Effingham County Reference & Lookups

Welcome to the Effingham County, Illinois Reference Lookups page.  Below is a list of Effingham County sources, as well as the names of volunteers who will do look-ups.  (See the Guidelines for requesting lookups below).

If you would like to volunteer, please e-mail me with "Effingham County Volunteer" in the subject line; that will get my attention REAL fast!  Tell me what reference material you will be using to do the lookups.  I'll post your information below, along with your name and e-mail address.  I will assume that your return e-mail address is the one on your e-mail heading unless you note otherwise.

GUIDELINES FOR REQUESTING LOOKUPS FROM A VOLUNTEER   The volunteers WILL NOT do your research for you (you must do your own research), but they will use the reference material they have on hand.  They may also use their expertise to refer you to other possible sources.  Remember: These are volunteers, NOT paid genealogists, and their offer to help is based on their love for genealogy and their willingness to help others.  Please be as explicit as possible regarding the time period, and provide complete names and locations.  Give the volunteer as much information as you can.  For instance, if you request a census lookup, limit your request to one or two specific heads of household(s).  DON'T ask for ALL of the Smith's or Jones' on the 1880 census.  Please give the volunteer at least three weeks to respond; remember, they have lives of their own, too!  If the lookup involves "snail" mail, you will be expected to provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope as you cannot expect the volunteer to incur any costs involved with your lookup.  Finally, please be sure to let the volunteer know you appreciate their help.  Don't take them for granted.

Linda

EFFINGHAM COUNTY SOURCES

If you are asking for research, ALWAYS include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. You will be charged for copies. If extensive research is involved, you may be charged.  Volunteers are at the Library to assist with research on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 10:00 AM until noon.

To apply for membership, contact the Effingham County Genealogical and Historical Society at the address shown above.

The Office of Vital Records
Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1916. They are kept at :
The Office of Vital Records
State Department of Public Health
605 West Jefferson Street
Springfield, IL 62702
(217-782-6553)

The Effingham County Clerk's office has birth & death records from 1878 (very incomplete prior to 1916); marriage records from 1834; and land records from 1833.  They provide only certified copies.

Effingham County Clerk
101 North 4th Street, #201 (second floor)
P. O. Box 628
Effingham, IL 62401
217-342-6535

The Clerk's office is open 8:00 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday.  Closed Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.
Death Certificates -- $9.00 for the first certificate; $4.00 each for each additional certificate. 
Marriage and Birth Records-- $7.00 for the first certificate; $2.00 for each additional certificate. 

For more information, refer to their web site Effingham County Clerk.

Type	Title & Description	Price
Census	1840 - 1850 Effingham County, Illinois	$       7.50
Census	1860 Effingham County, IL	9.50
Census	1870 Effingham County, IL (Revised 1991)	14.50
Census	1880 Effingham County, IL Volume 1	13.00
Census	1880 Effingham County, IL Volume 2	15.50
Census	1900 Effingham County, IL Volume 1 (Liberty, Banner, Bishop and Douglas Townships	29.00
Census	1900 Effingham County, IL Volume 2 (Jackson, Lucas, Mason, Moccasin, Mount Townships)	29.00
Census	1900 Effingham County, IL Volume 3 (St. Francis, Summit, Teutopolis, Union, Watson, West Townships)	26.00
Crossroads ]TrailsTrails (Quarterlies)	Effingham County, Illinois Genealogy Society [While Supplies Last (1980-2005)]	2.00
Directory	City of Effingham, IL 1895- 1900	8.00
Directory	Effingham County, IL 1912	6.50
Directory	City of Effingham, IL 1924-1925	9.00
Cemeteries	Names, Locations, Histories of Effingham County, Illinois Cemeteries 2007	15.00
Cemeteries	2004 Arborcrest Memorial Park Obituaries	34.00
Cemeteries	2005 Montrose, St. Francis (Teutopolis), St. Paul's Lutheran (Dieterich), Woodlawn (Effingham)	18.00
Cemeteries	2005 Readings from Cemeteries in Bishop, Lucas, Union and Watson Townships	29.00
Cemeteries	2004 St. John's (Effingham); St. Aloysius (Dieterich); St. Mary of Help (Green Creek); Woodlawn (Effingham)	17.00
History	Historical and Business Review of Altamont, Illinois (Reprint of book published in 1926: 82 pages and is indexed)	13.00
History	Dieterich, Illinois Centennial History 1893-1993 ( Reprinted with Index)	44.00
History	Edgewood, IL Centennial History 1857-1957	9.00
History	Edgewood, IL Sesquicentennial 1957-2007	23.00
History	Effingham County Illinois Fair History 1868-1954	15.50
History	Effingham, Illinois Fiftieth Anniversary, 1853-1903	9.00
History	Effingham County, Illinois Old Settlers Annual, 1912	6.00
History	Effingham County, Illlinois Past & Present History, 1968	39.00
History	Effingham County, Illinois Pioneer Certificates, Volume 1 (1985-1991)	10.50
History	Effingham County, Illinois Pioneer Certificates, Volume 2 (A-H)	12.50
History	Effingham County, Illinois Pioneer Certificates, Volume  3 (H-P)	12.50
History	Effingham County, Illinois Pioneer Certificates, Volume 4  (P-Z)	14.50
History	Effingham County, Illinois Portrait & Biographical, 1893	6.50
History	Effingham County, Illinois School History, 1918	7.50
History	St. Anthony Hospital Fire 1949 Volume I (Softcover)	25.00
History	St. Anthony Hospital Fire 1949 Volume II (Softcover)	25.00
History	St. Anthony Hospital Fire 1949 Volume I (Hardcover)	40.00
History	St. Anthony Hospital Fire 1949 Volume II (Hardcover)	40.00
Booklet	Making a Living in the Good Old Days	1.00
Booklet	Pin Barns of Effingham County, Illinois	1.00
Booklet	Towns of Effingham County, Illinois	1.00
Booklet	Townships in Effingham County, Illinois	1.00
Booklet	Griffin Tipsword Story	5.00
Booklet	Lords Effingham & The American Colonies	1.00
Booklet	Walk through Downtown Effingham, Illinois	1.00
Land	Plat Index, Effingham County, Illinois, 1899	8.50
Land	Public Domain Effingham County, Illinois Volume 1 (A-J) 1830-1905	10.50
Land	Public Domain Effingham County, Illinois Volume 2 (K-Z) 1830-1903	10.50
Marriages	1833-1877 Effingham County, Illinois	10.50
Marriages	1878-1882 Effingham County, Illinois	11.00
Marriages	1883-1888 Effingham County, Illinois	11.00
Marriages	1889-1894 Effingham County, Illinois	11.00
Marriages	1895-1900 Effingham County, Illinois	11.00
Marriages	1901-1905 Effingham County, Illinois	11.00
Marriages	1906-1910 Effingham County, Illinois	11.50
Marriages	1911-1915 Effingham County, Illinois	11.50
Marriages	1916-1920 Effingham County, Illinois	29.00
Military	World War II Veterans, Effingham County, Illinois	34.00
Miscellaneous	Franz Anton Hoffman Family	2.50
Miscellaneous	Beckman, Krone, Esker, Dieckmann, Kenter Families	8.00
Miscellaneous	Jefferson County, Illinois Sugar Camp Creek United Baptist Church (1842-1881)	5.00
Naturalization	Naturalization - Effingham County, Illinois 1849-1855	7.00
Post Cards	Effingham County, Illinois (50 cards, 5 scenes)	3.50
Post Cards	Effingham County, Illinois (100 cards, 5 scenes)	5.00
Taxes	Effingham County, Illinois Delinquent Taxes 1845-1855	6.50
Taxes	Effingham County, Illinois Taxes 1852	9.00
Taxes	Effingham County, Illinois Taxes 1854-1858	10.00
Taxes	Effingham County, Illinois Taxes 1890 Volume 1	11.00
Taxes	Effingham County, Illinois Taxes 1890 Volume 2	10.00
Wills/Estate Settlements	Effingham County, Illinois Wills & Estate Settlements, 1836-1882	8.00
Wills/Estate Settlements	Effingham County Estate Settlements & Genealogy 1855-1915	26.00

---

  St. Anthony Hospital Fire 1949, Volume I

280 pages with index of about 1,500 names

Available only at Helen Matthes Library

10 a.m. to noon daily except Tuesday

Soft cover $25            Hard cover $40

Volume I contains:  Lots of screaming headlines about the catastrophe; pictures of the fire; lists of names of the deceased and survivors, eyewitness stories from several survivors; articles naming heroes; the firetruck "Caledonia"; write-ups about the disaster from many different newspapers and magazines; fundraising and plans for building a new hospital.

  St. Anthony Hospital Fire 1949, Volume II
Completely different from Volume I

300 pages with index of about 1,500 names

Available only at Helen Matthes Library

10 a.m. to noon daily except Tuesday

Soft cover $25            Hard cover $40

Volume II contains: Pictures not previously seen by the general public; Zona B. Davis’ 1949 account of the fire; Dean Manuel thesis; interviews with two recently-found survivors; stories from many people who remembered the tragedy; Larry Banbury manuscript; song about the fire by Henry D. Schrock; WCIA Channel 3 TV-April interviews with survivors; inquest into the deaths; verdict returned at the inquest.

---

Publication about Effingham County

Images of America - Effingham County by Kate Keller Bourland and Bill Grimes; published by Arcadia Publishing

This is a pictorial history of Effingham County and is a collection of archival photographs from all over Effingham County. All of the photographs include a description and many of them include names of people in the photos. Cities included are Effingham, Teutopolis, Altamont, Beecher City, Dieterich, Watson, Mason, Edgewood, Montrose and Shumway.

Copies are available at local retailers in Effingham, Altamont and Teutopolis as well as from online bookstores.

Linda's note:  I received a complimentary copy of this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

If you would like to volunteer for lookups please contact me.