Alexander County Genealogy

Alexander County genealogy records are held at the county clerk's office in Cairo, the southernmost county seat in Illinois. Sitting at the point where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet, Alexander County has a unique geographic position that shaped how families arrived and settled here. The clerk at 2000 Washington Ave manages marriage licenses, birth and death registers, land records, and other vital files. With about 5,000 residents today, Alexander County was once a much busier place, and its older records reflect a larger population. The IRAD depository at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale preserves older Alexander County government documents. Tracing family roots in Alexander County means working with records from a once-thriving river community.

Alexander County Clerk Genealogy Records

The Alexander County Clerk is at 2000 Washington Ave in Cairo. Call (618) 734-7000 for questions about records. This office holds marriage licenses, birth and death records, and land documents for the county. Alexander County was established in 1819, making it one of the older counties in southern Illinois. The Counties Code (55 ILCS 5) designates the county clerk as the official custodian of these records.

Cairo was once a major river port. In the mid-1800s and early 1900s, Alexander County had a much larger population than it does now. That means the genealogy records from that period are surprisingly dense for what is today a small county. Workers came to Cairo from across the South, from the upper Midwest, and from overseas to work on the rivers and railroads. The marriage records, land transfers, and court files from that boom era contain names from a wide range of backgrounds. If your family came through southern Illinois, Alexander County records are worth checking even if you did not think they had ties to Cairo.

Visit the Cairo courthouse for the fastest results. Call ahead to confirm hours since the office may keep limited days. Mail requests work as well. Send the full name, date range, record type, payment, and a photo ID copy.

Alexander County Vital Records

Illinois started statewide birth and death registration around 1916. Before that, recording in Alexander County was not consistent. Some entries from the late 1870s may be in the clerk's files, but early coverage is unreliable. Marriage records are the most complete early documents for Alexander County genealogy research. After 1916, both the Alexander County Clerk and the Illinois Department of Public Health hold copies of birth and death records.

IDPH handles genealogy requests by mail only. Each copy costs $10. Processing takes about 12 weeks. The Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535) sets the access windows. Birth records open for genealogy after 75 years. Death records open after 20 years. Marriage records open after 50 years. For Alexander County, with records going back to 1819, the vast majority of files are fully open for research.

The Freedom of Information Act page below applies to Alexander County public records requests alongside the Vital Records Act.

The Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) shown above gives the public access to government records. However, vital records follow their own access rules under the Vital Records Act. Recent birth and death files remain restricted to eligible applicants. Genealogy copies carry a research stamp and are not valid for legal identification.

Note: Alexander County records from Cairo's boom era in the mid-1800s to early 1900s are especially rich for genealogy research.

Alexander County Records at IRAD

The IRAD depository for Alexander County is at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Call (618) 453-3040 to check on Alexander County holdings. IRAD preserves older government records transferred from the Cairo courthouse. For a county founded in 1819, this means IRAD may hold some very early documents. Holdings can include historical vital records, court case files, probate records, naturalization papers, and voter registers. Research at IRAD is free and you can photograph documents at no cost.

Use the IRAD holdings database to see what Alexander County records are at SIU before making the trip to Carbondale. The Local Records Act (50 ILCS 205) created the IRAD system to keep county records with historical value safe. For Alexander County, this law has been critical. Cairo's declining population means the courthouse has had to downsize, and IRAD at SIU has taken on records that might otherwise have been lost. Naturalization files are particularly valuable at IRAD since Cairo's river port attracted immigrants who filed their citizenship papers at the Alexander County courthouse.

The VitalChek page above shows an alternative way to order Illinois vital records for Alexander County. VitalChek charges extra service fees but may process requests faster than going through IDPH directly by mail.

Searching Alexander County Genealogy

The Illinois State Archives has free online databases with Alexander County entries. The statewide marriage index covers 1763 to 1900. Death indexes span the pre-1916 era and 1916 to 1950. These databases are good for finding names and dates before contacting the Alexander County Clerk or visiting IRAD in Carbondale.

Alexander County court records are especially valuable for genealogy. Because Cairo was a busy river town, the courts saw a high volume of cases including property disputes, estate settlements, divorces, and naturalization filings. These records name family members and show relationships that vital records alone may not reveal. The circuit clerk in Cairo handles court records separately from the county clerk. Older court files may have been sent to IRAD at SIU. Given Alexander County's shrinking population, more records may move to IRAD over time as the courthouse consolidates.

• State Archives marriage index: 1763 to 1900
• State Archives death index: pre-1916 and 1916-1950
• IRAD at SIU Carbondale: free research, two-name limit by mail
• IDPH genealogy copy: $10 by mail, about 12 weeks
• Alexander County Clerk: walk-in or mail in Cairo

Nearby Counties

Alexander County is at the very southern tip of Illinois where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet. Families moved between these neighboring counties and across state lines into Kentucky and Missouri. Check these areas if your Alexander County search needs more leads.