The FamilySearch Research Wiki will be down for maintenance on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 11:59 pm until Monday, Sept 28, 4:00 am EDT.Whiteside County, Illinois Genealogy
Guide to Whiteside County, Illinois ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Whiteside County, Illinois | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Illinois | |
 Location of Illinois in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded: | January 16, 1836 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Morrison |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Whiteside County Courthouse 200 E. Knox Street Morrison, IL 61270-2698 (815) 772-5189 Whiteside County Website |
Contents
- 1 Whiteside County Organization
- 2 Historical Facts
- 3 Parent County
- 4 Boundary Changes
- 5 Record Loss
- 6 Places / Localities
- 7 Resources
- 7.1 Biography
- 7.2 Cemeteries
- 7.3 Census
- 7.4 Church Records
- 7.5 Court Records
- 7.6 Ethnic Research
- 7.7 Genealogy
- 7.8 History
- 7.9 Land and Property
- 7.10 Maps
- 7.11 Military
- 7.12 Naturalization
- 7.13 Newspapers and Obituaries
- 7.14 Probate Records
- 7.15 Repositories
- 7.16 Social Groups Online
- 7.17 Societies
- 7.18 Taxation
- 7.19 Vital Records
- 8 Websites
- 9 References
Whiteside County Organization[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1878 | 1839 | 1878 | 1838 | 1838 | 1839 | 1810 |
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Whiteside County are kept, see the Whiteside County Courthouse page.
Historical Facts[edit | edit source]
Whiteside County is named for Samuel Whiteside who was a commander in the War of 1812, a Colonel of the Territorial militia, and Brigadier General during the Black Hawk War. He also served in politics and helped select the site for the State Capitol. [2]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
- 1836--Whiteside County was created 16 January 1836 from Jo Daviess and Henry Counties. County seat: Morrison [3]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for General Samuel Whiteside, an Illinois officer in the War of 1812 and Black Hawk War. The county seat is Morrison and the county was organized on 1836. The County is located in the North West 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.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
|
||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites have additional information on Whiteside county cemeteries.
- Genealogy Trails has a complete list of local cemeteries organized both by name and township.
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 2,514 | — |
| 1850 | 5,361 | 113.2% |
| 1860 | 18,737 | 249.5% |
| 1870 | 27,503 | 46.8% |
| 1880 | 30,885 | 12.3% |
| 1890 | 30,854 | −0.1% |
| 1900 | 34,710 | 12.5% |
| 1910 | 34,507 | −0.6% |
| 1920 | 36,174 | 4.8% |
| 1930 | 39,019 | 7.9% |
| 1940 | 43,338 | 11.1% |
| 1950 | 49,336 | 13.8% |
| 1960 | 59,887 | 21.4% |
| 1970 | 62,877 | 5.0% |
| 1980 | 65,970 | 4.9% |
| 1990 | 60,186 | −8.8% |
| 2000 | 60,653 | 0.8% |
| 2010 | 58,498 | −3.6% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
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, Whiteside County on page 188.]
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records may give birth, death and marriage information. It is usually best to locate church records with a search at a local level such as the city, town, or village.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
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 or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at Northern Illinois University - search for Whiteside County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the NIU IRAD Wiki page.
Copies of original records
- 1855–1886 Chancery Court records FHL film 1021864–70
- 1872-1886 Jail Registers IRAD-NIU
Ethnic Research[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
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
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- History of Sterling Township.
- The Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society has published a history of Sterling.
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 online, through the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at Northern Illinois University - search for Whiteside County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD – Northern Illinois University|NIU IRAD Wiki page.
Online Resources
- 1800s-Present - Use the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land Patent Index to obtain original federal land transfer records including homestead, military warrants, and cash entry patents. These records help a research establish location and lead to National Archives' records which may include genealogical information. Earlier land transfer records are housed at the National Archives.
- 1800s-Present - Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales from Illinois State Archives also provides an index to federal land sales.
- 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records found at Ancestry.com ($)
- Illinois Public Land Purchase Records This record extract includes over 538,000 land sales from the 19th Century. Each entry includes the purchaser's name, purchase date, number of acres, price per acre, and in some cases the purchaser's sex and residence. Available at www.ancestry.com ($)
Copies of original records
- 1832-1870 Land patent record IRAD-NIU
- 1839–1855 Land patent record FHL film 1021134 Item 1
- 1855-1871 Swamp Land Record IRAD-NIU
- 1855–1883 Swampland record FHL film 1021134 Items 2-3
- 1865 Special bounty war tax judgments FHL film 1021133 Item 2
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Illinois (1788-1940)
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Whiteside 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 Whiteside County.
- - 8th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C.
- - 13th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and G.
- - 34th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, and K.
- - 52nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- - 93rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- - 140th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies A, B, and D.
- - 147th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies B and G.
- - 156th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
Naturalization[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1800-1998 - Illinois, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1998 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers and Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- The Digital Archives of the Sterling Public Library has published more than 65,000 digital newspaper pages online for a number of local newspapers including Daily Gazette (2007), Evening Gazette (1887-1892), The Great Northwestern Fair (1884), Republican and Gazette (1861), Sauk Valley Sunday (2007), Sterling Daily Gazette (1917-1951), Sterling Evening Gazette (1894-1906), Sterling Gazette (1866-2007), Sterling Republican Gazette (1861-1865), Sterling Standard (1872-1928), The Sterling Times (1854), and Telegraph (2007).
- The Sterling Public Library has published an index to the Sterling Daily Gazette that includes "births, engagements, marriages, marriage licesnse, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, divorces, obituaries, retirements, and individual accomplishments."
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1772 - 1999 Illinois Wills and Probate Records 1772-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1819 - 1988 Illinois Probate Records 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 abstracts and copies of original records may be accessed through, the Family History Library or the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) located at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Whiteside County records. For information on how to use IRAD see theNIU IRAD Wiki page.
Copies of original records
- 1839–1931 Probate records, wills, administrators' records, executors' records, guardianship records, inventory records, and probate estate judgement records for Whiteside County probate records are also available in Illinois, Probate Records, 1819-1970. Click on the browse through images link, select Whiteside County, and select the record type you are interested in.
- 1839–1922 Estate and other probate records FHL film 1021863 (first of 116 films)
- 1842-1922 Will Records IRAD-NIU
- 1845–1943 Estate and other probate records indexes {FHL film 1019833(first of 4 films)
- 1852–1904 Probate records FHL films 1019825 (first of 9 films)
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 Whiteside County are kept, see the Whiteside County Courthouse page.
Family History Center[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah (United States) and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy.
You may search your address for a center near you on the FamilySearch site. The following center serves Whiteside County:
- Sterling Illinois Family History Center
2709 N 16th Avenue
Sterling, Illinois 61081
Telephone: (815) 625-1229
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)[edit | edit source]
The Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD), managed by the Illinois State Archives, houses 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.
The Northern Illinois University (IRAD-NIU) holds the records for Whiteside County. Learn more about finding and using their records.
- Illinois Regional Archives Depository
c/o Regional History Center
Founders Memorial Library, Room 400
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Telephone: (815) 753-1807
Public Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Albany Public Library District
201 South Main
Albany, IL 61230
Telephone: (309) 887-4193
- Erie Public Library
802 8th Ave.
Erie, Illinois 61250
Telephone: (309)659-2707
- Henry C. Adams Memorial Library
209 West Third Street
Prophetstown, IL 61277
Telephone: (815) 537-5462
- Odell Public Library
307 South Madison Street
Morrison, IL 61270
Telephone: (815) 998-2012
- Rock Falls Public Library District
1007 Seventh Avenue
Rock Falls, IL 61071
Telephone: (815) 626-3958
- Schmaling Memorial Public Library District
501 Tenth Avenue
501 10th Ave.
PO Box 125
Fulton, IL 61252
Telephone: (815) 589-2045
- Sterling Public Library
102 West Third Street
Sterling, IL 61081
Telephone: (815) 625-1370
Social Groups Online[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Whiteside County Genealogists
PO Box 145
Sterling 61081
Morrison Historical Society
229 E. Main St
PO Box 1
Morrison IL 61270
Prophetstown Area Historical Society
320 Washington St
Prophetstown IL 61277
Telephone Number: 815-537-2224
E-mail:jag1939@thewisp.net
Tampico Area Historical Society - Museum
Family History Library/Research Center
119 Main St.
PO Box 154
Tampico, IL 61283
E-mail:tampicohistoricalsociety@gmail.com
President Joan Johnson
Telephone Number: 815-438-7581
E-mail:garyjoan@thewisp.net
Family History Coordinator, Denise McLoughlin
Telephone Number: 815-590-2143
Website
Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society
1005 E. Third Street
PO Box 65
Sterling, IL 61081
Telephone Number: 815-622-6215
Tri-Township Heritage House
306 Lime St
Albany IL 61230
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 Whiteside 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 website of the Whiteside County Clerk explains how to order birth, marriage, and death records.
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 Northern Illinois University (NIU) - search for Whiteside County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the IRAD Wiki page.
Birth Records[edit | edit source]
Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
- 1587-1959 - Illinois, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1763-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
- 1805-1985 Illinois, Church Marriages, 1805-1985 at FamilySearch — index
- 1810-1934 Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1934 at FamilySearch — index
- 1833-1889 Illinois, Civil Marriages, 1833-1889 at FamilySearch — index
- 1839-1900 Illinois Statewide Marriage Index at Illinois State Archives; Index
- Genealogy Trails History Group has an index for marriages online for Whiteside County.
Death Records[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1749-1999 Illinois Deaths and Burials, 1749-1999 at FamilySearch — index, some images
- 1871-1891, 1908–1918 Coroner's record FHL film 1021131
- 1892-1908 Coroner's record FHL film 1021134 Item 4
- 1850-1880 Illinois Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1850,1860,1870,1880 U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry ($) These include the deaths occurring twelve months before the census was taken.
- Pre-1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre-1916
- 1916-1950 Database of Illinois Death Certificates, 1916-1950
Additional Resources[edit | edit source]
Additional resources for Whiteside County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the Illinois, Whiteside – Vital Records, and the Illinois, Whiteside – Vital Records - newspapers topic pages of the FamilySearch Catalog . 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.
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Whiteside County, IL History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Whiteside County IL Genealogy
- Illinois Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Whiteside County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Whiteside County, Illinois (Genealogy Trails)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Whiteside 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.
- ↑ Samuel Whiteside www.wikipedia.org
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Whiteside County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiteside_County,_Illinois 04/21/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Whiteside County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiteside_County%2C_Illinois, accessed 10 March 2020.
