Champaign County was created February 20, 1833 by an act of the Illinois legislature. Prior to that date, the area was part of Vermilion County. The 1833 act also provided that the county seat would be called "Urbana." Senator John W. Vance, for his efforts in getting the act passed, was given the honor of naming the new county. He named it "Champaign" after his former home county in Ohio, the county-seat of which is also Urbana.
It is hoped that this web site will be informative and helpful to those seeking ancestors in Champaign County, Illinois. This is an ongoing project and there will be frequent updatescheck back often!
If you have any documents you would like to sharecemetery transcriptions (even if only a few names), obituaries, wills, biographies, family histories, etc., please contact Celia Snyder.
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County Facts:
The present area, or parts of it, were formerly included in:
- 1826-1833 Vermilion
- 1823-1826 Edgar
- 1819-1823 Clark
- 1816-1819 Crawford
- 1815-1816 Edwards
- 1812-1813 Madison
- 1801-1812 St. Clair
- 1790-1801 Knox, Northwest Territory
History of county governing board:
- 1833-1849 County Commissioners' Court
- 1849-1860 County Court
- 1860-Date County Board of Supervisors
Township form of Government was adopted November 8, 1859
Announcements:
[If you have any genealogy-related announcements you'd like posted, please let me know - [email protected]]
History:
Maps:
Town/Township Information:
- History of Penfield, Illinois
- History of Homer, Illinois
- Township Histories
- Listing of cities, towns, and villages in Champaign County with links, if available
- Ogden Centennial, 1870-1970
- St. Joseph, Illinois, 1982
- A History of the Schools of Mahomet and A Historical Calendar 1833-1952
- History of Mahomet Methodist Church Centennial 1955
- Homer: Past and Present
- The Centennial Book—Gifford, Illinois 1875-1975
- Philo Area Centennial 1875-1975
- Thomasboro, Illinois Centennial 1864-1964
Churches:
- Church Listings
- Churches - donated by Fonda Baselt, a listing with addresses and notes
- History of the First Baptist Church, Urbana, Illinois
- The Passing of a Country Church (In Memory of Alice Chapel)
- The Tale of Two Streams - St. Paul's United Church of Christ
- Gifford Baptist Church - Prayer Meeting Leaders
- Urbana First United Methodist Church - containing a digital archives with historical information, photos, and a special section on genealogy, including a 1895 directory of members
- The Primitive Baptist Library
- Federation of East European Family History Societies - includes vital records of Hensley Township Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (1800's), St. John's Lutheran Church, Champaign, IL (1860-1875), and Evangelical St. Peters Church, Champaign, IL (1856-1900).
Data on Early Residents:
- 1840 Champaign County Census
- 1850 Census for Champaign County
- NEW! - 1860 Mortality Schedule
- working on transcribing, but until then here are the originals
- 1878 Listing of Champaign County Residents - name, P.O., residence, occupation, where they were a native of, and what year they came to Champaign County.
- First Taxpayers in Champaign County
- Families and History - links to other websites
- Lineages - histories, photos, and tidbits related to Champaign County families submitted by researchers
- Biographies - ongoing project
- Obituaries - please send any obits you may have!
- Automobile Owners, 1917
- Tractor Owners, 1917
- Probate Records
- Associations, Clubs, and Fraternal Organizations
- History of Kansas - transcription of the History of Kansas, 1883 - some biographies of settlers from Champaign Co.
Online Data/Help:
- Search the Champaign County USGenWeb site:
Military Records:
- Revolutionary War
- Illinois Veterans of the War of 1812
- Illinois Veterans of the Winnebago War
- Illinois Veterans of the Mexican War
- Civil War
- Illinois Veterans of the Black Hawk War
- Illinois Veterans of the Spanish-American War
- Illinois Veterans History Project
- Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 - mostly Civil War veterans, but some War of 1812 veterans as well
- Residents of the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, 1887-1916 - listing with links to PDF copies of individual files.
- Military Brats Online - registry, alumni organizations, etc.
- The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall Page - searchable database
- The Virtual Wall - Vietnam Veterans Memorial - listings by name, state, etc. with details on each veteran, including in some cases, photos
- Illini who were killed while serving their country (photos, hometown, etc.)
Bibliographic Resources:
- Index to the biographies in History of Champaign County, Illinois, 1878
- searchable, printable PDF version from Brigham Young University
- Index to the biographies in Early History and Pioneers of Champaign County, 1886
- searchable, printable PDF version from the University of Illinois at U-C Library
- Index to the biographies in Portrait and Biographical Album of Champaign County, Ill., 1887
- searchable, printable PDF version from the University of Illinois at U-C Library
- Index to the biographies in Biographical Record of Champaign County, Illinois, 1900 - contributed by Ruth Ryan
- searchable, printable PDF version from the University of Illinois at U-C Library
- Index to the biographies in History of Champaign County Illinois, 1905
- searchable, printable PDF version from the University of Illinois at U-C Library - Volume 1
- searchable, printable PDF version from the University of Illinois at U-C Library - Volume 2
- Index to the biographies in Standard History of Champaign County, Illinois, 1918
- searchable, printable PDF version from the University of Illinois at U-C Library - Volume 1
- searchable, printable PDF version from the University of Illinois at U-C Library - Volume 2
- Bibliography - reference materials which may be purchased or the Illinois library which has them
- WebCATS: Library Catalogues on the World Wide Web - access library catalogs without the use of Telnet
Other Champaign County Books in Searchable/Printable PDF Format from the University of Illinois Library:
- Early History and Pioneers of Champaign County, 1886 - includes many biographies/photos
- Prairie Farmer's Directory of Champaign County, 1917 - lists of farmers/breeders, directory of businesses, etc.
- Ogden Centennial, 1870-1970 - includes many biographies/photos
- Medicine in Champaign County—A Historical Sketch - includes over 90 biographies and/or photos of doctors who have served in Champaign County
- St. Joseph, Illinois, 1972 - history of town 1856-1972 and many biographies/photos
- Half Century Club of Urbana, Illinois - photos of buildings, photos of early settlers, early maps, timeline, etc.
- Historical Calendar of "The Old and The New Town" 1775-1900 - pictures/timeline concerning Urbana and Champaign
- View Book of the City of Champaign and the University of Illinois - many many photos of the town and university
- This is Champaign County... - aerial photos of cities, towns, villages, and farmsteads, as well as, schools and churches
- A History of the Schools of Mahomet and A Historical Calendar 1833-1952 - includes some photos of residents
- History of Mahomet Methodist Church Centennial 1955 - history, list of ministers, other churches, cemeteries, photos
- Homer: Past and Present - history, schools, churches, etc.
- The Centennial Book—Gifford, Illinois 1875-1975 - history, photos, churches, schools, biographies, etc.
- Philo Area Centennial 1875-1975 - history, photos, churches, schools, biographies, etc.
- Thomasboro, Illinois Centennial 1864-1964 - history, early settlers
- History of the First Baptist Church, Urbana, Illinois - includes many bios/photos
- 75th Anniversary, A.F.&A.M. Urbana Lodge No. 157 - includes membership roll, brief bios
- Dedication of the Court House, 1901
- Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Champaign County, Volume I, 1905 - over 900 biographies
- NEW! - CITY DIRECTORIES, 1898-1922
Cemeteries:
- Cemeteries - from the Illinois State Genealogical Society - a listing with locations.
- Hillsbury burials near Fisher
- Wilsons buried in the Mt. Hope Cemetery, Sidney
- Illinois Cemetery Inscription Search Engine
- Illinois Gravestone Photo Project
- Champaign County Cemeteries at FindaGrave
- Cemetery Transcriptions/Tombstone Photos:
- Andy Rock Cemetery
- Bailey Memorial Cemetery
- Beckman Cemetery
- Beekman Cemetery
- Bethel-Harris Cemetery
- Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery
- Bliss Cemetery
- Bliss Cemetery, Sidney
- Bryant Cemetery
- Calvary Cemetery
- Champaign County Farm Burials (1890-1931)
- Clements Cemetery
- Craw Cemetery
- Davis Memorial Cemetery
- East Bend Memorial Cemetery
- Eastlawn Burial Park
- Elmwood Cemeetery
- Fisher Cemetery
- Friends Church Cemetery
- Grandview Memorial Gardens
- Greenwood-Harvey Cemetery
- Harwood Chapel Cemetery
- Homer G.A.R. Cemetery
- Huls Cemetery
- Huss Chapel Cemeetery
- Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery aka Ayers Cemetery
- Jersey Cemetery
- Jessee Cemetery
- Kopmann Cemetery
- Locust Grove Cemetery
- Lost Grove Cemetery
- Ludlow Cemetery
- Lynn Grove Cemetery
- Maplewood Cemetery
- Middletown Cemetery
- Mt. Hope Cemetery, Brown Township
- Mount Hope Cemetery, Urbana
- Mt. Hope Cemetery, Sydney
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
- Naylor Cemetery
- O'Bryan Cemetery
- Old Homer Cemetery
- Old Huss Cemetery
- Patterson Cemetery
- Patton Cemetery
- Phillippe Cemetery
- Prairie View Cemetery
- Pusey-Knife Cemetery
- Rice Cemetery
- Risinger Cemetery
- Inscriptions from John Risinger Cemetery which was farmed over around 1900; no trace of the cemetery can be found today
- Riverside Cemetery
- Roselawn Cemetery
- Sadorus Cemetery
- Shiloh Cemetery
- St. Boniface Cemetery
- St. Elizabeth Cemetery
- St. John Lutheran Cemetery
- St. John's Cemetery
- St. Joseph Cemetery, Pesotum
- St. Joseph Cemetery, Crittenden Township
- St. Joseph Cemetery, Sadorus Township
- St. Lawrence Cemetery
- St. Malachy Cemetery
- St. Mary Cemetery, Champaign Township
- St. Mary's Cemetery, Crittenden Township
- St. Patrick Cemetery
- Stearns Cemetery
- Old Stearns Cemetery, Ogden - transcription submitted by Barbara I. Rowe
- Welles Cemetery
- Welles Cemetery - from the Alliance Chapter, NSDAR
- Willowbrook Cemetery
- Woodlawn Cemetery
- Yearsley Cemetery
Libraries:
- Urbana Free Library, 201 South Race Streeet, Urbana, IL 61801 - online catalog, hours, location, etc. See this page for more information on data available. The archives link has a searchable database.
This Local History Online database references many many early records of Champaign County—marriages, births, deaths, probate, etc. It is an extremely useful resource!
- Champaign Public Library, 505 S. Randolph, Champaign, IL 61820 - Resources, internet resources, links to other Illinois libraries.
- University of Illinois Library - 3rd largest academic library in the nation; first major academic library with a computerized catalog.
- Illinois State Library - address, hours, collections, divisions, programs, etc.
- Illinois Historical Library
- Newberry Library
- Search more than 95 Central Illinois libraries through LINC (libraries in cooperation)
Schools:
Queries:
- Submit a Query - send an email to Celia Snyder. To be sure that it is not confused with a lookup request, please be sure to put "Champaign County Query" in the Subject - thanks!
- View Queries (alphabetical by first surname listed):
Surname Registry:
Other County Resources:
- Champaign County Message Board - if you prefer message boards. You may view/post queries, biographies, wills, obituaries, etc.
- RootsWeb Champaign County Resources
- Champaign County Genealogical Society - library holdings, information on meetings, other publications, how to join, Champaign County Pioneer certificate program, and much more
- National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Alliance Chapter - library holdings are in the Archives of the Urbana Free Library
- George Rogers Clark Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Colonists
- News-Gazette - local newspaper
- Champaign County Historical Museum
- Champaign County Genealogy - from Genealogy Trails
- Funeral Home Listings
State Resources:
Champaign County Clerk:
Other County Links:
- Prairienet Community Network - many links
- Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau - events, lodging, transportation, theater, worship, attractions, shopping, dining, library, government, parks, education, health, museums.
- Champaign County Chamber of Commerce
- Champaign County Government
German Research:
- The Hannover Chronicle - newsletter for descendants of the founding families of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (Pickrell, Gage Co, NE). Zion, commonly known as Hannover Church, was founded by several families who emigrated between 1850-1880, from Germany to Adams, Champaign, or Menard Counties, IL, then on to Gage County, NE.
- German Migration - devoted to studies of German emigration and genealogy
Join the County Mail List:
- Champaign County Mail List - ILCHAMPA - mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in Champaign County, IL. E-mail address for postings is [email protected]. To subscribe, send the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) as the only text in the body of an E-mail to
- [email protected] (for mail mode-to receive a copy of every message posted at the time it's posted)
- [email protected] (for digest mode-to receive several postings consolidated together and sent as one large message).
Adjoining Counties:
States from Which Many Settlers Emigrated:
Links:
Other Genealogical Links:
- Illinois Ancestors - Champaign County
- Roots-L Home Page - mailing list, files, databases, messages/archives, links to other genealogical web pages
- Cyndi's List of Genealogical Sites on the Internet, U.S. - Illinois - IL - the best!
- United States Geological Survey Place Name Locator - makes it easy to find the location of a town, township, school, cemetery, etc.
- City Directories of the United States Project
- Genealogy Inc., Illinois Links
- Free Census Records - both U.S. and International
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