DuPage County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Description
DuPage County was named for DuPage River. The county seat is Wheaton and the county was organized on February 9, 1839. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
DuPage County Courthouse 505 N County Farm Rd Wheaton, IL 60187 Phone: 630-407-8700 DuPage County Courthouse County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Cumberland County are kept, see the DuPage 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
Prior to County Formation


 * 1790-1801 - DuPage part of Knox County and the Northwest Territory
 * 1801-1812 DuPage part of St. Clair County
 * 1812-1815 DuPage part of Madison County
 * 1815-1816 DuPage part of Edwards County
 * 1816-1819 DuPage part of Crawford County
 * 1819-1821 DuPage part of Clark County
 * 1821-1823 DuPage part of Pike County
 * 1823-1825 DuPage part of Fulton County
 * 1825-1831 DuPage part of Putnam County
 * 1831-1839 DuPage part of Cook County

Bible Records
A Family Bible belonging to the Hill family of Du Page County is included in an Ancestry database ($).

Biographies

 * Du Page at 150 and those who shaped our world; pub. 1989
 * Historical encyclopedia of Illinois : history of Du Page County : historical and biographical, Newton Bateman and Paul Selby. Chicago, IL, Munsell Pub. Co., 1913. Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 1, FamilySearch Digital Library Vol 2
 * History of Du Page County, Illinois; pub. 1882 at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Portrait and biographical record of DuPage and Cook counties, Illinois : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with biographies and portraits of the presidents of the United States Lake City Pub., Chicago, IL 1894. Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library
 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a DuPage County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of DuPage County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

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


 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

 Federal


 * 1840 federal census: DuPage County, Illinois
 * 1850 DuPage County, Illinois Federal Census
 * 1860 Du Page County, Illinois, federal census
 * 1870 federal census of Du Page County, Illinois

 State
 * Name index to early Illinois records
 * 1855, State census Ancestry ($),
 * 1865, State census Ancestry ($),

 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, DuPage County on page 186.

Church Records

 * Peters, Marjorie Herlache, editor. Du Page County, Illinois Churches and Their Records, 1833-1920. Lombard, Illinois: Lombard Suburban Genealogical Society, 1981. Includes indexes. The 2006 revised edition is available from the DuPage County Genealogical Society.
 * DuPage County Illinois Genealogical Society. Necrology Records of Selected Townships in DuPage County: Includes Cemetery, Funeral Home &amp; Church Records. Wheaton, Illinois: DuPage County Illinois Genealogical Society, 2007. This CD-ROM includes Addison, Downers Grove, Lisle &amp; York Townships and records for Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bensenville, Illinois, 1837-1938 and a "souls register" 1888.
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Search WorldCat to identify a library near you which holds books of compiled church records for DuPage County.

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Batavia Branch, Record of Members, 1936-1948. Members of the Batavia Branch, which was discontinued in 1957, lived in Cook, DuPage, and Kane Counties, Illinois.

 Lutheran
 * Grosse, T. Johannes, et al. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery and Burial Records, 1837-1988 &amp; Souls Register, 1888. Includes full-name indexes. This was the first Lutheran church in DuPage County with boundary lines encompassing much of the county.

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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

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

 Native Races
 * Potawatomi Indians of DuPage County; pub. 1974

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.
 * Family Maps of DuPage County, Illinois (2007) plats the land of many nineteenth-century DuPage County residents. The publisher's bookstore includes a free online surname index.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records at Ancestry ($). 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.
 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * Federal Township Plats of Illinois
 * DuPage County Federal Township Plats

Local Histories
Wheaton Public Library has created a detailed list of historic towns in DuPage County on their website. The Stoddard Project is an ambitious attempt to inventory and index genealogical and historical resources in all the DuPage County repositories initiated by John Stoddard, for whom it is named. The two-part project includes a listing of reference works and the individual libraries that house them, plus an index of individuals named in those reference works. The project incorporates histories of the county and of individual towns, high school yearbooks, histories of individual churches, maps and plats, old city directories and telephone books, holdings of back issues of local newspapers, etc. For more information about the Stoddard Project, see the DuPage County Genealogical Society web site. Rededication of Hobson Pioneer Marker, Pioneer Park, Du Page County, Illinois: 2:30 P.M., October Twelfth, Nineteen Hundred Fifty-two. Hillside, Ill.: P. Troost Monument Co., 1952. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * The History of DuPage County. By C.W. Richmond.  Aurora, Illinois : Knickerbocker & Hodder, 1877. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
 * The History of DuPage County. By Rufus Blanchard. Chicago, Illinois : O. L. Baskin & Co., 1882. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
 * Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Du Page County. Chicago: Munsell Pub. Co., 1913. Online at: Ancestry ($).
 * The Stoddard Project

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Township Map of 1870 DuPage County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
 Civil War Regiments. Civil War service men from DuPage 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 DuPage County.
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies D and E.
 * - 12th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C.
 * - 13th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
 * - 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 55th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 105th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, D, F and I.
 * - 141st Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company H.
 * - 156th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 69th Regiment, New York Infantry, Company D

 World War I
 * The DuPage County Genealogical Society (DCGS) provides a listing of all men from DuPage County who served in World War I. DCGS has also compiled an inventory of books and periodicals relating to the Naper Post 468 of the G.A.R.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Index to the Naturalization Records of DuPage County. The index covers 6,000 individuals, and includes the full name, date, locality, country of birth; and the date and port of entry into the United States. Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 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 ($)
 * Aurora Daily Express - over 5,000 full-text digital issues in Google News Archive; covers 1882-1901
 * Aurora Daily Star - over 800 full-text digital issues in Google News Archive; covers 1921-1932
 * The DuPage County Genealogical Society has created abstracts from 1896-1908 from the Hinsdale Doings, a newspaper published in Hinsdale, Illinois. The index includes mentions of births, marriages, deaths, and other local news like family visits.
 * Wheaton Public Library has created a Vital Records Index based on nineteenth-century Wheaton newspapers. As of 30 June 2011, the database appears to be undergoing construction.

Obituaries

 * Du Page County, Illinois Obituary and Death Notices Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. From various funeral homes in the Lombard, York, Naperville, Wheaton, Downers Grove, Bartlett, Elmhurst, Villa Park and surrounding area.

Other Records
 Medical Records
 * Ledger book of Dr. Theodore Hoffman, 1864-1868; pub. 1982

Probate Records
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; images


 * Genealogical records of Boone, DuPage, Kane, and Knox Counties, Illinois: bible records; index of wills, 1839-1900; marriages, 1830-1851, cemetery records and family records.

School Records

 * Benedictine College University Yearbooks - available from the 1930s - 1980s; digitized and freely available at the Internet Archive.

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

Marriage

 * To-1850 Illinois Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry–($);Index, INCOMPLETE
 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($) — index
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
 * 1790-1860 Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860 at Ancestry–($);Index, INCOMPLETE
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1839-1861 DuPage County Marriage Index 20 June 1839 - 28 November 1861 Originally transcribed by the DAR from Record Book A in the DuPage County Clerk's office, and later compiled for publication by the DuPage County Genealogical Society
 * 1839-1889 Marriages Two Volumes. also  One of 2 films.
 * 1839-1906 Marriages
 * 1840-1861 DuPage County Marriage Records
 * 1851-1900 Illinois Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry–($);Index, INCOMPLETE

Death

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1916-1947 
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Death Certificates 1916-1950
 * Searchable index of names of indivduals buried in cemetaries in DuPage County
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index

Archives
The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses the archival records of local Illinois counties, townships, municipalities and school districts. The seven Regional Depositories are housed on state university campuses scattered throughout Illinois. The Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for DuPage County. Learn more about finding and using their records.
 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository c/o Regional History Center Founders Memorial Library, Room 400 Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115 Telephone: (815) 753-1807

FamilySearch Centers

 * Buffalo Grove Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Chicago Heights Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Chicago Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Chicago Illinois Hyde Park FamilySearch Center
 * Griffith Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Naperville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Orland Park Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Valparaiso Indiana FamilySearch Center
 * Westchester Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Wilmette Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Arlington Heights Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Barrington Area Library - an affiliate library
 * Cook Memorial Public Library District - an affiliate library
 * Glenview Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Lake County IL Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * Oak Lawn Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Schaumburg Township District Library - Hoffman Estates - an affiliate library
 * Valparaiso Public Library/Porter County Public Library System - an affiliate library

 FamilySearch Centers
 * FamilySearch Centers
 * Naperville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Schaumburg Illinois FamilySearch Center

Libraries
The following DuPage County libraries have collections of particular interest to genealogists.
 * Genealogical holdings of the Du Page LibrarySystem: as submitted by each library, September 1, 1975
 * Bibliographies of genealogical materials available at Elmhurst Historical Society: and selected libraries in the Illinois Suburban Library System; pub. 1975
 * Du Page County, Illinois genealogical records: located in Du Page County repositories; libraries, historical societies, colleges, etc; pub. 1992


 * Bloomingdale Public Library 101 Fairfield Way Bloomingdale, IL 60108 Phone: (630) 529-3120 Website
 * History Room offers collections of local interest as well as an online obituary index


 * Downers Grove Public Library 1050 Curtiss St Downers Grove, IL 60515 Phone: (630) 960-1200 Website
 * The library has materials on the history of Downers Grove and DuPage County.

Naperville Public Library (Nichols Library) 200 W. Jefferson Ave. Naperville, IL 60540 Phone: (630) 961-4100 Website
 * The Reference and Local History collections include DuPage County indexes, local histories, maps, newspapers, and more.

Wheaton Public Library 225 N. Cross St Wheaton, IL 60187 Phone: (630) 668-1374 Website
 * The library's Genealogy and Local History collection includes local histories, biographies, indexes, directories, maps, newspapers, yearbooks, and more.

Museums
DuPage County Historical Museum 102 E. Wesley Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187 Telephone: (630) 510-4941 Website A facility of the County of DuPage, the museum provides staff-assisted local history services of its photographs, maps, archives, and records.

Societies
Bloomingdale Historical Society 101 Fairfield Way Bloomingdale, IL 60108 Phone 630-582-8101 Email:[mailto:hellobonnie@aol.com hellobonnie@aol.com] Website Carol Stream Historical Society 301 W. Lies Rd Carol Stream, IL 60188 Phone 630-473-8308 Email:[mailto:carolstreamhistoricalsociety@gmail.com carolstreamhistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Website Downers Grove Historical Society PO Box 663 Downers Grove, IL 60515 Phone 630-660-6767 Email:[mailto:info@downersgrovehistory.org info@downersgrovehistory.org] Website DuPage County Genealogical Society PO Box 3 Wheaton, IL 60187-0003 Email:[mailto:webcoordinator@dcgs.org webcoordinator@dcgs.org] Website DuPage County Historical Society PO Box 1460 102 E. Wesley St. Wheaton, IL 60187 Email:[mailto:dupagehistory@yahoo.com dupagehistory@yahoo.com] Website
 * Dupage County (IL) Genealogical Society surname project; pub. 2001?

Fox Valley Genealogical Society PO Box 5435 Naperville, IL 60567-5435 Email:[mailto:info@ilfvgs.org info@ilfvgs.org] Website
 * Surnames; pub. 1983, 1994

Glen Ellyn Historical Society 800 N Main Street Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 Phone 630-469-1867 Email:[mailto:director@gehs.org director@gehs.org] Website  Hinsdale Historical Society Phone 630-789-2600 Email:[mailto:nfo@hinsdalehistory.org nfo@hinsdalehistory.org] Website Villa Park Historical Society  220 S Villa Ave. Villa Park, Illinois 60181 Phone 630-941-0223 Email:[mailto:info@vphistoricalsociety.com info@vphistoricalsociety.com] Website Warrenville Historical Society PO Box 311 3S530 2nd St Warrenville, IL 60555-3134 Phone 630-393-4215 Email:[mailto:info@warrenvillehistorical.org info@warrenvillehistorical.org] Website

Websites

 * DuPage County IL Genealogy
 * DuPage ILGenWeb
 * DuPage 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.