Difference between revisions of "Macon County, Illinois Genealogy"
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{{Family History Centers Intro}} | {{Family History Centers Intro}} | ||
| − | [[Family History Centers|Family History Centers]] (FHCs) are branches of the [[Family History Library|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. | + | [[Family History Centers|Family History Centers]] (FHCs) are branches of the [[Family History Library|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. |
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*[[Decatur Illinois Family History Center]] | *[[Decatur Illinois Family History Center]] | ||
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==== Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) ==== | ==== Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) ==== | ||
Revision as of 14:56, 20 January 2021
Guide to Macon County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Macon County, Illinois | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location of Illinois in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded: | January 19, 1829 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Decatur |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Macon County Courthouse 253 East Wood Street Decatur, Illinois 62523 217-424-1305 Macon County Website |
Contents
- 1 Macon County Information
- 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 Library Records
- 7.12 Military
- 7.13 Naturalization
- 7.14 Newspapers and Obituaries
- 7.15 Probate Records
- 7.16 Repositories
- 7.17 Social Groups Online
- 7.18 Societies
- 7.19 Taxation
- 7.20 Vital Records
- 8 Websites
- 9 References
Macon County Information[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1850 | 1829 | 1877 | 1829 | 1827 | 1831 | 1810 |
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Macon County are kept, see the Macon County Courthouse page.
Historical Facts[edit | edit source]
The county is named after U.S. Senator Nathaniel Macon (1758-1837).[2]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Nathaniel Macon, who served as a Colonel in the Revolutionary War. Macon later served as senator from North Carolina until his resignation in 1828. The county seat is Decatur and the county was organized on January 19, 1829.[4] The County is located in the central part of the state.[5]
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]
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:[6]
| Cities | ||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
|
|
|
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 Macon county cemeteries.
- Confederate soldiers buried in Macon County. Courtesty of Genealogy Trails.
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 1,122 | — |
| 1840 | 3,039 | 170.9% |
| 1850 | 3,988 | 31.2% |
| 1860 | 13,738 | 244.5% |
| 1870 | 26,481 | 92.8% |
| 1880 | 30,665 | 15.8% |
| 1890 | 38,083 | 24.2% |
| 1900 | 44,003 | 15.5% |
| 1910 | 54,186 | 23.1% |
| 1920 | 65,175 | 20.3% |
| 1930 | 81,731 | 25.4% |
| 1940 | 84,693 | 3.6% |
| 1950 | 98,853 | 16.7% |
| 1960 | 118,257 | 19.6% |
| 1970 | 125,010 | 5.7% |
| 1980 | 131,375 | 5.1% |
| 1990 | 117,206 | −10.8% |
| 2000 | 114,706 | −2.1% |
| 2010 | 110,768 | −3.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Church records may give birth, death and marriage information as well as indictate family relationships. See Illinois Church Records for more ideas about how to use church records in your research. Many libraries (WorldCat) and the Family History Library hold abstracts of church records for Macon County. Learn more about how to search WorldCat and the FamilySearch Catalog.
- Macon County, IL, Churches Index. Courtesy of ILGenWeb.
- Early Church History for Macon County, Illinois Courtesy Genealogytrails.com. Includes Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Church of God, Presbyterian, Methodist Episcopal, United Brethren and Universalist Churches.
- Forney, Christian Henry History of the Churches of God in the United States of North America (Board of Directors of the Publishing House and book rooms of the Churches of God, 1914.) Available for viewing at Google Books.
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 online, through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Macon County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.
Copies of Original Records
- 1829-1904 Circuit Court Case Files including Criminal Files IRAD-UIS
- 1830-1848 Circuit Court Record IRAD-UIS
- 1831-1848 Court record, Vol. A-B FHL Film 985764
- 1857-1871 Justice of the Peace Dockets IRAD-UIS
- 1831-1866 Circuit Court Execution Files IRAD-UIS
- 1869-1869 Circuit Court Dockets, Common Law IRAD-UIS
- 1872-1934 County Court Record IRAD-UIS
- 1878-1881 Circuit Court Cockets IRAD-UIS
- 1883-1892 County Court Dockets IRAD-UIS
- 1893-1910 County Court Judgment Record IRAD-UIS
- 1893-1906 Insanity and Conservator's Record IRAD-UIS
- 1893-1910 Insanity Dockets IRAD-UIS
- 1895-1926 Insanity Record IRAD-UIS
- 1899-1909 County Court Dockets, Criminal IRAD-UIS
- 1900-1933 County Court Miscellaneous Record IRAD-UIS
Abstracts
- 1831-1838 Hauffe, Jean Parks Abstracts of Macon County, Illinois Circuit Court records, book A, 1831- 1838 WorldCat 901305; FHL Book 977.358 P2m
Online Resources
- Macon County Jail, 1930 Index of Prisoners, courtesy: Blacksheep Ancestors.
- 1829-1861 Macon County Circuit Court Case Files Index Courtesy Illinois State Archives.
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, through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Macon County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the UIS IRAD Wiki page.
Online Resources
- BLM GLO Records. Search original land patents for Macon County from the Govenment Land Office (GLO) or Eastern States Office. Some searches include images of the original warrants. All search results include the patant details needed for requesting copies of the land entry files at the National Archives. The GLO is the custodian of millions of land title documents. The General Land Office Automated Records Project is responsible for making these important documents available to the public.
- Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales. The Illinois State Archives has an online index to the records of Public land sales held by the State Archives. The indexes are by purchasers name and by legal description. This is a statewide collection with nearly 550,000 land sales fro 54740 square miles.
- 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
- Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
- Sheldon, Theodore. Land registration in Illinois. Chicago: Callaghan Co., 1901. Digital book. Expains the laws regarding land and the land systems used in Illinois. Includes court cases involving land issues. In addition to being on Ancestry, this book is available online at no cost at Internet Archives and Google Books.
Copies of original records
- 1829-1893 Deed Index IRAD-UIS
- 1829-1901 Deed Record IRAD-UIS
- 1830–1893 Land records index FHL film 985765–71
- 1830–1887 Deeds records FHL film 985772(first of 63 films)
- 1830–1874 Original entry FHL film 989021 Item 1
- 1857-1893 Mortgage Record IRAD-UIS
- 1871-1948 Chattel Mortgages IRAD-UIS
Additional Resources
Additional resources for Macon 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)
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Library Records[edit | edit source]
- 1879-2007 - Illinois, Macon County, Decatur Public Library Collections, 1879-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1879-2007 - Illinois, Macon County, Decatur Public Library Collections, 1879-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Macon 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 Macon County.
- - 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I.
- - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies A and B.
- - 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and B.
- - 21st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
- - 41st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A and E.
- - 63rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
- - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
- - 115th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- - 116th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, I, and K.
- - 145th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.
- - 150th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company I.
- - 152nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company K.
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]
Historic
Ancestry.com and NewspaperArchive.com have digitized dozens of historic Macon County newspapers. Cyndi's List provides a detailed list.
Current
The website of the Decatur Herald & Review provides free access to birth and death notices published in the newspaper since 1997.
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
Original probate records are usually held by the circuit court clerk. Probate records include wills, inventories, settlements, and guardianship records. Copies of probate records are held at IRAD. Explore how to search IRAD–UIS. The following copies are available at IRAD–UIS and in the FamilySearch Catalog:
- 1830–1872 Probate Case Files Index IRAD–UIS
- 1830–1972 Estate Files Index FHL Films 983279
- 1830–1890 Probate Case Files IRAD–UIS
- 1830–1885 Estate Files FHL Films 983280 First of 113 Films
- 1847–1916 Probate Will Record IRAD–UIS
- 1847–1916 Will Records FHL Films 983273–983278
- 1860–1960 Probate Inventory Record IRAD–UIS
- 1873–1939 Probate Administrator's Record IRAD–UIS
- 1883–1904 Probate Widow's Relinquishment and Selection Record IRAD–UIS
- 1887–1962 Probate Appraisement RecordIRAD–UIS
- 1904–1957 Probate Heirship Record IRAD–UIS
- 1943–1962 Probate Wills IRAD–UIS
In addition, IRAD maintains an online index to
- Macon County Circuit Court case files, 1829–1861. These records include chancery cases. Although, not officially probate records, chancery court records may include plaintiffs and defendants in property settlements.
Other abstracted probate records for Macon County can be explored through a subject search of the FamilySearch Catalog (Probate Records), FamilySearch Catalog(Probate indexes) and WorldCat.
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 Macon County are kept, see the Macon 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
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.
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.
The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) houses the records for Macon County. The link will help you find and use the records. There address is:
Illinois Regional Archives Depository
LIB144
University of Illinois at Springfield Region
One University Plaza, MS BRK 140
Springfield, Illinois 62703-5407
217-206-6520
Public Libraries[edit | edit source]
Barclay Public Library
220 S. Main St.
P.O. Box 349
Warrensburg, Illinois 62573
Office 217-672-3621
217-672-8404
They have a wide variety of genealogy and local history resources. They are also digitizing their collection, which can be accessed online and in the library. Be sure to view the Genealogical section on their site.
Decatur Public Library
130 N. Franklin St.
Decatur, IL 62523
Phone:(217) 424-2900
Ext. 7
Shilling Local History Room with newspapers, obituary index, cemetery listings, local directories. Call ahead for times.
A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:
Illinios Macon County, Decatur Public Library Collections (FamilySearch Historical Records)
Maroa Public Library
305 E. Garfield Street
Maroa, IL 61756
Phone (217)794-5111
Prairie Post Online Obituary Index
A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:
Illinois, Macon County, Decatur Public Library Collections (FamilySearch Historical Records)
Social Groups Online[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Decatur Genealogical Society and Library
1255 W. South Side Drive
Decatur, Illinois
Telephone Number: 217429-0135
Website
Macon County History Museum and Prairie Village
5580 North Fork Road
Decatur, Illinois 62521
Telephone Number: 217-422-4919
Website
Museum and Library for researching the Decatur and Macon County area.
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 since 1877 are kept by the Macon 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 kept by the County Clerk from 1829 to the present. Original divorce records are generally in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk.
Copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library and the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Universtiy of Illinois–Springfield(UIS). Search Macon County records in the Local Governmental Records Holdings Database . For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD–UIS Wiki page.
Explore MaconCounty vital records found in the FamilySearch Catalog. Other libraries(at WorldCat) also hold copies of abstracted Macon County vital records. (How to explore WorldCat).
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1850–1922 Birth Records Index FHL Film 983929
- 1850–1890 Birth Records Index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macon County records.
- 1877–1917 Birth record IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macon County records. FHL Film 983929 (first of 7 films)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1805-1985 Illinois, Church Marriages, 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
- 1810–1934 Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1829–1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index search for Macon County records.
- 1829–1930 Marriage records index IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macon County records. FHL Film 983123–983124
- 1829–1918 Marriage Records IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macon County records. FHL Film 983125 (first of 4 films)
- 1833-1889 Illinois, Civil Marriages, 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
- 1883–1884, 1889 Marriage License Applications IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macon County records. FHL Film 983129
- 1829–1850 Illinois Marriages 1790 to 1860. Search for Macon county records.Ancestry ($). The source of this collection is films in the Family History Library's collection
- 1851–1900 Illinois Marriages 1851 to 1900. Search for Macon county records.Ancestry ($)The source of this collection is films in the Family History Library's collection
Death[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
- 1877-1922 Death Records Index. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macon county. FHL Film 983936
- 1877-1918 Death Record. Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macon county. FHL Films 983936 (first of 4 films)
- 1878-1902 Death Record, Stillbirths IRAD-UIS. How to Use IRAD search for Macon County records. FHL Film 272971 item 1
- 1844-1987 Burial Record, Soldiers and Sailors.Available at UIS IRAD Region Search for Macon county.
Macon County records are not included in the Pre–1916 Statewide Death Index at IRAD.
- 1916-1950 Illinois Statewide Death Index Search for Macon County.
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- Macon County Divorce Index from newspaper abstracts Courtesy of USGenWeb.
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Macon County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Macon County IL Genealogy
- Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Macon County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:
Illinois, Macon County, Decatur Pubic Library Collections - FamilySearch Historical Records
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Macon 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.
- ↑ "Nathaniel Macon", Wikipedia.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “LOGAN, Illinois Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ill/logan/ accessed 04/17/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "LOGAN County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macon_County,_Illinois 04/17/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Macon County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macon_County,_Illinois, accessedMarch 2020.
