Douglas County, Illinois Genealogy

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

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

Historical Facts
Douglas County was named for Stephen A. Douglas who was an American politician and was a candidate for United States President in 1860. He lost to Abraham Lincoln.

Description
The county was named for Stephen A. Douglas, then United States Senator from Illinois. The county seat is Tuscola and the county was organized on 1857. The County is located in the Central part of the state.

Parent County

 * 8 February 1859: Douglas County was created from Coles County.

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.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places / Localities
To see a list of places in Douglas County, click on [Show] in the bar, above. The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

Biography
The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Douglas County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Douglas County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Federal
For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.

Evangelical and Reformed

 * 1861-1885 - Zion's Evangelical and Reformed Church, Arthur, Baptism Index 1861-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches and.
 * 1865-1895 - Zion's Evangelical and Reformed Church, Arthur, Marriage Index 1865-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches and.

United Church

 * 1871-1885 - Atwood United Church, Atwood, Baptism Index 1871-1885 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches and.
 * 1871-1895 - Atwood United Church, Atwood, Marriage Index 1871-1895 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches and.

Directories
USGenWeb, Douglas County, Illinois (ILGenWeb), Prairie Farmer's Reliable Directory of Douglas County, Illinois, 1918.

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
The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Douglas County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Douglas County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

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 online, through the Family History Library


 * [No land and property record holdings noted in IRAD-EIU Douglas County Listing.] Search for Douglas County records. Information about how to use IRAD


 * 1839-1910 Deed indexes First of 21 films.
 * 1856-1891 Deeds First of 21films

Online Resources


 * 1796-1907U.S General Land Office Records at Ancestry–($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Recordsat Ancestry–($)
 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database. Also available at Ancestry ($)
 * Douglas County Federal Township Plats
 * Federal Township Plats of Illinois
 * 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.

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)


 * Douglas County Federal Township Plats

Military History and Records
The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Clark County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Clark County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Civil War

 * Civil War service men from Douglas 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 Douglas County.


 * - 13th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies G and H.
 * - 21st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
 * - 25th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 54th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 55th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 57th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
 * - 79th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, E, G, and K.
 * - 135th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company G.
 * - 149th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company F.
 * - 154th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.


 * Soldiers discharge record, 1865-1890, 1919-1950 Book A 1865-1890 Book B 1919-1950 Book C 1940-1945

World War I

 * Soldiers discharge record, 1865-1890, 1919-1950 Book A 1865-1890 Book B 1919-1950 Book C 1940-1945

World War II

 * Soldiers discharge record, 1865-1890, 1919-1950 Book A 1865-1890 Book B 1919-1950 Book C 1940-1945

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Records
 * 1800-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Arthur Graphic-Clarion - full-text digital issues in Google News Archive; covers 1953-2009

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:

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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


 * See Illinois Probate Records for more information.


 * 1869-1927 Wills and Probates First of 2 films.

County Courthouse
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Douglas County are kept, see the Douglas 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. Some microfilms may be available at local family history centers. 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 Douglas County, Illinois:

Champaign Illinois Family History Center 604 W Windsor Rd Champaign, Champaign, Illinois Phone: 217-352-8063 Hours: Thur-Sat 9:30-12:30pm; Thur 7pm-9pm; or by appt

Danville Illinois Family History Center  1941 N Bowman Ave Danville, Vermilion, Illinois Phone: 217-446-5887 Hours: Sat 9:30am-2pm

Decatur Illinois Family History Center 3955 Lourdes Ln Decatur, Macon, Illinois Phone: 217-875-9396 Hours: T, Sat 10am-3pm; Th 6pm-9pm 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 Douglas 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.

Libraries
Arcola Public Library 407 E Main Arcola, IL 61910-1513 (217) 268-4477 Arthur Public Library 225 S Walnut Arthur, IL 61911-1269 (217) 543-2037  Camargo Township District Library 14 N Main St Villa Grove, IL 61956-1517 (217) 832-5211  Newman Regional Library District 101 W Yates St Newman, IL 61942 (217) 837-2412  Tuscola Public Library 112 E Sale St Tuscola, IL 61953-1496 (217) 253-3812

Vital Records
See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.

Births

 * 1860-1917 Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Douglas records. How to use IRAD
 * 1860-1885, 1896-1899 - Douglas County Birth Index 1860-1885 and 1896-1899 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1877-1901 - IRAD-EIU Search for Douglas records. How to use IRAD
 * 1859-1915 Birth index
 * 1877-1918 Birth register and certificates One of 3 films.
 * Arthur Local Registrar's Birth Cerificates Index (1868-1925)

Marriages

 * 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810–1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1857-1899 - Douglas County Marriage Index 1857-1899 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1859-1980 Marriage index
 * 1857-1911 Marriage record One of 4 films.
 * 1859-1879 Marriages and
 * 1859-1980 Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Douglas records. How to use IRAD
 * 1859-1911 - IRAD-EIU Search for Douglas records. How to use IRAD
 * Illinois Statewide Marriage Index

Deaths

 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 (No data for Douglas County as of Aug 2011. Check back again as records are being added.)
 * Early to 1917 Death index One of 2 films.
 * 1877-1902, 1917 - Douglas County Death Index 1877-1902 and 1917 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free. Batches and.
 * 1877-1902 Death register
 * 1877-1895 Stillbirth register
 * 1916-1947 
 * 1877-1917 Index - IRAD-EIU Search for Douglas records. How to use IRAD
 * 1877-1900 - IRAD-EIU Search for Douglas records. How to use IRAD
 * 1877-1899 Stillbirths - IRAD-EIU Search for Douglas records. How to use IRAD
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates

Websites
Databases pertinent to Douglas County


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


 * Local Governmental Records Database IRAD
 * Name Index to Illinois Local Governments IRAD
 * USGenWeb Project, Douglas County, Illinois (ILGenWeb)
 * Douglas County, Illinois genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Douglas County, Illinois genealogy and history presented by Illinois Genealogy Trails. This website includes biographies, births, cemeteries, death records, family bibles, county histories, marriages, military, obituaries, and newspaper gleanings.