shelby County, Illinois (ILGenWeb), Obituaries and Death Notices

Probate Records
Illinois Probate Records for more information.


 * Browse images of Shelby County probate records at.

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

Family History Centers
There are over 4500 Family History Centers worldwide which serve as branch facilities of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Volunteers provide research assistance to help patrons identify their ancestors. Microfilm and microfiche may be ordered from the FHL collection at a nominal cost. Locate your nearest Family History Center at the FamilySearch website. Call ahead to verify operating hours. All are welcome. The following centers are accessible to residents of Shelby County, Illinois: Champaign Illinois Family History Center 604 W Windsor Rd Champaign, Champaign, Illinois Phone: 217-352-8063 Hours: Thur-Sat 9:30-12:30pm; Thur 7pm-9pm; or by appt  Decatur Illinois Family History Center 3955 Lourdes Ln Decatur, Macon, Illinois Phone: 217-875-9396 Hours: T, Sat 10am-3pm; Th 6pm-9pm  Springfield Illinois Family History Center 3601 Buckeye Dr Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois Phone: 217-529-7930 Hours: T 6pm-9pm; W 10am-2pm, 6pm-9pm; Sat 10am-2pm  Please note: Addresses posted are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries.

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 Shelby County come under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) regional depository.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) Booth Library Eastern Illinois University (EIU) 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston, IL 61920 Telephone: (217) 581-6093 Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Note: The depository is staffed by graduate student interns. Because of class scheduling conflicts, hours may vary somewhat from the published schedule. Researchers are urged to call before planning a visit.

Vital Records
Illinois Vital Records for more information.

Births
1848–present The original Shelby County birth records 1848- present are housed in the office of the County Clerk. The following copies are available:


 * 1848-1915 Birth Certificates - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1848-1906 Birth Record Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.

Marriages
1827–present The original Shelby County marriage records 1827-present are housed in the office of the County Clerk. The following copies are available:


 * 1871–1876 Marriage License Applications - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1827-1922 Marriage Record - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.
 * 1878-1906 Marriage Record Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.

The following abstracts are available:


 * 1827–1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 (1827-1900 for Shelby County)

Deaths
1878–present The original Shelby County death records 1878-present are housed in the office of the County Clerk. The following copies are available:


 * 1878–1917 Death Record - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1878–1902 Death Record Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.
 * 1952-1955 Death Certificates, Coroner - IRAD-EIU Search for Shelby County records.

The following abstracts are available:


 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 (Dec 1877-Dec 1915 for Shelby County)
 * 1916–1950 Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950 (1916-1950 for Shelby County)

Web Sites
Databases pertinent to Shelby County


 * Local Governmental Records Database IRAD
 * Name Index to Illinois Local Governments IRAD
 * Shelby County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * USGenWeb, Shelby County, Illinois (ILGenWeb)
 * USGenWeb, Shelby County, Illinois (ILGenWeb)