Illinois Kinfolk Konnection

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I was wondering if any body knew or has info about How many Courthouses burned down in the differant counties I know Wayne County burned I Forgot the date, and the one in Clay County burned also can't remember off hand that date. and then someone said a courthouse burned in Johnson county too or maybe Saline County. I am curious to know just how many did burn in Illinois and how close in years they were . It seems that all info I need on my Dallas family in Illinois was destroyed in Courthouse fire. It seems like of odd to say the least also very frustrateing.

Below is a list of Illinois Counties and the years the Courthouses were subjected to a disaster. This does NOT mean that ALL RECORDS were lost. Often, folks took their documents again in for recording after a disaster and later deeds will contain long chains of title, etc.

Adams County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire on December 9, 1835. Second courthouse was destroyed by fire January 9, 1875. Third Courthouse was damaged beyond repair by a tornado that roared thru Quincy April 12, 1945.
Brown County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire on March 8, 1939
Clark County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire on December 30, 1902
Cook County - Total record loss (1831�?871) due to a Fire on October 9, 1871
Crawford County - Fire on March 28, 1999. Some records lost or damaged.
Cumberland County - Total record loss (1843�?885) due to a Fire on November 5, 1885
Franklin County - Most records lost (1818�?843) due to a fire on November 18, 1843
Hardin County - Most records lost (1839�?884) due to a fire on May 19, 1884
Iroquois County - Some records lost or damaged (18 years) due to a Fire on October 16, 1866
Jackson County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire on June 10, 1843
Kane County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire in 1843. Volumes saved; 5,000 court files burned in a Fire on March 13, 1890
Logan County - Total record loss (1839�?857) due to a Fire on April 15, 1857
McLean County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire on June 19, 1900
Morgan County - Most records lost (1823�?827) due to a Fire on December 6, 1827
Moultrie County - Most records lost (1843�?864) due to a Fire on November 25, 1864
Pike County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire in 1831
Pulaski County - Most records lost in a Fire on November 22, 1879. Some records damaged by water in a 1837 Flood.
Shelby County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire on November 17, 1894
Vermilion County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire on 1872
Wabash County - Most records lost (1824�?857) due to a Fire on April 5, 1857
Wayne County - Total record loss (1819�?886) due to a fire on November 17, 1886
Williamson County - Some records lost or damaged in a fire on May 30, 1875

Here is some interesting information I ran across when I was searching for distroyed courthouse records. Looks like there were two Wayne Counties.

Illinois Discontinued Counties - This section provides an list of Illinois counties that no longer exist. They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial government. Most of these counties were created and disbanded in the 19th century; county boundaries have changed little since 1900 in the vast majority of states.

Dane County: Formed in 1839 from Montgomery, Sangamon and Shelby Counties, renamed in 1840 to Christian County
Hignland County: Formed in 1847 from Adams and Marquette Counties, abolished in 1848
Marquette County: Formed in 1843 from Adams County, abolished in 1847
Wayne County: Formed in 1803 from Knox and St. Clair Counties, abolished in 1847

The Elizabethtown court house burned on two occasions (1884 and 1921) and many facts about the early history of Elizabethtown was lost.

I am not aware of any fires in Johnson or Saline Counties. I know that Saline does not like researchers and does everything possible to keep people from looking at records.

As for the birth certificates, they may not have been required back then which is why many counties have delayed birth certificates. I know that my aunt didn't have one on file in Pope County but my mother has two with two different names, one was what the doctor named her and one was what her parents named her. Her brother also has two birth certificates with two different years of birth. LOL

I know that, at least in Pope Co., one county clerk removed records that were not favorable to his family (Abner Field). Who knows if he destroyed them or where they ended up.

Thanks Melody and all others for the courthouse fires info, Most of my family info must of been destroyed in the Wayne County fire altho When I was there in 2007 I was able to find a bit of info for after that date. and a bit of info from Fairfield library also. If it hadn't been so hot and we weren't pressed for time I may have found more. Hope to get back there again sometime soon.

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