SEARCH Other States
| AL | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT |
| DE | FL | GA | ID | IL | IN |
| IA | KS | KY | LA | MA | MD |
| ME | MI | MN | MO | MS | MT |
| NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY |
| NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA |
| RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT |
| VA | VT | WA | WV | WI | WY |
Jackson 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 | |
||||||||
|
||||||||
Jackson County was created on January 10, 1816 (Laws, 1815/16, p. 62) and was formed from Johnson and Randolph Counties. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Johnson County (1812–1816), Randolph County (1795–1816) and St. Clair County (1790–1795). The County was named for Andrew Jackson, statesman and seventh President of the United States (1829–1837). His army defeated the British at New Orleans during the War of 1812. As Democratic president (1829–1837), he opposed the Bank of America and greatly strengthened the presidency. The County Seat is Murphysboro . Prior County Seats was House of Nathan Davis on Big Muddy River (1816–1817), Brownsville (1817–1843) and Murphysboro—Name changed from Murphys Borough, date unknown (1843–Present). See also County History for more historical details. Counties adjacent to Jackson County are Perry County (north), Franklin County (northeast), Williamson County (east), Union County (southeast), Perry County, Missouri (west), Randolph County (northwest). Jackson County Townships include Bradley, Carbondale, Degognia, DeSoto, Elk, Fountain Bluff (Named Big Lake under first organization; changed to Fountain Bluff), Grand Tower (Named Big Hill under first organization, then changed to Fountain Bluff; named Grand Tower under third organization), Kinkaid, Levan, Makanda, Murphysboro, Ora, Pomona (Name changed from Ridge), Sand Ridge (Part of Grand Tower and Fountain Bluff under second organization), Somerset, Vergennes Townships Cities, Towns and Communities include Ava, Campbell Hill, Carbondale, De Soto, Dowell, Elkville, Gorham, Grand Tower, Makanda, Murphysboro, Vergennes
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
The Official County website is located at http://www.co.jackson.il.us/. All departments below at located at the Jackson County Courthouse, 1001 Walnut Street, Murphysboro, IL 62966 , unless a different address is listed below. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. Jackson County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1840 and Court Records from 1843 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (618)
687-7300 Jackson County Recorder has Land Records from 1814 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (618)
687-7360 Jackson County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1843 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (618) 687-7360
Below is a list of online resources for Jackson County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Court Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
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.
Below is a list of online resources for Jackson County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Census Records by clicking the link below: |
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Below is a list of online resources for Jackson County Maps. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Maps by clicking the link below: |
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Jackson County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Military Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Jackson County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Tax Records by clicking the link below: |
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Jackson County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
There are many churches and cemeteries in Jackson County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Jackson 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 Jackson County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
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 Jackson County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Jackson County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Human occupation of Jackson County began about 11,500 years ago. Extensive documentation of the areas indigenous peoples has been conducted and is ongoing. Exploration from the European explorers began with the Joliet-Marquette exploration along the Mississippi River. It was not until the 18th and 19th century when pioneer farmers began to settle in the area's inexpensive land along the Mississippi River and in the forested Shawnee hills with its one-hundred-foot trees. As early as 1813, Conrad Will (namesake of Will County) conducted a large salt extraction operation, using slave labor, on the banks of the Big Muddy River, south of Murphysboro. As this area was in the "free" Northwest Territory, Will had to have legal exemptions to possess slaves. Jackson County was organized in 1816, having been carved out of Randolph County. It was named for Andrew Jackson, who had just defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans. Shortly after the American Civil War, General John A. Logan led a parade of veterans from Murphysboro to Carbondale, Illinois. General Logan, a Union veteran, invited the Confederate veterans, of which there were many in Jackson County, to march with him. Thus, what might have been another celebration of the Union victory became a memorial to the war dead on both sides. This is one version of the origin of the Memorial Day holiday. In 1925 the great Tri-State Tornado ripped through Jackson County on March 18, leaving devastation in its path. The villages of Gorham and DeSoto and the city of Murphysboro were especially hit hard. The county courthouse is located in downtown Murphysboro. The current reinforced concrete courthouse replaced earlier wooden structures and was built during 1927-28. The original county seat and courthouse were located along the Big Muddy River at Brownsville. To afford a more strategic location after the courthouse in Brownsville was destroyed by fire, County government was moved upstream a few miles to Murphysboro. There are few traces of Brownsville still visible. On February 27, 1843, the Illinois General Assembly created a commission to designate a new county seat for Jackson County. The original county seat and courthouse were located along the Big Muddy River at Brownsville. To afford a more strategic location after the courthouse in Brownsville was destroyed by fire, County government was moved upstream a few miles to Murphysboro. There are few traces of Brownsville still visible. On February 27, 1843 the Illinois General Assembly created a commission to designate a new county seat for Jackson County. Situated along the Mississippi River in the area of Southern Illinois known as "Little Egypt", Jackson County is steeped in resources and history. Jackson County, named after the seventh President of the United States, incorporated as a county within the Illinois Territory on January 10, 1816. Prior to that date the area was part of a much larger Randolph County that first incorporated on October 5, 1795. Illinois would not become a State of the Union until December 3, 1818. Surrounding counties with their current boundaries incorporated later:
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
