Edwards County Genealogy Records

Edwards County genealogy records are maintained at the county clerk office in Albion, the county seat in southeastern Illinois. The county was created in 1814, making it one of the oldest counties in the state. Edwards County has a unique place in Illinois genealogy because of the English Settlement, a community of English immigrants who came in the early 1800s. Those families left records that still sit in the clerk office and at the IRAD depository at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. With a population around 6,000, this is a small county, but the records go back a long way. Genealogy research here can be rewarding if your family has roots in early southeastern Illinois.

Edwards County Clerk Office

The Edwards County Clerk is at 50 E. Main St, Albion, IL 62806. The phone number is (618) 445-2016. The office holds birth, death, marriage, and land records for Edwards County. Birth and death records at the county level start in the late 1870s, which is standard across Illinois. Marriage records go back much further. Land records stretch to the county's earliest years in the 1810s.

Edwards County is one of the oldest counties in Illinois and was once much larger than it is now. Several other counties were carved from its original territory, including Wayne County and Wabash County. That early history matters for genealogy because a family that lived in what is now Wayne County in 1818 would have had their records filed in Edwards County. If your research leads back to the 1810s in this part of Illinois, Edwards County is likely where the records are. The Counties Code (55 ILCS 5) designates the county clerk as the official keeper of vital records across Illinois.

The Albion office handles walk-in and mail requests. For mail requests, include the full name, dates you know, the record type, a check for the fee, and a copy of your photo ID. Make checks to the Edwards County Clerk.

Edwards County English Settlement Records

The English Settlement is one of the most distinctive features of Edwards County genealogy. In 1817 and 1818, a group of English immigrants led by Morris Birkbeck and George Flower established communities in what is now Edwards County. They brought families, built homes, and filed land claims with the county. Those original land records and early marriage files are among the oldest county-level documents in Illinois.

If your family was part of the English Settlement, the Edwards County Clerk in Albion has records going back to that period. The Illinois State Archives in Springfield may also have entries from Edwards County's early years in their free online databases. The statewide marriage index covers 1763 to 1900, and Edwards County marriages from the 1810s and 1820s may appear there. Federal land patents are another source since the English Settlement families bought land from the government, and those records were kept at the federal level.

The Freedom of Information Act page shown above covers the general public records law in Illinois. Edwards County vital records follow the stricter rules in the Vital Records Act rather than FOIA, but FOIA still applies to other types of county records you might request.

Edwards County Records at IRAD

The IRAD depository for Edwards County is at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Call (217) 581-6093 to ask about Edwards County holdings. IRAD preserves older government records that counties send for long-term care. Court files, probate records, naturalization papers, and other county documents from Edwards County may be in the Charleston collection. Given the county's age, the IRAD holdings could include some of the oldest local government records in Illinois.

Research at IRAD is free and open to everyone. You can photograph documents at no cost during your visit. Staff take mail and phone requests with a limit of two names per request. Use the IRAD holdings database to search what Edwards County records are at EIU before you go. The Local Records Act (50 ILCS 205) is the law that created IRAD and governs how county records are stored and preserved.

Note: Edwards County records at IRAD may include documents from the period when the county was much larger and covered territory now in other counties.

Searching Edwards County Genealogy

Start your Edwards County genealogy search at the clerk office in Albion for local vital records and land files. For statewide birth and death records from 1916 onward, the Illinois Department of Public Health is the source. IDPH genealogy requests go by mail and typically take around 12 weeks. The state fee is $10 per copy.

The Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535) sets time limits on genealogy access. Birth records open 75 years after the birth date. Death records open after 20 years. Marriage records become available after 50 years. For Edwards County's oldest records, all of these time limits have long passed, which means genealogy copies from the early 1800s are fully accessible. The Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) applies to other public records at the county level.

• Edwards County Clerk: vital records, marriage files, land deeds from the 1810s
• IRAD at EIU: historical government records from the county
• Illinois State Archives: free online marriage and death indexes
• IDPH: statewide birth and death from 1916 by mail
• Federal land patents: early English Settlement land claims

Nearby Counties

Edwards County is a small county in southeastern Illinois. Families near the borders may have filed records in neighboring counties. Try these areas if your Edwards County search needs widening.