Pike County, Illinois Genealogy

United States  Illinois   Pike County

Pike County Organization
Pike 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 Pike County are kept, see the Pike County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts
Pike County is named for Zebulon Pike who was an early explorer of the Louisiana purchase and discovered the peak in Colorado which is named for him.

Parent County

 * 1821--Pike County was created 31 January 1821 from Madison, Bond and Clark Counties. County seat:  Pittsfield

Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Pike County boundary changes.

Record Loss
1831 -- Courthouse burned and many records were damaged.

For further information on researching in burned counties, see the following:


 * Burned Counties Research
 * http://blogs.ancestry.com/circle/?p=2424

Populated Places

 * Pike County
 * Name Index to Illinois Local Governments

Neighboring Counties

 * Adams
 * Brown
 * Calhoun
 * Greene
 * Marion County, Missouri
 * Morgan
 * Pike County, Missouri
 * Ralls County, Missouri
 * Scott

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


 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.


 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Pike County and links to the information for the individuals buried there.


 * Pike 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.


 * The Family History Library Catalog lists . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.


 * ePodunk list of Pike County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.


 * Pike County, Illinois Cemetery Records
 * Cemetery Location Project
 * USGenWeb Archives Illinois
 * Pike County, Illinois Cemeteries
 * The Political Graveyard
 * Watson Cemetery (Photos)

Census And Directories

 * 1830 Federal Census Index
 * 1840 Federal Census Index
 * 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. ; ; digital version at Google Books. [See Illinois, Pike County on page 188.]
 * United States Census (Mortality Schedule), 1850
 * U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 $
 * Illinois State Census Collection, 1825-1865 $
 * United States Census, 1850
 * United States Census, 1860
 * 1860 Mortality Schedule
 * United States Census, 1870
 * United States Census, 1880 (Index only)
 * 1880 United States Federal Census $
 * United States Census, 1900
 * 1910 United States Federal Census $
 * 1919 Prairie Farmers Directory
 * United States Census, 1920
 * 1930 United States Federal Census$
 * Pike County, Illinois Directories

Church Records

 * Churches of Pike County Illinois

Court Records
Pike County, Illinois Court Records

Many Guardianship records for Pike County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the from their catalog.

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

Local Histories

 * Pike County History by Jess M. Thompson
 * Portrait and Biographical Album of Pike and Calhoun Counties, Illinois: Containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County, Together with Portraits and Biographies of All the Presidents of the United States, and Governors of the State. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1891. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive
 * 1880 History of Pike County Illinois by Chas. M. Chapman; digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * 1891 Portrait and Biographical Album of Pike and Calhoun Counties
 * Portrait Biographical Album of Pike and Calhoun Counties, Illinois. Chicago, IL, USA: Biographical Publishing, 1891. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * An Index to the names of person appearing in Portrait and Biographical Album of PIke and Calhou County Illinois
 * A True Picture of Emigration by Rebecca Burlend
 * Copperheads, Black Republicans and Bushwhackers
 * Diary and Financial Account of Joseph Treaster
 * WWI With The Colors From Pike County
 * Past and Present of PIke County, Illinois (1906); digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Pike County, Illinois Biographies
 * Pike County Biographies
 * History of Pike County, Illinois Volume 1
 * WorldCat
 * Biographies
 * Pioneer Families of Pike County, Illinois
 * Grimshaw, William A. History of Pike County; A Centennial Address. Pittsfield, Ill., 1989. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * Thompson, Jess M. The Jess M. Thompson Pike County History: As Printed in Installments in the Pike County Republican, Pittsfield, Illinois, 1935-1939. Pittsfield, Ill.: Pike County Historical Society, 1967. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Land and Property
Online Resources


 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database

Copies of original records


 * 1817–1940 Tract Index
 * 1818–1891 Deed RecordIRAD–WIU
 * 1818–1910 Deed records
 * 1835–1945 Town lot index, town lots
 * 1852–1854 Swamp Land Record IRAD–WIU

Additional Resources
Additional resources for Pike County land and property may be found in the and. 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

 * 1876 Map of Eastern Pike County
 * 1876 Map of Western Pike County
 * City Map
 * Illinois County Boundaries 1790 - Present
 * USGS Mapping Information
 * Many Maps for Pike County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the from their catalog.

Military

 * Civil War

Civil War service men from Pike 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 Pike County.


 * - 27th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company C
 * - 28th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, E, and I
 * - 33rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I
 * - 68th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B
 * - 70th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I
 * - 73rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H
 * - 99th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, all Companies


 * Illinois Civl War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database
 * Ninty-Ninth Infantry Regiment of Illinois Volunteers
 * Federal Pension Roll of 1883


 * Spanish American War


 * Illinois Spanish-American :War Veterans Database


 * World War I


 * WWI With The Colors From Pike County
 * Database of 1929 Illinois Honor Roll


 * World War II


 * United Sates, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
 * WWII Service Record of Men and Women

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Many Naturalization and Citizenships for Pike County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the from their catalog.

Newspapers and Obituaries

 * Pike County, Illinois Old Newspapers
 * 1896 Bary Adage Speical Edition
 * 1946 Anniversary Edition of the Barry Adage
 * Kinderhook Centennial Souvenir
 * Newspapers Serving Pike County
 * Notes and Newspaper Excerpts
 * Obituaries
 * Pike County Republican
 * Pike Press

Probate
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 Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Pike County records. For information on how to use IRAD see theWIU IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of original records


 * 1821–1873 Probate records
 * 1850–1950 Estate papers index
 * 1850–1923 Will Records

Additional Resources
Additional resources for Pike County probates may be found in the topic page 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.

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

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
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. Western Illinois University houses the records for Pike County.

Societies

 * Historical Societies, Libraries, Museums

Schools

 * 1901–1959 School teacher's daily registers IRAD–WIU


 * Pike County, Illinois Schools

Taxation

 * U. S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918

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 Pike 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 Western Illinois University (WIU) - search for Pike County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

General

 * Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
 * Illinois Statewide Death Certificates, 1916-1950

Births
Copies of Original Birth Records


 * 1877–1915 Births IRAD–WIU
 * 1877–1886 Birth Record Index IRAD–WIU

Marriages

 * 1827–1923 Marriage RecordIRAD–WIU
 * 1827–1923 Marriage Record IndexIRAD–WIU
 * 1828–1857 Marriages
 * 1831–1878 Marriage Licenses IRAD–WIU
 * 1831–1923 Marriages
 * 1948–1976 Marriage Licenses ApplicationsIRAD–WIU

Deaths

 * 1877–1915 Death Record IRAD–WIU
 * 1877–1902 Death Record index IRAD–WIU

Additional Resources
Additional resources for Pike County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the topic page 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

 * Genealogy Trails, Welcome to Pike County, Illinois
 * Pike County, Illinois Online Genealogical Projects
 * Pike County Chamber of Commerce
 * The ILGenWeb Project
 * Pike County, Illionis American History and Genealogy Project
 * USGenWeb Archives Illinois, Pike County
 * Pike County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Pike County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)