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Perry County, Illinois Genealogy

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

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Perry County, Illinois
Map
Boundary map of Perry County, Illinois
Map of the U.S. highlighting Illinois
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded: January 29, 1827
County Seat Pinckneyville
Courthouse
Perry County Courthouse.gif
Photo courtesy Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Illinois State Archives
Address Perry County Courthouse
P.O. Box 438
Pinckneyville, Illinois 62274
(618) 357-5116
Perry County Website


Perry County Organization[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[1]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1879 1827 1879 1827 1817 1827 1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths started 1916. General compliance by 1922.

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

Historical Facts[edit | edit source]

Oliver Hazard Perry

Perry County is named for Oliver Hazard Perry who was a Commodore of the United States Navy and is known for his victory at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

Parent County[edit | edit source]

  • 1827--Perry County was created 29 January 1827 from Randolph and Jackson Counties.  County seat:  Pinckneyville [2]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for Oliver Hazard Perry who defeated the British fleet at the decisive Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. The county seat is Pinckneyville and the county was organized on January 29, 1827. [3]The County is located in the Southwest area of the state.[4]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

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.

Records Loss[edit | edit source]

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Records and Resources[edit | edit source]

Biography[edit | edit source]

  • All of the Perry County, Illinois family biographies from The Portrait and Biographical Record of Randolph, Jackson, Perry and Monroe Counties, Illinois (1894) published by Biographical Publishing Co. are available free online at My Genealogy Hound.

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Perry, Illinois online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
TombstoneTranscriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Illinois Cemeteries for more information

The following web sites have additional information on Perry county cemeteries.

  • Cemeteries in Perry by Epodunk.com gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
190019,830
—
191022,08811.4%
192022,9013.7%
193022,767−0.6%
194023,4382.9%
195021,684−7.5%
196019,184−11.5%
197019,7573.0%
198021,7149.9%
199021,412−1.4%
200023,0947.9%
IL Counties 1900-1990

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

1840 Pensioners[edit | edit source]

  • 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. FHL 973 X2pc 1840; FHL 2321; digital version at Google Books. [See Illinois, Perry County on page 188.]

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Catholic[edit | edit source]

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

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

Additional resources for Perry County church records may be found in the FamilySearch Catalog - church records. Online microfilm are indicated by the camera icon in the catalog entry. Copies of books found in the FamilySearch Catalog may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the FamilySearch Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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 abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through the Family History Library

Ethnic Research[edit | edit source]

African American[edit | edit source]

The following have information concerning African American research.

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

  • 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 ($); Internet Archive. FHL Film 825600 For additional access, see WeRelate.
  • Robertson, Robert Crawford. Pioneer Families of Randolph and Perry Counties, Illinois: Notes on the Campbell, Crozier, Flack, Milligan, Steele and Thompson Families: The Crawfords of Ballynease, Londonderry, Ireland, with Descendants in the U.S.A., and Their Descendants in the Elsey, Garven, Matthews and Robertson Families. Chattanooga, Tenn.: R.C. Robertson, 1960. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  • Neville, J. Wesley. Student's History of Perry County. 1990. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

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

Online Resources

Abstracts

  • 1920 Randolph County Genealogical Society (Illinois). Plat book and complete survey of Perry County, Illinois 1920. Chester, Illinois: Randolph County Genealogical Society (Illinois), 1991. Other libraries (WorldCat) FHL book 977.393 R2pb

Copies of original records

Maps[edit | edit source]

St. Clair County, Illinois GenealogyWashington CountyJefferson CountyRandolph CountyJackson CountyWilliamson CountyFranklin CountyMissouriIL PERRY.PNG
About this image
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Civil War service men from Perry 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 Perry County.

- 6th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company I.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
- 12th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company G.
- 18th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
- 31st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company A.
- 71st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
- 81st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, C and K.
- 89th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company D.
- 110th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
- 136th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A and D.

Naturalization[edit | edit source]

Online Records

Newspapers and Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Records


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 Southern Illinois University (SIU) - search for Perry County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Copies of Original Records

Repositories[edit | edit source]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

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

Family History Center[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)[edit | edit source]

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 Perry County.

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Cutler Public Library
409G S. Main
Cutler, IL 62238
(618) 497-2961

Du Quoin Public Library
28 South Washington Street
Du Quoin, IL 62832

(618)542-5045 Offers Heritage Quest remote access

Pinckneyville Public Library
312 South Walnut Street
Pinckneyville, IL 62274

(618) 357-2410 Has local newspapers on microfilm, and many historical publications

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
112 North Sixth Street
Springfield, IL 62701-1507

(217) 524-6358 or (217)558-8844  Has online indexes for obituaries in their newspaper collections, and surnames found in Illinois county histories, biographical directories and encyclopedias. Offers genealogical research for hire.

Social Groups Online[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Perry County Historical Society
108 W. Jackson St.
Pinckneyville 62274

Brimfield Historical Society
Brimfield Public Library
111South Galena
Brimfield, IL 61517
Telephone Number: 309-446-3631
Telephone Number: 309-446-3670

Chillicothe Historical Society
(Old Rock Island Depot, Cedar and Third Street)
PO Box 181
Chillicohe, IL 61523-0181
Telephone Number: 309-274-2247
Telephone Number: 309-274-3440

Elmwood Historical Society
Lorado Taft Museum
302 North Magnolia
Elmwood, IL 61529
Telephone Number: 309-742-7791
Telephone Number: 309-742-2431

Historical Association of Princivelle
103 North Walnut
325 North Ostrom Avenue
Princeville, IL 61559-9538
Telephone Number: 309-385-2394

Peoria County Genealogical Society
PO Box 1489
Peoria, IL 61655-1489

Peoria Historical Society
c/o Bradley University
Special Collections Center/Cullum David Library
1501 West Bradley
Peoria, IL 61625


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

Taxation[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

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 Perry 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 Perry County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

General[edit | edit source]

  • 1869–1876 Randolph County Genealogical Society. The Valley Clarion Newspaper, Chester, Illinois, August 1869– April 1876. Chester, Illinois: Randolph County Genealogical Society, [1990?]Other libraries (WorldCat)FHL book 977.39 D2v

Births[edit | edit source]

Abstracts

Copies of Original Records

Marriages:[edit | edit source]

Online Resources

Abstracts

Copies of Original Records

Deaths:[edit | edit source]

Online Resources

Copies of Original Records

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Perry County, Illinois. Page 192-199 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 194-197.
  2. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
  3. ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Perry County, Illinois Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ill/perry/ accessed 04/19/2017.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Perry County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_County,_Illinois 04/19/2017.
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