Hancock County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Hancock County

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

Historical Facts


Hancock County is named for John Hancock who was the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Parent County

 * 1825--Hancock County was created 13 January 1825 from Pike County and unorganized territory.
 * County seat: Carthage

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

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

Populated Places

 * Nauvoo

Neighboring Counties

 * Adams
 * Clark County, Missouri
 * Henderson
 * Lee County, Iowa
 * Lewis County, Missouri
 * McDonough
 * Schuyler

Biography

 * The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Hancock County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Hancock 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.


 * 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 Hancock County and links to the information for the individuals buried there.


 * Hancock 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 Hancock 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.

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. ; ; digital version at Google Books. [See Illinois, Hancock County on page 187.]

Church Records
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Crooked Creek
 * Macedonia
 * Nauvoo 5
 * Ramus

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
Biographical review of Hancock County, Illinois : containing biographical and genealogical sketches of many of the prominent citizens of to-day and also of the past (1907) (Archive.org). Also available from Google Books.

Portrait and biographical record of Hancock, McDonough and Henderson counties, Illinois : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county (1894)

Gregg, Thomas. History of Hancock County, Illinois: Together with an Outline History of the State, and a Digest of State Laws. Chicago: C.C. Chapman &amp; Co., 1880. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Hancock County for European settlers included:


 * Mississippi River
 * Mormon Trail 1846 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah

Military

 * Civil War Civil War service men from Hancock 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 Hancock County.


 * - 25th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D
 * - 32nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company B.
 * - 50th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies E, F and G.
 * - 57th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and H.
 * - 78th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies D and H.
 * - 88th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.

Probate Records

 * 1827–1942 Probate journals and records, wills, administratiors' records, executors' records, guardianship records, and widows relinquishment records for Hancock County probate records are also available in . Click on the browse through images link, select Hancock County, and select the record type you are interested in.

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Nauvoo Illinois Family History Center

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 Hancock County.

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb project is a great site that will has vital records, cemeteries, census, histories, newspapers, military, maps. There are links to libraries, societies, and courthouses, and mailing lists.
 * Early Pioneers of Nauvoo database
 * Hancock County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * Hancock County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)