Iroquois County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Iroquois County, Illinois
Map
Map of Illinois highlighting Iroquois County
Location in the state of Illinois
Map of the U.S. highlighting Illinois
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded: February 26, 1833
County Seat Watseka
Courthouse
Iroquois County Courthouse.gif
Photo courtesy Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Illinois State Archives
Address Iroquois County Courthouse
1001 E. Grant Street
Watseka, Illinois 60970
815-432-6960
Iroquois County Website


County Organization[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[1]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1878 1868 1878 1855 1835 1865 1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

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

Historical Facts[edit | edit source]

Iroquois Indiana Basket Seller.jpg

Name taken from the former Iroquois Confederacy of the Six Nations which included the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora.

Parent County[edit | edit source]

1833--Iroquois County was created 26 February 1833, from Vermilion County. County seat: Watseka [2]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for the Iroquois people (a confederacy of six tribes - the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga and Tuscarora.) The county seat is Watseka and the county was organized on 26 February 1833.[3] The County is located in the East-Central part of the state.[4]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

For animated maps illustrating Illinois county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Illinois County Boundary Maps" (1790-1869) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

1826-1833 Vermillion
1823-1826 Edgar
1819-1823 Clark
1816-1819 Crawford
1815-1816 Edwards
1812-1815 Madison
1801-1812 St. Clair
1795-1801 Knox, Northwest Territory


Record Loss[edit | edit source]

1866 Fire burned the courthouse on 16 October; some records were lost or damaged. Marriages before October 1866 from the Iroquois Journal and records of the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church may be found at Illinois Statewide Marriage Index

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:


Records and Resources[edit | edit source]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Iroquois, Illinois online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Illinois Cemeteries for more information

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1840 1,695 —
1850 4,149 144.8%
1860 12,325 197.1%
1870 25,782 109.2%
1880 35,451 37.5%
1890 35,167 −0.8%
1900 38,014 8.1%
1910 35,543 −6.5%
1920 34,841 −2.0%
1930 32,913 −5.5%
1940 32,496 −1.3%
1950 32,348 −0.5%
1960 33,562 3.8%
1970 33,532 −0.1%
1980 32,976 −1.7%
1990 30,787 −6.6%
2000 31,334 1.8%
2010 29,718 −5.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1840 Pensioners[edit | edit source]

  • A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington, D.C., 1841. FHL 973 X2pc 1840; FHL 2321; digital version at Google Books. [See Illinois, Iroquois County on page 187.]

Church Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

1851-1878, 1878-1889 (Marriage Book B) Catholic Church. St. John the Baptist. Marriage Records. FHL film 2055157 item 15 and Fiche 6004547.

Quaker Records includes Onarga and Watseka Monthly Meetings (Ancestry.com)

St. Mary's Catholic Church Records 1859-1882. by Nancy Tabo Scott WorldCat

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Records 1879-1944. by Nora Meier WorldCat

St. Peter Catholic Church Records 1869-1919. by Norma Meier WorldCat

Milford Christian Church Records. by Dauthers of American Revolution WorldCat

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.

Ethnic Research[edit | edit source]

African American[edit | edit source]

The following have information concerning African American research.

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

Land and Property[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.

IRAD - Illinois State University (Following records originally from Office: Recorder.(IRAD- County Listing)

  • Chattel Morgages 1930-1968. IRAD - ISU book.

Family History Library Collection

1835-1887 Land Records. County Court Iroquois County, Illinois. filmed by Genealogical Society of Utah, 1983. 60 microfilms. FHL film 1321552 first film.
1831-1882 Iroquois County Original Land Purchases,: a research project of the Iroquois County Historical Society. by Ralph D. Moore and Virginia M. Moore. FHL film 1036641 item 2 and Book 977.364R2m.

Online Resources

Maps[edit | edit source]

Kankakee CountyFord CountyChampaign CountyVermilion CountyNewton CountyBenton CountyWarren CountyIL IROQUOIS.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Military Records[edit | edit source]

For information about using Military records see Illinois Military Records

Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]

Veteran Burials (Genealogy Trails History Group)

War of 1812[edit | edit source]

Military Land Grants for Soldiers of the War of 1812 (partial list - USGenWeb)

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Civil War service men from Iroquois 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 Iroquois County.

- 9th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company M.
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C.
- 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I
- 25th Regiment, Illinois Infantry. Company F.
- 51st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.
- 76th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A<span, Company E, and Company K.
- 113th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, D, F, and I.
- 134th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company B.
- 150th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company D.
- 155th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.


Grand Army of the Republic
[edit | edit source]

A list of GAR post in Illinoisadditionsl site for post list Library of Congress

Williams Post no. 25 of Watseka. Personal War Sketches of the Members of Williams Post. FHL film 1321667 Item 2.

B. Brown Post, Sheldon 1913 - USGenWeb

Gilman Post, Gilman 1913 - USGenWeb

Kirkpatrick Post, Loada 1913 - USGenWeb

Williams Post, Watseka 1913 - USGenWeb

World War I [edit | edit source]

World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 ($) Ancestry.com

United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, (FamilySearch.org) Browse cards in alphabetical order by county of registration.

World War II[edit | edit source]

United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (FamilySearch.org) Covers men born 1877-1897.

World War II Casualties, Army and Army Air Corps (AccessGenealogy)

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

IRAD -Illinois State University (Following records originally from Office: County Court). IRAD Counties Listing

1876-1903 Naturalization Dockets - IRAD-ISU

Family History Library Collection

1859-1906 Naturalization Records. Illinois, County Court (Iroquois County) FHL film 1321549-1321551 Each volume includes an index.

Online Records

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Chronicling America (Library of Congress)

Places and Localities[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:[5]

Cities
Villages
Unincorporated communities
Townships

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Indexes and Records

The Iroqouis County Genealogical Society has an online list of county probate records from 1870-1898. $

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.

Repositories[edit | edit source]

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 Iroquois County.

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

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

FamilySearh Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • Family History 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 family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States) and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy.

Iroquois County Genealogical Society
Old Courthouse Museum
103 West Cherry Street
Watseka, IL 60970-1524

Search your home address to locate a center near you on the FamilySearch site. The following centers are located in surrounding counties. Their wiki pages may supply hours and other information.

Find a FamilySearch Center

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)[edit | edit source]

Illinois State Universtiy (ISU)
2016 Warehouse Road Campus
Box 1520
Normal, Illinois 61802
Phone: 1-309-452-6027

Illinois Regional Archives Depository System - Illinois State University Region

Public Libraries[edit | edit source]

Watseka Public Library
201 South 4th Street
Watseka, IL 60970
815-432-4544

Social Groups Online[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Miscellaneous Records, Iroquois County, Illinois by Iroquois County Genealogical Society and Cheryl Wixon Gocken. Vol 2 is found FamilySearch Catalog. The Iroquois County Genealogical Society has all four volumes for sale on their site, Iroquois County Genealogy org.

Taxation[edit | edit source]

1890 Tax List FHL fiche 6004546 and book 977.364 R4i

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois. See also How to order Illinois Vital Records or order electronically online.


Iroquois County Vital Records Office
1001 E. Grant St.
Watseka, IL 60970
815-432-6970

Order Birth and Death Certificates Online ($)

IRAD- Illinois State University (Following records originally from Office: County Clerk). IRAD County Listing

Birth Records[edit | edit source]

1869-1915 Birth Records Index. IRAD-ISU microfilm.
1878-1901 Birth Records. IRAD-ISU microfilm.
1853-1962 Delayed Birth Certificats Index. IRAD-ISU microfilm.
1853-1915 Delayed Birth Certificates. IRAD-ISU microfilm.
1872-1900 Delayed Birth Record. IRAD-ISU microfilm.
1878-1900 Birth Records; and 1853-1915 Delayed Birth Records,FHL films 1321541 - 1321547 are available through the Family History Library and FamilySearch centers, including the Iroquois County Genealogical Society.

Marriage[edit | edit source]

1805-1985 Illinois, Church Marriages, 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
1810–1934 Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
1833-1889 Illinois, Civil Marriages, 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index


1866-1935 Marriage Record Index. IRAD-ISU microfilm.
1866-1904 Marriage Record. IRAD-ISU microfilm.


The above Marriage Records Index and Marriage Record are available through the Family History Library and its centers. FHL film 1321547-1321549

Iroquois County Marriages. by Iroquois County Genealogical Society WorldCat

Death[edit | edit source]

Family History Library Collection[edit | edit source]

Voter Registration[edit | edit source]

Places / Localities[edit | edit source]

Websites[edit | edit source]

Databases Pertinent to Iroquois County[edit | edit source]

Local Governmental Records Database

Names Index to Illinois Local Governments

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index

Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916

Illinois Statewide Death index, 1916-1950

Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Data Base

Federal Township Plats of Illinois.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iroquois County, Illinois. Page 192-199 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL 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.
  2. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), 194. (FHL Collection Ref Book 973 D27e 2002). WorldCat entry.
  3. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Iroquois County, Illinois Genealogy and History”, https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Iroquois_County,_Illinois_Genealogy accessed 04/13/2017.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Iroquois County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois_County,_Illinois 04/013/2017.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Iroquois County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iroquois_County,_Illinois, Last accessed 7 January 2020.

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