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Jersey County History and Information |
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County History |
Court Records |
Vital Records |
CENSUS Records |
TAX Records |
Military Records |
Church & Cemetery | Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites | |
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Jersey County was created on February 28, 1839 (Laws, 1839, p. 208) and was formed from Greene County. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Greene County (1821–1839), Madison County (1812–1821) and St. Clair County (1790–1812). The County was named for the State of New Jersey, which derived its name from the Isle of Jersey in Great Britain. The County Seat is Jerseyville (1839-Present). See also County History for more historical details. Counties adjacent to Jersey County are Greene County (north), Macoupin County (east), Madison County (southeast), St. Charles County, Missouri (south), Calhoun County (west). Jersey County approved township organization on November 6, 1860, and the County Court even appointed commissioners to divide the county into townships, but this organization was never completed. The commissioners' report of 1861 divided the county into six townships. Township Names under the 1860 Failed Organization: Delphi, Fidelity, Fieldon, Illinois, Jersey, Mississippi. Jersey County Townships include Elsah, English, Fidelity, Jersey, Mississippi, Otter Creek, Piasa, Quarry (Name changed from Grafton on April 1, 1880), Richwoods, Rosedale (Name changed from Illinois on June 7, 1882), Ruyle Townships Cities, Towns and Communities include Brighton, Elsah, Fidelity, Fieldon, Grafton, Jerseyville, Otterville
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The Official County website is located at http://www.jerseycounty.org/government.htm. All departments below at located at the Jersey County Courthouse, 201 W. Pearl Street, Jerseyville, IL 62052 , unless a different address is listed below. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. Jersey County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1839 and Court Records from 1839 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (618) 498-5571, ext. 119 Jersey County Recorder has Land Records from 1822 and is located at the Jersey County Administration Building,
200 N. LaFayette,
Jerseyville, IL 62052; (618) 498-5571, ext.
118 Jersey County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1839 and is located at the Jersey County Administration Building,
200 N. LaFayette,
Jerseyville, IL 62052; (618) 498-5571, ext.
115
Below is a list of online resources for Jersey County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Jersey County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Jersey County, Illinois are 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Jersey 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 Jersey County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Census Records by clicking the link below: |
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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 Jersey County Maps. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Maps by clicking the link below: |
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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 Jersey County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Jersey County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Tax Records by clicking the link below: |
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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 Jersey County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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There are many churches and cemeteries in Jersey County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Jersey 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 Jersey County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Jersey County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Jersey County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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We are unable to ascertain with any degree of certainty who was the first settler in what is now Jersey County. A few parties settled temporarily in 1816 and 1817. Thomas McDow, Esq. who is now living on section 32, township 7, range 11, came into the county in 1823. Jacob Lurton came in 1817; W. D. F. Slaten, J. W. Slaten and Jessie White in 1818; Marcus Gilham and Mary A. McKinney in 1819; John Brown, John Gunterman, and Daniel Newberry in 1829; Joseph Cope, Cyrus Tolman, and George Stafford in 1821; G. W. Slaten, and J. R Slaten in 1822; John C. Whitlock in 1823; Jacob Reddish, and Zedekiah Reddish in 1829; Judge J. M. Hard, and C. M. Hamilton in 1830; George H. Jackson and Judge Caleb Noble in 1833; Thomas Cummings, George Finley, Samuel Loften, John D. Gilham, Joseph White, William Hates, and Josiah T. Askew were also very early settlers, but we have not the year in which they first came. J. T. Grimes was born, in what is now Jersey County, in 1820. In 1821 the settlements were considerably extended, but did not increase very rapidly until about 1832, since which time it has had, with very little interruption, a rapid and healthy growth, and to-day Jersey county is among the best cultivated, best improved, and among the most wealthy counties of its size and population in the state. It was a part of Green county, but by an act of the legislature passed February 28th, 1839, Green county was divided and the southern part named Jersey county. The first entry of land was made by John Wilkins at the land office in Edwardsville, October 13, 1820. The county seat of Jersey County was located at Jerseyville on the organization of the county. At a special meeting of the county commissioners' court, held at Jerseyville on Monday, October 14th, 1839, there were present, Thomas Cummings, Solomon Calhoun, Amos Pruitt, county commissioners; Robert L. Hill, clerk of the circuit court; Richard Graham, clerk of the county court; J. N. English, sheriff; George H. Jackson, recorder; John R. Black, treasurer. The first court was held October 14, 1839. Elijah Van Horne was foreman of the first grand jury. This was the first organization of "Little Jersey". The first justice of the peace was Walter Cromwell, appointed by the governor in 1822. The location of Jersey County is very superior in almost every particular. The climate is excellent, soil rich and productive. About one-third of the county was original prairie. The timber lands are excellent, and when cleared and cultivated have soil unsurpassed, and yield excellent crops. The county is well watered and for stock purposes, for raising grains and fruits it has no superior. Its boundary line on the south is the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, and on the west in the Illinois River, which furnishes cheap transportation. Two railroads now course through the county and another is in contemplation, which coupled with the short distance to St. Louis furnish the people with the best of markets at small cost. Besides all these advantages of nature and art, Jersey county is peopled by the very best class of citizens - a class who have turned the wild prairies and heavy timber lands into beautiful farms, have planted orchards and groves, built fine and comfortable houses, barns, etc., etc. Have dotted their county all over with churches and schoolhouses, built railroads, etc., etc., and have established by their industry and enterprise a reputation excelled by few. Jerseyville - Was laid off by Lott and Daley, October 1st, 1834, and during that year a number of New Jersey people settled in the town and vicinity. The town of Jerseyville was incorporated July 21, 1837, and the first officers were John W. Lott, of New Jersey, president of the board of trustees; E. M. Daley, clerk, Samuel L. McGill, George W. Collins, Richard Graham, board of trustees. The city of Jerseyville was incorporated February 21, 1867. M. E. Bagley was elected mayor, and J. S. Blythe, Andrew Jackson, John I. White, George Egelhoff, aldermen; George H. Jackson, clerk; J. S. Daniels, marshal. When the town was first laid off the proprietors were at a loss what name to give it. A meeting of the citizens of the neighborhood was called to settle the matter, and a great many names were proposed, but none saited Dr. Lott, who was on of the most extensive proprietors, and he said it should be called Jerseyville, which ended the subject. The present city officers are Robert M. Knapp, mayor; J. E. Stanford, J. H. Baffington, John M. Smith, Frederick Bertman, Robert A. King, e. L. H. Barry, John W. Visson, J. H. Lock, aldermen; George H. Jackson, clerk; James McKinney, marshal; J. W. Calhoun, city constable; Henry Calkins, police justice. Grafton - Was surveyed April 15, 1835. It is finely situated on the banks of the Mississippi river, about one mile below the mouth of the Illinois river. The celebrated "Grafton Stone Quarries" are settled here, which does one of the most extensive business of the kind in the country, and gives employment to a great many men. Grafton Mills - Owned by Hon. James M. Allen, is also situated in Grafton, and are considered among the finest flouring mills in the country. Grafton has a number of stores and does an extensive and profitable business for a place of its size. A railroad is contemplated and will undoubtedly be built very soon from Springfield through Jerseyville and Grafton to St. Louis, which will make Grafton one of the largest and most important points in that region of the country. Jersey Landing, or Elsah - Was surveyed March 7th, 1853. It is situated on the Mississippi river four miles below Grafton. Has several stores and does considerable trade. Fieldon - Was laid off August 14, 1837. It has several stores, mills, blacksmiths and wagon shops, etc., etc. Has a rich farming country surrounding and does a good local trade. Belt, Bros. & Co. are located here and do an extensive general trade. Fidelity - Was surveyed January 5, 1830. It is surrounded by a beautiful rich farming country, and does considerable local trade. Camden - Was surveyed March 11th, 1832. It is situated on the Mississippi river, at the mouth of the Illinois river, and once had the prospect of being a very large town. Otterville - Was laid off October 6th, 1866. It is surrounded by a rich farming country. Has several stores, mills, blacksmith shops, etc., and does a good trade. H. E. Dougharty's celebrated mills and elevators are situated here. Delhi - Was laid off May 6th, 1868. It is a station on the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis railroad. Is in a splendid farming country, and does considerable trade. Newbern - Was surveyed September 26th, 1866. It is located in a very wealthy section of the county. It is the location of McAdams & Bleyler's flouring mills; has stores, shops; etc, and does a good local trade. Kemper - Was laid off November 5, 1870. It is a new and promising town on the Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis railroad. Has several stores and does a flourishing trade. |
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