State of Illinois Genealogy Research Guide

In 1673, Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette became the first Europeans to visit the area that is now Illinois. Cahokia, which was located near what is now the eastern part of St. Louis, was established in 1699 by the French. It was the first permanent settlement in the area. When the French and Indian Wars came to a close, which was in 1763, Great Britain controlled the region. The Indian wars and the Revolutionary War had a major impact on the region throughout the early part of the 1800s. The Illinois Territory was organized on March 1, 1809. The State of Illinois was created as the 21st state on December 3, 1818. The capital is Springfield and the official state website is http://www.illinois.gov/. It has 102 Counties. Illinois borders Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin. Select a Illinois county to view information & records pertaining to each County

Adams ∣ Alexander ∣ Bond ∣ Boone ∣ Brown ∣ Bureau ∣ Calhoun ∣ Carroll ∣ Cass ∣ Champaign ∣ Christian ∣ Clinton ∣ Clark ∣ Clay ∣ Coles ∣ Cook ∣ Crawford ∣ Cumberland ∣ De Kalb ∣ Douglas ∣ DeWitt ∣ DuPage ∣ Edgar ∣ Edwards ∣ Effingham ∣ Fayette ∣ Ford ∣ Franklin ∣ Fulton ∣ Gallatin ∣ Grundy ∣ Greene ∣ Hamilton ∣ Hancock ∣ Hardin ∣ Henry ∣ Henderson ∣ Iroquois ∣ Jackson ∣ Jasper ∣ Jo Daviess ∣ Jefferson ∣ Jersey ∣ Johnson ∣ Kendall ∣ Kankakee ∣ Knox ∣ Kane ∣ Lake ∣ Lawrence ∣ Lee ∣ Livingston ∣ Logan ∣ La Salle ∣ Madison ∣ McDonough ∣ McHenry ∣ McLean ∣ Macon ∣ Menard ∣ Mercer ∣ Morgan ∣ Moultrie ∣ Macoupin ∣ Marion ∣ Monroe ∣ Massac ∣ Marshall ∣ Mason ∣ Montgomery ∣ Ogle ∣ Peoria ∣ Perry ∣ Piatt ∣ Pike ∣ Pope ∣ Pulaski ∣ Putnam ∣ Randolph ∣ Richland ∣ Rock Island ∣ Saline ∣ Sangamon ∣ St. Clair ∣ Schuyler ∣ Scott ∣ Shelby ∣ Stark ∣ Stephenson ∣ Tazewell ∣ Union ∣ Vermilion ∣ Wabash ∣ Warren ∣ Washington ∣ Wayne ∣ Will ∣ Winnebago ∣ Woodford ∣ Whiteside ∣ Williamson ∣ White

Illinois Genealogy Record Guides

Illinois Archives & Societies

State of Illinois Records Guide

Illinois Genealogy Record Guides