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"Let the record be made of the men and things of to-day, lest they pass out of memory to-morrow and are lost. Then perpetuate them not upon wood or stone that crumble to dust, but upon paper, chronicled in picture and in words that endure forever." --Kirkland

Grundy County Clerk
Grundy County Courthouse, 111 E. Washington, P.O. Box 675, Morris, IL 60450-2268; (815) 942-9024. Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The following vital records are indexed by the years listed below. You may obtain copies of those records for the amounts listed next to the vital record below if you complete the form provided by the County Clerk's office and list the name, page # and certificate # of the record.

Please contact the County Clerk's office for current copy charges.

IL Statewide Database Link (Marriage, Death, Military)

IL Vital Records Info Link

IL Regional Archives Depository Link, c/o Special Collections, Morris Library 6632, Southern IL University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6632, Telephone: (618) 453-3040, Hours: M-F 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m

1880 Mortality Schedule

Death Index Link

Morris Area Public Library, 604 Liberty Street, Morris IL 60450, (815) 942-6880

Holdings:

History of Grundy County, Illinois, 1882; O.L. Bateman

History of Grundy County Illinois 1882 Index by Marge Merrill

Biographical & Genealogical Record of LaSalle & Grundy Counties, Illinois, 1900

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Grundy County

The United States Biographical Dictionary & Portrait Gallery of Eminent & Self-Made Men; Chicago - American Biographical Publishing, 1883; Biographies from Grundy, LaSalle, Livingston & Will Counties

Morris Herald Holiday Supplement, 1888 by E.B. Fletcher

Morris Weekly Herald (Special Illustrated Souvenir Number Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Morris Weekly Herald) March 10, 1905; business & house histories

This is Grundy County by Helen Ullrich, 1968

LaSalle County:

Past & Present of LaSalle County, Illinois; H.F. Kent & Co, 1877; reprint by Windmill Publications, 1992

History of LaSalle County, Illinois; Interstate Publishing, 1886, 2 volumes

Will County:

Will County History 1878 & Index Volume; Bicentennial Commemorative edition; Peterson Printing Craftsmen, 1973

History of Will County by August Maue; Historical Publishing Co., 1928, 2 volumes

Regional:

Biographical Encyclopedia of Illinois of the Nineteenth Century; Galaxy Publishing Co., 1875

History of Illinois by Edward F. Dunne; Lewis Publishing Co., 1933, 5 volumes; biographies from entire state

History of Norwegian People in America by Olaf Morgan Norlie; Augsburg Publishing House, 1925; biographies of early Norwegian settlers

The Sloopers: Their Ancestry & Posterity by J. Hart Rosdail; Norwegian Slooper Society of American, 1961

A History of the Norwegians in Illinois by A. E. Strand; John Anderson Publishing Co., 1905

Census Records

State Census: An Annotated Bibliography; lists state censuses available

Illinois 1830 Census Index by James M. Gill, Volumes 1-4; Heritage House, 1970

Illinois 1835 State Census Index by Ronald V. Jackson; Accelerated Indexing Systems Int'l., 1984

Illinois 1840 State Census Index by Ronald V. Jackson; Accelerated Indexing, 1984

Illinois 1840 Census Index by Maxine Wormer; Heritage House, 1976; includes Adams - Rock Island Counties only, indexed separately by county

Illinois 1850 Census Index by Ronald V. Jackson; Accelerated Indexing, 1976

1850 Census Grundy County by Bernice C. Richard

1850 Illinois Mortality Schedule by Lowell M. Vokel; Heritage House, 1972; includes Adams - Woodford Counties, transcribed and indexed separately by county

1850 Federal Census, Grundy County, Illinois with Mortality Schedules Every Name Index; Will/Grundy Counties Genealogical Society, 1996

Illinois 1860 North Census Index by Ronald V. Jackson; Accelerated Indexing, 1987; volumes 1 & 2 (covers northern half of state)

1860 Federal Population Census, Grundy County, Illinois; Northern Will County Genealogical Society, Bolingbrook, 1982

Surname Index to the Federal Census 1860 Will County, Illinois by Winifred Koukol; Will/Grundy Counties Genealogical Society, 1983

1860 Federal Census Will County IL by Millie Y. Allott; Will/Grundy Counties Gen. Society, 1987; 4 volumes

1870 Grundy County Census by Lea Sharp; 2 volumes; handwritten transcription

LaSalle County, Illinois 1870 Federal Census Ninth Census of the United States, Roll 243; volume 1; LaSalle County Genealogy Guild

Census on Microfilm:

1790 Census for the United States

1840-1920 Census for Grundy County (except 1890)

1880 Mortality Schedule for Illinois

1870 Agricultural Census for Grundy - Jo Daviess County

Death Records:

Index to Register of Deaths 1878-1917 (provides names and book entry number, the death record is available at the courthouse in Morris)

Davis Funeral Home Records 1883-1901 (in the card catalog)

Cemetery Records:

Evergreen Cemetery Records (on microfilm)

Evergreen Cemetery Records 1982; updates the microfilm

St. George - Evergreen Cemetery Records 1867-1915; includes land records, board minutes, and constitution

Braceville-Gardner Cemetery Records (in the card catalog)

Grundy County Cemetery Records ( in the card catalog); transcriptions for Aux Sable, Gardner Prairie, Mazon Brookside, Mt. Carmel, St. Mary's & Saratoga cemeteries

Maps of Grundy County Cemeteries; shows lot locations and owners for the Grundy County Cemetery Records listed above

The Italian Cemetery of Coal City by Gene Bianchetta, 1993; provides history and transcriptions

Grundy County Cemeteries by Lea Sharp; listing of unrecorded burials in township cemeteries; also includes maps

History of Records of Old Mazon Cemetery compiled by Alida C. Bliss Chapter of DAR, 1976

West Lisbon Cemetery Records

LaSalle County Cemeteries by LaSalle County Genealogy Guild; book 1, Allen & Brookfield Townships

The Cemeteries of Will County by Andrew D. Bale; Oakwood Cemetery in Wilmington, Will County; Will/Grundy Counties Gen. Society, 1993

The Cemeteries of Will County by Shirline Yedlicka Skuban; Bohemian National Cemetery in Braidwood, Will County; Will Grundy Counties Gen. Society, 1995

Grundy County Newspapers on Microfilm:

Braceville Herald; July 14, 1893 - March 16, 1894

Coal City Courant; Dec 7, 1917 - Aug 13, 1920; Coal City Library has holdings to date; obituaries indexed 1918-1952

Gardner Chronicle; June 30, 1899 - Jan 15, 1987; many gaps in holdings

Morris Herald; April 24, 1852; early years have gaps in holdings; complete from 1896 to present

Military Records:

Grundy County Residents Listed in the Adjutant General's Report for the Civil War, Infantry

Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, infantry, volumes 1 - 5

History of the 36th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers during the War of the Rebellion, by L.G. Bennett & William M. Haigh; Knickerbocker & Hodder, 1876

Grundy County Roll of Honor: Men Who Served in World War I; Morris Daily Herald, May 17, 1917 - Sept 13, 1917

Honor Roll - Grundy County, State of Illinois, Illinois Veterans Administration; lists men who served in all wars

City Directories & Telephone Books:

Morris City Directories for: 1877, 1902, 1917, 1929, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1948, 1955, 1960

Morris Telephone Directories 1912 - 1958 (microfilm)

Morris Telephone Directories 1939

Prairie Farmer's Directory of Grundy & Kendall Counties, Illinois, 1917

Maps & Atlases:

Atlas of Grundy County & State of Illinois; Warner & Beers, 1874

Standard Atlas of Grundy County, Illinois, Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1909

Plat Book of Grundy County, Illinois, Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1892

Farm Plat Books for Grundy County by various publishers: 1942, 1948, 1951, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1970

Plat Book, LaSalle County Illinois, 1955

Plat Book of LaSalle County with Roster of LaSalle County Soldiers in the World War; Ottawa Publishing Co., 1921

Sanborn Maps for Morris: 1889, 1894, 1900, 1907, 1916, 1927; Coal City: 1885-1933, 1885-1892, 1898, 1933; South Wilmington: 1904; Minooka: 1893, 1898; Gardner: 1885, 1892, 1898; Braceville: 1885, 1892, 1898

Illinois County Landownership Maps and Atlases Bibliography and Union List by Michael Conzen, et. al.

School Records:

Morris School Attendance Record 1856-64

Jugtown School District 86 Attendance Records: Vol 1- 1899-1907; Vol 2 - 1907-1912

Saratoga School District 60C Attendance Records, Box 1: Brick, Bungalow, Collins, Conklin Schools. Box 2: Cryder, Enerson, Gore, Matteson, Walley Schools

Index to Saratoga School District 60C Attendance Records, 1866-1959

Morris High School Yearbooks: "Illini Trail": 1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1931; "The Chief": 1940-43, 1945-48, 1950-56, 1958-69, 1972

Three Rivers Library - Minooka Branch:

The present Three Rivers Public Library Building was built in 1924 as a Masonic Hall. This hall was built out of bricks made at the Woodcock Brickyard that was located near the town of Dresden. Shortly after the building was completed it was knocked down by a tornado. Prior to 1924, the Minooka Masonic Lodge had a one story building on the same site. This building was divided into two areas, with one being rented out as a store and the other as the Masonic Temple. The Masonic organization was begun in Minooka in 1867 and was active until 1987.
[Source: Michelle Houchens, Minooka Historian]

Three Rivers Library Local History Collection index to obits, newspaper clippings and other misc. memorabilia in the collection

St. Mary's Catholic Church, Minooka, IL: Marriages and Baptisms 1869-1919, edited by Betty Steffes Kinsella, Will Grundy Genealogical Society, c1995.

Grundy, Will, LaSalle, Kendall Counties 1840-1879, Deaths, Marriages, Births: as extracted from area newspapers, compiled by Becki Leucht, c1998.

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Grundy County, Munsell Publishing Company, Chicago, c1914.

History of Grundy County, Illinois, O. L. Baskin & Co., Chicago, c1882.

1860 Federal Population Census of Grundy County, Illinois, Northern Will County Genealogical Society, c1982

This is Grundy County: It's history from beginning to 1968 by Helen Stine Ullrich, Grundy County Board of Supervisors, c1968.

Grundy County Illinois Landmarks, Vol. 1, Grundy County Historical Society, c1981

Will/Grundy Counties (IL) Genealogical Society

To purchase any of the publications listed below or obtain pricing, please contact the Will/Grundy Genealogical Society, WGGS Special Publications, P.O. Box 24, Wilmington, IL 60481 for further information.

The 1850 Federal Census of Grundy County, Illinois. More than 3,000 entries, with surnames, ages, occupations, birthplace. Also includes mortality schedules listing deaths in Grundy County for year ended June 1, 1850. Everyname index. Soft cover, 135 pages.

St. Mary's Catholic Church, Minooka, Illinois, 1869-1919. Marriage and baptismal records transcribed from Parish registers. With index, area map, history and names of Pastors. Edited by Betty Steffes Kinsella. 48 pages, soft cover.

A Coal-Field Collection. Mine-related articles (including the Diamond Mine Disaster), maps, illustrations, and the 1872-73 Reed Township Directory.

Death Notices taken from records of the Will County Pioneers Association, as reported to meetings of that association. Index, additional historical material. Many deaths reported are of persons who died away from the Will County area but who were residents of the area in the early years of settlement. First five volumes of a series. Edited by D. Andrew Bale.

A Necrology, 1886-1890 85 pages; A Necrology 1890-1897 82 pages; A Necrology 1897-1902 94 pages; A Necrology 1902-1907 101 pages; A Necrology, 1907-1911, 104 pages

Cemeteries of Will County, IL, No. 1 - Oakwood, Wilmington - Part 1, Revised Edition with every-name index and maps. Burials from 1830s to 1991. Many early burials from large surrounding area, including some Grundy County residents. Includes names of persons who originally purchased the lots. Adds burials in this cemetery since 1991, and lists names of residents of Soldiers Widows Home, Wilmington, who are buried in a newer portion of the cemetery. Edited by D. Andrew Bale.

Addendum to Cemeteries of Will County, IL, No 1, Original Edition, Oakwood, Wilmington. Contains new and added materials now appearing in the Revised Edition (above), including an every-name index. Edited by D. Andrew Bale. (If you have the edition issued in 1991, this addendum will bring you up to date.)

Cemeteries of Will County, IL, No. 2 - Old Catholic, Wilmington. Every-name index and maps. Many early Irish (and other) settlers from surrounding area are buried in Old Catholic, which is the oldest of the Catholic cemeteries in Wilmington. Edited by D. Andrew Bale, 70 pages.

Cemeteries of Will County, IL, No. 3 - Bohemian National, Braidwood. Inventory of monuments, personal profiles, every-name index and maps of an ethnic cemetery located in Reed Township. Researched, compiled and edited by Shirline Yedlicka Skuban, 210 pages.

Barnet Cemetery, Homer Township, Will County, IL. Inventory of Monuments in Barnet (formerly Mound Hawley) cemetery, one of the earliest cemeteries in Will Co. and still in use. Historical background and info regarding families represented, 60 pages. Compiled by Nancy Bruce Crilly and Monna Milton Rowley.

Register of Pioneers, Will County Pioneers Association, Illinois. With index and historical supplement. Gives birth dates, birthplaces of many members of the Association, who came to Will County prior to 1870. Edited by Millie Y. Allott, 50 pages.

The Combined Parish Register of Christ Episcopal Church, Joliet, Illinois and St. John's Episcopal Church, Lockport, Illinois, 1838-1856. With index, area map, and additional information from Christ Church Memorabilia. Baptisms, burials, marriages, communion lists, confirmations, etc. Edited by D. Andrew Bale, 90 pages.

Selections from Early Will County, IL, Newspapers, compiled by Nancy Bruce Crilly. Items of genealogical, historical and general interest from early newspapers (privately owned, not on microfilm). Published in Lockport, these papers include news from Lockport with regular reports from Homer, Plainfield, Peotone, Lemont and Frankfort. Frequent reports from Spencer, Braidwood, Wilmington, Elwood, Minooka, DuPage, and New Lenox.

The Lockport Standard 1877-1878 and the Will County Commercial Advertiser 1878-1880, 127 pages including index. The Will County Commercial Advertiser, 1880-1882, 105 pages, including index. The Will County Commercial Advertiser, June 1882-December 1883, 127 pages, including index. The Will County Commercial Advertiser, January 3, 1884 - May 21, 1885, 120 pages, including index.

1860 Federal Census of Will County, Illinois. More than 30,000 names with an every-name index. 844 text pages showing surnames, given names, age, occupation, and birthplace of each individual as shown on the 1860 Federal Census. Reference numbers make it possible to use this publication to locate entries on the microfilm records. Soft cover, four volumes.

Fraternal Organizations, Emblems, Symbols & Abbreviations. A Brief Guide for Genealogists. Pocket-size, with drawings.