Morgan County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Morgan County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records. Illinois Online Genealogy Records

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

Historical Facts
Morgan County is named for Daniel Morgan who was a General of the Revolution and was one of the most gifted battlefield tacticians of the War.

Parent County

 * 1823--Morgan County was created 31 January 1823 from Sangamon County. County seat:  Jacksonville

Description
The county was named for General Daniel Morgan, who defeated the British at the Battle of Cowpens in the American Revolutionary War. The county seat is Jacksonville and the county was organized on January 31, 1823. 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.

Record Loss
1827 Fire burned the courthouse on 6 December and destroyed most records.

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:

Neighboring Counties

 * Brown
 * Cass
 * Greene
 * Macoupin
 * Pike
 * Sangamon
 * Scott

Biography

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

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, Morgan County on page 187.]


 * 1850 Census


 * –1850 Census of Morgan County, IL at Rootsweb : Free; Index.


 * 1860 Census


 * –1860 Census of Morgan county, IL at Rootsweb : Free; Index

Church History and Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Church records can give birth, death and marriage information as well as indictate family relationships. See Illinois state wiki article Church Records for more ideas about how to use church records in your research. The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Morgan County edition. This includes two chapters on Morgan County churches. Early rural churches are discussed beginning on page 665. Jacksonville churches are listed beginning on page 717. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

The FamilySearch Catalog lists records of several Morgan County congregations. Other libraries also hold copies of abstracted Morgan County church records. (How to explore WorldCat).

The following online abstracts are available: Non-Denominational Christian
 * 1826–1845  Name index to the Christian Messenger, a periodical of the Restoration Movement

Baptist
 * 1823–1837 Minutes of the Sangamon United (later Regular) Baptist Association - Courtesy of the Primitive Baptist Library of Carthage.
 * 1840 - Apple Creek Church MinutesLibrary of Congress.
 * 1918 First Baptist Church Members - Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.

Church of Christ
 * 1852–1871 Old Berea Church. - List of members. Courtesy of Illinois Trails.
 * 1852–1871 Old Berea Church. - List of members.Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.

Episcopal Lutheran
 * 1834–1879 Trinity Church - Membership, Baptism, Marriage and Death Records. Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.
 * 1851–1888 St. Paul's Lutheran Church, births and baptisms
 * 1863–1979 St. Paul's Lutheran Church deaths and burials - Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.

Methodist Episcopal
 * 18__?–1841 Record of church members - Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.

Presbyterian
 * 1855 - 1860 First Portuguese Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville, Illinois. List of members, their families, births, and baptisms. Courtesy of USGenWeb.
 * 1875–19002nd Portuguese Presbyterian Church - List of members. Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.
 * 1881–1890 2nd Portuguese Presbyterian Church - List of baptisms and some marriages. Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.

United Methodist
 * Great Rivers Conference Collection is housed at the Pheiffer Library on the campus of MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois. Some records are available online. Contact the archivist for more information.

Lauretta Scheller IGRC Archives Pfeiffer Library - MacMurray College 447 E. College Ave. Jacksonville, IL 62650 217-479-7694 Email: [mailto:igrcarchives@yahoo.com igrcarchives@yahoo.com]

Court Records
1850–1932 Morgan County Poor Farm Record Index IRAD–UIS Explore how to use IRAD.

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

Portuguese Immigration from Madeira
A large number of Portuguese immigrants from Madeira arrived in Jacksonville, Illinois in November of 1949, fleeing religious persecution. A synopsis of the events surrounding their immigration is contained in http://www.orgsites.com/il/jaghs/_pgg5.php3.

Land
Original land records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Land and Property for more information about using land records.


 * 1823–1907 Notarial Records Includes grantor and grantee indexes. Most books include a separate index.

Land and Property records in the FamilySearch Catalog may be searched by subject. Explore records.

IRAD land holdings for Morgan County include Land patents 1825 to 1833 and taxable land lists 1836 to 1861. See the IRAD-UIS wiki page on how to search IRAD records.

Online Resources


 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales. The Illinois State Archives has an online index to the records of Public land sales held by the State Archives. The indexes are by purchasers name and by legal description. This is a statewide collection with nearly 550,000 land sales fro 54740 square miles.
 * First index to Book B of Morgan County land records transcribed by Florance Huchison and online at GenWeb. Dates undetermined.
 * BLM GLO Records. Search original land patents for Morgan County from the Govenment Land Office (GLO) or Eastern States Office. Some searches include images of the original warrants. All search results include the patant details needed for requesting copies of the land entry files at the National Archives. The GLO is the custodian of millions of land title documents. The General Land Office Automated Records Project is responsible for making these important documents available to the public.


 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
 * Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
 * Morgan County Federal Township Plats
 * Sheldon, Theodore. Land registration in Illinois. Chicago: Callaghan Co., 1901. Digital book. Expains the laws regarding land and the land systems used in Illinois. Includes court cases involving land issues. In addition to being on Ancestry, this book is available online at no cost at Internet Archives and Google Books.

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
 * 
 * Federal Township Plat Map for Morgan County. Courtesy of IRAD–UIS
 * Township Map of 1870 Morgan County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Civil War
Civil War service men from Morgan 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 Morgan County.


 * - 6th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C.\
 * - 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies B and G.
 * - 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and B.
 * - 13th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G.
 * - 14th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * - 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K
 * - 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies F and K.
 * - 34th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
 * - 68th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
 * - 101st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, All Companies.
 * - 115th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
 * - 133rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company B.
 * - 145th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
 * - 149th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company G.
 * - 154th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 11th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I :- 9th Provisional Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company B :- 43rd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company I :- 43rd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company K :- 43rd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company L :- 43rd Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company M :- 60th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company B :- 60th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company C :- 60th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company G :- 60th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company I :- 1st Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company G


 * http://www.scattercreek.com/~normw/morgancopage.html  Meticuloulsy researched site produced by an individual researcher.  Lists all Illinois Civil War units with soldiers from Morgan County.  Provides individual files for each soldier serving in the 101ST Illinois Infantry.  Contains enlistment data, service record, marriage, census, pension index, children, death and burial records. A few pictures and obituaries were found.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Records


 * 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry - index and images, ($)


 * Index to Morgan County Naturalization Records Courtesy of the Morgan Area Genealogical Association.

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Warren Haley's abstracts of thousands of obituaries published in Jacksonville newspapers between 1976 and 1996 are available online, courtesy: Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images

Original Morgan County probate records are available at the Morgan County Courthouse. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records. See Illinois Probate Records wiki page for more information about using probate records. The following copies of probate records are available:


 * 1824–1929 Will Records, Morgan County. Each volume includes index. These records are available in FamilySearch Historical Records Collection (1824–1929)
 * 1866–1879, 1889–1894 Probate Records v. C and v. E

Available abstracts:


 * 1825–1837 Index to Earliest Wills, Will Book A Courtesy of USGenWeb
 * 1863–1870 Register of Decendents who Died Intestate from Administrators Bond book Courtesy of USGenWeb

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Decatur Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Jacksonville Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Litchfield Illinois FamilySearch Center
 * Springfield Illinois FamilySearch Center


 * Athens Municipal Library - an affiliate library
 * Chatham Area Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Vespasian Warner Public Library - an affiliate library

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.

The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) houses the records for Morgan County. The link will help you find and use the records. There address is:

Illinois Regional Archives Depository LIB144 University of Illinois at Springfield Region One University Plaza, MS BRK 140 Springfield, Illinois 62703-5407 217-206-6520

Libraries
Jacksonville Public Library

201 W. College Ave. Jacksonville, IL 62650 1–217-243-5435

Hours: M–Th 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Fri 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Special Collections Room: collection is closed stack, but books and records can be requested by staff any hours the libray is open. Collection includes city diretories, Morgan County atlas and plat books, cemetery indexes, local history vertical files.

Jacksonville Area Genealogical and Historical Society 416 South Main Street Jacksonville, Illinois 62650-2904 Phone: 1–217–245-9623 Call for library hours.

M-C River Valley Public Library District (no website) 304 Main Meredosia, IL 62665 1–217-584-1571

Wavery Public Library 291 North Pearl Street Waverly, Illinois 62692 1–217–435-2051

Societies

 * Jacksonville Area Genealogical and Historical Society PO Box 14 416 S Main St Jacksonville, IL 62651 Phone 217-245-9623 Email:[mailto:jaghs@frontier.com jaghs@frontier.com] Facebook Website
 * Meredosia Area Historical and Genealogical Society PO Box 304 Main Street Meredosia IL 62665 Phone 217-584-1356
 * Morgan Area Genealogical Association PO Box 84 Jacksonville 62651-0084 Email:[mailto:saleguas@speednet.com saleguas@speednet.com] Website
 * Morgan County Historical Society PO Box 913 ​Jacksonville, Illinois 62651 Facebook Website

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.

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded since 1878 are kept by the Morgan 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 kept by the County Clerk from 1827 to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk.

Copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) - search for Morgan County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page. In addtion, various abstracts and indexes are available as indicated.

Birth Records

 * 1858–1979 Birth Certificates 1858–1900. IRAD(UIS) How to search IRAD
 * 1858–1979 Birth Records, Index. IRAD(UIS)
 * 1858 - 1878 IRAD(UIS) Delayed Birth Records Morgan County IL 1858 - 1878
 * 1870–1910 Delayed Birth Records Murrayville Area Morgan County IL Courtesy of Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois.
 * 1870–1910 Morgan County Births 1880, transcribed from the Jacksonville Journal by Myra N. Martin. Courtesy of Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois.
 * 1870–1910 Waverly Delayed Birth Records Courtesy of Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois.

Marriage Records
Early marriages begin with license #181. Earlier records are lost because of a courthouse fire. The following copy of Morgan County records is available:


 * 1827–1943 Marriage record (includes index to 1939) IRAD(UIS) How to search IRAD

The following indexes to marriages in Morgan County are available:

Online Resources


 * 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1827-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 (Morgan County records begin in 1827)
 * 1827–1943 Marriage record (includes index to 1939)
 * 1827–1860 Daughters of the American Revolution. Marriage records of Morgan County, Illinois, book A-B. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1970. Typescript on film.
 * 1827–1900 Morgan county marriages in Illinois Marriages 1790 to 1860. Ancestry ($). Morgan County marriages start in 1827 in this collection. The source of this collection is films in the FamilySearch Library's collection.
 * 1827–1869 Hutchinson, Florence. Marriages, Morgan County, Illinois. Jacksonville, Illinois: Jacksonville Area Genealogical &amp; Historical Society, 19--. 10 vols.Other Libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1851–1900 Morgan County marriages in Illinois Marriages 1851 to 1900. Ancestry ($). The source of this collection is films in the FamilySearch Library's collection.
 * 1926–Jun 1938 Morgan County, Illinois Marriages 1926 - June 1938 (sorted by grooms) Free online index courtesy of Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois
 * 1926–Jun 1938 Morgan County, Illinois Marriages 1926 - June 1938 (sorted by brides)Free online index courtesy of Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois.

Death Records
The following copies of Morgan County records are available:


 * 1858-1938 Index to Deaths.
 * 1878-1939 Index to Deaths. IRAD(UIS)  How to search IRAD
 * 1878-1904 Death Register. IRAD(UIS) How to search IRAD
 * 1878-1922 Stillbirth Register. IRAD(UIS)

Online resources
 * 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry ($)
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHertitage($)
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
 * 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index, ($)

Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois offers the following free online death indexes:


 * 1840-1849 Anderson Funeral Home Records: 1840-1849, 1850-1854, 1864-1865, 1865-1869
 * 1849-1861 Death Dates Abstracted from an Administrators' Bond Book VI July 1849 to January 1861 Morgan County IL (abstracted by Florence Hutchison)
 * 1850-1880 Death Dates Abstracted from Morgan County Estate Papers
 * Morgan Death Records File#1, File#2
 * 1869-Coroner's Inquest Book A - Starting 1869
 * 1879-1895 Old Settlers' Necrological List (Lists early county residents and their birth and death information.) Courtesey of USGenWeb.
 * WWII Deaths from Morgan County, Illinois

Websites

 * Morgan County ILGenWeb free
 * Morgan County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Morgan County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Morgan County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Morgan Area Genealogy (Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois) ****One of the best sites about Morgan County Genealogy. Includes Cemeteries, Census, Church Records, Civil War Records, Deeds, Funeral Home Records, Local Histories, Naturalizations, Obituaries, Old Settler Society Records, Probate Records, School Records, State Hospital Admissions, Tax Lists, Vital Records
 * Morgan Area Genealogy (Researching Your Roots in Central Illinois) ****One of the best sites about Morgan County Genealogy. Includes Cemeteries, Census, Church Records, Civil War Records, Deeds, Funeral Home Records, Local Histories, Naturalizations, Obituaries, Old Settler Society Records, Probate Records, School Records, State Hospital Admissions, Tax Lists, Vital Records