Clay County, IllinoisEdit This Page

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United States Illinois Clay County

Guide to Clay County Illinois genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Coordinates: 38.76°0′N 88.49°0′W / 38.76°N 88.49°W / 38.76; -88.49

Clay County, Illinois
Map
Location in the state of Illinois
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded:	December 23, 1824
County Seat	Louisville
Courthouse
Photo courtesy Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Illinois State Archives
Address	Clay County Courthouse 111 E. Chestnut Louisville, Illinois 62858 (618) 665-3626 Clay County Website

Contents 1 Clay County Organization 1.1 Historical Facts 1.2 Boundary Changes 1.3 Record Loss 2 Records and Resources 2.1 Biography 2.2 Cemeteries 2.3 Census 2.3.1 Federal 2.3.2 State 2.3.3 1840 Pensioners 2.4 Church History and Records 2.4.1 Catholic 2.5 Court Records 2.6 Ethnic Research 2.6.1 African American 2.6.2 Germans 2.7 Genealogy 2.7.1 Mailing Lists 2.7.2 Message Boards 2.7.3 Periodicals 2.8 Land and Property 2.9 Local Histories 2.10 Maps 2.11 Military History and Records 2.11.1 Civil War 2.12 Naturalization and Citizenship 2.13 Newspapers 2.14 Obituaries 2.15 Probate Records 2.16 Repositories 2.16.1 County Courthouse 2.16.2 Family History Centers 2.16.3 Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) 2.16.4 Libraries 2.17 Social Groups Online 2.18 Societies 2.19 Taxation 2.20 Vital Records 2.20.1 Births 2.20.2 Marriages 2.20.3 Deaths 3 Websites 4 References

Clay County Organization

Clay County's civil records start the following years:

Beginning Dates for Clay County Records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Census	Land	Probate
1877	1825	1877	1830	1825	1827

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

Historical Facts

Clay County is named for Henry_Clay who is known for authoring the "Missouri Compromise."

Boundary Changes

• 23 December 1824: -- Clay County was created from Wayne, Lawrence and Fayette Counties. ^[1]

• Interactive map of Clay County boundary changes.

Record Loss

Records and Resources

Biography

• Biographical and reminiscent history of Richland, Clay and Marion counties, Illinois (Google Books)
• History of Wayne and Clay Counties, Illinois (Google Books)

Cemeteries

Illinois Cemeteries for more information.

Find A Grave, list of cemeteries. Additional information can be found at local level (city, township, etc.)

• Clay Co. IL USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks.

• Illinois Cemeteries by county.
• Clay County Cemeteries by contributors and by township (Genealogy Trails)
• Clay County Illinois Cemeteries (Linkpendium)

Census

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

Federal

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	19,553		—
1910	18,661		−4.6%
1920	17,684		−5.2%
1930	16,155		−8.6%
1940	18,947		17.3%
1950	17,445		−7.9%
1960	15,815		−9.3%
1970	14,735		−6.8%
1980	15,283		3.7%
1990	14,460		−5.4%
2000	14,560		0.7%
IL Counties 1900-1990

State

1840 Pensioners

• 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, Clay County on page 186.]

Church History and Records

Catholic

Parish records from two Clay County Catholic churches in the Diocese of Belleville are available online at FamilySearch.org. The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:

• Church Records of Holy Cross (a.k.a. St. John) Parish, Wendelin, Clay County, Illinois 1859-1956, browsable online (no index); FamilySearch.
• Church Records of St. Stephen Parish, Flora, Clay County, Illinois 1871-1956, browsable online (no index); FamilySearch.

Court Records

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 copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library.

• 1825-1841 Illinois County Commissioner's Court (Clay County), Records, 1825-1841 FHL Film 1008923 item 6

Ethnic Research

African American

The following have information concerning African American research.

• African American Research (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

Germans

Archives, Libraries, and Museums
Biographies
Church Records
Cemetery Records
Court Records
Histories
Immigration/emigration/migration
Maps
Newspapers
Societies

Genealogy

Mailing Lists

Message Boards

Periodicals

Land and Property

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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Clay County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page.

• 1825-1892 Deed Index IRAD-EIU Search for Clay County records. IRAD-EIU
• 1825-1911 Deed Record IRAD-EIU
• 1825-1911 Clay County, Illinois Recorder, Deeds, 1825-1911 FHL Film 1008797–1008823
• Taylor, Lola B., Gleanings from old newspapers, Clay and Richland counties, Illinois (Olney, Illinois:Taylor Print Shop, c1975) FHL Book 977.37 H2t; Other Libraries
• Rockford Map Publishers (Rockford, Illinois), Land atlas and plat book, Clay County, Illinois, 1986 (Rockford, Illinois:Rockford map Publishers,c1985) FHL Book 977.3795 E7c; Other Libraries
• Wabash, Sally, Miscellaneous records at court house, Clay County, Il., 1998 (Flora, Illinois:S. Wabash,1998.) FHL Book 977.3795 P28w; Other Libraries

Online Resources

• Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database. Also available at Ancestry ($)
• Clay County Federal Township Plats
• 1800s – Present - Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records, including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a researcher establish location and lead to National Archives’ records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are at the National Archives.
• 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
• 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 ($)

Local Histories

Every Name Index to History of Wayne and Clay Counties, Illinois.  Every Name Index compiled by Cathy L. O'Connor, 2010, original text by Globe Publishing Company, Historical Publishers, 1884, reproduction by Unigraphic, Inc., 1970.  EveryNameIndex.com

• Biographical and Reminiscent History of Richland, Clay and Marion Counties, Illinois. Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1909. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive. FHL Film 825601

Maps

• Clay County Federal Township Plats

Military History and Records

Civil War

Civil War service men from Clay 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 Clay County.

- 21st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.

- 40th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.

- 98th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and F.

- 111th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.

- 136th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company F.

- 143rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company D.

- 152nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company E.

Naturalization and Citizenship

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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Clay County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page.

• 1868-1910 Naturalization Record IRAD-EIU
• 1868-1904 Illinois County Court (Clay County), Naturalization records, FHL Film 1008923 items 1–3
• 1904-1904 Naturalization Record, Final IRAD-EIU
• 1907-1927 Illinois Circuit Court (Clay County), Naturalization records, FHL Film 1008923 items 4–5

Newspapers

• Clay County, Illinois USGenWeb Obituaries
• Clay County Newspaper Data (Genealogy Trails)

Obituaries

Probate 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 copies of original records may be accessed online, through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Clay County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page.

• 1837-1885 Probate Record IRAD-EIU
• 1837-1925 Illinois. County Court (Clay County), Probate records, 1837-1925. FHL Film 1008904–1008922
• 1863-1877 Probate Administrator's Record IRAD-EIU
• 1863-1894 Probate Guardian's Record IRAD-EIU
• 1863-1919 Probate Executor's Record IRAD-EIU
• 1865-1925 Probate Will Record IRAD-EIU
• 1872-1885 Probate Appraisement Record IRAD-EIU
• 1874-1896 Probate Widow's Relinquishment and Selection Record
• 1874-1902 Probate Inventory Record, Guardians IRAD-EIU
• 1879-1885 Probate Guardian's and Conservator's Account Record IRAD-EIU
• 1884-1897 Probate Inventory Record IRAD-EIU
• Bailey, Jean, editor; Rena Lents Thomas; Ann Hoyt, Abstracts of wills and probate records, Clay County, Illinois (Louisville, Illinois:Clay County Genealogical society (Illinois), 1998-2000) FHL Book 977.3795 P28b v. 1–7; WorldCat 39466683
• Hoyt, Ann, Wills at the Clay County, IL., courthouse (Louisville, Illinois:A. Hoyt, 2000) FHL Book 977.3795 P28h; Other Libraries

Online Resources

• Clay County, Illinois USGenWeb Wills
• Clay County Wills and Probates, Court News and Probate Notices (Genealogy Trails)

Repositories

County Courthouse

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

Family History Centers

There are over 4500 Family History Centers worldwide which serve as branch facilities of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Volunteers provide research assistance to help patrons identify their ancestors.  Microfilm and microfiche may be ordered from the FHL collection at a nominal cost.  Locate your nearest Family History Center at the FamilySearch website.  Call ahead to verify operating hours.  All are welcome.

The following centers are accessible to residents of Clay County, Illinois:

Centralia Illinois Family History Center
Leafland & 3rd Street
Centralia, Marion, Illinois
Phone: 618-532-3482
Hours: Wednesday 2-6pm
Attention: We have temporarily moved to this new location while our building is being remodeled.

Evansville Indiana Family History Center 
8020 E Covert Ave
Evansville, Vanderburgh, Indiana
Phone: 812-471-0191
Hours: First Wednesday of every month 10:00 - 12:00, Tues & Wed evenings 6:00 - 8:00; other times by appointment
Closed: Closed Major Holidays

Vincennes Indiana Family History Center
1940 N Old Hwy 41
Vincennes, Knox, Indiana
Phone: 812-882-4022
Hours: T, Thu 9am-12:30pm, 5pm-8:30pm
Closed: Closed 1 1/2 weeks for Christmas

Please note: Addresses posted are not mailing addresses. Due to limited staff, Family History Centers are unable to respond to mail inquiries

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)

The Illinois State Archives administers a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) to manage the archival records of local governments.  Local governments which have transferred records to the regional depositories include counties, townships, municipalities, and school districts.  The records of Clay County come under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Illinois University (EIU) regional depository.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
Booth Library
Eastern Illinois University (EIU)
600 Lincoln Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920
Telephone: (217) 581-6093
Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Note: The depository is staffed by graduate student interns. Because of class scheduling conflicts, hours may vary somewhat from the published schedule. Researchers are urged to call before planning a visit.

Libraries

Flora Public Library
216 North Main Street
Flora, IL 62839
Phone: (618) 662-6553

Social Groups Online

Societies

Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois has a page with details about its' activities.

Clay County Illinois Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 94
Louisville, ILL 62858
Phone: (618) 665-4544

Taxation

Vital Records

See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois. Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Clay 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 Eastern Illinois University (EIU) - search for Clay County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the EIU IRAD Wiki page.

Births

Copies of original Records

• 1877-1918 Birth Record - IRAD-EIU
• 1877-1904 Birth Record Index - IRAD-EIU
• 1844-1944 Birth Record, Delayed- IRAD-EIU
• 1862-1918 Clay County (Illinois) County Clerk, Birth records, 1862-1918. FHL Film 1008787

Abstracts

• 1842-1889 McPeak, Becky, Clay County, Illinois delayed births, 1842-1889 [i.e.1863-1889](Louisville, Illinois:Clay County Genealogical society, Illinois, 1997.) FHL Book 977.3795 V2m; Other Libraries
• 1886-1907 Hoyt, Ann Clay County, Illinois birth records:alpha (Louisville, Illinois :A Hoyt, 2000,2002.) FHL book 977.3795 V38h v. 1–4; Other Libraries
• 1877-1885 McPeak, Becky Early birth records of Clay County, Illinois 1877–1885 (Louisville, Illinois: Clay County Genealogical Society, Indiana, 1994.) FHL Book 977.3795 V2mc

Marriages

Copies of Original Records

• 1825–1845 Marriage Record, Transcription IRAD-EIU
• 1858–1919 Marriage Record IRAD-EIU
• 1858-1919 Clay County, Illinois County Clerk, Marriage register and records, 1858-1919. FHL Film 1008793 items 2–5

Abstracts

• 1825-1845 Wiegant, Winifred, Seenah Fry, Berdella McGrew, Early Clay County marriage records, 1825-1845 (Salt Lake City, Utah:Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1976.) FHL Collection
• 1825-1877 Clay County Genealogical Society, Clay County [Illinois] marriages (Louisville, Illinois:Clay County Genealogical Society, Illinois, 1989.) FHL Book 977.3795 V2cci; Other Libraries
• 1874-1881 Frye, Mary Ann, Becky McPeak, Clay County, Illinois marriage book D (Louisville, Illinois:Clay County Genealogical Society, Indiana, 1977.) FHL Book 977.3795 V2f; Other Libraries
• 1877-1895 Tanner, John, Becky McPeak, Clay County, Illinois marriages (Louisville, Illinois:Clay County Genealogical Society, Indiana, 1990.) FHL Book 977.3795 V2t v. 2a, 2b;
• 1895-1916 Clay County Genealogical Society; indexed by Becky McPeak, Clay County, Illinois marriages (Louisville, Illinois:clay County Genealogical Society, Illinois, 1994-1996.) FHL Book 977.3795 V2c
• 1840-1899 Taylor, Lola B., Early marriages of Richland County, Illinois, 1840- (Olney, Illinois:Taylor Print Shop, c1970.) FHL Book 977.377 V25t v. 1; Other Libraries Includes Clay, Lawrence and Jasper Counties.

Illinois Marriages Clay County marriage records for 1860 and 1861 are interspersed with each other. Not overlapped at the end of the year. but mixed at other dates.

Online Resources

• Some of the Family History Library's Collection of Clay County marriages have been digitized: Illinois County Marriages, 1810-1934.
• Clay County, Illinois USGenWeb, Marriages with brides list and brooms list
  
• 1790–1860 Illinois Marriage index found at Ancestry.com ($)
• 1825–1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900 (1825-1900 for Clay County)

Deaths

Copies of Original Records

• 1877-1918 Clay County, Illinois County Clerk, Death records. FHL Film 1008791
• 1877–1918 Death Record IRAD-EIU
• 1877–1904 Death Record Index IRAD-EIU

Abstracts

• 1877-1935 Clay County Genealogical Society; Ann Hoyt, Clay County, Illinois death records (Louisville, Illinois:Clay County Genealogical Society, Illinois, 1991-2006.) FHL book 977.3795 V38hc v. 1–7; Other Libraries

Online Resources

• Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916 
• 1916–1950 Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950 (1916-1950 for Clay County)
• Clay County, Illinois USGenWeb, County Clerk Death Records Indexes
• 1850–1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry.com ($)

Websites

Databases Pertinent to Clay County

• Local Governmental Records Database IRAD
• Name Index to Illinois Local Governments IRAD
• USGenWeb Project, Clay County, Illinois (ILGenWeb)
• Clay County, IllinoisGenealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• EveryNameIndex.com   Free online genealogy indexes for those big old county histories.

References

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Clay County, Illinois County seat: Louisville Cities Flora Townships Bible Grove · Blair · Clay City · Harter · Hoosier · Larkinsburg · Louisville · Oskaloosa · Pixley · Songer · Stanford · Xenia Villages Clay City · Iola · Louisville · Sailor Springs · Xenia Communities Bible Grove · Camp Travis · Cruse · Greendale · Hoosier · Hord · Ingraham · Kenner · Maysville · Oskaloosa · Riffle · Wendelin Historical Communities Bethel Neighboring Counties Effingham · Fayette · Jasper · Marion · Richland · Wayne

v • d • e Links to Illinois-related articles Topics Search Strategies · Record Selection Table · African Americans · American Indians · Archives and Libraries · Bible Records · Biography · Cemeteries · Census · Church Records · Court Records · Directories · Emigration and Immigration · Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups · Funeral Homes · Gazetteers · Genealogy · History · Land and Property · Maps · Military Records · Naturalization and Citizenship · Newspapers · Obituaries · Occupations · Online Records · Periodicals · Probate Records · Public Records · Societies · Taxation · Vital Records · Voting Registers · Other Records · For Further Reading Counties Adams · Alexander · Bond · Boone · Brown · Bureau · Calhoun · Carroll · Cass · Champaign · Christian · Clark · Clay · Clinton · Coles · Cook · Crawford · Cumberland · DeKalb · DeWitt · Douglas · DuPage · Edgar · Edwards · Effingham · Fayette · Ford · Franklin · Fulton · Gallatin · Greene · Grundy · Hamilton · Hancock · Hardin · Henderson · Henry · Iroquois · Jackson · Jasper · Jefferson · Jersey · Jo Daviess · Johnson · Kane · Kankakee · Kendall · Knox · Lake · LaSalle · Lawrence · Lee · Livingston · Logan · Macon · Macoupin · Madison · Marion · Marshall · Mason · Massac · McDonough · McHenry · McLean · Menard · Mercer · Monroe · Montgomery · Morgan · Moultrie · Ogle · Peoria · Perry · Piatt · Pike · Pope · Pulaski · Putnam · Randolph · Richland · Rock Island · Saline · Sangamon · Schuyler · Scott · Shelby · St. Clair · Stark · Stephenson · Tazewell · Union · Vermilion · Wabash · Warren · Washington · Wayne · White · Whiteside · Will · Williamson · Winnebago · Woodford Extinct Co. Dane • Illinois Country • Knox (1790-1809) Major Repositories Newberry Library · Illinois State Archives · Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) · Illinois State Library · Illinois State Historical Library (ISHL) · National Archives Great Lakes Region (Chicago) · Allen County Public Library Migration Routes Illinois River · Mississippi River · Ohio River · Wabash River · Lake Michigan · Buffalo Trace · Chicago-Dubuque Highway · Chicago-Kaskaskia Road · Detroit-Chicago Road · Kellog Trail · Mihoaukee Trail · Mormon Trail · Nashville-Saline River Trail · National Road (or Cumberland Road) · Old Chicago Road · Pecatonica Trail · Russellville-Shawneetown Trail · Illinois and Michigan Canal · Santa Fe Railway · Great Northern Railway (U.S.) · Illinois Central Railroad

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