Piatt County, Illinois Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Monticello
Organized: January 27, 1841
Parent County(s): DeWitt, Macon
Neighboring Counties
ChampaignDeWittDouglasMaconMcLeanMoultrie
See County Maps
Courthouse
Illinois, Piatt County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Piatt County Illinois.png

County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Piatt County was named for James A. Piatt, a local resident instrumental in formation of the county. The county was organized in 1841 and its seat is Monticello.[1] Piatt County is located in the central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Piatt County Courthouse
101 W Washington St
Monticello, IL 61856
Phone: 217-762-9487
Piatt County Courthouse

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

Piatt County, Illinois Record Dates[edit | edit source]

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[3]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1877 1841 1877 1841 1852 1841 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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
Historic communities
  • Blue Ridge
  • Centerville
  • Combs
  • Harris
  • Unity
  • Willow Branch


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

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

Portrait and Biographical Album of Dewitt and Piatt Counties, Illinois 1891 (Internet Archive) Piatt County Biographies Bibliography (WorldCat)

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Piatt 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[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1860 6,127
1870 10,953 78.8%
1880 15,583 42.3%
1890 17,062 9.5%
1900 17,706 3.8%
1910 16,376 −7.5%
1920 15,714 −4.0%
1930 15,588 −0.8%
1940 14,659 −6.0%
1950 13,970 −4.7%
1960 14,960 7.1%
1970 15,509 3.7%
1980 16,581 6.9%
1990 15,548 −6.2%
2000 16,365 5.3%
2010 16,729 2.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for Piatt County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Court Indexes and Records

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

African Americans

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

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

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

McLean CountyChampaign CountyDouglas CountyMoultrie CountyMacon CountyDeWitt CountyIL PIATT.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

For information about using Military records see Illinois Military Records


War of 1812
Military Land Grants in Piatt County Illinois for Soldiers of the War of 1812 - USGenWeg

Civil War

Civil War Discharges, Piatt County Historical and Genealogical Society. FS Catalog book 977.3673 M2ci Civil War Veterans, Piatt County: an Information guide. By Dorothy Dowdle.FS Catalog book 977.3673 M2c



Regiments. Civil War service men from Piatt 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 Piatt County.

- 2nd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry,Company F
- 21st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
- 73rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D
- 107th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C, Company E,
- 116th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A
- 144th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D



World War I
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918Piatt County(Ancestry)

World War II
Army Casualties (U.S. National Archives and Record Administration)

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Original naturalization records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Naturalization Records for more information about using naturalization records.

The following copies of original records may be accessed through the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Illinois State University (ISU) - search for Piatt County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the ISU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Almshouse Records[edit | edit source]

Almshouse Register FS Library film 1598490, item 11(*); and FS Library book: 977.3673 P3w

Criminal and Punishments[edit | edit source]

Public Records[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

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

Online Probate Indexes and Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Online Tax Indexes and Records

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Order Birth and Death Certificates Online

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

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

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. Illinois State University houses the records for Piatt County.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
Illinois State Universtiy (ISU)
2016 Warehouse Road Campus
Box 1520
Normal, Illinois 61802
Phone: 1-309-452-6027 Illinois Regional Archives Depository System - Local Governmental Records Listings Arranged by County

FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Public Libraries of Piatt County
Website

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Piatt County Genealogical and Historical Society
1115 N. State Street, Suite 119
PO Box 111
Monticello Illinois 61856
Phone 217-762-9997
Email:piatthistory@gmail.com
Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Genealogy Trails History Group, “Piatt County, Illinois Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ill/piatt/ accessed 04/19/2017.
  2. Wikipedia contributors, "Piatt County, Illinois" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piatt_County,_Illinois, accessed 04/19/2017.
  3. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Piatt 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.
  4. Wikipedia contributors, "Piatt County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piatt_County%2C_Illinois, accessed 17 March 2020.