Jackson County, Illinois Genealogy

United States Illinois  Jackson County

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

Historical Facts


The county is named after War of 1812 hero Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) who became Seventh President of the United States in 1829.

Parent County

 * 1816--Jackson County was created 10 January 1816 from Randolph and Johnson Counties.
 * County seat: Murphysboro

Record Loss
June 10, 1843 -- 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

Cemeteries
The Illinois Cemeteries page provides general explanations of the following online Jackson County resources:

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, Jackson County on page 187.]

Catholic
FamilySearch has made parish records from more than five Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Jackson County available for free online (free registration is required to view the images). The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.
 * , browsable online (no index); courtesy: FamilySearch.

Court Records
The following abstracts are available:


 * 1823–1841 Wright, John W. D. Jackson County, Illinois meetings of county court and jury lists, 1823- 1841. Murphysboro, Illinois : Jackson County Historical Society (TN), 1981. Other libraries (WorldCat)


 * 1823–1835 Illinois. County Commissioner's Court (Jackson County) and Ruth L. Hutchcraft and Barbara Burr Hubbs. County commissioners court record, Jackson County, Illinois. Murphysboro, Illinois : Jackson County Historical Society (TN), c1993. Other libraries (WorldCat)

The following original records are available:


 * 1843–1855 County Court record, v. D
 * 1844–1855 Circuit Court record law, v. E

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

History

 * Portrait and Biographical Record of Randolph, Jackson, Perry and Monroe Counties, Illinois: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the Counties: Together with Biographies and Portraits of All the Presidents of the United States, and the Governors of the State of Illinois. Chicago: Biographical Pub. Co., 1894. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive. For additional access, see WeRelate.

Land and Property
Family Maps of Jackson County, Illinois (2007) plats the land of many nineteenth-century Jackson County residents. The publisher's bookstore includes a free online surname index.

The following abstracts are available:


 * 1814–1840 Wright, John W.D. Jackson County, Illinois formation and early settlement. Murphysboro, Illinois : Jackson County Historical Society (TN), 1983. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1907 index of landowners; De Voe, Glenda. Index of landowners to the 1907 plat book of Jackson County, Illinois . Murphysboro, Illinois: Jackson County Historical Society (TN), [1986?]. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1907 R. Allyn and George Ogle, Elisabeth Pinkerton Leighty, and Glenda DeVoe. 1878 history and 1907 atlas of Jackson County, Illinois. Murphysboro, Illinois : Jackson County Historical Society (Illinois),[1908?]. Other libraries (WorldCat)

The following copies of original records are available:


 * 1843–1889 Grantor and grantee index to deeds
 * 1843–1889 Deeds
 * 1840–1861 Sale of school lands.
 * 1986 Rockford Map Publishers. Jackson County (Illinois) land atlas and plat book, [1986]. Rockford, Illinois : Rockford Map Publishers, c1986. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Military Records

 * 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.


 * - 31st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
 * - 73rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
 * - 81st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B, D and F.

Probate Records
The following copies of original records are available:


 * 1840–1888 Index to probate files
 * 1843–1897; 1899–1822 Will record v. 1-2 1843-1864
 * 1843–1888 Probate record
 * 1844–1825 Probate estate case files

Vital Records

 * Jackson County, Illinois Obituary and Death Notices Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. From various funeral homes in the Carbondale, Murphysboro, Somerset, Elk, and surrounding area.

The following abstracts are available:

Births:


 * 1878–1881 Kindorf, Catherine. Birth records, 1878-1881, returned by a midwife in Jackson County, Illinois.

Marriages:


 * 1843–1875 Ellis, Roberta McDaniel and Helen Falkenheim Williams. Marriages recorded from 1843 to 1875 (Jackson County, Illinois). Murphysboro, Ill. : Ellis, 1975. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Deaths:


 * 1850 Wright, John W.D. Jackson County, Illinois, residents in 1850. Carbondale, Illinois : Jackson County Historical Society (TN), [c1972]. This book includes mortality schedule, showing deaths in Jackson County for the year ending June 30, 1850. 5509137 Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1844–1906 Gildehaus, Valerie Phillips. Index to death records, 1844-1906, Jackson County, Illinois Murphysboro, Illinois: Jackson County Historical Society (Illinois), c1996. Other libraries (WorldCat)
 * 1904–1915 Cox, Phoebe; Jackson County Historical Society (Ill.). Phoebe Cox; Jackson County Historical Society (Ill.)Index to Jackson County, Illinois death books : 1904–1915. Murphysboro, Illinois : Jackson County Historical Society (Illinois), c2003. Other libraries (WorldCat)

Newspapers with vital record information:

1889–1891, 1919, 1927–1934 Lee, Brenda Garver and William W. Lee. Fireside tales : newspaper abstracts, 1889-1891, 1919, 1927–1934. [S.l. : s.n., c1989]. 1889 Lee, Brenda Garver. Ava remembers, 1889. [S.l. : s.n.], c1989. 1930–1935 Lee, Brenda Garver. Seeds of Ava, Illinois: Ava newspaper abstracts, 1930-1935 [S.l. : s.n., c19--]. Lee, Brenda Garver. Ava lives and Ava passings, volume I : Ava citizen, Du Quoin herald, early Carbondale, early Murphysboro newspapers. Steeleville, Illinois : Westerman Print., 1993. Lee, Brenda Garver. Memories. [S.l. : s.n., c19--].

The following copies of original records are available:

Births:


 * 1852–1943 Index to birth certificates
 * 1877–1915 Birth register and index
 * 1852–1915 Birth Certificates


 * 1902–1940 Index to births and deaths
 * 1902-1915 Birth Records
 * 1916–1941 Delayed birth record

Marriages:


 * 1875-1895 Index to marriages (brides)
 * 1843-1915 Marriage record and register

Deaths:


 * 1877–1901 Death register and index


 * 1902–1940 Index to births and deaths
 * 1908-1917 Death record
 * 1916–1922 Jackson County, Illinois death and stillborn certificates.
 * Jackson County, Illinois funeral card collection

Places / Localities
To see a list of places in Jackson 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.

Web Sites

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