White County, Illinois Genealogy Records

Which records survive from White County, the years each set covers, and where to find them.

Formed
1816
County seat
Carmi
Edwards CountyFranklin CountyHamilton CountyHardin CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyPope CountySaline CountyWabash CountyWayne CountyWilliamson CountyGallatin CountyWhite CountyFranklinHamiltonHardinJeffersonSalineWilliamsonGallatinWhite
White CountyParent county (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Records that survive

These are the record series from White 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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Marriages, births and deaths

  • Marriage Record1816–1917
  • Birth Certificates1856–1915
  • Birth Record Index1856–1935
  • Marriage Record Index1874–1945
  • Birth Record1877–1916
  • Death Record1877–1915
  • Death Record Index1877–1912
  • Death Record, Stillbirths1877–1916

Deeds and land

  • Deed Index1814–1970
  • Deed Record1816–1928
  • Swamp Land Record1853–1857

Wills and estates

  • Probate Will Record1816–1914

Naturalization

  • Naturalization Record, Final, Circuit Court1860–1898

Town and city records

  • City Council Minutes (Grayville)1878–1959

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

  • White 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, White" 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: Gallatin County

Check the parent county for earlier records: Gallatin County

Later formed partly from White County: Franklin County, Hamilton County, Jefferson County

JohnsonST. ClairRandolphEdwardsGallatinWhiteWhiteGallatinJohnsonST. ClairRandolph
White as created in 1816Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1816, 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.