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McHenry 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 |

McHenry County Facts

McHenry County was created on January 16, 1836 (Laws, 1836, p. 273) and was formed from Cook County and unorganized (La Salle County). Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Cook County (1831–1836), LaSalle County (1831–1836), Putnam County (1825–1831), Fulton County (1823–1825), Pike County (1821–1823), Clark County (1819–1821), Crawford County (1816–1819), Edwards County (1815–1816), Madison County (1812–1815), St. Clair County (1801–1812) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1795–1801).

The County was named for William McHenry, a pioneer of White County, soldier of the War of 1812 and the Black Hawk War, Representative in the first, fourth, fifth and ninth General Assemblies, and Senator in the sixth General Assembly. The County Seat is Woodstock . Prior County Seats was McHenry (1837–1843) and Woodstock—Named Centreville until 1844 (1843–Present). See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to McHenry County are Walworth County, Wisconsin (north), Kenosha County, Wisconsin (northeast), Lake County (east), Cook County (southeast), Kane County (south), DeKalb County (southwest), Boone County (west).

McHenry County Townships include Alden, Algonquin, Burton (Name changed from Benton on December 28, 1850), Chemung, Coral, Dorr (Name changed from Centre on December 28, 1850), Dunham (Name changed from Byron on December 28, 1850), Grafton, Greenwood, Hartland, Hebron, McHenry, Marengo, Nunda (Name changed from Brooklyn on December 28, 1850), Richmond, Riley, Seneca Townships

Cities, Towns and Communities include Algonquin - partly in Kane County, Barrington Hills, Bull Valley, Cary, Crystal Lake, Fox Lake - partly in Lake County, Fox River Grove - partly in Lake County, Greenwood, Harvard, Hebron, Holiday Hills, Huntley - partly in Kane County, Island Lake - partly in Lake County, Johnsburg, Lake in the Hills, Lakemoor - partly in Lake County, Lakewood, Marengo, McCullom Lake, McHenry, Oakwood Hills, Port Barrington - partly in Lake County, Prairie Grove, Richmond, Ringwood, Spring Grove, Trout Valley, Union, Wonder Lake, Woodstock

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Records at the McHenry 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.

The Official County website is located at http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/. All departments below at located at the McHenry County Government Center, 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098 , unless a different address is listed below. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

   McHenry County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1840 and Court Records from 1838 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (815) 334-4310
   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.

   McHenry County Recorder has Land Records from 1839 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (815) 334-4110
   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.

   McHenry County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1837 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (815) 334-4242
    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 McHenry County Court Records. Email us with websites containing McHenry County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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McHenry 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 McHenry County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing McHenry County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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McHenry 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 McHenry 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 McHenry 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 McHenry County Census Records. Email us with websites containing McHenry County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • McHenry County, Illinois Census Books at Amazon.com

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McHenry 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 McHenry County Maps. Email us with websites containing McHenry County Maps by clicking the link below:

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McHenry 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 McHenry County Military Records. Email us with websites containing McHenry County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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McHenry 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 McHenry County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing McHenry County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • McHenry County, Illinois Tax Books at Amazon.com

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McHenry 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 McHenry County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing McHenry County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

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McHenry 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 McHenry County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the McHenry 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 McHenry County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing McHenry 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 McHenry County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing McHenry County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History

After the 1832 Black Hawk War, land-hungry New Englanders and western Virginians pushed out along Indian trails radiating away from Chicago in search of farm sites. To the north and northwest, they found a rolling, well-watered prairie interspersed with large oak groves. old steam engine trainFinding access to Cook County government difficult, they petitioned for the formation of a more local county seat. The Illinois legislature approved the petition in 1836 and named the new county McHenry, after a leader of volunteers in the area during the Black Hawk War.

McHenry County stretched west from Lake Michigan to present-day Boone County and north from Kane County to the Wisconsin state line. Since the Fox River flowed through the approximate center of the county and was easily fordable at the present site of McHenry, that village became the county seat.

The eastern side of the new county was settled earliest as most newcomers established homes along the Green Bay Trail. Farmers and speculators there found trips around numerous glacial lakes and across wet prairies to McHenry too time consuming. In 1839 voters in eastern McHenry County were granted the right to form a new county (Lake County.)

While the new boundary was supposed to be the Fox River, a survey put almost all of the river's valley in McHenry County. Although a courthouse already stood woodstock opera housein the village of McHenry, a more central location was demanded. In 1844 the county seat was removed to a midcounty location platted as Centerville and renamed Woodstock in 1845.

In early decades of the county's history, poor roads left residents isolated from markets. The county's most economically successful settlements (Crystal Lake, Marengo, and Richmond) were located along well-established Indian trails from Chicago

The introduction of railroads brought great changes. The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad blanketed the county. One line pushed west through and Marengo by early 1851. Two other lines were established in 1854. One ran diagonally across the county from the Fox River at Cary, reaching Harvard by 1855. The other ran north from Algonquin through the eastern McHenry County beyond Richmond. A fourth line graced the northern tier of townships by 1861. horse and buggyAfter 1900, a “Milwaukee Road” line would cross the northeastern corner of the county. Communities built in partnership with the railroad such as Harvard, Nunda (later Crystal Lake), and Cary prospered while non-rail communities such as Franklinville, Coral, Ostend, and Barreville faded from existence.

Many Irish railroad laborers stayed and became farmers, cheaply shipping their produce to market. Chicago's demand for fresh milk products along with Gail Borden's milk condensing plants convinced farmers to try dairying. Railroad milk stations and cheese “factories” quickly appeared in all the county's townships. In modern times the arts and recreation add to the high quality of life enjoyed in McHenry County while maintaining the history and culture of its agricultural past.

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