Putnam County, Illinois Genealogy
Guide to Putnam County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Putnam County, Illinois | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location of Illinois in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded: | January 13, 1825 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Hennepin |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Putnam County Courthouse 120 N. 4th Street Hennepin, Illinois 61327 (618) 664-0449 |
Contents
- 1 Putnam County Organization
- 2 Historical Facts
- 3 Parent County
- 4 Boundary Changes
- 5 Record Loss
- 6 Places / Localities
- 7 Records and Resources
- 7.1 Biography
- 7.2 Cemeteries
- 7.3 Census
- 7.4 Church Records
- 7.5 Court Records
- 7.6 Ethnic Research
- 7.7 Genealogy
- 7.8 History
- 7.9 Land and Property
- 7.10 Maps
- 7.11 Military
- 7.12 Naturalization
- 7.13 Newspapers and Obituaries
- 7.14 Probate Records
- 7.15 Repositories
- 7.16 Social Groups Online
- 7.17 Societies
- 7.18 Taxation
- 7.19 Vital Records
- 8 Websites
- 9 References
Putnam County Organization[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1878 | 1831 | 1878 | 1831 | 1831 | 1831 | 1810 |
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Putnam County are kept, see the Putnam County Courthouse page.
Historical Facts[edit | edit source]
The county is named after Revolutionary War Major General Israel Putnam (1718-1790).[2]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Israel Putnam, who was a general in the American Revolution. The county seat is Hennepin and the county was organized on 1825. The County is located in the Central area 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]
- Putnam County Gazetteer (by Home Town Locator)
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]
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Records and Resources[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites have additional information on Putnam county cemeteries.
- Putnam County Cemetery Site links. by Linkpendium
- Illinois Genealogy Trails. Florid, Putnam, St Francis, Mount Palatine Cemeteries Transcriptions
- Interment.net Putnam County. Search by name: Boyle Family Cemetery, Mount Palatine Cemetery, Putnam Cemetery, Saint Francis Cemetery
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 2,131 | — |
| 1850 | 3,924 | 84.1% |
| 1860 | 5,587 | 42.4% |
| 1870 | 6,280 | 12.4% |
| 1880 | 5,554 | −11.6% |
| 1890 | 4,730 | −14.8% |
| 1900 | 4,746 | 0.3% |
| 1910 | 7,561 | 59.3% |
| 1920 | 7,579 | 0.2% |
| 1930 | 5,235 | −30.9% |
| 1940 | 5,289 | 1.0% |
| 1950 | 4,746 | −10.3% |
| 1960 | 4,570 | −3.7% |
| 1970 | 5,007 | 9.6% |
| 1980 | 6,085 | 21.5% |
| 1990 | 5,730 | −5.8% |
| 2000 | 6,086 | 6.2% |
| 2010 | 6,006 | −1.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. It is usually best to locate church records with a search at a local level such as the city, town, or village.
Society of Friends (Quakers)
- Franklin, Lucretia Smith, et al. 150 Years in Review of Clear Creek Families and Friends, Putnam County, Illinois. [Illinois]: Clear Creek Monthly Meeting, 1991. Includes minutes of the Society of Friends' (Quakers) Clear Creek Monthly Meeting beginning in 1841 and burials at Friends Cemetery. Many libraries (WorldCat); FHL book 977.3375 H2f
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.
Putnam County Government courtesy Genealogytrails.com. Includes Township election results from 1872-1889, juror selection for 1858, delegates to the 1866 State Republican Convention, County officers for 1873 and more.
Ethnic Research[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
The following have information concerning African American research.
- African American Genealogy (US) has more information about the kinds of records
- Illinois State Archives pamphlet on African American Research describes what records are at the State Archives with an online method for ordering records.
- African American Resources for Illinois
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 online or through the Family History Library.
Online Resources
- 1800s-Present - Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a research establish location and lead to National Archives' records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are housed at the National Archives.
- 1800s-Present - Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales from Illinois State Archives also provides an index to federal land sales.
- 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
- Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
Additional Resources
Additional resources for Putnam County land and property may be found online in the FamilySearch Catalog. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the WorldCat Online Catalog.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
- Township map of Putnam County
- Outline of Putnam County Over Google Map -- by Home Town Locator
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Putnam 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 Putnam County.
- - 4th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company E.
- - 20th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
- - 77th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
- - 123rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
- - 139th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company B.
Naturalization[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1800-1998 - Illinois, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers and Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1819 - 1988 Illinois Probate Records 1819-1988 at FamilySearch.org — images
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 Putnam County are kept, see the Putnam County Courthouse page.
Family History Center[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 Libraries
Introduction to 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.
You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site. The following center serves Putnam County:
- Ottawa Illinois Family History Center
1377 Adams Street
Ottawa, Illinois
Telephone: (815) 431-0186
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)[edit | edit source]
The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses 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.
The Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for Putnam County. Learn more about finding and using their records.
- Illinois Regional Archives Depository
c/o Regional History Center
Founders Memorial Library, Room 400
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Telephone: (815) 753-1807
Public Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Putnam County Public Library District
214 North Fourth St. Box 199
Hennepin, IL 61327
Telephone: (815) 925-7020
Social Groups Online[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Putnam County Historical Society
327 Old Highway 26
1050 N
PO Box 74
Hennepin, IL 61327-0074
Telephone Number: 815-925-7560
E-mail:pchs61327@yahoo.com
Website
Putnam County Historical Society
Village Hall
627 E. High St.
Hennepin, IL 61327
Telephone Number: 815-925-7138
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 Putnam 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 Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Putnam County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.
Birth Records[edit | edit source]
Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
- 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
- 1805-1985 Illinois, Church Marriages, 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
- 1810-1934 Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index
- 1833-1889 Illinois, Civil Marriages, 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
- 1831-1844 Early Marriages in Putnam County from ILGenWeb
Death Records[edit | edit source]
- 1749-1999 Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
- 1850-1880 Illinois Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1850,1860,1870,1880 U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry ($) These include the deaths occurring twelve months before the census was taken.
- 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950 Index
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Putnam County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Putnam County IL Genealogy
- Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Putnam County Links, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- IL Gen Web Putnam County Site
- Illinois Genealogy Trails Putnam County Site
- USGenWeb Archives Putnam County Site
- Rootsweb Putnam County Site
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Putnam 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.
- ↑ "Putnam County, Illinois," Wikipedia.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Putnam County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County,_Illinois 04/19/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Putnam County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putnam_County,_Illinois, accessed 16 March 2020.
