CensusRecords

Octavia Herdman (seated third from left) and companions at Mount Vernon in September of 1893. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Historical Society.

If you knows the name, the place and the year, you have all of the information needed to request a copy of a census record from the Illinois State Archives.

If the researchers at the Archives can find a record for the family you are seeking, they will mail you a photocopy of the actual page on which the entry is found. It will include information on all of the individuals who were living in the household at the time the census was taken. The amount of information varies depending upon the year of the census.

The Illinois Constitution of 1818 required that a state census be taken in 1820 and every fifth year thereafter in order to determine apportionment of representation in the General Assembly. The state constitution of 1848 accepted the federal decennial censuses as the basis for apportionment but also provided for state censuses at mid-decades. Thus state censuses were conducted in 1855 and 1865. The Illinois Constitution of 1870 ended the practice of state censuses when it established the federal decennial censuses as the sole guide to reapportionment.

State censuses were taken in 1820, 1825, 1830, 1835, 1840, 1845, 1855, and 1865. Unfortunately only the 1820, 1855, and 1865 ones have survived reasonably intact. Most of the county returns for 1825, 1830, 1835, and 1845 are missing and nearly half of the 1840 state census has been lost.

State censuses list only the name of the head of each household. Other inhabitants simply were tallied. The state censuses are available on microfilm for consultation at the Illinois State Archives in Springfield. Illinois resident researchers can request copies of documents by mail, by fax, by e-mail, by telephone, or by personal visit. Illinois residents can also make requests via the Internet.

When making requests, request no more than two specific names or items per mailing. Wait for a response to one request before submitting another one.

Note: For all out-of-state or non-Illinois residents, a $10 fee, prepaid and nonrefundable, must be included with all research requests before the requests will be made. This fee entitles the requester to up to 2 (two) unofficial, non-certified copies of the records requested if those records exist.

Illinois Resident Research Policy

Non-Illinois Resident Research Fee Policy

Illinois State Archives
Reference Unit
Margaret Cross Norton Building
Capitol Complex
Springfield, IL 62756
Telephone: (217) 782-3556
Fax: (217) 524-3930