Fayette County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Description
Fayette County was named for Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, the famous French General who fought for the colonies in the Revolutionary War. The county seat is Vandalia and the county was organized on February 14, 1821. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Fayette County Courthouse 221 S 7th St Vandalia, IL 62471 Phone: 618-283-5009 Fayette County Courthouse County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Fayette County are kept, see the Fayette 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:

Biographies

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Fayette County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Fayette 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.

 Federal

 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, Fayette County on page 186-187.

Church Records
Timeline of early churches in Fayette County For an list of current churches in Fayette County with links to their websites Click Here.
 * 1818 - Methodists were preaching in the county since the state was admitted to the Union.
 * 1824 - Methodist church and grave yard in Sharon Twp
 * 1825 - Methodists first preach in Wilberton Twp.
 * 1828 - First Presbyterian Church organized in Vandalia
 * 1830 -Regular Baptists organized a church in Otego Twp
 * 1831 - Methodist church first built in Vandalia
 * Early 1830s - Baptist put up first church in Hurricane Twp. They were followed by Iniversalists and Methodists
 * 1834 - Methodists organized in Sefton Twp.
 * 1836 - Baptists built first church house in Wilberton Twp.
 * 1843 - Methodists organized in Otego Twp, though a preacher had been there since 1825.
 * 1844 - Lutheran Churchwith both English and German members organized in Vandalia
 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1846 - Presbyterians organized in Otego Twp.
 * 1846 - Regulat Baptists was the first church organized in Ramsey Twp. followed by Methodists the same year.
 * 1846 - German Methdists gained strength in Sefton Twp.
 * 1850 - First Church in Shelbyville, Aventa Twp. built by Methodists though the first sermons were probably preached on homes in early to mid 1830s
 * 1851 Lutheran Church in Wheatland Twp. By then there were other churches in the townshp - German Reformed, Methodist, United Brethern, and Christian Churches.
 * 1851 - Christian Church organized in Ramsey Twp.
 * 1850s - Church building erected in Kaskaskia Twp. that served Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians
 * 1855 - Catholics built a church in Avanta Twp.
 * 1857 - Cumberland Presbyterians organized in Lone Grove Twp.folloef by other dchurches in that twp.
 * 1859 - Methodist church organized in La Clede, La Clede Twp., though first preachers were Baptists in the mid 1830s.
 * 1867 - Catholics organized in Ramsey Twp.
 * 1875 - Comberland Presbyterians organized in La Clede Twp.
 * 1894 - Baptist Church established in Vandaila

 List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Original court records are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Court Records for more information about using court records. The following copies of original records may be accessed through the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Fayette County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1821-1861 Circuit Clerk's Miscellaneous FilesIRAD-UIS
 * 1831-1860 Circuit Court Fee Books IRAD-UIS
 * 1836-1842 Circuit Court Dockets IRAD-UIS
 * 1839-1870 Justice of the Peace Dockets IRAD-UIS
 * 1847-1858 Jury Registers IRAD-UIS

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

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. The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed online, through the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Fayette County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1821-1970 Deed Index IRAD-UIS
 * 1821-1972 Deed record IRAD-UIS
 * 1852-1857 Swamp land record IRAD-UIS
 * 1852-1865 Swamp land record
 * BLM GLO Records. Search original land patents for Fayette County from the Government Land Office (GLO) or Eastern States Office. Some searches include images of the original warrants. All search results include the patant details needed for requesting copies of the land entry files at the National Archives. The GLO is the custodian of millions of land title documents. The General Land Office Automated Records Project is responsible for making these important documents available to the public.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales. The Illinois State Archives has an online index to the records of Public land sales held by the State Archives. The indexes are by purchasers name and by legal description. This is a statewide collection with nearly 550,000 land sales fro 54740 square miles.
 * "Illinois Public Land Purchase Records" 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. Available at ancestry.com ($)
 * "U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796 to 1907:" Available at ancestry.com Records of Illinois are among the 13 states included in this set. It includes images of the land patents which contain the information necessary for ordering the complete case files from the National Archives. This appears to be the same information that is online at the Federal Land Office site U.S. General Land Office Records.
 * Sheldon, Theodore. Land registration in Illinois. Chicago: Callaghan Co., 1901. Digital book. Expains the laws regarding land and the land systems used in Illinois. Includes court cases involving land issues. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1788-1940 Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * 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 Fayette 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 Fayette County.
 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company F.
 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company H.
 * - 11th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company E.
 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company F.
 * - 35th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, G, H and K.
 * - 38th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 41st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 54th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 62nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 68th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 97th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies F, H and I.
 * - 143rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company E.

 World War I
 * Fayette County in the World War

Naturalization and Citizenship
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 ($)

Probate Records
Original probate records are held by the Fayette. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records. For more information see the wiki page Illinois Probate Records.Few probate records are held at IRAD for Christian County. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS. The following copies are available at IRAD–UIS and in the FamilySearch Catalog.

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
 * 1821-1848 Probate Court Records Online images. Browse for Fayette records.
 * 1847-1884 Probate Records Online images. Browse for Fayette records.
 * 1858 Probate Fee Books IRAD–UIS
 * 1859-1917 Will Record Online images. Browse for Fayette records.
 * 1859-1922 Will Record
 * 1867-1869 Executors' Records Online images. Browse for Fayette records.
 * 1879-1908 Will Execute Record Online images. Browse for Fayette records.
 * 1885-1894 Guardian Records Online images. Browse for Fayette records.
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

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

Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth (1860) and death (1878) certificates are kept by the Fayette 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 kept by the County Clerk from 1877 to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. Copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Universtiy of Illinois–Springfield(UIS). Search Fayette County records in the Local Governmental Records Holdings Database. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD–UIS Wiki page. found in the FamilySearch Catalog.

Birth

 * 1860-1925 Birth Records index available at UIS IRAD Region search for Fayette County
 * 1860-1921 Birth Certificates available at UIS IRAD Region search for Fayette county
 * 1877-1917 Birth and Death Records index available at UIS IRAD Region search for Fayette County
 * 1877-1917 Birth Records available at UIS IRAD Region search for Fayette county

Marriage

 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1821-1900 Statewide Marriage Index Free Online Index. Search for Fayette Records.
 * 1821-1874 Marriage Index. Free online Book at Internet Archive.
 * 1821-1850 Illinois Marriages at Ancestry ($)
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1821-1964 Marriage Record Index at UIS IRAD Region search for Fayette records
 * 1827-1964 Marriage Record Index at UIS IRAD Region search for Fayette records

Death

 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-1880 U.S. Federal Mortality Schedules. Search for Fayette County. Ancestry ($)
 * 1877-1917 Birth and Death Records index available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Fayette County
 * 1877-1925 Death Records Index Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Fayette County
 * 1877-1915 Death record Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Fayette County
 * 1878-1920 Death Certificates Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Fayette County
 * 1878-1920 Burial Permit Record (Vandalia City) Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Fayette County
 * 1902-1949 Death Certificates (Vandalia City) Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Fayette County
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Statewide Death Index Search for Fayette County.
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index

Archives
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. The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) houses the records for Fayette County. The link will help you find and use the records. The address is:
 * Illinois Regional Archives Depository Room 144 University of Illinois at Springfield Region One University Plaza Springfield, Illinois 62703-5407 Phone: 217-206-6520

FamilySearch Centers

 * Alton Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Centralia Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Litchfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * O'Fallon Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Six Mile Regional Library District - Johnson Branch - an affiliate library

Libraries
Evans Public Library District 215 South Fifth Street Vandalia, IL 62471 Phone: 618-283-2824 Website The Fayette County Genealogical & Historical Society's books are housed at the Evans Public Library. Ramsey Public Library 401 South Superior Ramsey, IL 62080 Phone: 618-423-2019 St. Elmo Public Library District 311 West Cumberland Road St. Elmo, IL 62458 Phone: 618-829-5544 Email: [mailto:Librarian@stelmolibrary.org Librarian@stelmolibrary.org] Website

Societies
Fayette County Genealogical & Historical Society PO Box 177 Vandalia, IL 62471 Phone: 618-423-2625 Email: [mailto:faycoilgen@gmail.com faycoilgen@gmail.com] Website Vandalia Historical Society 315 W. Gallatin Vandalia, IL 62471 Phone: 618-283-1161 Email: [mailto:vandaliahistoricalsociety@yahoo.com vandaliahistoricalsociety@yahoo.com]

Websites

 * Fayette IL GenWeb
 * Fayette 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.