Washington County, Illinois Genealogy
Guide to Washington 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[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Washington County was named for George Washington. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Washington County Courthouse
125 E. Elm St
Nashville, IL 62263
Phone: 618-327-4800
Washington County Courthouse
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Washington County are kept, see the Washington County Courthouse page.
Washington 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1877 | 1832 | 1877 | 1818 | 1818 | 1818 | 1810 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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1883 Fire burned the courthouse on 21 January. Most records were saved; however, some were lost or damaged.[3]
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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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 | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 1,517 | — |
| 1830 | 1,675 | 10.4% |
| 1840 | 4,810 | 187.2% |
| 1850 | 6,953 | 44.6% |
| 1860 | 13,731 | 97.5% |
| 1870 | 17,599 | 28.2% |
| 1880 | 21,112 | 20.0% |
| 1890 | 19,262 | −8.8% |
| 1900 | 19,526 | 1.4% |
| 1910 | 18,759 | −3.9% |
| 1920 | 18,035 | −3.9% |
| 1930 | 16,286 | −9.7% |
| 1940 | 15,801 | −3.0% |
| 1950 | 14,460 | −8.5% |
| 1960 | 13,569 | −6.2% |
| 1970 | 13,780 | 1.6% |
| 1980 | 15,472 | 12.3% |
| 1990 | 14,965 | −3.3% |
| 2000 | 15,148 | 1.2% |
| 2010 | 14,716 | −2.9% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.
- 1850-1880 Illinois Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry ($)
1840 Pensioners
- A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. FS Catalog 973 X2pc 1840; FS Catalog 2321. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Illinois, Washington County on page 188.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from six Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Washington County available online. The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:
- 1729-1956 Illinois, Diocese of Belleville, Catholic Parish Records, 1729-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
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
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
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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.
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 Washington County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- 1796-1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry ($)
- Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database.
- Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
- Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence found at Ancestry ($).
- Illinois County Federal Township Plats
- Coulter, Claudine, Washington County, Illinois land records, prior to 1836 and 1841 (Marissa, Illinois: Marissa Historical and Genealogical Society, 1998) Other Libraries (WorldCat)FS Catalog book 977.388 R2c
- Rockford Map Publishers (Rockford, Illinois), Land atlas and plat book, Washington County, Illinois, 1986 (Rockford, Illinois Rockford Map Publishers, c1986). Other Libraries (WorldCat); FS Catalog book 977.388 E7w
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War
Regiments. Civil War service men from Washington 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 Washington County.
- - 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company H.
- - 44th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- - 60th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
- - 62nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- - 110th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
- - 111th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- - 136th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company B.
- - 154th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1800-1998 Illinois, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1856-1991 Illinois, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1856-1991 at Ancestry ($) - index & images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- 1800s-Current Illinois, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and EventsIndex, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry ($) - index
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1831-Onward Illinois Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Almshouse Records[edit | edit source]
- 1879-1907 Insanity and Conservator's Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
Public Records[edit | edit source]
- 1846-1873 Board of Supervisors' Minutes at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1869-1965 City Council Minutes (Nashville) at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1878-1916 City Ordinance Records (Nashville) at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1883-1966 Township Supervisor's Account Books (Venedy Twp) at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1883-2003 Township Records (Nashville Twp) at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1927-1952 Township Auditors' Records (Nashville Twp) at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1937-1985 Village Trustees' Minutes (Radom) at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1951-1991 Township Clerk's Records (Nashville Twp) at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
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 online or through, the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Washington County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.
- Pre 1910 Pre - 1910 Probate Records Index at Genealogy Trails
- 1772-1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index & images
- 1819-1988 Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
- 1853-1964 Probate Administrator's Records and Guardian's Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1856-1930 Probate Guardian's Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1856-1930 Probate Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1862-1905 Probate Executor's Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1879-1905 Probate Will Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
School Records[edit | edit source]
- 1955-1960 School District Records at IRAD-SIU - images; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Clinton 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 Washington County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1809-1870 Myer, Lois C. Vital records of Randolph and Washington counties, Illinois, 1809–1870. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969. FS Library film 599051 Item 1
- 1860-1890 Genealogy Trails offers a variety of birth records from the 1860s, 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s.
- 1877-1920 Birth Records and Index at IRAD-SIU - images and index; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1928-1948 Dickinson, H.B. and compiled by Elda (McCormick)Jones, Birth records, Dr. H.B. Dickinson, Coulterville, Illinois (Marissa, Illinois Marissa Historical and Genealogical Society, 2003). Other Libraries (WorldCat)FS Catalog book 977.392/C2 J4d
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- Pre 1850 Illinois Marriages to 1850 at Ancestry ($) - Index, INCOMPLETE
- 1587-1959 Illinois, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($) — index
- 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage($) includes Washington County marriages from 1831-1858
- 1790-1860 Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860 at Ancestry ($) - Index, INCOMPLETE
- 1805-1985 Illinois, Church Marriages, 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1809-1870 Myer, Lois C. Vital records of Randolph and Washington counties, Illinois, 1809–1870. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969. FS Library film 599051 Item 1
- 1810-1940 Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1831-1858 Bohbrink, Mary Ann, Washington County, Illinois marriage records, 1831-1858 (Marissa, Illinois: Marissa Historical and Genealogical Society, 1998). Other Libraries (WorldCat); FS Catalog book 977.388 V2b
- 1831-1858 Marriage records FS Library Book 977.388 V2b
- 1831-1921 Genealogy Trails' site includes abstracts of marriage books A to E (1831-1921)
- 1831-1971 Marriage Records and Index at IRAD-SIU - images and index; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1851-1900 Illinois Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry ($) – Index, INCOMPLETE
Death[edit | edit source]
- Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 at Illinois State Archives - index; Also at: MyHeritage($)
- 1749-1999 Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1809-1870 Myer, Lois C. Vital records of Randolph and Washington counties, Illinois, 1809–1870. Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969. FS Library film 599051 Item 1
- 1877-1971 Death Records and Index at IRAD-SIU - images and index; physical holdings not online, copies can be requested, List of records available
- 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 at Illinois State Archives - index
- 1916-1950 Illinois Deaths, 1916-1950 at MyHeritage ($) - index,
- 1951-1971 Illinois Death Certificates, 1951–1971 at Illinois State Archives - index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Washington 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 Washington 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
- Centralia Illinois FamilySearch Center
- O'Fallon Illinois FamilySearch Center
- C.E. Brehm Memorial Public Library District - an affiliate library
- O'Fallon Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Washington County. For state-wide library facilities, see Illinois Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Washington County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Illinois Societies.
Washington County Historical Society
PO Box 9
326 South Kaskaskia Street
Nashville, IL 62263
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Washington ILGenWeb
- Washington County, IL Genealogy Trails
- Washington County, IL USGenWeb Archives
- Washington County IL Genealogy
- Washington County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- 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[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Illinois 04/20/2017.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washington 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.
- ↑ Ottawa Free Trader; Saturday, January 27, 1883 (column 3) at https://www.newspapers.com/image/47618230/
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County%2C_Illinois, accessed 11 March 2020.