Pike County, Illinois Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Pittsfield
Organized: 31 January, 1821
Parent County(s): Madison, Bond, Clark
Neighboring Counties
AdamsBrownCalhounGreeneMarion (MO)MorganPike (MO)Ralls (MO)Scott
See County Maps
Courthouse
Illinois, Pike County Courthouse.png
Location Map
1000px-Map of Illinois highlighting Pike County.png
Zebulon Pike

County Information

Description

Pike County was named for Zebulon Pike, leader of the Pike expedition in 1806 to map out the south and west portions of the Louisiana Purchase. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Pike County Courthouse
100 E Washington St
Pittsfield, IL 62363-1445
Phone: 217-285-6612
Pike County Website

For more information about where records for Pike County are kept, see the Pike page.

Pike 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
1877 1827 1877 1819 1821 1821 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

Record Loss

  • 1831 A fire burned the courthouse and some records were destroyed or damaged.

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:[4]

Cities
Towns
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Townships
Ghost towns
  • Tempest


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Pike 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.
1830 2,396
1840 11,728 389.5%
1850 18,819 60.5%
1860 27,249 44.8%
1870 30,768 12.9%
1880 33,751 9.7%
1890 31,000 −8.2%
1900 31,595 1.9%
1910 28,622 −9.4%
1920 26,866 −6.1%
1930 24,357 −9.3%
1940 25,340 4.0%
1950 22,155 −12.6%
1960 20,552 −7.2%
1970 19,185 −6.7%
1980 18,896 −1.5%
1990 17,577 −7.0%
2000 17,384 −1.1%
2010 16,430 −5.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes





Baptist



Methodist Episcopal

Court Records

Pike County, Illinois Court Records Many Guardianship records for Pike County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.

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 through online sources, the FamilySearch Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Pike County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the WIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

  • Portrait and Biographical Album of Pike and Calhoun Counties, Illinois ... and Biographical Sketches. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1891. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($)
  • History of Pike County Illinois, by Chas. M. Chapman. Chicago, Illinois, 1880. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($)
  • Past and Present of Pike County, Illinois, by M. D. Massie. S.J. Clarke Pub. Co, 1906. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  • History of Pike County; A Centennial Address, by William A. Grimshaw. Pittsfield, Ill., 1989. Online at: Ancestry ($).
  • The Jess M. Thompson Pike County History: As Printed in Installments in the Pike County Republican, Pittsfield, Illinois, 1935-1939, by Jess M. Thompson. Pittsfield, Ill.: Pike County Historical Society, 1967. Online at: Ancestry ($).

Maps and Gazetteers

Adams CountyBrown CountyMorgan CountyGreene CountyScott CountyCalhoun CountyMarion CountyRalls CountyPike CountyIL PIKE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Migration

Military Records

Spanish American War



Civil War
Regiments. Civil War service men from Pike 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 Pike County.

- 2nd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company K
- 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company G
- 7th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, New Company D
- 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company G
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company L
- 16th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K
- 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
- 28th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, E, and I
- 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I
- 68th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B
- 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I
- 73rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H
- 99th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, all Companies
- 137th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F



World War I



World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Many Naturalization and Citizenships for Pike County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Criminal and Punishments

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

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.

School Records

Online School Indexes and Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Online Tax Indexes and Records

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 Pike 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 Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Pike County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Pike 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. Western Illinois University houses the records for Pike 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

Libraries

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

Barry Public Library
880 Bainbridge St.
Barry, IL 62312
Phone: 217-335-2149
Email: barrypubliclibrary@adams.net
Website

Griggsville Public Library
119 South Corey St.
Griggsville, IL 62340
Phone: 217-833-2633
Facebook Pittsfield Public Library
205 North Memorial
Pittsfield, IL 62363
Phone: 217-285-2200
pittsfieldlibrary@kcds.net
Facebook

Museums

Societies

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

Griggsville Area Genealogical and Historical Society
PO Box 75
Griggsville, IL 62340-0075

New Canton Historical Society
PO Box 155
New Canton, IL 62356

Pike-Calhoun County Genealogical Society
PO Box 104
305 W. Quincy
Pleasant Hill, IL 62366-0104
Phone: 217-734-2712

Pike County Historical Society and Museum
PO Box 44
400 E. Jefferson
Pittsfield, IL 62363-0044
Phone: 217-285-4618
Email: info@pikecoilhistory.org
Facebook
Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. Genealogy Trails History Group, “Pike County, Illinois Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ill/pike/, accessed 04/19/2017.
  2. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pike 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. Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FSC Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. Wikipedia contributors, "Pike County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_County,_Illinois, accessed 16 March 2020.