Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy

United States  Illinois   Randolph County

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

Historical Facts
The first European settlement in the area that is now called Randolph County, Illinois, was Kaskaskia in 1703. The town was originally settled by the French and Native Americans. The French also settled Prairie du Rocher and Cahokia (the latter in nearby St. Clair County). Kaskaskia was the largest of these settlements throughout its early existance. Randolph County (and all of Illinois) was part of Quebec until 1717, when it was officially annexed into Louisiana.

As a result of the French and Indian War, France lost its North American holdings east of the Mississippi River, including Kaskaskia. Although the British had the rights to Kaskaskia on paper, they did not arrive until 1766. The British ruled the area until it was conquered by the American colonies during the American Revolution. The Americans took Kaskaskia on July 4, 1778, but the Northwest Territory was not clearly in American hands until the conclusion of the Battle of Vincennes on 23 February 1779.

Americans started arriving in Randolph County in the late 1770's, many of them Virginians who had been part of the army that took Kaskaskia. Within 20 years, Americans outnumbered the French and the Mississippi River area of Randolph County and the surrounding area was called the American Bottom (a name it still retains today). Most French settlers migrated across the river to Missouri, which at the time was controled by Spain and later France.



Kaskaskia was made the capital of Illinois Territory in 1809. When Illinois became a state in 1818, Kaskaskia was the state capital. The capital was moved, however, in Vandalia, in 1820, which ended Randolph County's prominence in Illinois history. The county seat was also moved from Kaskaskia to Chester in 1844.


 * Parent County
 * 1795--Randolph County was created 5 October 1795 from the Northwest Territory and St. Clair County.
 * County seat: Chester

Boundary Changes

 * 1816-- Jackson County was formed with the southeastern portion of Randolph County and part of Johnson County.
 * 1816-- Monroe County was formed with the northwest portion of Randolph County and part of St. Clair County.
 * 1827-- Perry County was formed with the eastern portion of Randolph County and part of Jackson County.

Record Loss
The Catholic parish register for Kaskaskia survives in fragments only. Christenings/Baptisms are lost from mid-1721 to 1759. No marriage records before 1724 or from mid-1729 to 1740 are extent, nor are burial records before 1721 or from late 1727 to mid-1764.

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

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

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

Census
Censuses during the colonial period were irregular, but several exist. Like early American censuses, these only give the names of the head of household and the number of people in the household, but the information they contain is still of great use.


 * 1726 French census: The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732, by Charles R. Maduell, Jr. Genealogical Publishing Company: Baltimore, MD, 1972, p. 50-60.
 * 1732 French census: The Census Tables for the French Colony of Louisiana from 1699 Through 1732, by Charles R. Maduell, Jr. Genealogical Publishing Company: Baltimore, MD, 1972, p.150-153.
 * 1752 French census: Kaskaskia Under the French Regime, by Natalia Maree Belting. Polyanthos: New Orleans, 1948, p. 86-98. Belting includes a genealogical commentary on each entry in the census.
 * 1787 American census: Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord. Illinois State Historical Library: Springfield, IL, 1909, p. 414-419. Alvord also includes a commentary that contains some genealogical information, although not all of it is accurate. This census only has French names on it. A (perhaps non-comprehensive) list of American men in Illinois (not just Kaskaskia) can be found at Alvord, p. 421-423, 443-445. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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, Randolph County on page 188.]

Catholic
The Church of the Immaculate Conception was a Catholic parish established originally as a Jesuit mission among the Indians in 1695 that had moved to the current site of Kaskaskia in 1703. It became a full parish in 1719. The parish register is the best available record for genealogical information before the early 1790's and the arrival of a large influx of Americans. The parish register is available (in French only) in the following sources:


 * 1) La population des forts français d'Amérique (XVIIIe siècle) by Marthe F. Beauregard. Kaskaskia's parish record is in volume 2.  (Note: Beauregard only compiled records through 1799, even though the parish register goes well into the 19th century.)
 * 2) LDS Family History Library . This record has been digitized, see below.
 * 3) The Drouin Collection at ancestry.com.

FamilySearch has made parish records from 12 Belleville Diocese Catholic churches in Randolph County available online (free registration is required). The records include first communions, confirmations, marriages, and deaths:


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

Court

 * Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord, 1909. This is a compilation of civil records during the beginning of American rule in Kaskaskia. Includes a mix of court records, petitions to the American government, military records, and censuses. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Local Histories

 * A Directory, Business Mirror, and Historical Sketches of Randolph County by E. J. Montague - the first history of Randolph County, Illinois, published in 1859. It includes biographical sketches of early settlers of Randolph County (mostly Americans) and a directory listing the head of household and occupation of every 1859 resident of Randolph County.
 * Kaskaskia Under the French Regime by Natalia Maree Belting, published in the 1940's and still one of the authoritative sources on French colonial life in Randolph County (especially Kaskaskia).
 * The History of Kaskaskia, Illinois, in a Family History Context
 * 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 ($); Internet Archive. For additional access, see WeRelate.
 * Robertson, Robert Crawford. Pioneer Families of Randolph and Perry Counties, Illinois: Notes on the Campbell, Crozier, Flack, Milligan, Steele and Thompson Families: The Crawfords of Ballynease, Londonderry, Ireland, with Descendants in the U.S.A., and Their Descendants in the Elsey, Garven, Matthews and Robertson Families. Chattanooga, Tenn.: R.C. Robertson, 1960. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Military

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


 * - 30th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and E.
 * - 34th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.


 * Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790, by Clarence Walworth Alvord, 1909. This is a compilation of civil records during the beginning of American rule in Kaskaskia. Includes a mix of court records, petitions to the American government, military records, and censuses. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Newspapers

 * Early Kaskaskia, Illinois Newspapers, 1814-1832, by Lola Frazer Crowder: Frontier Press, 1994.

Probate
An unspecified number of Randolph County probate records are available 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 Randolph County are kept, see the Randolph County Courthouse page.

Public Libraries

 * valign="top" width="35%" | Chester Public Library 733 State Street Chester, IL (618) 826-3711
 * valign="top" | The Chester Library in Chester, (Randolph County) Illinois has a digitized copy of William Morrison's Ledger Book on their website. The William Morrison Ledger is a handwritten ledger listing the transactions conducted at his Kaskaskia Store between 1805 and 1831. The ledger includes the customer's name, items purchased, and amount owed. The 655-page ledger offers glimpses of early merchandising methods. It lists over 1200 early settlers who pioneered or traveled through Kaskaskia (now Randolph County, Illinois).  In a separate book, presumably one of Morrison’s clerks compiled a handwritten index of the ledger. The ledger was also digitized as part of the project. However, it is in very fragile condition and several pages have sections missing.  Morrison’s descendant, another William Morrison, gave the ledger and many other Kaskaskia Store account books to the Chester Public Library.  The FHL has a copy of the index, which is included in the ledger.  The ledger can be accessed at: http://digsrvr.shawls.lib.il.us/cht/ to see information about the ledger or at http://digsrvr.shawls.lib.il.us/cht/search.php to actually search the ledger.

Research Guides

 * Alvord, Clarence Walworth. The Old Kaskaskia Records: An Address. 1906. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); Internet Archive; World Vital Records ($).

Web Sites

 * Randolph County, Illinois (USGenWeb)
 * Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Randolph County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)