Hardin County, Illinois Genealogy

Guide to Hardin County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

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

Historical Facts
Large numbers of Kentuckians settled in frontier Hardin County, Illinois. Names of the county (Hardin) and the county seat (Elizabethtown) are reminiscent of Hardin County, Kentucky - the previous residence of many pioneer settlers.

Description
The county was named for Colonel John Hardin, an officer in the Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War. Hardin was murdered by Shawnee Indians while he was on a peace mission in 1792 for President George Washington. The county seat is Elizabethtown and the county was organized on 1839. The County is located in the Southeast part of the state.

Parent County

 * 1839--Hardin County was created 2 March 1839from Pope County. County seat:Elizabethtown

Boundary Changes
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
1884 A fire burned the courthouse on 19 May and most records were lost.

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Hardin county cemeteries.


 * Illinois Ancestors Tombstone Project


 * Cemeteries of Hardin County


 * Confederate Soldiers buried in Hardin County


 * ILGenWeb


 * Illinois Cemetery Location project


 * ePodunk List of Cemeteries

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

Church Records

 * 1884–1919 Reynolds, Marion Lavender. Hardin County, Illinois deaths, 1884-1919, and notes from the Pleasant Hill church register. Harrisburg, Illinois: M.L. Reynolds, 1995.

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from a Belleville Diocese Catholic church in Hardin County available online. The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: 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 or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Hardin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.


 * 1821-1839 Circuit Court record, Volumes A-B
 * 1892-1955 Police Magistrate Dockets IRAD (SIU) IRAD - Southern Illinois University
 * 1915-1963 Justice of the Peace Dockets IRAD (SIU)IRAD - Southern Illinois University

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

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


 * 1814-1879 Land book
 * 1814-1885 Entry Books IRAD (SIU)
 * 1863-1904 Deed Index IRAD (SIU)
 * 1863-1942 Deed Record IRAD (SIU)
 * 1865–1885 Entry book
 * 1878–1942 Deeds, 1878-1942; index 1880-1904
 * 1878, 1890 Collector's book - lists of taxable real estate and town lots.
 * 1987 Pope-Hardin County (Illinois), land atlas and plat book, 1987 Other Libraries (WorldCat);

Online Resources


 * Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales See Illinois Land and Property for more information about this database. Also available at Ancestry ($)
 * Hardin County Federal Township Plats
 * Beginning 1820 Land Patent Search
 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)

Maps

 * Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)

Military Records

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


 * - 29th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A and Company B.
 * - 131st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, D, and F.

Naturalization
Original naturalization 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


 * 1824-1883 Naturalization records, intentions and final papers
 * 1880-1900 Naturalization record, Volume A

Online Records
 * 1800-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Populated Places
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:

Probate Records
Online Probate Records
 * 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1819 - 1988 at FamilySearch.org — images

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 through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Hardin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.


 * 1884–1888; 1888–1926 Probate court records and minutes; Will records. IRAD (SIU) and

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

Family History Center
Introduction to Family History Centers

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. Southern Illinois University houses the records for Hardin County.

Public Libraries
Rosiclare Memorial Public Library Main Street Rosiclare, IL 62982 (618)285-6213

http://www.rosiclarelibrary.org/

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

Vital Records
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 until the year 1916 are kept by the Hardin 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 Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Hardin County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.

General

 * 1850s–1930s Reynolds, Marion Lavender. Early newspaper clippings of Hardin County, Illinois from Uncle George Lavender's scrapbook. Harrisburg, Illinois: M.L. Reynolds, 1994, c1994. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1871–1908 Reynolds, Marion Lavender. Hardin County, Illinois newspaper abstracts. Harrisburg, Illinois: M.L. Reynolds, c1992. Other libraries (WorldCat);
 * Ferrell, Ed. Abstracts from Hardin County newspapers: Illinois State Historical Library microfilms. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988.

Births
Abstracts of Birth Records


 * 1879–1889 Ferrell, Ed. Revised births as recorded in Hardin County newspapers, 1879-1889.

Copies of Birth Records


 * 1884-1915 Birth Record Index IRAD (SIU);IRAD - Southern Illinois University
 * 1884–1918 Births, register and record IRAD (SIU);
 * 1884–1942 Index of births

Marriages
Online Resources


 * 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
 * 1790–1860 Illinois Marriage index found at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1810–1934 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index

Abstracts of Marriage Records


 * 1873–1914 Ferrell, Ed. Abstracts from Hardin County newspapers, 1873–1914: to reconstruct records lost in fire of 1884: Illinois State Historical Library microfilms. Juneau, AK: E. Ferrell, 1988. ;
 * 1884–1891 Lee, Judy Foreman and Carolyn Cromeenes Foss. Hardin County, Illinois marriage register 1 May 1884–December 1891, volume I with annotations plus earlier marriage dates gleaned from other sources. Evansville, Indiana: Evansville Bindery, 1996.

Copies of Marriage Records


 * 1884-1920 Marriage Record IRAD (SIU) IRAD - Southern Illinois University
 * 1884–1929 Marriage Register
 * 1884-1969 Index of Marriages IRAD (SIU);

Deaths
Online Resources
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1850–1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885found at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
 * 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950

Abstracts of Death Records


 * 1884–1919 Reynolds, Marion Lavender. Hardin County, Illinois deaths, 1884–1919, and notes from the Pleasant Hill church register. Harrisburg, Illinois: M.L. Reynolds, c1995.

Copies of Death Records


 * 1884-1946 Index of deaths
 * 1884-1946 Death Record Index IRAD (SIU)IRAD - Southern Illinois University
 * 1884–1919 Death register and record IRAD (SIU)IRAD - Southern Illinois University;

Places / Localities
To see a list of places in Hardin County, click on [Show], in the bar above. The preceding list of places includes incorporated cities and towns, unincorporated towns and communities, and place names that may have been used in family histories. Some have well-organized records and even have web sites. Some are simply social communities with no official records, but which may be referenced in small-town newspapers. The list is provided to help researchers identify localities within the county. As records or histories of these localities are identified, a page will be added for each of these place names.

Websites

 * Hardin County, Illinois ILGenWeb
 * Hardin County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Hardin County IL Genealogy
 * Illinois Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * 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.
 * Hardin County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Hardin County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)