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Franklin County History and Information
County History | Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |

Franklin County Facts

Franklin County was created on January 2, 1818 (Laws, 1817/18, p. 11) and was formed from Gallatin and White Counties. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: White County (1815–1818), Gallatin County (1812–1818), Randolph County (1795–1813) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790–1795).

The County was named for Benjamin Franklin, philosopher, statesman, diplomatist, author, printer, a member of the Continental Congress, Ambassador to France, and (before the Revolution) Deputy Postmaster General of the British Colonies in America. The County Seat is Benton . Prior County Seats was Shawneetown–Kaskaskia Road, at Moses Garrett’s tavern (1818–1821), Frankfort (1821–1841) and Benton (1841–Presaent). See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Franklin County are Jefferson County (north), Hamilton County (east), Saline County (southeast), Williamson County (south), Jackson County (southwest), Perry County (west).

Franklin County Townships include Barren (Part of Goode under 1875 organization), Benton, Browning (Part of Benton under 1875 organization), Cave, Denning (Named Town Mount under 1871 organization; part of Frankfort under 1875 organization), Eastern, Ewing, Frankfort, Goode, Northern, Six Mile (Named Six Mile Prairie under 1871 organization), Tyrone Townships

Cities, Towns and Communities include Benton, Buckner, Christopher, Ewing, Freeman Spur, Hanaford, Macedonia, North City, Orient, Royalton, Sesser, Thompsonville, Valier, West City, West Frankfort, Zeigler.

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Records at the Franklin County Courthouse

See Also Illinois Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. Most records lost (1818–1843) due to a fire on November 18, 1843

The Official County website is located at N/A . All departments below at located at the Franklin County Courthouse, Public Courthouse Square, P.O. Box 607, Benton, IL 62812 , unless a different address is listed below. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

   Franklin County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1837 and Court Records from 1836 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (618) 439-2011
   The Clerk of the Circuit Court, commonly known as the Circuit Clerk, is the keeper of the files and records of the Circuit Court.  The Circuit Clerk works at the direction of Circuit Court, Appellate Court and Supreme Court of Illinois and is mandated to follow and enforce the laws of the State of Illinois.  The Circuit Clerk's Office processes all documents in criminal law, chancery, support, probate, adoption, juvenile, drainage, local improvement, mental, small claims, traffic, ordinance violations, prepares appeals to the higher court, issues passports, summons jurors, tax deeds and handles approximately ten million dollars in costs, fines, restitution, investments and support each year.  The Office also issues summonses, writs, attachments, subpoenas and all other tasks as mandated by the courts.

   Franklin County Recorder has Land Records from 1835 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (618) 438-3221
   The County Recorder of Deeds serves the people of County by receiving, filing and maintaining all records related to real property in our county. These documents range from all types of conveyance deeds, mortgages, releases and assignments, property liens, as well as, assorted federal, state and local liens. The Recorder’s office is responsible for the recordation and storage of plats of subdivision, land surveys and monument records. Many other types of miscellaneous documents are recorded, such as; foreign birth certificates, foreign marriage licenses, and military discharge paperwork to name a few.

   Franklin County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1837 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (618) 438-3221
    The County Clerk maintains records and issues certificates of vital statistics (birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage certificates) for the entire County.

Search Online Click Here to Search Illinois Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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Franklin County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Illinois

Search Online Click Here to Search Illinois Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, 605 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, IL 62702-5097. It can take up to 6 weeks to get a vital record from Illinois.

A number of resources are available for individuals doing genealogical research using vital records filed in the state of Illinois. Births and deaths before January 1, 1916 and marriages before January 1, 1962 are recorded only in the office of the county clerk where the event occurred. Most county clerks have indexes to the records that are prior to 1916 that are available for the purpose of genealogical research. These indexes generally provide the name, date and place of occurrence and are located in county courthouses located throughout the state. Although self-service access to the indexes is generally permitted, the law limits physical access to the individual records to the clerk's staff. When you locate a record from the index, it will be necessary for the clerk to pull the record for you once you have paid the appropriate search fee. Please check with the county clerk for fees and policies on reviewing indexes.

  • Birth, Death Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth, death and marriage records that occur in Illinois from 1916 to the present.
    • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $17.00 (long) or $10.00 (uncertified) per certificate by mail.
      Make your check or money order payable to "Illinois Department of Public Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. The cost of each record includes a ten-year search if the exact date or place of event is not known. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • In Person: In-person orders can be dropped off for mail out within two business days at the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records office, 605 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, on Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays. (Large volume orders may take longer.) PLEASE NOTE: the person requesting the record will be asked to show a valid picture identification card.
    • Processing Time: 6 weeks when ordered by MAIL [application for birth records, application for death records] or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • Marriage & Divorce Certificates: The Division of Vital Records also maintains an index of marriages & divorces from 1962 to the present. Copies of the marriage & divorce records are available from the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage license was obtained or divorce was granted. Fees vary.
    • Cost: $5.00. Make your check or money order payable to "Illinois Department of Public Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. The cost of each record includes a ten-year search if the exact date or place of event is not known. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $5.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • Processing Time: 6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
    Birth Certificates
         		Death Certificates
         		Marriage Certificates
         		Divorce Records

Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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Franklin County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records

Search Online Click Here to Search Illinois Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Franklin County, Illinois are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Franklin County, Illinois are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

  See Also Statewide Records that exist for Illinois

Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Franklin County, Illinois Census Books at Amazon.com

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Franklin County Maps & Atlases

   Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

  You can view rotating animated maps for Illinois showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
   You can view rotating animated maps for Illinois showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries.

Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Maps. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Franklin County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Illinois

Search Online Click Here to Search Illinois Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

   The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Franklin County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

   The first known tax authorization in Illinois fell under the jurisdiction of the Territory of the United States North West of the River Ohio. The tax was based on every hundred acres of unimproved uncleared prairie or wood land, divided into three classes based on quality of earth surface and soil. The rates were thirty, twenty, and ten cents, to be paid annually. Property with delinquent taxes was sold at public auction. There do not appear to be any surviving tax records from this territorial period.

Beginning with statehood, tax records form a large part of county archival material. The 1819 laws provided the first taxation process, imposing taxes on land, bank stock owned, slaves and indentured negroes or mulattoes, plus a poor tax. The tax was collected by the county with income divided between the county and state. Taxpayers lists were eliminated in 1824, and in 1825 a county road tax and school taxes were enacted.

Original and microfilmed tax records at Illinois Regional Archives Depositories include taxable land lists, assessors books, railroad tax books, road tax records, and collectors books, the earliest record dated 1817. Other county tax records are located in county seats.

Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Franklin County, Illinois Tax Books at Amazon.com

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Franklin County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Illinois Genealogical Addresses

   The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Frankfort Area Genealogical Society, PO Box 427, West Frankfort, IL 62896-0427
  • Franklin County Genealogical Society, PO Box 524, West Frankfort, IL 62896
  • Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Southern Illinois University, c/o Special Collections, Morris Library – 6632 , Carbondale, IL 62901-6632; Telephone: (618) 453-3040. Map and Directions. Covers the following counties: Alexander, Clinton, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Clair, Saline, Union, Washington, White and Williamson.
    Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mail requests should be sent to the address above. However, the depository is located on McLafferty Road one-third mile south of its intersection with Chautauqua Street — not in Morris Library. Visitors unfamiliar with Carbondale may wish to call the depository for directions.
  • Local Illinois Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
  • National Archives - Great Lakes Region(Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60629-5898; 773-948-9001; E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov (Maintains retired records from Federal agencies and courts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.)
    General Information Leaflet
  • Illinois State Archives, Norton Building, Capitol Complex, Springfield, IL 62756; TELEPHONE: (217) 782-4682, Fax: (217) 524-3930; HOURS: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  • The Illinois State Historical Society, 210 1/2 S. Sixth, Springfield, IL 62701-1503; Phone: (217)525-2781, Fax: (217)525-2783, [EMAIL]
  • Illinois State Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 10195, Springfield, IL 62791; Phone: (217) 789-1968, [EMAIL]
  • Illinois State Library, 300 South 2nd Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1796; Phone: (217) 785-5600
  • Illinois State Historical Library, Old State Capitol, Springfield, IL 62701
    County histories, plat books, census indexes, cemetery indexes, city material, family and association files, microfilmed newspapers, manuscripts, and photographs are located beneath the restored old state capitol between 5th and 6th streets and Washington and Adams streets.
  • Illinois Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
  • Illinois Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

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Franklin County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Illinois

Search Online Click Here to Search Illinois Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

   There are many churches and cemeteries in Franklin County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Franklin County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Despite the early Catholic missionaries in Illinois, their church had almost totally disappeared from the state by the time of the American Revolution. Later migration of English-speaking Catholics reestablished the church in the state. In 1850 the largest religious denomination in Illinois was the Methodists. Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Congregationalists followed. Episcopalians had organized in the state in 1835, the Disciples of Christ were in Illinois prior to 1830, and the Lutherans grew in numbers with the German and Scandinavian emigration of the 1840s.

   The Genealogical Society of Utah and the Daughters of the American Revolution have compiled cemetery records for the state of Illinois. Soldiers' Burial Places in State of Illinois for Wars 1774-1898 is available on thirty-one reels of microfilm from the FHL. Local genealogical societies may have information and possible printed records of cemeteries in their locale.

Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Search Online Click Here to Search Illinois Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

   When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Franklin County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Franklin County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History

Franklin County came into being on January 2, 1818, as one of the original fifteen counties when Illinois was admitted that year to the union. At that time it included the territory of the Franklin county of today and the territory of Williamson, just south.

In about the year 1804, seven brothers by the name of Jordan, William and John Browning, Joseph Estes and one Barbrey, settled in what is now Cave township, the southeast township in the county, and there built what was known as Jordan's Fort some time prior to 1806. Here Barbrey was killed and scalped in 1812. The Brownings came to be very important people in the history of the county. The McCreerys, Cantrells, Swoffords and the Joneses were early comers. After the war of 1812, other settlers came to different parts of the county and by 1818 the south and east part of the county was sparsely settled.

The early settlers raised just about enough grain for food and feed. It appears that the streams and woods along them were full of game and the fur trade was an important line of business. Regular trips were made to St. Louis with loads of furs, venison, and farm products.

Slaves were held in Franklin county by the leading families until 1824, and then were taken to Missouri and sold. In some cases they were later brought back to Franklin county and manumitted, a specific case is that of the purchase of Richmond Inge by Alexander McCreery. Inge and his wife were put on a farm in Williamson county where they lived for many years.

When the county was created in 1818, the county seat was fixed at Frankfort. The court house and jail were not built until 1826 and prior to that date the county seat was temporarily in the home of Moses Garrett, about three miles east of Frankfort. When Williamson was cut off from Franklin in 1839, the county seat of Franklin was permanently fixed "on or near the summit of a mound or hill in the edge of the timber, and at the south end of Rowlings Prairie." This was to be the site of the future city of Benton. The court house in Benton was built in the spring of 1841. It was a small frame building and stood in the square. A second court house was built of brick in 1845, and a third, the present one, was built in 1874.

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