Lawrence County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Lawrence County

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

Historical Facts


Lawrence County is named for Captain James Lawrence who was mortally wounded while commanding the USS Chesapeake in the War of 1812. He is best known for his dying command "Don't give up the ship!"

Parent County

 * 1821--Lawrence County was created 16 January 1821 from Crawford and Edwards Counties.

County seat: Lawrenceville

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

Neighboring Counties

 * Crawford
 * Knox County, Indiana
 * Richland
 * Wabash

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 Lawrence County and links to the information for the individuals buried there.


 * Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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.

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, Lawrence County on page 187.]

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from three Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Lawrence County available online. The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


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

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. 1821-present The original land and property records for Lawrence County are held by the County Recorder. See the info box above for contact information. The following copies are available:


 * 1821-1960 Deed Record IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records. Information about how to use IRAD
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database. Also available at Ancestry ($)
 * Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, Illinois.  Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., c2009.

Maps

 * Lawrence County Federal Township Plats

Military
Civil War Civil War service men from Lawrence 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 Lawrence County.


 * - 36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 61st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies H and K.
 * - 62nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
 * - 66th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 91st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.

Books


 * Satterthwaite, Geraldine, and Terry Warren. Civil War Men, Lawrence Co. Bridgeport, Ill. (?: G. Satterthwaite, 2000). A list of civil war young men from Lawrence county taken from the original County Civil War records that have been lost. Library with this book.

Probate Records
Illinois Probate Records for more information.

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

Linton Indiana Family History Center 1000 W Lone Tree Rd Linton, Greene, Indiana Phone: 812-847-9044 Hours: Wed. 6 - 9 pm, Sat 9 - 2 Terre Haute Indiana Family History Center 1845 N 6 1/2 St Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana Phone: 812-234-0269 Hours: Tue 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. Closed: Mondays after 6:00 p.m., all major holidays, inclement weather, whenever Vigo schools are on delays or early dismissals. Attention: The Center is also available by appointment. Vincennes Indiana Family History Center 1940 N Old Hwy 41 Vincennes, Knox, Indiana Phone: 812-882-4022 Hours: T, Thu 9am-12:30pm, 5pm-8:30pm Closed: Closed 1 1/2 weeks for Christmas 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 Lawrence 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.

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

Vital Records
Illinois Vital Records for more information.

Births
1877–present The original Lawrence County birth records 1877- present are housed in the office of the County Clerk. The following copies are available:


 * 1889-1970 Birth Certificates - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1877-1923 Birth Record - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1877-1911 Birth Record Index – IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1890-1921 Birth Record Index, Delayed - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1896-1852 Birth Record, Corrected - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1882-1972 Birth Record, Delayed - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.

Marriages
1821–present The original Lawrence County marriage records 1821-present are housed in the office of the County Clerk. The following copies are available:


 * 1909–1971 Marriage License Applications - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1937-1970 Marriage Licenses - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1821–1937 Marriage Record - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1821-1970 Marriage Record Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.

The following abstracts are available:


 * 1835–1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 (1835-1900 for Lawrence County)

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


 * 1889–1907 Death Certificates - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records. How to use IRAD
 * 1888–1960 Death Certificates, Stillbirths - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1878-1972 Death Record - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1878-1927 Death Record Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.
 * 1902-1909 Death Reports - IRAD-EIU Search for Lawrence County records.

The following abstracts are available:


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

Web Sites
Databases pertinent to Lawrence County


 * Local Governmental Records Database IRAD
 * Name Index to Illinois Local Governments IRAD
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Lawrence County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Lawrence County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)