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Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Chester
Organized: 5 October, 1795
Parent County(s): St Clair
Neighboring Counties
Jackson • Monroe • Perry • Perry (MO) • St. Clair • Ste. Genevieve (MO) • Washington
See County Maps
Courthouse
Illinois, Randolph County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Map of Illinois highlighting Randolph County svg.png


Edmund Jennings Randolph

County Information

Description

Randolph County was named for Edmund Randolph, Governor of Virginia. The county was organized in 1795 and its seat is Chester. Randolph County is located in the southwestern area of the state.[1]

County Courthouse

Randolph County Courthouse
1 Taylor St
Chester, IL 62233
Phone: 618-826-5000
Randolph County Courthouse

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

Randolph 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
1857 1804 1877 1809 1768 1809 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

  • Parent County(s): Created from St Clair County on 05 Oct 1795.
  • 1795--Randolph County was created 5 October 1795 from the Northwest Territory and St. Clair County.
  • County seat: Chester [3]
  • 1816-- Monroe was formed with the northwest portion of Randolph County and part of St. Clair County.
  • 1827-- Perry was formed with the eastern portion of Randolph County and part of Jackson County.
  • County Seat: Chester
  • Illinois Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county
  • Illinois Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Illinois 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

History Timeline

Randolph County was named for Edmund Jennings Randolph who was the first United States Attorney General and served under George Washington. He was also a Governor of Virginia and the second Secretary of State. The first European settlement in the area that is now called Randolph County, Illinois, was Kaskaskia in 1703. The town was originally settled by the French and Native Americans. The French also settled Prairie du Rocher and Cahokia (the latter in nearby St. Clair). Kaskaskia was the largest of these settlements throughout its early existence. Randolph County (and all of Illinois) was part of Quebec until 1717, when it was officially annexed into Louisiana.
As a result of the French and Indian War, France lost its North American holdings east of the Mississippi River, including Kaskaskia. Although the British had the rights to Kaskaskia on paper, they did not arrive until 1766. The British ruled the area until it was conquered by the American colonies during the American Revolution. The Americans took Kaskaskia on July 4, 1778, but the Northwest Territory was not clearly in American hands until the conclusion of the Battle of Knox (IN) on 23 February 1779. Americans started arriving in Randolph County in the late 1770's, many of them Virginians who had been part of the army that took Kaskaskia. Within 20 years, Americans outnumbered the French and the Mississippi River area of Randolph County and the surrounding area was called the American Bottom (a name it still retains today). Most French settlers migrated across the river to Missouri, which at the time was controlled by Spain and later France.

Kaskaskia 1850.jpg


Kaskaskia was made the capital of Illinois Territory in 1809.When Illinois became a state in 1818, Kaskaskia was the state capital.The capital was moved, however, in Fayette, in 1820, which ended Randolph County's prominence in Illinois history. The county seat was also moved from Kaskaskia to Chester in 1844.

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

  • Combined History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois... : and biographical sketches. Philadelphia : J. L. McDonough, 1883, microfilm copy. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
  • Portrait and Biographical Record of Randolph, Jackson, Perry and Monroe Counties, Illinois: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the Counties. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1894. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library,Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). For additional access, see WeRelate. Randolph County, Illinois biographies from this book also available online at My Genealogy Hound.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Randolph 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. %±
1820 3,492 —
1830 4,429 26.8%
1840 7,944 79.4%
1850 11,079 39.5%
1860 17,205 55.3%
1870 20,859 21.2%
1880 25,690 23.2%
1890 25,049 −2.5%
1900 28,001 11.8%
1910 29,120 4.0%
1920 29,109 −0.0%
1930 29,313 0.7%
1940 33,608 14.7%
1950 31,673 −5.8%
1960 29,988 −5.3%
1970 31,379 4.6%
1980 35,652 13.6%
1990 34,583 −3.0%
2000 33,893 −2.0%
2010 33,476 −1.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Censuses during the colonial period were irregular, but several exist.Like early American censuses, these only give the names of the head of household and the number of people in the household, but the information they contain is still of great use.

  • 1726-1732 French census: The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732. FS Catalog book 976.3 X2. Online at Ancestry ($)
  • 1752 French census: Kaskaskia Under the French Regime, by Natalia Maree Belting. Polyanthos: New Orleans, 1948, p. 86-98. Belting includes a genealogical commentary on each entry in the census.
  • 1787 American census: Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord. Illinois State Historical Library: Springfield, IL, 1909, p. 414-419. Alvord also includes a commentary that contains some genealogical information, although not all of it is accurate. This census only has French names on it. A (perhaps non-comprehensive) list of American men in Illinois (not just Kaskaskia) can be found at Alvord, p. 421-423, 443-445. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • 1825 Census Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
  • 1825 Randolph County Illinois Census: Contains names of the heads of household in Randolph County. Transcription at ILGenWeb.

For tips on accessing U.S. federal and state census records online, see Illinois Census.

Church Records

Catholic
The Church of the Immaculate Conception was a Catholic parish established originally as a Jesuit mission among the Indians in 1695 that had moved to the current site of Kaskaskia in 1703. It became a full parish in 1719.[5] The parish register is the best available record for genealogical information before the early 1790's and the arrival of a large influx of Americans.
The Catholic parish register for Kaskaskia survives in fragments only. Christenings/Baptisms are lost from mid-1721 to 1759.[6] No marriage records before 1724 or from mid-1729 to 1740 are extant, nor are burial records before 1721 or from late 1727 to mid-1764.[7]

  • 1695-1799 Catholic Church. Illinois register, 1695-1799. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1967. FS Library film 1026607 Item 2

The parish register is available (in French only) in the following sources:

  1. La population des forts français d'Amérique (XVIIIe siècle) by Marthe F. Beauregard.Kaskaskia's parish record is in volume 2.(Note: Beauregard only compiled records through 1799, even though the parish register goes well into the 19th century.)
  2. FamilySearch Library microfilm #1026607, Item 3. This record has been digitized, see below.
  3. The Drouin Collection at ancestry.com.

FamilySearch has made parish records from 12 Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Randolph County available online (free registration is required). The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:



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

  • 1708-1819 Territorial Court Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
  • 1737-1885 Randolph County, Illinois court records, justice of the peace records, early notarial records, etc., 1737-1885 [Springfield, Illinois]: Ill. State Library, Records Management Div., Central Microfilm Unit, Secretary of State's Office, 1961. FS Library films 1688924–39
  • 1778-1790 Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord, 1909. This is a compilation of civil records during the beginning of American rule in Kaskaskia.Includes a mix of court records, petitions to the American government, military records, and censuses. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  • 1790-1878 Circuit Court Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
  • 1809-1863 Servitude and Emancipation Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
  • 1824-1836 County Commissioner's Court Records FS Library film 975014 Item 6
  • 1873-1943 Collector's Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

  • Campbell, Crozier, Flack, Milligan, Steele, Thompson, Crawford. Pioneer Families of Randolph and Perry Counties, Illinois: Notes on the Campbell, Crozier, Flack, Milligan, Steele and Thompson Families: The Crawfords of Ballynease, Londonderry, Ireland, with Descendants in the U.S.A., and Their Descendants in the Elsey, Garven, Matthews and Robertson Families, by Robert Crawford Robertson. Chattanooga, Tenn.: R.C. Robertson, 1960. Online at: Ancestry ($).

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

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

  • Combined History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois... : and biographical sketches. Philadelphia : J. L. McDonough, 1883, microfilm copy. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
  • A Directory, Business Mirror, and Historical Sketches of Randolph County, by E. J. Montague. 1859.Includes biographical sketches of early settlers of Randolph County (mostly Americans) and a directory listing the head of household and occupation of every 1859 resident of Randolph County. Online at: Google Books.
  • Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord, 1909. This is a compilation of civil records during the beginning of American rule in Kaskaskia. Includes a mix of court records, petitions to the American government, military records, and censuses. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  • Kaskaskia Under the French Regime, by Natalia Maree Belting, published in the 1940's and still one of the authoritative sources on French colonial life in Randolph County (especially Kaskaskia). FS Catalog book 977.392/K1 H2b. Online at: Internet Archive; Other libraries (WorldCat).
  • Portrait and Biographical Record of Randolph, Jackson, Perry and Monroe Counties, Illinois: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the Counties. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1894. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library,Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). For additional access, see WeRelate.

Maps and Gazetteers

St. Clair CountyWashington CountyPerry CountyJackson CountySte. Genevieve CountyPerry CountyMonroe CountyIL RANDOLPH.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

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

- 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company K.
- 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company M.
- 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
- 22nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies H and I.
- 30th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and E.
- 34th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
- 142nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies H and K.
- 154th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Public Records

Periodicals

Probate 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.

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 Randolph County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Probate Indexes and Records


  • 1796-1973 Geerling, Carrol, Lucille Wittenborn Wiechens, and Randolph County Genealogical Society. Randolph County, Illinois probate records : county court house [sic], Chester, Illinois. Chester, Illinois : Randolph County Genealogical Society (Illinois), [19--]Other libraries (WorldCat) FS Catalog book 977.392 P22g
  • 1800-1850 Randolph County Genealogical Society (Illinois). Randolph County, Illinois information, 1800-1850. [Chester, IL.]: Randolph County Genealogical Society, [2009]. Other libraries (WorldCat) FS Catalog book 977.392 V3r
  • starting 1804 Randolph County Genealogical Society (Illinois). Early court records of Randolph County, Illinois beginning in 1804 - census, court cases, marriages, probates & wills, relocation of county seat, roads and bridges. [Chester, Ill.] Randolph County Genealogical Society, 2009. Other libraries (WorldCat) FS Catalog book 977.392 P2rce
  • 1827-1869 Torrens, Mrs. Frank S. Death records (data filed at office of city clerk at person's death from Jan. 1918 to Aug. 1953), hospital records of births (1878-93, 1940-49, Sparta, Randolph County, Illinois), wills and administration, guardianship papers, etc. (1827-1869, Randolph County, Illinois). [S.l. : s.n., 19--?]. FS Catalog book 977.392 V2t
  • 1832-1835 Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. Randolph County, Illinois, probate court estate inventories & sales, Nov . 5, 1832 - Aug. 7, 1835. Springfield, Illinois : Allers and Gochanour, 1986. Other libraries (WorldCat) FS Catalog book 977.392 P2s
  • Taylor, Mrs. Harlin B. Records of Randolph County, Illinois. Decater, Illinois: Vio-Lin Enterprises: Distributed by Heritage House, Thomson, Illinois, 1973. Other libraries (WorldCat) FS Catalog book 977.3 A1 no. 139
  • Crowder, Lola Frazer. Randolph County, Illinois probate records, 24 Apr. 1832-20 Sep. 1834. [S.l.] L.F. Crowder, 1999. FS Catalog book 977.392 P2cL
  • Sapp, Peggy Lathrop. Randolph County, Illinois probate records, bonds, executors, administrators, April 2, 1829-Aug. 5, 1835 and abstracts of administrations, 1844-1849 and abstracts of guardianships, April 2, 1833-Nov. 6, 1849. Springfield, Illinois: Wanda Warkins Allers and Eileen Lynch Gochanour, 1986. Other libraries (WorldCat) FS Catalog book 977.392 P2rg
  • Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax 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 Randolph 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 Randolph County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

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

Central Public Library District
701 Oak St#A
Evansville, IL 62242
Phone: 618-853-4081

Chester Public Library
733 State Street
Chester, IL
Phone: 618-826-3711
Website

Holdings include a digitized copy of William Morrison's Ledger Book. The 655-page ledger includes the customer's name, items purchased, and amount owed, offering glimpses of early merchandising methods. It lists over 1200 early settlers who pioneered or traveled through Kaskaskia (now Randolph County, Illinois).

Coulterville Public Library
103 S 4th Street
Coulterville, IL 62237
Phone: 618-758-3013Website
Evansville Public Library
602 Public St
Evansville, IL 62242
Phone: 618-853-4067

Red Bud Public Library
112 Bloom St.
Red Bud, IL 62278
Phone: 618-282-2255

Sparta Public Library
211 West Broadway
Sparta, IL 62286
Phone: 618-443-5014
Website

Steeleville Area Public Library
625 S. Sparta St.
Steeleville, IL 62288
Phone: 618-965-9732
Website

Museums

Societies

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

Coulterville Historical Society
PO Box 708
107 Fourth Street
Coulterville,IL 62237
Phone: 681-317-4933
Email: cvillehistory@cvillecusd1.org
Website

Randolph County Genealogical Society
13 Westwood Drive
Steeleville, IL 62288
Phone: 618-965-3705
Email: RCGS
Website

Randolph County Historical Society
7840 State Route 4
Sparta, IL 62286-3659
Phone: 618-633-3705
Email: rcgs1990@frontier.com
Website

Randolph County Historical Society
104 Hillcrest Drive
Chester, IL 62233
Phone: 618-284-7396
Email: creole.colleen@gmail.com
Website

Randolph County Museum and Archives
1 Taylor St
Chester, IL 62233
Phone: 618-826-2667
Website

Includes a collection of Kaskaskia Manuscripts, court records dating to the 1700s, French colonial era.

Websites

Research Guides

  • Alvord, Clarence Walworth. The Old Kaskaskia Records: An Address. 1906. Digital versions at Internet Archive (Free); Ancestry ($).

References

  1. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ill/randolph/, accessed 04/19/2017.
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Randolph 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. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Randolph County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph_County,_Illinois, accessed 15 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Belting, Natalia Maree. (1948). Kaskaskia Under the French Regime. Polyanthos: New Orleans, p. 10-12.
  6. ↑ Mason, Edward Gay. (1881). Kaskaskia and its Parish Records. Chicago: Fergus Printing Company, p. 19
  7. ↑ Mason, Edward Gay. (1881). Kaskaskia and its Parish Records. Chicago: Fergus Printing Company, p. 11, 14, 15, 19.
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