McLean County, Illinois Genealogy

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

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

Historical Facts
The county was named for John McLean, a pioneer lawyer, Territorial judge, first Representative in Congress from Illinois (1818), and United States Senator (1824-1825).

Parent County

 * 1830--McLean County was created 25 December 1830 from Tazewell County and unorganized territory.

County seat:Bloomington

Description
The county was named for John McLean, a pioneer lawyer, territorial judge, first Representative in Congress from Illinois (1818) and United States Senator (1824/1825). The county seat is Bloomington and the county was organized on 25 Dec 1830. The County is located in the West Central area 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.

Eastern Part


 * 1827-1830 Shelby


 * 1821-1827 Fayette


 * 1819-1821 Clark


 * 1816-1819 Crawford


 * 1815-1816 Edwards

Western Part


 * 1827-1831 Tazewell


 * 1825-1827 Peoria


 * 1821-1825 Sangamon


 * 1817 - 1821 Bond


 * 1812-1821 Madison


 * 1801-1812 St. Clair


 * 1790-1801 Knox, Northwest Territory

Record Loss
1900 A courthouse fire on 19 June destroyed or damaged records.

Biography

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a McLean County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of McLean County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.
 * Family Biographies from The History of McLean County, Illinois (1879) published by Wm. LeBaron, Jr. Co. are available free on the My Genealogy Hound website.
 * McLean County Biography Bibliography  WorldCat

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on McLean county cemeteries.


 * Evergreen Cemetery (Bloomington) is a 80 plus acre cemetery from the 1820's. It is the final resting place of some prominent MCLean County individuals, including Adlai Stevenson I, baseball player Charles "Ol Hoss" Radbourne, David Davis, Supreme Court Judge and friend of Abe Lincoln, and Dorothy Gage, the inspiration for the Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.


 * ePodunk list of McLean 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, McLean County on page 187.]

Church Records
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Cemetery, Church and Family Records of Illinois. by Daughters of the American Revolution. item 5

West Twin Grove Christian Church, Bloominton, Illinois: membership and board meetings, 1847-1908. transcribed by Gerald W. Kattke. item 12. FHL Book 977.359 K2k

Bloomington Methodist Church. by McLean County Historical Society WorldCat

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.

McLean County Circuit Court, 104 West Front Street, Bloomington, IL 61701

website: Mclean Countyil Government Circuit Court

This website gives information regarding vital records, court records, immigration and property records.

The Circuit Clerk's office has an on line database of immigration records which was done with the assistance of the McLean County Genealogical Society.

The court has one of the more extensive collections of original court records in the state.

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

History
E. Duis, The Good Old Times in McLean County

The History of McLean County, Illinois: containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &amp;c., portraits of early settlers and prominent men, general statistics, map of McLean County, history of Illinois, illustrated, history of the Northwest, illustrated, constitution of the United States, miscellaneous matters, &amp;c., &amp;c. Chicago: Wm. LeBaron, Jr., &amp; Co., 1879.

Portrait and Biographical Album of McLean County, Ill.: containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, together with Portraits and Biographies of all the Governors of Illinois and of the Presidents of the United States. Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1887.

The Biographical Record of McLean County, Illinois. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1899.

Hasbrouck, Jacob Louis. History of McLean County, Illinois. 2 vols. Topeka: Historical Publishing Co., 1924. Volume 1. Volume 2.

A variety of early McLean County genealogical records are transcribed in:


 * McLean County, White County, Will County Genealogical Records. Evanston, Ill.?: Illinois Society, D.A.R.?, 1945?. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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.

1909-1926 Coal Mine Maps - IRAD-ISU

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * Township Map of 1870 McLean County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)

Military Records
For information about using Military records see Illinois Military Records

Revolutionary War
1835 Revolutionary War Pensioners

War of 1812
Custer, Milo Soldiers of the Revolution and the War of 1812 buried in McLean County, Illinois (bloomington, Illinois Bloomington Norman Genealogical Society, 1969) pages 25 FHL Book 977.359 V22

Military Land Grants McLean CountyIllinois for Soldiers of the War of 1812 - USGenWeb

Blackhawk War
Captain M.L.Covell's Company- USGenWeb

Captain Robert McClure's Company- USGenWeb

Civil War
Civil War service men from McLean 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 McLean County.

Cavalry


 * - 1st Regiment, Illinois Cavalry - Company A
 * - 3rd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I
 * - 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G, and Company L
 * - 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C

Infantry


 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company K.
 * - 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
 * - 24th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months), Company K
 * - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 years), Company K
 * - 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
 * - 24th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B
 * - 26th Regiment, Illinois Infantry,  Company K
 * - 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, Company C, and Company G
 * - 37th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G
 * - 39th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B, and  Company K.
 * - 58th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G
 * - 62nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, (part of Kentucky Brigade) Company H
 * - 63rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D
 * - 68th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F, and Company G
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H
 * - 82nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E
 * - 94th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, Company B, Company C, Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G, Company H, Company I, and Company K.
 * - 116th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F
 * - 117th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A
 * - 145th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B, Company I, and Company K
 * - 146th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G
 * - 150th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A, and Company B
 * - 152nd regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B, and Company C
 * - 8th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company E

Soldiers of the Revolution and the War 1812 Buried in McLean County, Illinois. by Milo Custer item 4 FHL book: 977.359 V22c   Also Online at Internet Archives

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)

A list of GAR Post in Illinoisadditional site for post in Illinois; Library of Congress

[http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/mclean/military/civilwar/rosters/garchase611nmt.txt Chas. E. Hovey Post,] Normal 1913 - USGenWeb

Chenoa Post, Cheona1913 - USGenWeb

H.W. Wood Post, McLean 1913 - USGenWeb

Thomas Riddle Post, Le Roy 1913 - USGenWeb

W. T. Sherman Post, Bloomington 1913 - USGenWeb

Indian Wars
Military Land Grantsin McLean County, Illinois for Soldiers of the Indian Wars - USGenWeb

World War I
McLean County, Illinois in the World War, 1917-1918

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

World War II
Army Casualties  Part 1  U.S. Natiional Archives and Records Administration

Army Casualties Part 2  U.S. National Archives and records Administration

Naturalization
Original naturalization records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Naturalization Records for more information about using naturalization records.

The following copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for McLean County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

The website of the McLean County Circuit Clerk includes a free online naturalization index (produced with the help of the McLean County Genealogical Society).

1853-1965 Naturalization Abstracts. by Phyllis Abner and McLean County Genealogical Society items 4-6 FHL book: 977.359 P4n

Online Records


 * 1800-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers and Obituaries
Newspapers Published in McLean County

Chronicling America Library of Congress

1850-1870  Central Illinois Obituaries,

1871-1880  Central Illinois Obituaries

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images
 * 1834 - 1900 Illinois Will & Probate Records Index at genealogytrails.com -- index
 * 1834 - 1934 McLean County Probate Record Index -- index

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 Illinois State University (ISU) - search for McLean County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

1834-1934 Probate Record -IRAD-ISU

1838-1940 Probate Will Record -IRAD-ISU

1850-1928 Probate Inventory Record - IRAD-ISU

1862-1939 Probate Dockets - IRAD-ISU

1866-1944 Probate Executor's Record IRAD-ISU

1881-1965 Probate Guardian's and Conservator's Account Record - IRAD-ISU


 * 1831-1946 Index to Probate Records, McLean County, Illinois. by Nola G. Marquardt

Repositories
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. Illinois State University houses the records for McLean County.

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

Family History Centers
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States) and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy. Currently there are no Family History Centers located directly in McLean County.

You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site. The following centers are located in surrounding counties. Their wiki pages may supply hours and other information.


 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Normal Illinois 1st & 2nd Family History Center

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
Illinois State Universtiy 2016 Warehouse Road Campus Box 1520 Normal, Illinois 61802 Phone: 1-309-452-6027

Illinois Regional Archives Depository System - Local Governmental Records Listings Arranged by County

Public Libraries
McLean County Public Libraries

McLean County Libraries

Societies
McLean County Museum of History Mailing adddress: P. O. Box 488 Normal, IL 61761 Telephone Number: 309-827-0428 Website Physical location: 200 N. Main St. Bloomington, IL 61701 The McLean County Historical Society was renamed the McLean County Museum of History and is located in the Old Courthouse.

Lexington Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc 318 West Main Street Lexington, Illinois 61753 Telephone Number: 309-365-4591 E-mail:[mailto:thefortoflex@aol.com mcmuseum@frontier.com] Website

Taxation
1898-2001 Inheritance Tax Record IRAD-ISU

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.

The website of the McLean County Clerk's Office explains how to order copies of birth, marriage, and death records.

Birth

 * 1860-1900 Birth Index - IRAD-ISU. Available at the Family History Library items 3-9. FHL book: 977.359 V21b
 * 1877-1902 Birth Record - IRAD-ISU. Available at the Family History Library
 * 1860-1915 Birth Index Search on the McLean County Clerk Office's website.

Marriage

 * 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810–1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index

Death

 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1877-1900 Death Record - IRAD-ISU. Available at the Family History Library


 * 1878-1899 Death Index Cards. McLean County Clerk.


 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916


 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950

Websites

 * McLean County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * McLean County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

Databases Pertinent to McLean County Local Governmental Records Database Name Index to Illinois Local Governments Illinois Statewide Marriage Index Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916–1950 Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database Federal Township Plats of Illinois McLean County Probate Record Index (1834–1934)


 * McLean County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * McLean County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)

Townships
Allin Anchor Arrowsmith Bellflower Bloomington Blue Mound Cheney's Grove Chenoa Cropsey Dale

Danvers Dawson Downs Dry Grove Empire Funk's Grove Gridley Hudson Lawndale Lexington

Martin Money Creek Mount Hope Normal Old Town Randolph Towanda West White Oak Yates

Populated Places
Anchor Arrowsmith Bellflower Bloomington Carlock Chenoa Colfax Cooksville

Danvers Downs Ellsworth Gridley Heyworth Hudson Le Roy Lexington

Merna McLean Normal Saybrook Shirley Stanford Towanda

Neighboring Counties

 * Champaign
 * DeWitt
 * Ford
 * Livingston
 * Logan
 * Piatt
 * Tazewell
 * Woodford