Hours:
Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.,
and the First Saturday
of each month
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Open other times by appointment.

County Clerk and Recorder's Office
700 S. Main St.
Princeton, IL 61356
815-875-2014
www.bureaucountyclerk.com/vitals.html

Vital Records:

Starting dates:

• Marriages - 1837
• Births - 1878
• Deaths - 1878

In IL birth and death certificates were not required by law until 1916. From 1878 to 1916 they were optional. Starting in 1878 a report completed by the minister or justice of the peace was required with each marriage. This form includes the names of the parents of the bride and groom and other genealogical information. Some marriage records include affidavits that might contain the name of a parent if the person was a minor at the time of the marriage and needed the consent of a relative in order to get married. When you purchase a marriage certificate, you receive copies of all the available documents.

Land Records: 1814 to present. A location (township and section number, or town and lot number) is necessary to use tract indexes and search for deeds. (Grantor/Grantee Indexes exist for some years but they are very incomplete.) The old deed books are fragile and very heavy so it is advisable to abstract the information from the deeds. Volunteers from BCGS are willing to do simple searches for land records. Refer to our research policy.