Find Genealogy Records in Kankakee County

Kankakee County genealogy records reach back to the mid-1800s, with marriage records starting in 1853 and death records from 1877. The county clerk in Kankakee holds the main set of vital records for anyone tracing family lines through this part of east-central Illinois. You can search for birth, death, and marriage records at the clerk office in person or by mail. Older records that have been transferred out of the clerk's vault sit at the IRAD location at Illinois State University in Normal. Whether you need a death record from 1880 or a marriage filing from before the Civil War, Kankakee County has deep files worth checking.

Kankakee County Clerk Vital Records

The Kankakee County Clerk is the main source for genealogy records in Kankakee County. The office sits at 189 East Court St. in Kankakee, IL 60901. Call (815) 937-2990 for questions about records, or send an email to countyclerk@kankakeecountyil.gov. Birth records here go back to 1878. Death records start in 1877. Marriage records reach all the way back to 1853, which is one of the older collections in this part of the state. These early marriage files can be a real find if you are looking for family ties from the years just after the county was formed.

Kankakee County charges $10 for the first birth certificate copy and $4 for each one after that. Death records cost $14 for the first copy and $8 for extras. The genealogy search fee is $10. These fees are set by county policy and may change, so call or email the clerk to confirm before you send payment. Mail requests should go to the Court Street address. Include the full name of the person, the type of record, the date or year range, and a check or money order made out to the Kankakee County Clerk.

For genealogy copies of older records, the Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535) sets the rules. Birth records are open for genealogy research when the birth date is 75 or more years ago. Death records open after 20 years. Marriage records are available after 50 years. Copies pulled for genealogy get stamped as uncertified. They work fine for family research but not for legal use.

Note: Marriage records in Kankakee County date to 1853, making them among the oldest records in the clerk's collection.

Kankakee County Historical Records at IRAD

The IRAD depository for Kankakee County is at Illinois State University in Normal. IRAD stands for the Illinois Regional Archives Depository system. It is a network of seven state university campuses that store older local government records from all 102 Illinois counties. The ISU location covers Kankakee County along with several neighboring counties including Ford, Iroquois, Livingston, and Grundy. Research at IRAD is free. You can call (309) 452-6027 to check their hours or ask about Kankakee County holdings before you go.

IRAD holds a wide range of Kankakee County records. You can find early vital records, court files, probate case files, naturalization papers, land documents, and other local government records. Some of these go back to the county's founding years. If the clerk office does not have the record you need, IRAD is the next place to check. Mail and phone requests are accepted, but they limit each request to two names. The IRAD holdings database lets you search what Kankakee County records have been transferred to ISU.

The IDPH genealogy page at dph.illinois.gov shows how to order genealogy copies of statewide records from 1916 forward. This screenshot of the IDPH genealogy page shows the state-level process for getting older records.

Statewide records from the Illinois Department of Public Health cover births and deaths from January 1916 to the present. If the record you need falls after that date, you can request it from IDPH by mail. Processing takes about 12 weeks. Genealogy copies cost $10. Keep in mind that IDPH only handles mail orders for genealogy records. You cannot order them online or by fax.

Searching Kankakee County Genealogy Records

The Illinois State Archives in Springfield holds statewide indexes that include Kankakee County data. Their free online databases cover the statewide marriage index from 1763 to 1900, pre-1916 death indexes, the 1916 to 1950 death index, and public domain land sale records. If your ancestor married in Kankakee County before 1900, the marriage index is the quickest way to confirm it. Land sale records show early purchases from the federal government. These tools are all free and you can search from home.

For in-person research, all three Kankakee County record offices are in or near the courthouse at 189 East Court St. You can visit the clerk for vital records and then check with the circuit court for probate, divorce, and other case files. The circuit court for Kankakee County is part of the 21st Judicial Circuit. Probate records are strong genealogy tools. A will names heirs. An estate file lists property. Guardianship records show who raised the children. These can fill gaps that vital records alone cannot.

The Local Records Act (50 ILCS 205) requires counties to preserve records with long-term value and prevents them from being destroyed without a proper disposal certificate. That law is why Kankakee County records stretching back to the 1850s still exist today. It also created the IRAD system that stores the oldest files at university campuses across the state.

Kankakee County Genealogy Record Fees

Fees for Kankakee County genealogy records depend on what you are looking for. The county clerk charges the following rates:

• Birth certificate: $10 first copy, $4 each additional
• Death certificate: $14 first copy, $8 each additional
• Genealogy search: $10
• Marriage records: contact clerk for current fee

These are the county-level fees. If you order through the Illinois Department of Public Health instead, the fee is $10 for a genealogy copy of a birth or death record. IDPH takes about 12 weeks to process mail requests. In-person research at the Illinois State Archives is free, and you can take photos of documents at no charge. Out-of-state researchers who want the Archives to do a search must pay $10 prepaid. The Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) governs public access to government records, but vital records follow their own rules under the Vital Records Act.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Kankakee County. If your ancestor lived near a county line, their records could be in a neighboring county. Families moved between counties often, so checking the surrounding areas is a good idea when you come up short.