Grundy County was created on February 17, 1841 (Laws, 1841, p. 74) and was formed from La
Salle County. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: LaSalle County (1831–1841), [Southeastern Part: Vermilion County (1826–1831), Edgar County (1823–1826), Clark County (1819–1823)], Southwestern Part: [Tazewell County (1827–1831), Fayette County (1821–1826)], [North of Illinois River: Putnam County (1825–1831), Fulton County (1823–1825), Pike County (1821–1823)], Clark County (1819–1823), Crawford County (1816–1819), Edwards County (1815–1816), Madison County (1812–1815), St. Clair County (1801–1812) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790–1801).
The County was named for Felix Grundy, a lawyer and politician, United States Senator from Tennessee, and Attorney General of the United States. The County Seat is Morris (1842-Present) at a site previously called Grundytown, then Grundyville, and finally Morris. See also County History for more historical details.
Grundy County Townships include Aux Sable, Braceville (Name
changed from Addison on June 13, 1850), Erienna (Name
changed from Fairview on June 13, 1850), Felix (Formed
from Wauponsee and Aux Sable in November, 1854), Garfield (Formed
from Greenfield on March 10, 1903), Goodfarm (Name
changed from Dover on June 13, 1850), Goose
Lake (Formed from Felix on September
15, 1897), Greenfield, Highland, Maine (Formed
from Braceville in March 18, 1898), Mazon, Morris, Nettle
Creek, Norman, Saratoga, Vienna, Wauponsee Townships
Cities, Towns and Communities include Braceville, Carbon Hill, Coal City, Diamond, Dwight, East Brooklyn, Gardner, Godley, Kinsman, Mazon, Minooka, Morris, Seneca, South Wilmington, Verona
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.grundyco.org/admin.htm. All departments below at located at the Grundy County Courthouse, 111 East Washington Street, Morris, IL 60450 , unless a different address is listed below. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Grundy County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1841 and Court Records from 1837 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (815) 941-3256 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.
Grundy County Recorder has Land Records from 1832 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (815) 941-3222 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.
Grundy County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1841 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (815) 941-3222 The County Clerk maintains records and issues certificates of vital statistics (birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage certificates) for the entire County.
Below is a list of online resources for Grundy County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Grundy County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Illinois Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
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.
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
Below is a list of online resources for Grundy County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Grundy County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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.
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.
Below is a list of online resources for Grundy County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Grundy 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
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 Grundy County Maps. Email us with websites containing Grundy County Maps by clicking the link below:
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 Grundy County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Grundy County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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.
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.
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 Grundy County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Grundy 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 Grundy County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Grundy County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Illinois State Library, 300 South 2nd Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1796; Phone: (217) 785-5600
Illinois
State Historical Library, Old State Capitol, Springfield, IL 62701 County histories, plat books, census indexes, cemetery indexes, city material,
family and association files, microfilmed newspapers, manuscripts, and photographs
are located beneath the restored old state capitol between 5th and 6th streets
and Washington and Adams streets.
Illinois Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
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.
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.
Below is a list of online resources for Grundy County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Grundy County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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 from Illinois.
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 Grundy County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Grundy County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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.
Illinois Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
GRUNDY COUNTY - Situated in the northeastern quarter of the State, having an area of 440 square miles and a population in 1900 of 24,136. The surface is mainly rolling prairie, beneath which is a continuous coal seam, three feet thick. Building stone is abundant (particularly near Morris), and there are considerable beds of potter's clay. The county is crossed by the Illinois River and the Illinois & Michigan Canal, also by the Rock Island and the Chicago & Alton Railways. The chief occupation of the people is agriculture, although there are several manufacturing establishments. The first white settler of whom any record has been preserved, was William Marquis, who arrived at the mouth of the Mazon in a "prairie schooner" in 1828. Other pioneers were Colonel Sayers, W.A. Holloway, Alexander K. Owen, John Taylor, James McCartney and Joab Chappell. The first public land sale was made in 1835, and, in 1841, the county was organized out of a part of La Salle, and named after Felix Grundy, the eminent Tennesseean. The first pollbook showed 148 voters. Morris was chosen the county-seat and has so remained. Its present population 3,653 (1901). Another prosperous town is Gardner, with 1,100 inhabitants.
BRACEVILLE - a town in Grundy County, 61 miles by rail southwest of Chicago. Coal mining is the principal industry. The town has two banks, two churches and good public schools. Population in 1890 was 2,150. In 1900, 1,669.
COAL CITY - a town in Grundy County, on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, 29 miles by rail south-southwest of Joliet. Large coal mines are operated here, and the town is an important shipping point for their product. IT has a bank, a weekly newspaper and five churches. Population in 1890 was 1,672; in 1900, it was 2,607; 1903 about 3,000.
GARDNER - a village in Garfield Township, Grundy County, on the Chicago & Alton Railroad, 65 miles south-southwest of Chicago and 26 miles north-northeast of Pontiac; on the Kankakee and Seneca branch of the "Big Four" and the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern R.R. Coal-mining is the principal industry. Gardner has two banks, four churches, a high school and a weekly paper. Population in 1890 was 1,094; 1900, 1,036.
MORRIS - a city and the county-seat of Grundy County, on the Illinois River, the Illinois & Michigan Canal, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, 61 miles southwest of Chicago. It is an extensive grain market, and the center of a region rich in bituminous coal. There is valuable water-power here, and much manufacturing is done, including builders' hardware, plows, iron specialties, paper car-wheels, brick and tile, flour and planing mills, oatmeal and tanned leather. There are also a normal and scientific school, two national banks and three daily and weekly newspapers. Population in 1880 was 3,486; 1890, 3,653; 1900, 4,273.
