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Winnebago County, Illinois
Map
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded:	January 16, 1836
County Seat	Rockford
Courthouse
Photo courtesy Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Illinois State Archives
Address	Winnebago County Courthouse 404 Elm Street Rockford, IL 61101 (815) 987-3050 Winnebago County Website

This Illinois-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. While this page is under construction, may we suggest Cyndi's List.

United States  Illinois Winnebago County

Winnebago County Organization

Winnebago County's civil records start the following years:

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

Historical Facts

Winnebago County is named for the Winnebago Indians who once inhabited that part of Illinois

Parent County

• 1836--Winnebago County was created 16 January 1836 from Jo Daviess County.  County seat:  Rockford ^[1]

Boundary Changes

See an interactive map of Winnebago County boundary changes.

Record Loss

Places / Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

• Boone
• DeKalb
• Green County, Wisconsin
• Ogle
• Rock County, Wisconsin
• Stephenson

Records and Resources

Biographies

• The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Winnebago County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Winnebago County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.

Cemeteries

Illinois cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.

Illinois Cemeteries page provides explanations of the following online Winnebago County resources:

• Illinois Cemeteries by county

Church Records

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.

Court Records

Copies of original records

• 1837-1922 Circuit Court Records IRAD-NIU
• 1854-1958 County Court Records and Case Files IRAD-NIU
• 1857–1900 Chancery divorce records FHL film 2366217 Items 2–3 (first of 5 films)

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

Genealogy

History

Local Histories

• Carr, Edson Irving, The History of Rockton, Winnebago County, Illinois, 1820 to 1898, (Rockton, IL: Herald Office Print, 1898). Digital Version at Internet Archives; WorldCat 287901033; FHL book call 977.331/R2H2c

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 online, through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the University of Illinois at Springfield - search for Winnebago County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD – Northern Illinois University/NIU IRAD Wiki page.

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 ($)

• Winnebago County Federal Township Plats

Copies of original records

• 1836–1883 Deed records FHL film 2365073 (first of 27 films)
• 1836-1891 Deed Records IRAD-NIU

Abstracts

• Family Maps of Winnebago County, Illinois (2007) plats the land of many nineteenth-century Winnebago County residents. The publisher's bookstore includes a free online surname index. FHL Book 977.331 E7b

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Winnebago County land and property may be found in the FHLC and FHLC–maps. Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Maps

Military

Civil War

Civil War service men from Winnebago 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 Winnebago County.

- 8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies L and M.

- 17th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company K.

- 44th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.

- 45th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies F and G.

- 52nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E.

- 55th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C.

- 65th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (Scotch Regiment), Company K.

- 90th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.

- 146th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and C.

- 147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.

- 153rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry (1 year, 1865), Company G.

Naturalization

Newspapers and Obituaries

Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line. Their database has Freeport City newspapers from the late 1800's and early 1900's that covered local news on residents from Winnebago County. The Rock Island Public Library provides free access to this database at its library.

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

Copies of original records

• 1854-1922 Probate Records IRAD-NIU
• 1863–1880 Probate records FHL films 2366212–3
• 1866–1919 Probate will records FHL films 2366214–6
• 1870–1920 Widow's relinquishment and selection records [there is 1 record for 1921]FHL first film 2366343 Item 4 (first of 2 films)

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

Family History Center

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 Winnebago County:

Rockford Illinois Family History Center
324 University Dr.
Rockford, Illinois 61107
Telephone: (815) 332-7782

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)

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 Winnebago 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

The following Carroll County libraries have collections of specific interest to genealogists.

Rockford Public Library
215 N. Wyman St.
Rockford, IL 61101
Telephone: (815) 965-6731
Their Local History Room includes materials for Winnebago county as well as neighboring counties.

Social Groups Online

Societies

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 Winnebago 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. Information about how to obtain birth, marriage, and death records through the Winnegabo County Clerk is explained at RootsWeb.

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 Winnebago County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

Birth Records

Copies of Original Birth Records

• 1882–1896 Birth Certificates FHL film 1914090–2
• 1882-1905 Birth Certificates IRAD-NIU

Marriage Records

Copies of original Marriage Records

• 1836–1867 Marriage licenses FHL film 1914041 (first of 26 films)
• 1837-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index at Illinois State Archives Index
• 1836-1902 Marriage Licenses IRAD-NIU

Death Records

Copies of original Death Records

• 1876–1943 Death certificates FHL film 1914067 (first of 23 films)
• 1877-1919 Death Certificates IRAD-NIU
• 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates at Illinois State Archives Index

Divorce

• 1857–1900 Divorce records FHL film 2366217 Items 2–3 (first of 5 films)

Additional Resources

Additional resources for Winnebago County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the Illinois, Winnebago – Vital Records, the Illinois, Winnebago – Vital Records - indexes, the Illinois, Winnebago – Vital Records - newspapers and the Illinois, Winnebago – Vital Records - newspapers indexes topic pages of the Family History Library catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Web Sites

• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Family History Library Catalog
• Winnebago County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)

References

1. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).