White County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois White County

Guide to White County Illinois genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

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

Historical Facts
The first white settlers came in about 1806. White County was organized within the Illinois Territory by an act of the Territorial Legislature of 7 December 1815. The land was split off from Gallatin County. The county was named after Leonard White, a prominent citizen of Gallatin County.

Boundary Changes
Hamilton County was set off from White County in 1821.

Interactive map of White County boundary changes.

Townships and Election Precincts
The County Court (county commissioners, county government) met for the first time on 12 February 1816. They divided the county into three townships:


 * Prairie, beginning at the mouth of the Little Wabash River, up that river to the line between Townships 4 and 5 South, and along that line to the (Big) Wabash River.
 * Fox River, the part of the county north of the line dividing Townships 4 and 5 South and east of the Little Wabash River.
 * West, the part of the county west of the Little Wabash River.

In December 1819, the County Court divided the county into two townships, East and West, separated by the line between Ranges 7 and 8 East.

In 1830 there were four townships: Burnt Prairie, Mantua, Fox River, and Prairie.

Prior to 1871, the county had eight election precincts:


 * Indian Creek, comprising Township 6 South (T6S) Range 8 East (R8E) and the north half of T7S R8E.
 * Enfield, comprising the territory north of Indian Creek, south of the Skillet Fork, and west of Seven-Mile Creek.
 * Burnt Prairie, all the territory between the Skillet Fork and the Little Wabash River.
 * Carmi, east of Enfield, south of Skillet Fork on the west side of the Little Wabash River, and on the east side of the river south of Townships 27, 28, and 29 of T4S R10E, and extending south to Lick Creek, west of the river, and east of the river to the south line of Sections 27 and 30 of T5S R10E.
 * Grayville, east of Burnt Prairie, and south to the south line of Sections 9 and 12 of T4S R10E, the line extending eastward to the (Big) Wabash River.
 * Fox River, east of Carmi and south of Grayville to the south line of Sections 35 and 36 of T5S R14W.
 * Prairie, all south of Carmi and Fox River, and between the Little Wabash and (Big) Wabash Rivers.
 * Herald's Prairie, bounded on the north by Lick Creek, on the east by the Little Wabash River, on the south by the county line, and on the west by Indian Creek.

Township government was approved by popular vote in the fall of 1871, and the following ten townships were organized. These townships have not changed down to the present.


 * Indian Creek, same as the voting precinct.
 * Enfield, T5S R8E.
 * Burnt Prairie, T4S R9E and the south half of T3S R9E.
 * Carmi, T5S R9E.
 * Gray, T3S R14W and the south halves of T3S R10E and T3S R11E.
 * Herald's Prairie, T6S R9E and the north half of T7S R9E.
 * Mill Shoals, T4S R8E and the south half of T3S R8E.
 * Phillips, T4S R10E and T4S R11E, and T4S R14W.
 * Hawthorne, T5S R10E and T5S R11E, and T5S R14W.
 * Emma, T6S R10E and T6S R11E, the north half of T7S R10E and T7S R11E, and a small part of T8S R10E and T8S R11E.

Cemeteries
One of the best places to start White County cemetery searches are the two volumes of cemetery transcriptions published back in the 1950s.

The Illinois Cemeteries page provides general explanations of the following online White County resources:

Census
For information and 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, White County on page 188.]

Church Records
Information about early White County, Illinois churches may be found in the township histories section of a local history published in 1883, see:.


 * Gifford, Linda Darlene Brown. Antioch Church Records, Mill Shoals, Il., White Co., Il.: ca. 1867-1935. Fairfield, Ill.: Bland Books, 1984..
 * Hopewell Congregation. Church Records, 1819-1868. MSS. Copy: . WorldCat (Other Libraries). Contains bapts., 1819-1868 -- births, 1819-1851 -- marrs., 1819-1957 -- communicants; deaths, 1821-1867 -- and session minutes.

Baptist

 * Church and Family History Research Assistance for Primitive Baptist Churches in White County, Illinois
 * Lick Creek Primitive Baptist Church (Heralds Prairie Twp., Ill.). Church Records, 1820-1844. MSS. Copy:.
 * Little Wabash Primitive Baptist Church (Phillips Twp., Ill.). Membership Records, [1836]-1954. MSS. Copy:.
 * Mt. Hope Regular Baptist Church of Christ (Indian Creek Twp., Ill.). Church Records, 1846-1860. MSS. Copy:.
 * Mt. Sterling Predestinarian Baptist Church. Church Records, 1856-1888. MSS. Copy:.

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from four Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in White 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.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.


 * The History of St. Patrick's Parish, Enfield, Illinois 1839-1989 is available online.

Christian

 * Christian Church (Springerton, Ill.). Church History, 1855-1955. Typescript. Copy:.
 * White House Church or Pleasant Hill (Bridgeport, Ill.). WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Evangelical

 * German Evangelical Church (Grayville, Ill.). Church Records, 1856-1919. MSS. Copy:.

Methodist

 * Big Prairie Methodist Church (Hawthorne Twp., Ill.). Church Records, 1881-1944. MSS. Copy:.
 * Concord United Methodist Church (Emma, Ill.). Concord United Methodist Church: Homecoming and Worship Celebration. 2000. WorldCat (Other Libraries)
 * First United Methodist Church (Carmi, Ill.). Church Records, 1898-1932. MSS. Copy: FHL
 * Frazier, William and C. William Fechtig. Maunie United Methodist Church: Homecoming and Worship Celebration, 100 Years Plus, October 29, 2000. 2000?. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Presbyterian

 * Burnt Prairie Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Church Records, 1869-1945. MSS. Copy:.
 * Delap, Sam L. and Harve E. Delap. History of Mount Oval Cumberland Presbyterian Church 1869-1969. 1969. Free digital copy at Issuu. Includes transcript of 100s of burials at the church's cemetery.
 * First Presbyterian Church (Enfield, Ill.). Church Records, 1868-1896. MSS. Copy:.
 * Land, Margaret D. et al. Presbyterianism in White County. Typescript. Copy:.
 * Mt. Olive Cumberland Presbyterian Church historical statistics and information are available online.
 * Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Burnt Prairie, Ill.). Church Records, 1823-1830. MSS. Copy:.

Quaker

 * Records: White Lick, Union Grove/Lamong, Chicago, Fairview and Beech Grove/Valley Mills Monthly Meetings. WorldCat (Other Libraries)

Reorganized LDS

 * Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Springerton Branch. Church Records, 1873-1918. MSS. Copy:.

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 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 White County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.


 * 1816–1834; 1848–1855 Vaught, Harriet B. Circuit Court index book A, B, 1816-1834; index book E, 1848-1855. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1970.
 * 1860–1888 Vaught, Harriet B. Index to White County court papers, White County, Illinois, 1860-1888. Carni, Illinois : H.B. Vaught, [198-?]. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1842–1859 Vaught, Harriet B. White County, Illinois, records, 1842-1859. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1976.

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

Genealogy

 * Rudolph, C.F. (Mrs.) Illinois White County Genealogical Records: Jacob Christopher Rudolph -- Stokes and Allied Families 1201-1946. n.p.: Illinois D.A.R., 1946. Digital version at Ancestry ($). Another digital version at Ancestry ($).

History

 * Every Name Index to History of White County, Illinois. Every Name Index compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2010; original text by Inter-State Publishing Company, 1883; republished in 1954 just in time for Carmi's sesquicentennial celebration in 1966, subsequent reproduction was in 1973.  EveryNameIndex.com

A variety of early White 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.

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

General


 * 1987 Rockford Map Publishers. Land atlas and plat book, White County, Illinois, 1987. Rockford, Illinois: Rockford Map Publishers, c1987. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * Boyd, Gregory A. Family maps of White County, Illinois: with homesteads, roads, waterways, towns, cemeteries, railroads, and more; 3 maps per township, [1] homesteads and other land patents, [2] roads, [3] rivers, creeks and railroads [and cemeteries]. Norman, Oklahoma: Arphax Pub. Co., c2005. 71649169 Other libraries (WorldCat) The publisher's bookstore includes a free surname index.

Abstracts


 * 1814–1854 Davis, Patricia S. Index to Harriet Vaught's Early land grants of White County, Illinois, 1814-1854 and probate index, 1818-1976. Marion, Illinois : Patricia S. Davis, c1995. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1814–1854 Vaught, Harriet B.Early land grants of White County, Illinois, 1814-1854, probate index, 1818-1976. [Carmi, Ill.]: Vaught, [1980?]. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1816–1854 Illinois. State Archives Division, and White County Historical Society. Original land grants, White County, Illinois. Carmi, Illinois: White County Historical Society (Illinois), 1992. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1871 Westbrook, J. B. Map of White County, Illinois [1871] [S.l.] : J.B. Westbrook, 1871. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1842–1859 Vaught, Harriet B. White County, Illinois, records, 1842-1859. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1976.

Copies of Original Records


 * 1816–1886 Grantee and grantor index
 * 1816–1886 Deeds
 * 1814–1970 Deeds index; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1816–1928 Deed record; IRAD (SIU)
 * 1852–1957 Land records
 * 1853–1857 Swamp land record; IRAD (SIU)

Online Resources


 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * White County Federal Township Plats

Civil War
Civil War service men from White 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 White County.


 * - 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies E and G.
 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
 * - 26th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 29th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, D, and G
 * - 40th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 56th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and F.
 * - 62nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 87th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, C, F, G, I and K.
 * - 98th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
 * - 120th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1860–1898 Some naturalization and citizenship records for White County are included in . Click on the browse through images link, select White County, and select Naturalization and Citizenship.

Probate Records
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 White County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Abstracts


 * 1818–1976 Davis, Patricia S. Index to Harriet Vaught's Early land grants of White County, Illinois, 1814-1854 and probate index, 1818-1976. Marion, Illinois: Patricia S. Davis, c1995. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1818–1976 Vaught, Harriet B.Early land grants of White County, Illinois, 1814-1854, probate index, 1818-1976. [Carmi, Ill.]: Vaught, [1980?]. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1976–1979; 1961–1981 [probate index; wills index] Vaught, Harriet B. and Dorothy E. Wallace. Marriages from White County, Illinois. [Illinois? : s.n.], 1950-[198-?] Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1976–1979; 1961–1981 Davis, Patricia S. Index to Harriet Vaught's marriages from White County, Illinois. Marion, Illinois: P.S. Davis, c1996. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1816–1848 White County Historical Society. Early White County, Illinois wills, 1816-1848. Carmi (Ill.): White County Historical Society, 1998. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1816–1916 Davis, Patricia. Index to Harriet Vaught's White County, Ill. wills 1816-1916 and obituaries, naturalization papers, marriages in 1916. Marion, IL: P.S. Davis, pub. 1994. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1816–1916 Vaught, Harriet B. White County, Ill. wills, 1816-1916: also obituaries copied from Carmi Democrat-tribune. Other items also included: White County, Illinois, naturalization papers; marriages in 1916. S.l.: Vaught, [between 1970 and 1981]. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1822–1844 Cyrus, Carol. White County, Illinois Probate Journal, Volume B, 1822-1844, courtesy: ILGenWeb


 * 1843–1847 Cyrus, Carol. White County, Illinois Probate Journal 1843-1847, courtesy: ILGenWeb

Copies of Original Records


 * 1816–1969 Probate index
 * 1816–1914 Will Records ; IRAD (SIU) Search for White records How to use IRAD
 * 1820–1874 Probate journals
 * 1843–1848 Probate records
 * 1820–1914 The probate journals (1820–1885) and will records(1893–1914) for White County probate records are also available in . Click on the browse through images link, select White County, and select the record type you are interested in.

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

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 White County.

Public Libraries
White County Historical Society Mary Smith Fay Genealogy Library P.O. Box 121, 203 N. Church St. Carmi, IL 62821-0121 phone:618-382-8425 email: w.c.h.s-genealogy@hotmail.com Open Tue-Fri 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM Read information published about the society's holdings in The Carmi Times.; also The Carmi Times. Online Catalog

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

Societies
White County Historical Society Mary Smith Fay Genealogy Library P.O. Box 121, 203 N. Church St. Carmi, IL 62821-0121 phone:618-382-8425 email: w.c.h.s-genealogy@hotmail.com Open Tue-Fri 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM Read information published about the society's holdings in The Carmi Times.; also The Carmi Times. Online Catalog

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.

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the White 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.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository - Southern Illinois University (IRAD-SIU)

General

 * 1816–1916 Davis, Patricia. Index to Harriet Vaught's White County, Ill. wills 1816-1916 and obituaries, naturalization papers, marriages in 1916. Marion, IL: P.S. Davis, ©1994. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * Wheeler, Gertrude S. Genealogical records of McLean, White and Will Counties, Illinois. Salt Lake City: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1971.
 * 1914–1920 Hillyard, Clara Mae. Scrapbook of Clara Mae Hillyard, 1914-1920. Carmi, Illinois: Mary Smith Fay Genealogy Library, c2001.Other libraries (WorldCat)

Births
Copies of Birth Records


 * 1877–1916 Birth index
 * 1877–1916 Birth records and still births
 * 1865–1935 Birth index
 * 1865–1915 Births and delayed births
 * 1856–1915 Birth Certificates; IRAD-SIU
 * 1877–1916 Birth record; IRAD-SIU
 * 1856–1935 Birth record index; IRAD-SIU

Marriages
Abstracts of Marriage Records


 * 1816–1916 Davis, Patricia S. Index to Harriet Vaught's marriages from White County, Illinois. Marion, Illinois: P.S. Davis, c1996. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1816–1916 Vaught, Harriet B. Marriages from White County, Illinois. [Carmi, Ill.]: Vaught, [1980?]. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1816–1840 Bender, Lucy. Early settlers' records of White County, Illinois, marriages licences, 1816-1840. [S.l.] : Bender, 1936.


 * 1816–1844 Daughters of the American Revolution. Hopewell Congregation Church records, White County marriage records, 1816-1844. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1970.


 * 1816–1821 Harrelson, Ralph S. Marriages, information taken from original marriage documents &amp; old marriage record books relative to marriages celebrated in Hamilton County, Illinois, 1821-1870: also a record of marriages celebrated in White County, Illinois, 1816 through 1821. Carterville, Illinois: Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois, c1986. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1816–1840 Tindall, Emogene. White County, Illinois, marriages, 1816-1840. [S.l.: s.n.], 1983. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1816–1880 Davis, Patricia S. White County, Illinois marriages. Marion, Illinois : P.S. Davis, c1995. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1816–1840 Stephenson, James. Marriages from 1816 to 1840, Surnames A-K, Surnames L-Z, courtesy: ILGenWeb

Copies of Marriage Records


 * 1816–1918 Marriage records
 * 1874–1924 Index to Marriage records
 * 1816–1917 Marriage record; IRAD-SIU
 * 1874–1945 Marriage record index; IRAD-SIU

Online Resources


 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * 1790–1860 Illinois Marriage indexfound at Ancestry.com ($)

Deaths
Abstracts of Death Records


 * 1877–1902 Knotter, Janice Melton. White County Illinois death register: book 1– December 1877–September 1902: with lists of doctors and undertakers and explanation in medical terms. Carmi, Illinois: Genealogy Society of White County (IL), c2008. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Copies Death Records


 * 1850–1880 Mortality Schedules, courtesy: Ancestry ($)
 * 1878–1912 Index to deaths
 * 1878–1915 Death register
 * 1877–1915 Death record; IRAD_SIU
 * 1877–1912 Death record index; IRAD_SIU
 * 1877–1916 Death record, stillbirths; IRAD_SIU

Online Resources


 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950

Web Sites

 * EveryNameIndex.com  Free online genealogy indexes for those big old county histories.
 * White County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)