Lee County, IllinoisEdit This Page
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United States 
Illinois Lee County
Guide to Lee County Illinois genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Lee County, Illinois | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location of Illinois in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded: | February 27, 1839 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Dixon |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Lee County Courthouse P.O. Box 329 Dixon, IL 61021 815-288-3309 Lee County Website |
County Organization
Lee County's civil records start the following years:
| Beginning Dates for Lee County Records | |||||
| Birth | Marriage | Death | Census | Land | Probate |
| 1877 |
1839 |
1877 |
1840 |
1838 |
1839 |
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Lee County are kept, see the Lee County Courthouse page.
Historical Facts
Lee County is named for Richard Henry Lee who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Parent County
Boundary Changes
See an interactive map of Lee County boundary changes.
Record Loss
Places / Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Records and Resources
Biography
- The Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois has a Lee County edition. This includes a state history section along with a county history and biographies of Lee County residents. See the wiki article for links to available copies and indexes.
Cemeteries
Illinois cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.
- Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone. May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.
- Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Lee County and links to the information for the individuals buried there.
- Lee Co. IL USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks.
- Illinois Cemeteries by county.
- The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Lee County. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.
- ePodunk list of Lee County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.
Census
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 29,894 | ||
| 1910 | 27,750 | −7.2% | |
| 1920 | 28,004 | 0.9% | |
| 1930 | 32,329 | 15.4% | |
| 1940 | 34,604 | 7.0% | |
| 1950 | 36,451 | 5.3% | |
| 1960 | 38,749 | 6.3% | |
| 1970 | 37,947 | −2.1% | |
| 1980 | 36,328 | −4.3% | |
| 1990 | 34,392 | −5.3% | |
| 2000 | 36,062 | 4.9% | |
| 2010 | 36,031 | −0.1% | |
| IL Counties 1900-1990 | |||
Church History and Records
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.
Lutheran
- Saylor, E. C., et al. Church Records Greenville, Friedens, Wellersburg, Miscellaneous Years, Somerset, Pennsylvania. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1957. Microfilm of a transcript in a day book of a variety of Lutheran records, including some localities in Will County, Illinois. FHL film 22058
- Wagner, Carl Louis. Records Kept by Carl Louis Wagner, Lutheran Minister, 1920-1965. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. Contains baptisms, confirmations, funerals and weddings in several locations, including Dixon and Amboy in Lee County. FHL film 1036647 Item 1
Methodist
- Harmon Methodist Church - Includes photos, history, and a list of ministers.
Court Records
Original court records are held in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk. See Illinois Court Records for more information about using court records.
- 1840-1940 Circuit Court Case Files IRAD-NIU; search for Lee County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
- 1840-1934 Index to Circuit Court Case Files (Common Law) IRAD-NIU; search for Lee County Records. (Learn more about IRAD.)
Ethnic Research
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
Genealogy
History
Land and Property
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 Lee 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
- 1856-1881 Chattel Mortgage Record IRAD-NIU
Additional Resources
Additional resources for Lee County land and property may be found in the FHLC. Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.
Maps
Military
Civil War
Civil War service men from Lee 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 Lee County.
- - 7th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry, Company C (Also known as Morgan's Escort, Palmer's Escort, Smith's Escort).
- - 10th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company G.
- - 13th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies A and C.
- - 34th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Companies C and D.
- - 89th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I.
- - 140th Regiment, Illinois Infantry (100 days, 1864), Company E.
Naturalization
Newspapers and Obituaries
Probate Records
Repositories
County Courthouse
County records are most often kept at the County Courthouse or another local repository. For further information about where the records for Lee County are kept, see the Lee County Courthouse page.
Family History Center
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 Lee County:
- Sterling Illinois Family History Center
2709 N 16th Avenue
Sterling, Illinois 61081
Telephone: (815) 625-1229
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD)
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 Lee 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
- Dixon Public Library
221 S. Hennepin Avenue
Dixon, IL 61021
Telephone: (815) 284-7261
- Winifred Knox Memorial Library
112 South Elm St.
Franklin Grove, IL 61031
Telephone: (815) 456-2823
- Mills and Petrie Memorial Library and Gymnasium
704 North First Street
Ashton, IL 61006
Telephone: (815) 453-2213
- Pankhurst Memorial Library
3 South Jefferson Avenue
Amboy, IL 61310
Telephone: (815) 857-3925
- Paw Paw Public Library District
362 Chicago Road
P.O. Box 60
Paw Paw, IL 61353
Telephone: (815) 627-9396
Research Center
Lee County Historical Society's Research Center holdings include burial records for all cemeteries in Lee County, census records, microfilm of the Dixon Telegraph from 1851 to the present, land records, local histories, church records, and more.Their hours are limited so call ahead for availability.
- Lee County Historical Society
Stella Grobe Research Center
113 Madison Avenue
PO Box 58
Dixon, Illinois
Telephone: (815) 284-1134
Taxation
Vital Records
See Illinois Vital Records for more information about Vital records in Illinois.
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Original birth and death certificates recorded until the year 1916 are kept by the Lee 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.
Birth Records
Marriage Records
Online Resources
- 1790–1860 Illinois Marriage index found at Ancestry.com ($)
- 1839-1858 Lee County, Illinois Marriages Courtesy Genealogytrails.com
- 1839-1865 Lee County, Illinois Marriages Courtesy I Dream of Genealogy
Death Records
Online Resources
- 1850–1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 found at Ancestry.com ($)
Copies of original Death Records
- 1840–1939 Coroners records FHL film 2381542 (first of 8 films)
Additional Resources
Additional resources for Lee County births, marriages and deaths may be found in the Illinois, Ogle – Vital Records, topic page of the Family History Library catalog (FHLC). Copies of records on FHL microfilm and microfiche can be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers. Copies of books found in the FHLC may be found in WorldCat catalog and ordered from your local library through interlibrary loan. Explore how to search the Family History Library Catalog and the Worldcat Online Catalog.
Web Sites
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Family History Library Catalog
- Lee County, Illinois Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
References
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, UT: Everton Publishers, 2002), 195. (FHL Collection Ref Book 973 D27e 2002). WorldCat entry.
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- This page was last modified on 12 April 2013, at 19:28.
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