Illinois, Hancock County, Nauvoo Community Project, 1839-1846 (BYU Center for Family History and Genealogy) - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The Nauvoo Community Project was started by the Brigham Young University Center for Family History and Genealogy to identify residents of Nauvoo, Illinois from 1839 to 1846. The data in this collection on FamilySearch is periodically updated, but more frequent updates can be found on the project's homepage.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * The name of your relative
 * The birth date and birth place
 * The names of parents
 * The name of spouse
 * The death date and death place

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The time period in which they were in Nauvoo

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the information to find other vital records such as birth, marriage, and death
 * Use the information to find additional family members in census records
 * Search for land and probate records
 * Search church records for the family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names, or even initials

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Illinois.
 * Illinois Guided Research
 * Illinois Record Finder
 * Illinois Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Illinois Research, 1880-Present

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Glen M. Leonard. Nauvoo, a place of peace, a people of promise.Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book, c2002 FHL 977.343/N1 K2L
 * Fred E. Woods. Gathering to Nauvoo. American Fork, Utah : Covenant Communications, c2001 FHL 977.343/N1 K2w
 * Kip Sperry. Nauvoo and Hancock County, Illinois : a guide to family history and historical sources.'' Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book, c2014 FHL 977.343/N1 H2s

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Mormon Migration Database, 1840-1932
 * Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Andrew Jensen. Church chronology : a record of important events pertaining to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret News, 1914
 * Andrew Jensen. Day by day with the Utah pioneers, 1847 : a chronological record of the trek across the plains ; a revision of the account published April 6, 1897 to July 24, 1897 in the Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah : Salt Lake Tribune, 1934
 * Andrew Jensen. Encyclopedic history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah : Corp. of the Pres. of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1941
 * Andrew Jensen. The Historical record : a monthly periodical devoted exclusively to historical, biographical, chronological and statistical matters. v.5-9 Salt Lake City, Utah : Andrew Jenson, 1882-1890

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.