Records that survive
These are the record series from Kane County held by the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) system, with the earliest and latest years. A span can include gaps. They include county, township and city records. This county's are held at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage License Affidavits1836–1902
- Marriage Licenses1836–1923
- Marriage Record1836–1925
- Marriage Record Index1836–1923
- Death, Burial and Removal Permit Record (Elgin)1837–1949
- Birth Certificates1855–1900
- Death Record (Aurora)1859–1891
- Birth Record Index1877–1915
- Death Certificates1877–1915
- Death Record Index1877–1919
- Birth Record1891–1897
- Death Certificates (Aurora)1895–1901
Deeds and land
- School Trustees' Minutes1869–1922
- Village Trustees' Minutes (Hampshire)1876–2007
- Village Trustees' Minutes, Executive Session (Hampshire)1982–2011
Wills and estates
- Probate Record1850–1946
- Probate Administrator's Record1854–1874
- Probate Executor's Record1854–1869
- Probate Guardian's Record1855–1869
- Probate Inventory Record1861–1946
- Probate Administrator's Petition Record1865–1872
- Probate Will Record1866–1946
- Probate Appraisement Record1869–1946
- Probate Administrator's and Executor's Reports1870–1946
- Probate Fee Books1917–1927
Naturalization
- Naturalization Declarations of Intent, County Court1872–1906
- Naturalization Dockets, County Court1872–1906
- Naturalization Record, Final, County Court1872–1906
- Naturalization Record of Soldiers and Minors, County Court1873–1896
- Naturalization Record of Minors, County Court1904–1906
Court records
- Circuit Court Case Files1836–1870
- Court of Common Pleas Case Files (Aurora)1857–1906
- Court of Common Pleas Case Files (Elgin)1857–1917
- County Court Dockets1881–1884
- Insanity Dockets1893–1899
- Jail Registers1948–1974
- Jail Visitor Registers1968–1974
Elections and voters
- Election Papers1900–1904
Town and city records
- City Council Proceedings Files (Elgin)1854–1926
- Village Clerk's Subject Files (Hampshire)1863–1998
- Village Ordinance Record (Hampshire)1877–1897
- Village Resolutions (Hampshire)1964–2013
- Village Ordinances (Hampshire)1973–2003
Search the IRAD database for this county
Source: Illinois State Archives, Local Government Records Database (choose the county to see every series and its accession number). Contact the depository before you visit. Illinois began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1916.
Where to find the records
- Kane County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk, the recorder of deeds and the clerk of the circuit court, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county clerk
Births, deaths and marriages registered in the county.
- The recorder of deeds
Deeds, mortgages and other land records (in some counties the county clerk is also the recorder).
- The clerk of the circuit court
Probate (wills and estates), divorces and civil and criminal cases.
- The Illinois State Archives
In Springfield, with older county records at its regional depositories (IRAD) on university campuses.
- Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) systemfree
The State Archives' regional depositories, which hold older county, township and city records; search its Local Government Records Database by county.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Illinois, Kane" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Land not yet in any county
Later formed partly from Kane County: DeKalb County, Kendall County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1836, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Illinois began statewide registration of births and deaths in 1916; counties kept registers earlier, often from 1877 or 1878. The Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, from the State Archives, covers many marriages from 1763 to 1900.