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Fayette County, Illinois

County Court, Probate, Land & Tax Records  •  County Census Records
County Birth Records, Marriage Records, Divorce Records and Death Records
County Cemeteries & Graveyards  •  County Church & Bible Records

Fayette County was created on February 14, 1821 (Laws, 1821, p. 164) and was formed from Bond, Clark, Crawford and Jefferson Counties. Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: Crawford County (1816–1821) , Clark County (1819–1821) , Bond County (1817–1821) , Madison County (1812–1817) , Edwards County (1815–1816) , St. Clair County (1790–1812) and Knox, Northwest Territory (1790–1801) .

The County was named in honor of the Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de la Fayette, the famous French General who fought for the colonies in the Revolutionary War. The County Seat is Vandalia (1821-Present)

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County Courthouse Court, Probate and Tax Records

See Also Illinois Court, Land, Tax & Probate Records

The Official County website is located at N/A . All departments below at located at the Fayette County Courthouse, 221 South 7th Street, Vandalia, IL 62471 , unless a different address is listed below.

NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Fayette County Circuit Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1821 and Court Records from 1821 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (618) 283-5009

Fayette County Recorder has Land Records from 1816 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (618) 283-5000

Fayette County Clerk has Birth / Death Records from 1877 and Marriage Records from 1821 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (618) 283-5000

County Treasurer’s responsibilities include the statutory duties required as County Treasurer and as Ex-Officio County Collector of Real Estate Property Taxes and Drainage District Taxes for the entire county.

Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records

See Also Research In Vital Records or Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records in Illinois

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, 605 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, IL 62702-5097. It can take up to 6 weeks to get a vital record from Illinois.

A number of resources are available for individuals doing genealogical research using vital records filed in the state of Illinois. Births and deaths before January 1, 1916 and marriages before January 1, 1962 are recorded only in the office of the county clerk where the event occurred. Most county clerks have indexes to the records that are prior to 1916 that are available for the purpose of genealogical research. These indexes generally provide the name, date and place of occurrence and are located in county courthouses located throughout the state. Although self-service access to the indexes is generally permitted, the law limits physical access to the individual records to the clerk's staff. When you locate a record from the index, it will be necessary for the clerk to pull the record for you once you have paid the appropriate search fee. Please check with the county clerk for fees and policies on reviewing indexes.

  • Birth, Death Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth, death and marriage records that occur in Illinois from 1916 to the present.
    • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $17.00 (long) or $10.00 (uncertified) per certificate by mail [application for birth records, application for death records].
      Make your check or money order payable to "Illinois Department of Public Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. The cost of each record includes a ten-year search if the exact date or place of event is not known. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • In Person: In-person orders can be dropped off for mail out within two business days at the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records office, 605 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, on Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays. (Large volume orders may take longer.) PLEASE NOTE: the person requesting the record will be asked to show a valid picture identification card.
  • Marriage & Divorce Certificates:The Division of Vital Records also maintains an index of marriages & divorces from 1962 to the present. Copies of the marriage & divorce records are available from the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage license was obtained or divorce was granted. Fees vary.
    • Cost: $5.00 by MAIL. Make your check or money order payable to "Illinois Department of Public Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. The cost of each record includes a ten-year search if the exact date or place of event is not known. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $5.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Ordering Vital Records - You can also order Order Electronically Online or You can download an application for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Certificates to mail.

Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Census Links for Illinois

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Fayette County, Illinois are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1910, 1920 and 1940.Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Fayette County, Illinois are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.

The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Census Records by clicking the link below:

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County Maps & Atlases

See Also Statewide Maps that exist for Illinois

Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Maps. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Maps by clicking the link below:

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County Military Records

See Also Research In Military Records or Military Records in Illinois

Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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County County Cemeteries & Graveyards

See Also Research In Cemetery Records or Statewide Cemetery Links for Illinois

There are many churches and cemeteries in Fayette County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Fayette County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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County Church & Bible Records

See Also Research In Church Records or Statewide Church & Bible Links for Illinois

 

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

Below is a list of online resources for Fayette County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Fayette County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History

Vandalia Illinois History

Founded in 1819, Vandalia, Illinois is located in Fayette County. The origin of the name is uncertain, but the name probably is derived from the Germanic Vandal tribe. Other explanations of the name hold that it is a latinization of a Dutch family name or that it refers to a small Indian tribe of the early 19th century. Vandalia, Illinois is unique in its beginning history as a city, in that from its inception it was known that it would be the state's capitol city. It seems that Kaskaskia, the first state capitol and also the territorial capitol, was situated so poorly that it was under constant threat of the great Mississippi River floods.

Old State Capital

In 1819, Congress donated land to the new state of Illinois for a capitol city. Five commissioners were named to choose the actual location. Traveling up the Kaskaskia River in May 1819, they chose a wooded area known as Reeve's Bluff, located on the river's west bank about 90 miles northeast of Kaskaskia. Surveyors, axemen, and others were soon struggling to build a town before the December 1820 meeting of the Illinois General Assembly.

The first of three capitol buildings to stand in Vandalia was a plain two-story frame structure. Old State CapitolThe entire first floor served as a meeting place for the House of Representatives, while the second floor was divided into rooms for the Senate and the Council of Revision, which consisted of the governor and justices of the Illinois Supreme Court. Executive offices were located in other buildings. The state treasurer transacted business at his home, while the auditor and secretary of state worked in the brick building that housed the state bank. The bank building burned on January 23, 1823, consuming most of the state's financial papers, and the statehouse was destroyed by fire the following December. Vandalia's second statehouse was built during the summer of 1824 by residents who feared removal of the capitol to another town. Like its predecessor, the building served primarily as a meeting place for the general assembly. State executive offices and the supreme court seem to have had no permanent quarters.

The building had been constructed hastily, and the effects were soon apparent. By 1834 its floors sagged badly and the walls bulged dangerously. Two years later people refused to enter the building for fear it would collapse. Vandalia residents, frightened by an 1834 referendum to relocate the capitol, constructed a third statehouse, the one that stands today. Work began in the summer of 1836 with efforts to salvage material from the old building. Though workers attempted to finish the building rapidly, much remained to be done when the legislature convened in early December. Plaster in second-story rooms was still damp, and rooms on the first floor were barely begun. This third statehouse was of simple Federal design. Larger than any of its predecessors, the building provided, for the first time, space for all three branches of the government. The first floor contained offices for the auditor of public accounts, secretary of state, treasurer and all members of the executive branch as well as chambers for the supreme court. There was no space specifically assigned to the governor. The whole second floor was devoted to the needs of the general assembly.

Abraham Lincoln assumed the first statewide office of his political career at Vandalia. He arrived in the capitol city in late November 1834, and the freshman legislator took his seat on December 1, 1834, in the dilapidated second statehouse. He began his second term in December 1836 in the capitol building that stands today. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, received his license to practice law in the Vandalia Statehouse in March of 1837. While at Vandalia, Lincoln worked for passage of an ambitious internal improvements bill and made a long speech in the House of Representatives on January 11, 1837, opposing a resolution to investigate the state bank, a move that would have damaged the state's ability to finance improvement projects. Abraham LincolnIn his first published speech, Lincoln announced that he would oppose any move to injure the bank's credit. Lincoln studied in earnest for a career in law during his time as a legislator, and he was enrolled as an attorney before he left Vandalia following the legislative session that ended in March 1837. He returned to Vandalia twice for sessions before the capitol was moved to Springfield in 1839.

he last session of the Illinois General Assembly to meet in the Vandalia Statehouse closed on March 4, 1839. Before adjournment the legislature passed an act presenting the building to Fayette County and the town of Vandalia. The western half of the building was used as the county courthouse, while the eastern portion was to be used by the town for school purposes. In 1856 Vandalia sold its interest in the building for $3,150. Shortly thereafter, county commissioners authorized an extensive remodeling, including the addition of the porticoes that visitors see today. On August 5, 1918, the State of Illinois purchased the old statehouse and public square in order to ensure its preservation for future generations. Though owned by the state, the building continued to serve as the Fayette County Courthouse until 1933, when county offices moved to new quarters. In the 1930s and 1940s the State of Illinois carried out a major effort to restore the building to its Lincoln-era appearance. Spectators' galleries were reconstructed in the Senate and House chambers in the 1970s, and restoration continued thereafter.

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