Pope County, Illinois Genealogy

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

Pope County, Illinois
Map
Boundary map of Pope County, Illinois
Map of the U.S. highlighting Illinois
Location of Illinois in the U.S.
Facts
Founded: January 10, 1816
County Seat Golconda
Courthouse
Pope County Courthouse.gif
Photo courtesy Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD), Illinois State Archives
Address Pope County Courthouse
P.O. Box 216
Golconda, Illinois 62938
(618) 683-4466
Pope County Website


Pope County Organization[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[1]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1877 1816 1878 1816 1816 1816 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 Pope County are kept, see the Pope County Courthouse page.

Historical Facts[edit | edit source]

Nathaniel Pope

Pope County is named for Nathaniel Pope who was the first Territorial Secretary of State.

Parent County[edit | edit source]

  • 1816--Pope County was created 10 January 1816 from Gallatin and Johnson Counties.County seat:Golconda [2]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for Nathaniel Pope, a Secretary of the Illinois Territory. The county seat is Golconda and the county was organized on 1816. The County is located in the South East area of the state.[3]

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.

Records and Resources[edit | edit source]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Pope, 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 Pope county cemeteries.

Census[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1820 2,610 —
1830 3,316 27.0%
1840 4,094 23.5%
1850 3,975 −2.9%
1860 6,742 69.6%
1870 11,437 69.6%
1880 13,256 15.9%
1890 14,016 5.7%
1900 13,585 −3.1%
1910 11,215 −17.4%
1920 9,625 −14.2%
1930 7,996 −16.9%
1940 7,999 0.0%
1950 5,779 −27.8%
1960 4,061 −29.7%
1970 3,857 −5.0%
1980 4,404 14.2%
1990 4,373 −0.7%
2000 4,413 0.9%
2010 4,470 1.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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, Pope County on page 187.]

Church Records[edit | edit source]

List of Churches and Church Parishes

A chapter on Pope County, Illinois church history appears in a local history, available online at Ancestry.com ($), beginning on page 27.

Baptist
[edit | edit source]

Disciples of Christ[edit | edit source]

Methodist[edit | edit source]

  • Blatter, Robert K. The History of Waltersburg: The Peaceful Nineteenth Century Invasion of Pope County in Southern Illinois. 1998. FHL Book 977.3991/W1 D2b. Includes membership list (1860-1899) & baptisms (1881-1914, 1953) for a church which is referred to as the Waltersburg Methodist Church, Waltersburg German Methodist Church & the Immanuel Church.
  • Zion Methodist Episcopal Church. A History of the Church and Cemeteries with a Directory of Cemeteries at Zion, Pope County, Illinois. 1978. FHL Book 977.3991 K2h. FHL Book 977.3991 K2h.

Presbyterian[edit | edit source]

  • Michael Hillegan Chapter D.A.R. (Harrisburg, Ill.). Church Records Presbyterian Church of Golconda, Pope County, Illinois Founded 1819. Reputed to be the Oldest Presbyterian Church in Illinois. Digital versions at Ancestry ($); ILGenWeb (deaths).[4]FHL Book 977.3991 V2d.
  • History of the First Presbyterian Church, Golconda, Illinois. Golconda, Ill.: The Session of the Church, 1937. FHL Film 965608 Item 2.
  • Thompson, Mrs. Scerial et al. Records of Presbyterian Church of Golconda, Pope County, Illinois. FHL Film 964988 Item 3. Baptisms, 1818-1937 -- Session book containing members admitted, dismissed, died, 1824-1911 -- Marriages, 1911-1935 -- List of pastors, 1819-1932.
  • Bannon, Marie et al. Pope County, Illinois, Genealogical Materials. Includes information about the First Presbyterian Church (Golconda, Ill.). WorldCat (Other Libraries)


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

Abstracts

Copies of original records

Ethnic Research[edit | edit source]

African American[edit | edit source]

The following have information concerning African American research.

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

  • [Glass] Young, John C. Descendants of Francis and James Glass of Pope County, Illinois. Marissa, Ill.: n.p., 1975. Digital version at Ancestry ($).


History[edit | edit source]

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

  • Allen, John W. Pope County Notes. Carbondale, Ill.: Museum of Natural and Social Sciences, Southern Illinois University, 1949. 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 Pope County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Resources

Abstracts

Copies of original records

Maps[edit | edit source]

Williamson CountySaline CountyGallatin CountyHardin CountyJohnson CountyMassac CountyKentuckyLivingston CountyIL POPE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Military Records[edit | edit source]

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Civil War service men from Pope 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 Pope County.

- 6th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Companies A, B, and G.
- 29th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company F.
- 56th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company K.
- 60th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company H.
- 120th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and E.
- 131st Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A, B, and H.
- 136th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Companies I and K.

Naturalization[edit | edit source]

Original naturalization records are held in the office of the County Clerk. See Illinois Naturalization Records for more information about using naturalization 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 Pope County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

  • 1820–1859 Naturalization declarations of intent IRAD (SIU)
  • 1864–1894 Naturalization record IRAD (SIU)
  • 1868–1886 Naturalization record of soldiers and minors IRAD (SIU)
  • 1888–1898 Naturalization record IRAD (SIU)

Online Records

Newspapers and Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Indexes and 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 Pope County records. For information on how to use IRAD see the SIU IRAD Wiki page.

Online Resources

  • 1819-1888 An unspecified number of Illinois, Probate Records are available at the Family Search Records online database. The collection does not have an every name index, but the images are available to browse and may often have indexes contained within each volume.

Abstracts

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 Pope County are kept, see the Pope County Courthouse page.

Family History Center[edit | edit source]

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • 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 Affiliate Libraries

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 Pope County.

Public Libraries[edit | edit source]

Social Groups Online[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

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

Births:[edit | edit source]

Copies of Original Birth Records

Marriages:[edit | edit source]

Online Resources

Abstracts of Marriage Records

Copies of original Marriage Records

Deaths:[edit | edit source]

Online Resources

Abstracts of Death Records

Copies of original Death Records

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
  • Rosebud
  • Temple Hill

Neighboring Illinois Counties[edit | edit source]

Hardin · Johnson · Massac · Saline · Williamson

Neighboring Kentucky Counties[edit | edit source]

Livingston

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pope 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. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Pope County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_County,_Illinois 04/19/2017.
  4. ↑ Illinois Miscellaneous Genealogical Records: From Counties, Bond, Boone, Calhoun, Cook, Crawford, Du Page, Johnson, Knox, Lake, Will, Pope: Kentucky county, Mercer: Missouri county, Ralls. Evanston, Ill.: Illinois Society, D.A.R., 1946. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Pope County, Illinois," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_County,_Illinois, accessed 16 March 2020 .

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