Will County was created on January 12, 1836 (Laws, 1836, p. 262) and was formed from Cook and Iroquois Counties. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Cook County (1831–1836), Iroquois County (1833–1836), Vermilion County (1826–1836), Putnam County (1825–1827), Edgar County (1823–1825), Fulton County (1823–1825), Clark County (1819–1823), Pike County (1821–1823), Crawford County (1816–1823), Edwards County (1815–1816), Madison County (1812–1815), St. Clair County (1801–1812) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790–1801).
The County was named for Conrad Will, a pioneer politician, Territorial Recorder of Jackson County, member of the Constitutional Convention of 1818, and member of the General Assemblies of the State from the first to ninth inclusive. The County Seat is Joliet (1836-Present)-Name changed from Juliet on May 24, 1845.. See also County History for more historical details.
Will County Townships include Channahon, Crete, Custer (Formed
from Reed and Wilmington), DuPage, Florence (Formed
from Wilmington), Frankfort, Green
Garden (Formed from east half of
Trenton), Homer, Jackson, Joliet, Lockport, Manhattan (Formed
from west half of Trenton), Monee (Name
changed from Carcy), New Lenox (Name
changed from Vernon on June 10, 1850), Peotone (Formed
from east half of Wilton), Plainfield, Reed (Name
changed from Clinton on June 10, 1850), Troy, Washington (Formed
from Crete and Sherburn), Wesley (Formed
from southeast part of Wilmington), Wheatland, Will (Formed
from Carcy (now Monee) and Sherburn), Wilmington, Wilton Townships. Bourbonnais, Momence and Rockville were townships established in 1850, but the area therein became part of Kankakee County when it was formed in 1853. Sherburn and Trenton were townships established in 1850, but the area therein was absorbed into other townships. See above.
Cities, Towns and Communities include Andres - unincorporated, Aurora - partly in DuPage, Kane, and Kendall County, Beecher, Bolingbrook - small sections in DuPage County, Braidwood, Channahon, Crest Hill, Crete, Crystal Lawns - unincorporated, Elwood, Fairmont - unincorporated, Frankfort, Frankfort Square - unincorporated, Goodings Grove - unincorporated, Homer Glen, Ingalls Park - unincorporated, Joliet - small section in Kendall County, Lakewood Shores - unincorporated, Lockport, Manhattan, Mokena, Monee, Naperville - partly in DuPage County, New Lenox, Park Forest - partly in Cook County, Peotone, Plainfield, Preston Heights - unincorporated, Rockdale, Romeoville, Sauk Village - primarily in Cook County, very small parcel in Will County, Shorewood, Steger - partly in Cook County, Symerton, Tinley Park - primarily in Cook County, very small parcel in Will County, University Park - partly in Cook County, Willowbrook - unincorporated, not to be confused with the Village of Willowbrook, Illinois., Wilmington, Wilton center- unincorporated, Woodridge - partly in DuPage and a small parcel in Cook County
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.willcountyillinois.com/. All departments below at located at the Will County Courthouse, 14 West Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432 , unless a different address is listed below. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Will County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1836 and Court Records from 1837 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (815) 727-8592 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.
Will County Recorder has Land Records from 1835 and is located at the courthouse. County Office Building,
302 N. Chicago Street,
Joliet, IL 60432; (815) 740-4637 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.
Will County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1836 and is located at the courthouse. County Office Building,
302 N. Chicago Street,
Joliet, IL 60432; (815) 740-4615. 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 Will County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Will 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 Will County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Will 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 Will County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Will 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 Will County Maps. Email us with websites containing Will 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 Will County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Will 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 Will County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Will 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 Will County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Will County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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.
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 Will County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Will 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 Will County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Will 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.
Less than two hundred years ago, the land that is now Will County was covered by prairie. Potawatomi farmed, trapped, and traversed the area, which was at the crossroads of their land trails and river routes. In the late seventeenth century, European fur traders also began to take advantage of the abundance of muskrat, beaver, and other creatures. Trade slowed substantially by the 1820s, as hunting and the enclosure and tilling of the soil depleted the fur supply.
While the fur trade waned, the population expanded. In 1826, Jesse Walker established the area's first permanent white settlement, Walker's Grove, near the present town of Plainfield. While Walker worked as a missionary to Potawatomi, most newcomers relied on agriculture, milling, and trade for their subsistence.
Responding to their expanding population and to the inconvenience of day-long trips to and from Chicago for legal transactions, settlers soon demanded separation from Cook County. On January 12, 1836, the state of Illinois responded to the residents' petition and formed the County of Will, combining parts of Cook and Iroquois Counties. The Illinois legislature named the county for Conrad Will, a member of the first nine general assemblies, who apparently never resided in the Will County area.
Later that year, the three commissioners of the Will County board held their first meeting in the county seat of Juliet (later Joliet). The commissioners divided the county into electoral, road, and school districts, appointed surveyors for the first county road, discussed the possibilities of canal construction, and fixed the price of tavern charges at twenty-five cents for a meal, twelve-and-a-half cents for lodging, and six-and-a-quarter cents for a drink.
Despite their legal separation from Cook County, residents of Will County maintained economic and social ties with their neighbors in Chicago. Even before 1834, when Joliet served as a stopping post on the first coach route running west from Chicago, travel paths linked the two regions. On July 4, 1836, less than a year after county formation, workers broke ground for the 96-mile-long Illinois & Michigan Canal between the Illinois and Chicago Rivers, initiating the final link in a continuous water route from the East to the Gulf of Mexico.
Even before the canal was opened in April 1848, laborers and developers flowed into Will County, especially the canal towns of Joliet and Lockport, hoping to profit from commercial activity along the waterway. Some even predicted that the canal would turn Joliet into the nation's center for livestock and grain exchange. When commercial traffic along the canal ceased in 1915 owing to competition from railroads and the deeper Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (opened in 1900), Joliet continued to serve as the county's hub of settlement, commerce, and industry.
In the mid-nineteenth century, mining augmented the county's economy. In 1864, while drilling for water, William Henneberry unintentionally hit a rich vein of coal. Soon thereafter speculators arrived, and by the early 1880s coal mining had reached its peak in Will County, with seven companies operating mines, employing 2,180 men and producing 700,000 tons of coal annually.
Although coal mining began to ebb in the 1890s, limestone quarrying boomed. By the 1880s, Joliet had adopted the nickname Stone City, shipping tons of limestone to Chicago for use in the construction of the Water Tower and residences and businesses throughout the city.
In the early twentieth century, the economic base of the region again began to shift. Motivated by diminishing space for industry around Chicago and by the opening of the Sanitary Canal, manufacturers turned to Will County for development sites. In 1911, a Texaco oil refinery opened north of Lockport, followed by other refineries in Lemont and south of Joliet in the 1920s. During World War II, military production contributed to the further industrialization of areas within Will County. As the demand for labor increased, the number of residents soared. Between 1920 and 1930, the African American population in Will County more than doubled, and nearly doubled again by 1950 to reach 5,886.
Like many other industrial areas in the Rust Belt, Joliet suffered from changing economic conditions in the 1970s and 1980s. While the population of Joliet fell during these decades, areas like Lockport, Romeoville, and Joliet's suburbs expanded rapidly. As the county's population grew, the unincorporated area between Joliet and Chicago's southern contiguous suburbs continued to shrink. The transportation ties that had linked the town of Chicago with the communities of Will County—walking paths, wagon roads, canals, rail lines, and highways—now ran within a single, expanding metropolitan region.
