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JoDaviess County History and Information |
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JoDaviess County was created on February 17, 1827 (Laws, 1827, p. 117) and was formed from Henry and Putnam Counties. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Putnam County (1825–1827), Henry County (1825–1827), Fulton County (1823–1825), Pike County (1821–1823), Madison County (1812–1821) and St. Clair County (1801–1812).
The County was named for Joseph Hamilton Daviess, prominent lawyer of Kentucky, United States District Attorney, and Major of the militia. He was killed at the battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. The County Seat is Galena (1827-Present). See also County History for more historical details.
Counties adjacent to Jo Daviess County are Lafayette County, Wisconsin (north), Stephenson County (east), Carroll County (southeast), Jackson County, Iowa (southwest), Dubuque County, Iowa (northwest), Grant County, Wisconsin (northwest).
Jo Daviess County Townships include Apple River (Formed from
Thompson on September 13, 1858), Berreman (Formed
from Pleasant Valley on February 14, 1857), Council
Hill (Name changed from Scales on
December 6, 1853), Derinda, Dunleith (Formed
from Menominee on March 2, 1865), East
Galena, Elizabeth, Guilford, Hanover, Menominee, Nora, Pleasant
Valley, Rawlins (Formed
as Grant from West Galena on July 12, 1887; name changed
to Rawlins on December 20, 1887), Rice (Formed
as Washington from East Galena on February 22, 1859;
name changed to Rice on June 16, 1859), Rush, Scales
Mound (Formed from Council Hill and
Thompson on March 7, 1855), Stockton, Thompson, Vinegar
Hill (Name changed from Mann on September
18, 1857), Ward’s Grove, Warren (Name
changed from Courtland in 1865), West
Galena, Woodbine (Name
changed from Jefferson on September 13, 1853)
Cities, Towns and Communities include Apple River, East Dubuque, Elizabeth, Galena, Hanover, Menominee, Nora, Scales Mound, Stockton, Warren
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See Also Illinois Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records
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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.jodaviess.org/. All departments below at located at the JoDaviess County Courthouse, 330 North Bench Street, Galena, IL 61036 , unless a different address is listed below. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
JoDaviess County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1828 and Court Records from 1827 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (815)
777-0037
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.
JoDaviess County Recorder has Land Records from 1828 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (815)
777-9694
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.
JoDaviess County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1830 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (815) 777-0161
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 JoDaviess County Court Records. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Vital Records in Illinois
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. Some documents are just too important to wait 6 weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!
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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.
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- Birth, Death Certificates:
- 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. Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
- 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
Below is a list of online resources for JoDaviess County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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See Also Research In Census Records
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for JoDaviess County, Illinois are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in JoDaviess 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 JoDaviess County Census Records. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess 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
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 JoDaviess County Maps. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess County Maps by clicking the link below:
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See Also Military Records in Illinois
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 JoDaviess County Military Records. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess County Military Records by clicking the link below:
- Illinois Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
- 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 M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
- 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
- JoDaviess County, Illinois Military Books at Amazon.com
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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 JoDaviess County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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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 JoDaviess County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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- 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.
- Local Illinois Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
- 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.
- 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.
- Illinois Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Illinois
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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 JoDaviess County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the JoDaviess 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 JoDaviess County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess 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 JoDaviess County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing JoDaviess County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
- 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: [ JoDaviess County ] [ Illinois ] [ Main Page ]
- JoDaviess 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
- Meet your ancestors. Learn their stories. Start your FREE family tree.
- 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.
- Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
- JoDaviess County, Illinois Family Books at Amazon.com
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Although explorers, Indians and trappers passed through the impenetrable land that is now Jo Daviess County in the late 1700s and the early 1800s, the first permanent settlements by the whites existed about 1820. In fact, those settlements were the first by whites in all of northwest Illinois.
They settled by the Galena River, which was then known as the Fever or Bean River. Although no evidence confirms it, the river is said to be named for a Frenchman named La Fevre who once visited the area. The Indian name of the river was Mahcaubee that, if translated, means “fever” or “fever that blisters,” the Indian term for small pox.
The Indians gave it this name because in the early days of this country, some of the warriors existing on the present site of Galena and the banks of a small creek a little south of town, went to the assistance of their eastern brothers. On their return, they brought with them a disease that they named Maucaubee, the fever that blistered. Hundreds of natives died, and the Indians named both the river and the stream Small Pox River.
The smaller creek is still named Small Pox Creek while the whites changed the river’s name to “Fever River,” and the frontier hamlet was known as the “Fever River Settlement” or LaPointe until 1826 or 1827 when it was given the name Galena.
The name Bean River came about from the fact that the early French traders and adventurers, who undoubtedly were in the area long before the 1820s, changed the Indian name to “Riviere au Feve,” river of the bean. As early as 1822, the “City” of Galena was mentioned in newspapers while Chicago was referred to simply as “a village in Pike County, containing 12 or 15 houses and about 60 or 70 inhabitants.” Galena was more important commercially than Chicago at this time; it served as a trading point and provided work at its nearby lead mines.
During these early years, traders’ lives were in constant jeopardy because of the many warlike and dangerous Sac and Fox Indian tribes inhabiting the land. Treaties were signed in the early 1800s allowing the Indians to work the lead mines in certain areas and to live on reservations.
The Black Hawk War proved that not all Indians complied with the conditions, though neither did all of the pioneers. As early as the late 1700s, historians report that the white man was etching out a life with his Indian brothers in Jo Daviess County, sometimes for the betterment of each other...and sometimes not.
Jo Daviess County survived those early days to become a haven for those who wanted to strive for something adventuresome, some new way of life. Whether it was trading with the Indians, working the lead mines or just heading “out West”, Jo Daviess County was the destination for many families.
The Black Hawk War and the Civil War provide our history books with the names of many local heroes. However, the day-to-day living that many of those pioneer families had to contend with is the backbone of what has provided us with the beautiful and peaceful rolling hills and quiet communities we enjoy here today.
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