Madison County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Madison County, Illinois
Map
Map of Illinois highlighting Madison County
Location in the state of Illinois, United States Genealogy
Map of the U.S. highlighting Illinois
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded: September 14, 1812
County Seat Edwardsville
Courthouse
Madison County Courthouse.gif
Photo courtesy Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD), Illinois State Archives
Address Madison County Courthouse
157 North Main Street
Edwardsville, Illinois 62025
(618) 692-6290
Madison County Website


County Organization[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[1]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1860 1813 1878 1803 1802 1813 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 Madison County are kept, see the Madison County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts[edit | edit source]

James Madison

Madison County is named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.

Parent County[edit | edit source]

  • 1812--Madison County was created 14 September 1812 from St. Clair County.  County seat: Edwardsville [2]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for President James Madison. The county seat is Edwardsville and the county was organized on September 14, 1812.[3] The County is located in the West 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.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Places / Localities[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
Census-designated places
Townships


Records and Resources[edit | edit source]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Madison, 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

The Cemeteries of Madison County, Illinois are documented in sixteen volumes of cemetery and tombstone inscription books prepared by the Madison County Genealogical Society. All sixteen volumes are available on-line at the Illinois Digital Archive. The volumes are organized by township, and are fully text searchable.

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1820 13,550 —
1830 6,221 −54.1%
1840 14,433 132.0%
1850 20,441 41.6%
1860 31,251 52.9%
1870 44,131 41.2%
1880 50,126 13.6%
1890 51,535 2.8%
1900 64,694 25.5%
1910 89,847 38.9%
1920 106,895 19.0%
1930 143,830 34.6%
1940 149,349 3.8%
1950 182,307 22.1%
1960 224,689 23.2%
1970 250,934 11.7%
1980 247,691 −1.3%
1990 249,238 0.6%
2000 258,941 3.9%
2010 269,282 4.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing census records online, see Illinois Census.

Elsie Wasser's transcriptions of the Illinois State Census for 1845, 1855, and 1865 for Madison County are available on the Illinois Digital Archive site as part of the Madison County Genealogical Resources collection.

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, Madison County on page 187.]

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Copies of Original records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

City Directories[edit | edit source]

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.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Madison County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

  • 1813-1818 Illinois, Madison County court records, 1813-1818, and indenture records, 1805-1826 : register of slaves, indentured servants & free persons of colour, with individual indexes FHL Book 977.386 P2s, World Cat
  • 1818-1821 Court Records of Madison County, Illinois, 1818-1821 FHL Book 977.386 P2j, World Cat
  • 1825-1911 Madison County, Illinois circuit court in chancery records, 1825-1911 FHL Film 2194343 First of 10 films.

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.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through online sources, the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Madison County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Abstracts

  • A Gazetteer of Madison County, Containing Historical and Descriptive Sketches... (Google Books) published in 1866 by James T. Hair covers the geography and history of Madison County from the 1600's, and includes a directory of residents as of 1866. Also available on Ancestry ($).

Copies of Original Records

Online Resources

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps[edit | edit source]

Jersey CountyMacoupin CountyMontgomery CountyBond CountyClinton CountySt. Clair CountySt. Louis CountySt. Charles CountyIL MADISON.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources



Military[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Civil War service men from Madison 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 Madison County.

- 1st Regiment, Illinois Cavalry
- 2nd Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company D.
- 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies, G, I, and K.
- 9th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and I.
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies E and F.
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company K.
- 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and K.
- 22nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- 26th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and F.
- 59th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
- 97th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies G and I.
- 117th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D, F, and G.
- 133rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D.
- 140th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company K.
- 143rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies F and K.
- 144th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, I, and K.
- 149th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company I.
- 150th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Companies G and H.
- 15th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company I
:- 68th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company A
:- 68th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company H
:- 68th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia (Union), Company I
:- 9th Regiment, Missouri Infantry (Union), Company D
:- 1st Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company L
:- 1st Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry (Union), Company M

Naturalization[edit | edit source]

  • Madison County Naturalization Records[[1]

Online Records

Newspapers and Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

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.

The following abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through, the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Madison County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Abstracts

Copies of Original Records

Online Resources

Repositories[edit | edit source]

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 Madison County are kept, see the Madison County Courthouse page.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

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

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)[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. Southern Illinois University houses the records for Madison County.

Public Libraries[edit | edit source]

Hayner Public Library located in Alton, Illinois has genealogical information including maps, city directories, marriage records and cemetery transcriptions in its Genealogy & Local History Library.

Social Groups Online[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Madison County Genealogical Society
PO Box 631
Edwardsville, Illinois 62025-0631
Website

Madison County Historical Society
715 N Main St
Edwardsville, IL 62025
Telephone Number: 618-656-7562
Email:info@madcohistory.org
Website

Edwardsville Public Library
112 S. Kansas
Edwardsville, Illinois 62025
Telephone Number: 618-692-7556
Email:caryh@edwardsvillelibrary.org
Website

Taxation[edit | edit source]

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.


Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Madison 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 Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Madison County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Births[edit | edit source]

There are a number of birth records on the ILGenWeb site.

Marriages[edit | edit source]

Deaths[edit | edit source]

There are a number of death records on the ILGenWeb site.

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Madison 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), 196. (FHL Collection Ref Book 973 D27e 2002). WorldCat entry.
  3. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Madison, Illinois Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ill/madison/ accessed 04/17/2017.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Madison County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County,_Illinois 04/17/2017.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Madison County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County,_Illinois, accessed 22 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Your local public library may offer free access from home to HeritageQuest Online. Go to your library's web page for more information.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

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