Search Clay County Genealogy

Clay County genealogy records are held at the county clerk's office in Louisville, the county seat in southeastern Illinois. The clerk at 111 E. Chestnut St manages marriage licenses, birth and death registers, land records, and other vital documents. Clay County has about 13,000 residents and a detailed fee schedule for record searches and recordings. The IRAD depository at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston preserves older Clay County government documents that have been moved out of the courthouse. Researchers tracing family lines in Clay County will find that the clerk in Louisville and IRAD at EIU together cover most of the genealogy sources available for this part of the state.

Clay County Clerk Genealogy Records

The Clay County Clerk is at 111 E. Chestnut St, Room 106, in Louisville. Call (618) 665-3626 for record questions. This office manages the county's vital records, land documents, and marriage licenses. The Counties Code (55 ILCS 5) makes the county clerk the legal custodian of these files. Clay County has a clear fee structure that sets it apart from counties where you have to guess the cost before sending a request.

Clay County charges $6 per name per year for record searches. That means if you ask the clerk to search for John Smith across a 10-year span, the search fee would be $60. For records before 1988, a different fee structure applies. Pre-1988 searches cost $25 per search. Recording a document with the Clay County Clerk costs $94. These fees are higher than some neighboring counties but reflect the work involved in maintaining and searching through older record systems.

The Louisville courthouse takes walk-in visits. Staff search indexes by name and date range. Mail requests work too. Send the full name, approximate dates, the record type you need, your payment, and a photo ID copy. Checks go to the Clay County Clerk. Phone ahead to confirm the total before mailing your payment since multi-year searches can add up quickly at $6 per name per year.

Clay County Birth and Death Records

For Clay County birth and death records from 1916 onward, the Illinois Department of Public Health keeps statewide files. IDPH handles genealogy requests by mail only at $10 per copy. Processing takes about 12 weeks. The IDPH genealogy page below shows how to begin a request for Clay County vital records through the state.

That IDPH page explains the mail process for ordering genealogy copies. These copies carry a stamp marking them for research use only. They cannot serve as legal identification. The Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535) sets when records become available for genealogy. Birth records open after 75 years, death records after 20 years, and marriage records after 50 years. For Clay County, nearly all records from the 1800s and most from the early 1900s are open.

Before 1916, Clay County birth and death recording was inconsistent. Some entries from the late 1870s may exist in the clerk's files, but you should not count on complete coverage. Marriage records are more reliable for early Clay County genealogy work.

Note: Clay County's $6 per name per year search fee applies to vital record lookups at the clerk's office in Louisville.

Clay County Records at IRAD

The IRAD depository for Clay County is at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Call (217) 581-6093 to ask about Clay County holdings. IRAD preserves older government records transferred from the Louisville courthouse. Holdings can include historical vital records, court case files, probate records, naturalization papers, and voter lists. Research at IRAD is free. You can photograph documents at no cost. Staff take phone and mail requests but limit each to two names per inquiry.

The IRAD holdings database lets you see what Clay County records are stored at EIU. Check this before driving to Charleston. The Local Records Act (50 ILCS 205) created the IRAD system to prevent counties from destroying records with lasting research value. For Clay County, IRAD at EIU may hold records that the Louisville courthouse no longer has room to keep, including old court files and naturalization documents from the 1800s and early 1900s.

Searching Clay County Genealogy Online

The Illinois State Archives has free online databases with Clay County entries. The marriage index covers 1763 to 1900. Death indexes span the pre-1916 period and 1916 to 1950. These indexes help you find names and dates from home before contacting the Clay County Clerk or visiting IRAD at EIU.

Clay County court records are another useful source. Divorce files, estate records, guardianship cases, and land disputes all name family members and show relationships. The circuit clerk in Louisville handles court records separately from the county clerk. Older court files may have been sent to IRAD at EIU. The Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) applies to public records in Clay County, though vital records have their own access rules under the Vital Records Act.

The death certificate ordering page above shows the state process for requesting death records. For Clay County deaths after 1916, you can go through IDPH or through the Clay County Clerk. The clerk's search fees of $6 per name per year apply either way for local requests.

• Search fee: $6 per name per year
• Pre-1988 search: $25 per search
• Recording fee: $94
• IDPH genealogy copy: $10 by mail, about 12 weeks
• IRAD at EIU: free research, two-name limit by mail

Nearby Counties

Clay County is in southeastern Illinois. Families moved between these neighboring counties regularly, especially along the old roads connecting Louisville to other county seats. Check these areas if your Clay County genealogy search stalls.