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Kane County, Illinois Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Geneva
Organized: January 16, 1836
Parent County(s): LaSalle and unorganized territory
Neighboring Counties
Cook • DeKalb • DuPage • Kendall • McHenry • Will
See County Maps
Courthouse
Illinois, Kane County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Kane County Illinois.png


Elias Kent Kane.jpg

County Information

Description

Kane County was named for United States Senator Elias Kane from Illinois, and the first Secretary of State of Illinois. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Kane County Courthouse
540 S Randall Rd
St. Charles, IL 60174
Phone: 630-232-3413
Kane County Courthouse

Kane County, Illinois Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[2]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1878 1836 1878 1836 1836 1836 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

Record Loss

1843 Some courthouse records were lost or damaged by fire in 1843.
1890 A fire destroyed 5,000 court files on 13 March.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes

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:[3]

Cities
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Townships


History Timeline

Prior to County Formation

County Formation and After

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

  • The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Kane County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Kane County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.
  • Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1898. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Kane County, Illinois online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Illinois Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 6,501 —
1850 16,703 156.9%
1860 30,062 80.0%
1870 39,091 30.0%
1880 44,939 15.0%
1890 65,061 44.8%
1900 78,792 21.1%
1910 91,862 16.6%
1920 99,499 8.3%
1930 125,327 26.0%
1940 130,206 3.9%
1950 150,388 15.5%
1960 208,246 38.5%
1970 251,005 20.5%
1980 278,405 10.9%
1990 317,471 14.0%
2000 404,119 27.3%
2010 515,269 27.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

State

  • 1865 State Census was indexed by the Kane County Genealogical Society.
  • The census index was published in The Index to the Kane County, Illinois, 1865 State Census. Geneva, IL: 2000.
  • The index is available in the Master Every Name Index located at the Kane County Genealogical Society. Every Name Index

1840 Pensioners

Church Records

Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. It is usually best to locate church records with a search at a local level such as the city, town, or village.

Catholic
Catholic Church records may be located with the Diocese of Rockford, Chancery Office, P.O. Box 7044, Rockford, IL 61126, Phone: (815) 962-3709, Fax: (815) 968-2824.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

  • 1936-1948 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aurora Branch (Illinois). Record of Members, 1936–1942; Annual Genealogical Report, Form E, 1937–1948. Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1951. The Aurora Branch included members living in Cook, DeKalb and Kane Counties, Illinois. FS Library film 7693
  • 1936-1948 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Batavia Branch (Illinois). Record of Members, 1936–1948; Annual Genealogical Report, Form E, 1937–1948. Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1951. The Batavia Branch, which was discontinued in 1957, included members living in Cook, DuPage, and Kane Counties, Illinois. FS Library film 7695

List of Churches and Church Parishes

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 FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at Northern Illinois University - search for Kane County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the NIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Court Indexes and Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

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 or through the FamilySearch Library.


Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

  • Commemorative, Biographical and Historical Record of Kane County, Illinois, by Pliny A. Durant, H. C. Bradsby, Samuel W. Durant. Chicago: Beers, Leggett & Co., 1888. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Kane County, edited by Newton Bateman, et.al. Chicago: Munsell Publishing Company, 1904. Online at: HathiTrust.
  • History of Kane County, Illinois, by R. Waite Joslyn, Frank W. Joslyn. 2 Volumes. Chicago : The Pioneer Publishing Company, 1908. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 2 FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • The Past and Present of Kane County, Illinois, by Henry B. Peirce, Arthur L. Merrill, William H. Perrin. Chicago: LeBaron and Company, 1878. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

McHenry CountyCook CountyDuPage CountyWill CountyKendall CountyDeKalb CountyIL KANE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

  • American Legion Post 57; Elgin, Illinois; Deceased/Transferred File Elginroots.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Kane 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 Kane County.

- 7th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company A.
- 7th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
- 8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, and I.
- 13th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
- 13th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
- 15th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies G, H, I, and K.
- 16th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
- 17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company B.
- 36th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, F and K.
- 42nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
- 52nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, D, H, I and K.
- 55th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
- 58th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, G, and I.
- 89th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies E and K.
- 105th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
- 124th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and H.
- 127th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C, E, and I.
- 132nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company C.
- 141st Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, B, C, D, G, I and K.
- 153rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company C.
- 156th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and F.

Grand Army of the Republic; Veteran Post 49; Elgin, Illinois; Member Roster with links to obituaries at www.elginroots.com/v4/GAR/index.html.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Naturalization facts for Kane County, Illinois:

  • 4 courts processed naturalizations in Kane County: the Aurora Court, the Kane County Court, the Elgin Court and the Kane County Circuit Court.
  • 1965 - all records were moved to the Kane County Circuit Court.
  • 162 volumes of records exist at the Kane County Circuit Court
  • 1853 – earliest record
  • 1954 – latest record
  • 40,000+ Declarations and Final Papers were processed
  • 2000 pages of extracted information were developed by the Kane County Genealogical when they indexed the naturalizations for the Kane County Circuit Court in the 1980s.
  • 4 indexes were developed: Applicant index, Spouse index, Child index and Witness index

Newspapers

An on-line index of Elgin area newspaper articles from the Courier News & Daily Herald is available on the Gail Borden Library website. This index includes information pulled for the historical papers as well as current.

Obituaries

Other Records

Almshouse Records

Criminal and Punishments

Public Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

Probate Facts for Kane County, Illinois:

  • In 1993 the Kane County Circuit Court microfilmed the Probate and Guardianship packets and gave the original packets to 12 county historical societies.
  • The Circuit Court retained a copy of the microfilm.
  • 36,000 Probate and Guardianship packets were distributed.
  • Dates started in the late 1830s and included some as late as the 1970s.
  • Index to Kane County, Illinois, Probate and Guardianship Records Located in Local Historical Societies was published in 2003 by the Kane County Genealogical Society and can be found in genealogical library collections.

Elgin
The Elgin Genealogical Society has created a Probate Records Index online. The Elgin Historical Society has the probate papers and you may send a query to them at the Elgin Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1418, Elgin, Illinois 60121-1418. Please check the Research Assistance Policy before sending a query.

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Online Tax Indexes and Records

  • Kane County, Illinois 1848 Personal Property Tax List, transcribed by Joseph Kearns. Kane County Genealogical Society, 1984. Index is available in the Master Every Name Index at the Kane County Genealogical Society.

Taxation

  • Kane County, Illinois 1848 Personal Property Tax List, transcribed by Joseph Kearns. Kane County Genealogical Society, 1984.

Vital Records

Birth

Marriage

Death

Elgin

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Kane County. For state-wide facilities, see Illinois Archives and Libraries.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses 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 Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for Kane County. Learn more about finding and using their records.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository
c/o Regional History Center
Founders Memorial Library, Room 400
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Telephone: (815) 753-1807

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Kane County. For state-wide library facilities, see Illinois Archives and Libraries.

  • Aurora Public Library
    1 E. Benton St.
    Aurora, IL 60505
    Phone: 630-264-4100
    Website
Aurora Genealogy Index; Now and Then Index, includes Name and Subject searches for the "Now and Then" collection of newspaper clippings from the Beacon-News (held in the Main Library); Beacon News Obituary Index
Collections concentrate on Elgin and Kane County, Illinois, but contain materials for other localities. The collection includes microfilm of the early Elgin Death Records and a card file to vital records information contained in the Watch Word. The Watch Word was a corporate newsletter published by the Elgin Watch Factory. The Vital Records Surname (i.e., last name) search provides a way to find obituaries, birth notices, and marriage announcements listed in Elgin newspapers.

Museums

Collections include historic photographs, documents, maps, and reference materials.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Kane County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Illinois Societies.

Collections contain books, documents, pictures, slides, probate records, newspapers, census records, a complete microfilm record of the Dundee Hawkeye newspaper from 1890 to 1916, an extensive collection of Illinois Iron and Bolt ledger books, information and books on Alan Pinkerton, local genealogies and much more.

Original probate and divorce records for Kane County, Elgin Township, some Elgin mortuary records, a vertical file of surnames researched by the Elgin Genealogical Society, Elgin histories, business directories, phone books, memoirs and more.

Collection contains databases: Channing Cemetery; Stout Funeral Home Records Index; Reber Mortuary Records Index; Warner Monuments Records Index; Elgin Divorce Records Index. And many others

Master Name Index with 800,000 names of people in the following records of Kane County.
  • Kane County Naturalization, Marriage, Guardianship, and Probate records
  • All 5 county histories dating from 1878 to 1908
  • Census records, including the 1840, 1850, 1860 federal censuses and the 1865 Illinois state census
  • Cemetery inscriptions from over 50 county cemeteries
  • Community and organization histories
  • Kane County gazetteers and church histories
  • School, Bible and funeral home records

Websites

  • Kane County, ILGenWeb
  • FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Kane County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_County,_Illinois 04/17/2017.
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Kane County, Illinois. Page 192-199 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 194-197.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Kane County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_County,_Illinois#Communities, accessed 18 March 2020.
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