Greene County Genealogy Records

Greene County genealogy records are held at the county clerk's office in Carrollton, a small town in western Illinois between Springfield and the Mississippi River. The county has about 13,000 residents and holds vital records, land files, and court documents that go back to its founding era. If you are tracing family roots through the Carrollton area or the farming communities across Greene County, the clerk is your first stop. Older government records are preserved at the IRAD depository at the University of Illinois Springfield. Together, these two sources give Greene County genealogy researchers solid coverage of local records.

Greene County Clerk Vital Records

The Greene County Clerk is at 519 N. Main St, Carrollton, IL 62016. Call 217-942-5443 for questions about vital records or genealogy research. This office handles all birth, death, marriage, and land records for Greene County. Birth and death records start around the late 1870s. Marriage records and land files go back further, to the county's founding period.

Greene County was organized in the 1820s, and its records reflect nearly two centuries of settlement in this part of western Illinois. Walk-in visits to the Carrollton office are the fastest way to get results. Staff can search the indexes and pull the record you need. For mail requests, send the full name of the person, dates, the record type, a check for the fee, and a photo ID copy to the Main Street address. Make checks payable to the Greene County Clerk.

Land records at the Greene County Clerk carry a standard fee of $90. That covers the search and a copy of the document. Land records can be a strong tool for genealogy because they often predate vital records by decades. A deed or mortgage from the 1830s or 1840s can show when a family arrived in Greene County, where they settled, and who they did business with. The Counties Code (55 ILCS 5) gives the clerk custody of all these files.

Note: The $90 land record fee at Greene County covers both the search and a copy of the document.

Greene County Records at IRAD

The IRAD depository for Greene County is at the University of Illinois Springfield. Call (217) 206-6520 to reach the archives staff. IRAD holds older Greene County government records that were moved from the Carrollton courthouse for long-term preservation. This may include historical vital records, probate files, court records, and other local government documents.

Research at IRAD is free. Walk in, browse the files, and take photos at no cost. Staff also handle mail and phone requests but limit each one to two names. For a bigger research project, plan a trip to the Springfield campus. The IRAD holdings database lets you check what Greene County records are at UIS before your visit. That way you can plan your research day and know what to look for.

Probate records at IRAD are particularly valuable for Greene County genealogy work. A will from the 1800s might name every child and describe all the property the deceased owned. Estate inventories list assets and debts in detail. Court records can show family disputes, guardianship cases, and other matters that reveal relationships. The Local Records Act (50 ILCS 205) is the law behind IRAD. It requires counties to preserve records with lasting value instead of destroying them.

Searching Greene County Genealogy

Start at the Greene County Clerk for local records. For state-level files from 1916 forward, the Illinois Department of Public Health holds statewide birth and death records. IDPH requests go by mail and take about 12 weeks. The state genealogy copy fee is $10. For Greene County records before 1916, the local clerk or IRAD at UIS are the only sources.

The Illinois State Archives has free databases you can search from home. The statewide marriage index covers 1763 to 1900. Death indexes cover pre-1916 records and a separate set runs 1916 to 1950. These free tools can help you find Greene County ancestors without spending a cent. If you get a match, note the reference details and order the full record from the clerk or IRAD.

The VitalChek ordering page lets you order certain Illinois vital records online through a third-party service.

VitalChek is a third-party service for ordering certified copies. For genealogy copies of older records, you still need to go through the Greene County Clerk or IDPH directly.

Greene County Genealogy Access

The Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535) sets the rules for genealogy access across Illinois. Birth records open 75 years after the date of birth. Death records open after 20 years. Marriage records become available after 50 years. These time limits apply to every Greene County vital record. Genealogy copies are stamped as uncertified and cannot be used for legal purposes.

General public records in Illinois fall under the Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140). But vital records follow the Vital Records Act instead, which takes priority over FOIA. If a record has not passed its time limit, only someone with direct legal interest can get a copy. Once the limit passes, anyone can request it for family research. Land records, on the other hand, are generally public. The $90 fee at Greene County gets you a copy of any land document the clerk holds.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Greene County in western Illinois. If your ancestor lived close to a county line, their records might be filed in a neighboring area. Check these counties when a Greene County search comes up empty.