Winnebago County, Illinois
History, Records, Facts and Genealogy

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

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! 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.

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

The Official County website is located at http://www.co.winnebago.il.us/. All departments below at located at the Winnebago County Courthouse, 400 West State Street, Room 101, Rockford, IL 61101 , unless a different address is listed below.

NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Winnebago County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1837 and Court Records from 1836 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (815) 987-2510

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.

Winnebago County Recorder has Land Records from 1836 and is located at the County Administration Building, 404 Elm Street, Rockford, IL 61101; (815) 987-3100

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.

Winnebago County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1836 and is located at the County Administration Building, 404 Elm Street, Rockford, IL 61101; (815) 987-3050

The County Clerk maintains records and issues certificates of vital statistics (birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage certificates) for the entire County.

County Treasurer’s responsibilities include the statutory duties required as County Treasurer and as Ex-Officio County Collector of Real Estate Property Taxes and Drainage District Taxes for the entire county.

The Treasurer maintains tax records from the early years and makes them available to the public. The Treasurer also receives and records inheritance tax. 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 Winnebago County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Winnebago County Court Records by clicking the link below:

• Order County Court, Civil or Criminal Records Online
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Winnebago County, Illinois Court Books at Amazon.com
• Court, Land, Wills & Financial - Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
• Immigration & Emigration - As our ancestors moved from one country to another, details about their lives were recorded on passenger lists and government documents. Immigration and emigration records can help you learn where your ancestors originally came from, where they went, when they left, who they traveled with, and more.
• Search Land Patents at Gov-Records.com
• Search Property Records at Gov-Records.com

See Also Vital Records in Illinois

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

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 [application for birth records, application for death records].
    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.
• 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 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 $5.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
• Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service

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

• Vital Records from Archives.com: Birth Records, Marriage Records, Divorce Records and Death Records
• VitalChek Express Certificate Service. - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
• Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
• Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Illinois newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
• Database index on death certificates for the years 1916 to 1950
• Statewide Marriage Index, 1763 to 1900
• Illinois Marriages to 1850: This database of Illinois marriages to 1850 contains over 155,000 names.
• Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860: This database is an index to individuals who were married in Illinois between 1790 and 1860.
• Illinois Marriages, 1851-1900: This database is an index to approximately 707,000 individuals who were married in select areas of Illinois between 1851 and 1900.
• Winnebago County, Illinois Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
• Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Illinois

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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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.

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

• Census Records at Archives.com
• Winnebago County, Illinois Census Books at Amazon.com
• Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.

See Also Statewide Maps that exist for Illinois

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 a list of maps for other states at Census Maps 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 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 Winnebago County Maps. Email us with websites containing Winnebago County Maps by clicking the link below:

• The USGenWeb Archives Digital Map Library
• Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection: Illinois Maps
• Federal Township Plats of Illinois (1804-1891)
• Winnebago County, Illinois Map Books at Amazon.com
• Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers - Maps are an invaluable part of family history research, especially if you live far from where your ancestor lived. Because political boundaries often changed, historic maps are critical in helping you discover the precise location of your ancestor's hometown, what land they owned, who their neighbors were, and more.

See Also Military Records in Illinois

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

• Search for Local Illinois Researchers or Earn Money by becoming a Local Illinois Researcher!
• National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
• Illinois Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
• National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
• Southern Claims Commission from the State of Illinois (The National Archives) : View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
• Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of Illinois (The National Archives) : View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
• Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives) : View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
• Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War (The National Archives) : View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M881. Compiled service records of soldiers who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783.
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (The National Archives) : View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
• Database of Illinois War of 1812 Veterans
• Database of Illinois Black Hawk War Veterans
• Illinois Mexican War Veterans
• Illinois Civil War Database
• Illinois Civil War Rosters
• Illinois Spanish-American War Veterans Database
• Rock Island County, Illinois - Confederate Dead at Rock Island Prison (now called Arsenal Island)
• Illinois: 1929 Roll of Honor Database contains the burial locations of 72,000 Illinois veterans, some from WWI
• Winnebago County, Illinois Military Books at Amazon.com
• Military - The men and women called to serve their country in military duty are a source of pride to their families and to their nation. Now, with databases containing more than 16 million names and thousands of government records available to search, researching your veteran ancestors has become easier than ever before.

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

• Kishwaukee Genealogists, Rockford
• Winnebago & Boone Counties Genealogical Society, Rockford
• Illinois Regional Archives Depository, Northern Illinois University, c/o Regional History Center, Founders Memorial Library, Room 400, DeKalb, IL 60115; Telephone: (815) 753-1807. Map and Directions. Covers the following counties: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, DuPage, JoDaviess, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago. Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• 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.
• Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
• Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
• Illinois Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Illinois

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 Winnebago County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Winnebago 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 Winnebago County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Winnebago County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

• Cemetery Records at Archives.com
• Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Illinois obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Illinois newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers fromIllinois .
• Obituary Records at Archives.com
• America's Obituaries (1977 to current) at Genealogybank.com - Obituaries contain helpful information such as names, dates, places of birth, death, marriage and family information. Over 28 million obituaries make this the most complete collection from the 20th and 21st centuries - includes over 1,100 U.S. newspapers. New content added daily!
• Winnebago County, Illinois Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
• Winnebago County, Illinois Church Books at Amazon.com

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 Winnebago County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Winnebago County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

• Search for Local Illinois Researchers or Earn Money by becoming a Local Illinois Researcher!
• Search 60 Years Of Everton Data : For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
• Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
• Sites on USGenweb: [ Winnebago County ] [ Illinois ] [ Main Page ]
• Winnebago County ILGenWeb Archives
• [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
• Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
• Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
• The Illinois Family Group Sheet Project
• Family Trees - Ancestry has thousands of family trees shared by other members. They can help you identify how ancestors are related and give you clues about birth, marriage, and death information. Family trees are an excellent resource for filling in gaps in your research or even to simply know where to begin.
• Pictures - One of the more exciting discoveries in doing family history research is finding a photograph of your ancestors or their residence. Finding historic postcard photos and drawings of towns and important events throughout history can also give you a visual look into your ancestors lives.
• Reference Materials & Finding Aids - Reference materials, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other how-to books, can be tremendously helpful in finding and interpreting historical documents. Many of these books can help you learn where to look for more information and how to use what you've already found to uncover more clues.
• Winnebago County, Illinois Family Books at Amazon.com

• Dec. 3, 1818 -- Illinois formally admitted as 21st State.
• 1814 -- First white settlement in Northern Illinois is at La Pointe, now Galena, Il, in the northwestern corner of the state.
• 1828 --- President Adams opens the mouth of the Rock River to settlements.
• 1829 --- Stephen Mack, a native of vermont and the son of a retired Army officer, is the first white man to make a permanent settlement in the area that is now Winnebago County. Mack builds a cabin in a grove about a half-mile above the mouth of the Pecatonica River at a site subsequently called "Bird's Grove" and "Macktown". Mack is married to an Indian woman named Ho-no-ne-gah, daughter of a chief.
• Aug. 1, 1829 --- At Prairie du Chien, Winnebagos cede land to Illinois that includes what is now Winnebago County.
• 1832 -- Black Hawk and his Indian army are chased north along the Rock River into Wisconsin.
• Aug. 27, 1832 --- Black Hawk surrenders to the white armies.
• 1833 --- Germanicus Kent, with his family and servant Lewis Lemon, move into Galena, where Kent's brother, Rev. Aratus Kent, is practicing as a Presbyterian minister. Kent learns of the beauty of the Rock River country and vows to visit it at the earliest chance.
• Aug. 24, 1834 -- Kent and Blake arrive from Galena to live on the west side of the Rock River, at a point now in the City of Rockford. Kent builds a sawmill, an enterprise that meets with many setbacks. Blake selects a site and begins farming.
• 1834-1835 --- Rock River and Kishwaukee Creek begin to receive thousands of industrious and prosperous persons who will have moved into the area well before the turn of the century.
• April 9, 1835 -- Daniel Shaw Haight and two or three others arrive as the first settlers of Rockford's east side.
• May, 1835 --- Haight brings, in addition to his wife and child, his wife's sister, Miss Carey, and a hired man. Mrs. Haight and her sister are the first white women to visit and become settlers of Rockford.
• June, 1835 -- Harlem Township settled.
• July, 1835 -- Cherry Valley settled. Rockton settled the same month.
• Aug., 1835 -- Burritt Township settled; first settlement of Roscoe on Aug. 3.
• Sept. 1835 -- Guilford Township is settled.
• Oct., 1835 --New Milford and Winnebago settled. Pecatonica settled on Oct. 19. Immigration to area increases rapidly and it becomes apparent some kind of local government is needed. Steps are taken to organize Winnebago County.
• Oct. 17, 1835 -- Rockford's permanent name inspired by the rocky ford across the Rock River. "Rockford" first suggested by Dr. J.C. Goodhue, meeting with Kent and Haight.
• April 4, 1836 -- Dispute over where to establish the Winnebago County seat is settled through an election with the following results: Rockford, 320 votes, Winnebago 72, Roscoe 2.
• Mid-1836 --- Germanicus Kent is authorized to establish a ferry across the Rock River.
• July 15, 1836 -- Winnebago County authorized to conduct its first election, by order of Judge Thomas H. Ford.
• Aug 1, 1836 -- First election held. Poll books shows 120 votes cast, all at one precinct balloting site. Winners are William L. May, for member of Congress; John Turner, for representative to the State Legislature; Daniel S. Haight, for sheriff; Eliphalet Gregory, for coroner; Thomas B. Talcott, Simon P. Doty, and William E. Dunbar, for county commissioners; D.A. Spaulding, for county surveyor, and Daniel M. Whitney, for county recorder.
• Oct. 18, 1836 -- Seward settled.
• 1837 - Depression wipes out Kent who, seeing no future for the Rockford he had helped found, moves to Virginia in 1844 and lives there until his death in 1862. Blake remains on his farm until 1851, moves into town to engage in real estate and dies in 1880 in Wisconsin.
• Aug. 31, 1837 --- Daniel S. Haight commissioned as Rockford's first postmaster. Serves until May, 1841.
• Jan. 1, 1838 --- First stagecoach arrives in Rockford from Chicago.
• Oct. 29, 1838 -- First theatrical performance in the Rockford House by a theater group.
• Dec. 22, 1838 -- First Baptist church is organized.
• April 1, 1839 -- The two villages of East Rockford and West Rockford, split by the Rock River, are formally incorporated into one community with a total population of 235.
• May 5, 1840 -- First issue of the Rock River Express, first newspaper published in the county.
• Fall, 1840 --- Rockford Star formed. Strongly Democratic, the new newspaper competes with the Express, backing Van Buren and Johnson while the older paper supports Harrison and Tyler in the presidential election. Disgruntled readers storm the Star office in July, 1841, throw its type into the middle of the room and pour ink over it. Rockford Pilot succeeds Star and is printed on the same press. Other early newspapers in the county are the Forum, the Democrat, the Republican and the Free Press.
• Winter, 1842-1843 --- Rough weather; snow averages 30 inches deep, and many cattle starve.
• Jan. 22, 1844 -- Contracts are awarded to Derastes and Harper to build the first bridge on State Street across the Rock River.
• Nov. 3, 1845 -- Meeting is held to consider establishment of a women's college in Rockford. In 1844, a convention of Congregational and Presbyterian clergymen in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin had decided that a college should be built in Beloit and a seminary in Rockford.
• 1846 -- Iron Foundry, first industry-like factory, built in Rockford.
• Feb. 25, 1847 -- Charter is issued for Rockford Female Seminary.
• 1850 --- First formal census gives village of Rockford population of 2,563.
• Jan. 3, 1852 ---- Birth of the city of Rockford. Residents vote to graduate from the village designation to the status of city.
• April 19, 1852 --- First election of city officials. First mayor of Rockford is Willard Wheeler.
• July 15, 1852 --- Cornerstone for the first building, Middle Hall, is laid on the Rockford College campus, just south of the city's downtown core. Anna Peck Sill is named principal of the "Rockford Female Seminary", and Rev. Aratus Kent as president of the Board of Trustees, gives the dedication speech.
• Aug. 2, 1852 --- First train of the Galena and Chicago Union Railway arrives. It is pulled by a Pioneer engine.
• Aug., 1852 --- First Swedish settlers arrive by train to make their permanent homes in Rockford.
• 1853 --- Rockford is given the name "The Forest City" in a New York Tribune article.
• Jan. 27, 1853 ---- First Swedish pastor, Rev. Gustaf Unonius, visits the city.
• 1854 -- D. Forbes and Son begin a foundry that eventually becomes Gunite Foundries; Covered bridge is completed connecting East and West State Streets, and it serves the city until it is torn down for the first iron bridge in 1871. Ulysses M. Warner, a Democrat, is elected mayor of Rockford, to succeed Hiram R. Maynard; Warner is the city's third mayor. City is divided into five wards.
• Jan. 15, 1854 --- First Lutheran Church is organized; this is the young city's first Lutheran and first Swedish Church.
• Summer, 1854 --- Cholera epidemic hits Rockford. 14 persons die in July and are buried in one long row of graves in Cedar Bluff Cemetary.
• Feb. 15, 1855 --- Rockford Register, predecessor of today's Rockford Register Star is founded.
• Summer, 1855 --- Attorney Abraham Lincoln visits the city as a representative for John H. Manny in his patent suit against Cyrus H. Mccormick. In January, 1856, Manny is upheld in his fight against McCormick for patent rights to the Manny Reaper. Rockford becomes known as "The Reaper City. James L. Loop takes office in 1856 as the fourth Rockford mayor.
• 1856-1857 -- Rockford builds its first two public schools at the cost of $15,000 each.
• Nov. 2, 1859 --- Railroad completed between Rockford and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
• April 12, 1861 --- News reaches Rockford by telegraph of the firing on Fort Sumter at Charleston, South Carolina, by southern rebels, touching off the War Between the States.
• July 16, 1862 --- Rockford is chosen as the site of a temporary Civil War training camp, named Camp Fuller in honor of Adj. Gen. Curtis Fuller, who selected the location.
• 1865 ---- General Grant visits Rockford on his return to Galena. Grant carries Winnebago County in the presidential race against Democrat Horace Seymor.
• 1865-1869 --- Forest City Nine professional baseball brings fame to Rockford. A.G. Spaulding is a pitcher on the team, which breaks up in 1869 after a short, but historic, career. Spaulding and others join a Boston team in 1870.
• April 9, 1865 --- Civil War ends.
• April 19, 1865 --- Day of fasting and prayer in the Rockford area for Abraham Lincoln, fatally wounded by an assassin's bullet in Washington theater four days earlier.
• 1866 --- Health code adopted. Hall School established. Ellis School opens in 1868. Edward H. Baker elected mayor, re-elected in 1868. Fowler serves a second term in 1867. Other one-term mayors were Seymor G. Bronson, 1869; Gilbert Woodruff, 1873; Robert H. Tinker, 1875; Levi Rhoades, 1876; Duncan Ferguson, 1877; William Watson, 1878; and Sylvester B. Wilkins, 1879.
• 1870 --- Rockford population is 11,049.
• May 31, 1870 ---- Amos W. Woodward is issued his first patent; from this beginning is to spring the Woodward Governor Company.
• Sept. 11, 1871 --- Council approves contract for third bridge to span the Rock River at State St.
• Oct. 1875 ---- Andrew C. Johnson organizes the city's first furniture factory, Forest City Furniture Company.
• Feb. 15, 1876 --- Rockford Union Furniture Company is formed as a cooperative association of 25 members. Swedish workmen pooled their resources to organize the company.
• May 11, 1877 --- Courthouse dome collapses. Seven workmen are killed outright, two more are injured fatally, and 12 are hurt seriously.
• Aug. 10, 1878 --- New Winnebago County Courthouse is completed, contract price $211,000.
• 1880 --- Census figure for Rockford is 13,129.
• June 27, 1881 ---- Rockford Street Railway Company is granted a 99-year franchise to provide streetcar service. Horses supplant mules on city transportation scene.
• Nov., 1881 ---- Grand Opera House is opened.
• Dec. 5, 1882 --- Rockford Hospital Association is formed.
• April, 1883 ---- Forest City Electric and Power Company opens plant on N. Madison Street. First electric service is provided.
• Oct. 4, 1884 ---- Mendelssohn Club organized to promote music appreciation.
• 1885 ---- Rockford High School - a central high school to serve the entire community- is erected on South Madison St.
• 1886 -- City begins development of own sewer system.
• 1887 ---- Rockford Standard Furniture Co. is established. Skandia Furniture Co. follows it by one year. By 1888, 1,055 persons are employed in furniture factories along Railroad Ave.
• March 20, 1888 ---- First issue of the Rockford Morning Star newspaper.
• Aug. 5, 1888 ---- First passenger train on the Illinois Central line pulls into the city.
• Aug. 16, 1889 ---- Contract is awarded for paving E. State Street from the bridge. This is the first street to be paved in the city.
• Aug. 24-25, 1889 ---- Fire destroys Union Furniture Company plant and kills Ralph Emerson, Jr. The disaster, brings about the removal of the union plant to 18th Ave. and starts the southeast-end industrial boom.
• 1890 ---- Census figure 23,534.
• June 13, 1890 ---- Deluge of rain sweeps away every bridge on Kent Creek and Keith Creek, knocking out electric lights, raising Rock River a foot within a few minutes, halting train service in Winnebago County, and causing "the most terrible night ever known in Rockford", according to the Morning Star newspaper the next day.
• 1891 ----- A year of industrial growth: Ingersol Milling Machine Co. moves to the city. Barber-Colman Co. is organized. Mechanics Machine Co. is born as forerunner to Mechanics Universal Joint Division of Borg-Warner Corporation.
• 1893 ---- Nelson Hotel completed at S. Main and Chestnut St. at a cost of $250,000.
• March, 1893 ----- Financial panic hits Rockford; 27 industries go into the hands of receivers in a single day.
• June, 1895 ----- C.C. Smith creates a paint business partnership with his son Ernst; this is the start of the Smith Oil and Refining Co.
• Oct. 1, 1895 --- First Federal buidling and post office opened on S. Main and Green Streets.
• April 21, 1898 ---- Factory whistles in industrial Rockford announce the start of the Spanish-American War. Companies H and K leave the city April 23 and return Nov. 11.
• Aug., 1899 ----- Rockford's second large hospital, St. Anthony Hospital, opens its doors.
• 1900 ------ Rockford opens the new century with a census figure of 31,051.