Jefferson County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Jefferson County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. Illinois Online Genealogy Records

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

Historical Facts


Jefferson County is named for Thomas Jefferson who was the author of the Declaration of Independence and also the third president of the United States.

Parent County

 * 1819--Jefferson County was created 26 March 1819 from Edwards and White Counties.

County seat: Mount Vernon

Description
The county was named for Thomas Jefferson. The county seat is Mount Vernon and the county was organized on 1819. The County is located in the South central part of the state.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Illinois county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Illinois County Boundary Maps" (1790-1869) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Records Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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

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, Jefferson County on page 187.]

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes Abstracts
 * FamilySearch Places


 * 1842–1881 Barbee, Bessie. Sugar Camp Creek United Baptist Church of Jefferson County, Illinois. Effingham, Illinois: Effingham County Genealogical Society, 1984.

Copies of Original records


 * 1866–1950 Panther Fork Baptist Church minutes

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from two Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Jefferson County available online (free registration is required). The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


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

Court Records
Jefferson County Courthouse 100 South 10th St. Mt. Vernon, IL Phone: (618) 244-8020

The following copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library:


 * Jefferson County, Illinois Circuit Court Records, and World Cat

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
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 the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Jefferson County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of Original Records


 * 1822-1904 Deeds First of 32 films.
 * 1822-1927 Deed Index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1822-1922 Deed Records IRAD (SIU)
 * 1857-1861 Mortgage Record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1874-1905 Mortgage Index IRAD (SIU)

Online Resources


 * 1796-1907U.S General Land Office Records at Ancestry–($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Recordsat Ancestry–($)
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * Cindy Ford compiled an extensive list of Jefferson County Illinois Early Land Sales, which is available online, courtesy: Genealogy Trails.
 * Jefferson County, Illinois Early Land Sales and Land Grants available through USGENWEB
 * Federal Township Plats of Illinois

Local Histories

 * Continental Historical Bureau. History of Jefferson County, Illinois, 1810-1962. Mt. Vernon, Ill.: Continental Historical Bureau, 1962. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Perrin, William Henry. History of Jefferson County, Illinois. Chicago: Globe Pub. Co., 1883. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive.
 * Wall, John A. Wall's History of Jefferson County, Illinois. Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen &amp; Co., 1909. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive. Reprint: FHL Book 977.3793 H2w

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Civil War
Civil War service men from Jefferson 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 Jefferson County.


 * - 18th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 44th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * - 60th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C, D, G, and I.
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 110th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and G.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Records
 * 1800-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1856-1991 - Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry.com - index and images, ($)

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

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

To see a list of places in Jefferson 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.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images

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 Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Jefferson County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Abstracts


 * 1866-1927 Will record book indexes as found in Jefferson County, Illinois circuit court records Available through the Family History Library This book is also available through Other Libraries (WorldCat)
 * Flannigan, Misty. Will Book Index Jefferson County Illinois Record Book Index - A 1886-1898, courtesy: ILGenWeb

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

Family History Centers
Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Centralia Illinois Family History Center

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
IRAD is a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories managed by the Illinois State Archives, housing 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. Southern Illinois University houses the records for Jefferson County.

Public Libraries

 * C. E. Brehm Memorial Public Library District 101 South 7th Street Mt. Vernon, IL 62864 Phone 618-242-6322 Website

Societies

 * Jefferson County Genealogical Society PO Box 1131 c/o C.E. Brehm Memorial Library 101 S. 7th Street Mt. Vernon, IL 62864 Website
 * Jefferson County Historical Society 1411 N 27th St. Mt. Vernon, IL 62864 Phone 618-246-0033 E-mail:[mailto:jchsvip14@gmail.com jchsvip14@gmail.com] Facebook Website

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

Vital Records
See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois. See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Jefferson 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 Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Jefferson County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Births

 * 1877-1902 Index - IRAD (SIU)
 * 1877-1915 - IRAD (SIU)
 * 1870-1920 Index Delayed Birth certificates- IRAD (SIU)
 * 1870-1920 Delayed Birth certificates- IRAD (SIU)
 * 1867-1915 Birth certificates- IRAD (SIU)
 * 1877-1915 Births - First of 6 films; Index at ILGenWeb
 * 1877-1902 Birth index
 * 1867-1915 Birth certificates - First of 15 films
 * 1870-1920 Delayed birth certificates - First of 10 films
 * 1870-1920 Delayed birth certificate index -

Marriages

 * 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810–1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1819-1850 Jefferson County, Illinois marriages
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1891-1916 Index - IRAD (SIU)
 * 1819-1916 - IRAD (SIU)
 * 1819-1916 Marriages - First of two films
 * 1891-1916 Marriage index -
 * To-1850 Illinois Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry–($);Index, INCOMPLETE
 * 1851-1900 Illinois Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry–($);Index, INCOMPLETE
 * 1790-1860 Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860 at Ancestry–($);Index, INCOMPLETE
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)

There are several marriage collections at ILGenWeb.

Deaths

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1877-1902 Index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1877-1915 - IRAD (SIU)
 * 7 December 1877-1915 Death register Two Volumes;
 * 1877-1915 Death records
 * Pre-1916 Illinios Statewide Death index
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

Websites

 * Jefferson County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Jefferson County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Jefferson County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Jefferson County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)