Madison County, Illinois Genealogy
Guide to Madison County, Illinois ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Madison County was named for President James Madison. The county is located in the west-central part of the state.[1]
County Courthouse
Madison County Courthouse
155 N Main St
Edwardsville, IL 62025
Phone: 618-692-6230
Madison County Courthouse
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Madison County are kept, see the Madison County Courthouse page.
Madison 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1860 | 1813 | 1878 | 1803 | 1802 | 1813 | 1810 |
Record Loss
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
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:[4]
| Cities | ||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 13,550 | — |
| 1830 | 6,221 | −54.1% |
| 1840 | 14,433 | 132.0% |
| 1850 | 20,441 | 41.6% |
| 1860 | 31,251 | 52.9% |
| 1870 | 44,131 | 41.2% |
| 1880 | 50,126 | 13.6% |
| 1890 | 51,535 | 2.8% |
| 1900 | 64,694 | 25.5% |
| 1910 | 89,847 | 38.9% |
| 1920 | 106,895 | 19.0% |
| 1930 | 143,830 | 34.6% |
| 1940 | 149,349 | 3.8% |
| 1950 | 182,307 | 22.1% |
| 1960 | 224,689 | 23.2% |
| 1970 | 250,934 | 11.7% |
| 1980 | 247,691 | −1.3% |
| 1990 | 249,238 | 0.6% |
| 2000 | 258,941 | 3.9% |
| 2010 | 269,282 | 4.0% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.
Elsie Wasser's transcriptions of the Illinois State Census for 1845, 1855, and 1865 for Madison County are available on the Illinois Digital Archive site as part of the Madison County Genealogical Resources collection.
1840 Pensioners
- A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. FS Catalog 973 X2pc 1840; FS Catalog 2321. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Illinois, Madison County on page 187.
Church Records
- 1817-1901 Canteen Creek Baptist Church FS Library film 967478 Items 2–3
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records
Original court records are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Court Records for more information about using court records.
The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Madison County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (SIU).
Online Court Indexes and Records
- 1812-1964 Court Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1813-1818 Illinois, Madison County court records, 1813-1818, and indenture records, 1805-1826 register of slaves, indentured servants & free persons of color, with individual indexes FS Library Book 977.386 P2s, World Cat
- 1818-1821 Court Records of Madison County, Illinois, 1818-1821 FS Library Book 977.386 P2j, World Cat
- 1825-1911 Madison County, Illinois circuit court in chancery records, 1825-1911 FS Library Film 2194343 First of 10 films.
Directories
- 1937 Granite City, Madison, Mitchell, Nameoki and Venice, Madison County, Illinois, City Directory, 1937 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
- A transcription of The 1866 Madison County Directory (Genealogy trails) is available online. This directory is part of James T. Hair's Gazetteer of Madison County, online at FamilySearch Digital Library. See p.161 for the County directory, p.205 for Alton, and p.239 for Upper Alton.
- The St. Louis County Library has Alton City Directories 1858 and 1889-1935 available in their Special collections Department of the Main Headquarters Branch.
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
- African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records
- Illinois African-American Resource Guide by the Illinois State Archives describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
- African-American Resources for Illinois
- 1830-1860 Servitude Emancipation Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
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 through online sources, the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Madison County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (SIU).
Abstracts
- A Gazetteer of Madison County, Containing Historical and Descriptive Sketches... . Compiled by James T. Hair. Alton, Ill. : J.T. Hair, 1866. Geography and history of Madison County from the 1600s, and includes a directory of residents as of 1866. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
Online Land Indexes and Records
- 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records at Ancestry ($)
- 1814-1910 Deed Records and Index at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1814-1910 Deed Records FS Library Film 505989 First of 92 films.
- 1820-Onward Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
- Illinois Federal Township Plats, by County
- Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales at the Illinois State Archives. 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 from 54740 square miles. Also at Ancestry ($).
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
- The Madison County Genealogical Society publication A Complete Surname Index to the History of Madison County, Illinois is available on-line at the Illinois Digital Archive as part of the Madison County Genealogical Resources collection.
- The History of Madison County, Illinois with Biographical Sketches of many Prominent Men and Pioneers. By Katherine Moorhead. Edwardsville, Ill. : W.R. Brink, 1882. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
- Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois, and Its People: 1812 to 1912. 2 volumes. By William T. Norton. Chicago: Lewis Pub., 1912. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vols. 1 & 2 - Ancestry ($).
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- 1788-1940 Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
- Maps of townships (Histopolis)
- Township Map of 1870 Madison County, Illinois with numerous small settlements. (My Genealogy Hound)
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Military Records
- 1862-1965 Illinois, Military Discharge Records, ca.1862 - ca.1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Civil War
Regiments. Civil War service men from Madison 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 Madison County.
- - 1st Regiment, Illinois Cavalry
- - 2nd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company D.
- - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies, G, I, and K.
- - 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and I.
- - 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies E and F.
- - 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company K.
- - 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and K.
- - 22nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- - 26th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- - 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and F.
- - 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
- - 97th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies G and I.
- - 117th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, and G.
- - 133rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D.
- - 140th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K.
- - 143rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies F and K.
- - 144th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, I, and K.
- - 149th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company I.
- - 150th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Companies G and H.
- - 15th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I
:- 68th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company A
:- 68th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company H
:- 68th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Milita (Union), Company I
:- 9th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company D
:- 1st Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company L
:- 1st Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company M
Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- Madison County Naturalization Records Madison County circuit Court
- 1800-1998 Illinois, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1853-1958 Naturalization Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
Newspapers
- 1800s-Current Illinois, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and EventsIndex, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
- Search the Illinois Newspaper Project (INP) database for a listing of historic newspapers available for Madison county.
- 1819-1826 Edwardsville Spectator at GenealogyBank ($)
- 1869-1977 Edwardsville Intelligencer at Ancestry ($) - gaps in coverage
- Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line for the Madison County cities of Alton, Edwardsville, and Troy. Some libraries including Hayner Public Library provide free access to this database. It is often listed under the name Access Newspaper Archive.
Obituaries
- 1831-Onward Illinois Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
Other Records
Almshouse Records
- 1880-1958 Poor Farm Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
Criminal and Punishments
- 1897-1940 Court Criminal Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
Public Records
- 1813-1821 Public Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
Periodicals
Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1772-1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1813-1815 Records and Indentures FS Library Book 977.386 P28j
- 1813-1970 Probate Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1819-1988 Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
- 1813-1903 Probate Case Files FS Library Films 2322675 item 1 First of 383 films.
- 1813-1903 Madison County Probate Case Files Index, 1813-1903 at Illinois State Archives.
- 1813-1903 Madison County Probate Case Files Index, 1813-1903 Surnames A-J, and Surnames K-Z at Genealogy Trails
- 1818-1981 Probate Records FS Library Films 1310041 First of 31 films.
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
- 1831-1979 School Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
- 1837-1876 Tax Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
Vital Records
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Madison 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.
The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online databases, the FamilySearch Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Madison County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the Wiki article IRAD (SIU).
Birth
- 1846-1915 Birth Records and Index at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1846-1916 Birth certificate index FS Library Film 1306459
- 1846-1916 Birth reports FS Library Film 1306460 First of 13 films.
- There are a number of birth records on the ILGenWeb site.
Marriage
- 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
- 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage($)
- 1790-1860 Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860 at Ancestry –($);Index, INCOMPLETE
- 1805-1985 Illinois, Church Marriages, 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1810-1940 Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1813-1908 Marriage Records and Index at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1813-1908 Marriage index FS Library Films 1306456-1306457
- 1813-1903 Marriage records FS Library Films 1306457 First of 3 films.
Death
- 1749-1999 Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1815-1894 Coroner's Inquest Files at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1850-1880 Illinois Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1878-1915 Death index FS Library Films 1306472-1306473
- 1878-1943 Death Records and Index at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage($)
- 1916–1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1916-1972 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1972 - index
- Death records FS Library Film 1306473 First of 4 films. Arranged by certificate number.
- There are a number of death records on the ILGenWeb site.
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Madison County. For state-wide facilities, see Illinois Archives and Libraries.
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 Madison County.
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
- Alton Illinois FamilySearch Center
- O'Fallon Illinois FamilySearch Center
- St Louis Missouri FamilySearch Center
- St Louis Missouri North FamilySearch Center
- O'Fallon Public Library - an affiliate library
- Six Mile Regional Library District - Delmar Branch - an affiliate library
- Six Mile Regional Library District - Johnson Branch - an affiliate library
- The State Historical Society of Missouri - Saint Louis - an affiliate library
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Madison County. For state-wide library facilities, see Illinois Archives and Libraries.
Edwardsville Public Library
112 S. Kansas
Edwardsville, IL 62025
Phone: 618-692-7556
Email: caryh@edwardsvillelibrary.org
Website
Hayner Public Library
Genealogy & Local History Library
401 State Street
Alton, IL 62002-6137
Phone: 618-462-0677, option 3
Email: genealogy@haynerlibrary.org
Website
Museums
Societies
Listed below are societies in Madison County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Illinois Societies.
Madison County Genealogical Society
PO Box 631
Edwardsville, IL 62025-0631
Email: ilmcgs@yahoo.com
Website
The Society maintains a genealogical library in the Edwardsville Public Library.
Madison County Historical Society
PO Box 422
801 North Main Street
Edwardsville, IL 62025
Phone: 618-656-7569
Email: madisoncountyhistoryil@gmail.com
Website
Websites
- Madison County ILGenWeb
- Madison County IL Genealogy
- County, IL Linkpendium
- Genealogytrails
- 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
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Madison County, Illinois" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County,_Illinois 04/17/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Madison 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FSC Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Madison County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County,_Illinois, accessed 22 March 2020.