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     Kane County, Illinois GenWeb

 Kane County was organized on January 16, 1836. It was named after Territorial Judge Elias Kent Kane. Some of the earliest settlers were Joseph and Samuel McCarty, Hezekiah and James T. Gifford, and Christopher Payne. Read about early Kane County life - click here for access.

Welcome to Kane County ILGenWeb

Kane County Queries
Kane County Surname/Researchers
Helpful Kane County Addresses
List of Early Kane County Families
Books & Resources for Kane County
Kane County Volunteer Look-ups

Kane County Government Home Page

Aurora Historical Society

Batavia Historical Society

Dundee Township Historical Society

Elgin Genealogical Society Page
Elgin Area Historical Society

Fox Valley Genealogical Society

Kane County Genealogical Society Page

Sugar Grove Historical Society, PO Box 102, Sugar Grove, IL 60554-0102

Libraries:

Aurora Public Library
Batavia Public Library
Also in Batavia, visit the Gustafson Research Center at the Depot Museum where they have a card file index of the Batavia Herald.
Gail Borden Library - Elgin
Genealogy Section, Gail Borden Library - Elgin
Elburn Public Library - Ask at the front desk to see the card file of obituaries from the local paper.
Geneva Public Library
Ella Johnson Library - Hampshire
St. Charles Public Library
Sugar Grove Public Library
The Newberry Library (Chicago) is a great resource for all genealogy research. They have the following city directories available for review: Kane County, IL 1857, Kane County, IL 1859 – 1860, Kane County, IL 1919-1920, 1922-1923, 1926-1927, Kane County Business 1855 – 1856 Business, Kane County, IL Rural 1934-1935, Geneva, IL 1910-1913, 1920-1921, 1924-1925. Many of these directories are also available on microfiche through the Latter Day Saints Family History Centers.

What is a Township? (University of Kansas) A very good explanation of how land was surveyed and the numbering scheme for townships & sections.

Join the Kane Co Mail List Just send this message with the word SUBSCRIBE in the message area. Then post your questions & help others researching in Kane County! [If this link does not work for your browser, send your message to ILKANE-L-REQUEST@ROOTSWEB.COM]

History of Elgin Mental Health Center and records available at the IL State Archives. Patient records are not available to the best of my knowledge. If you are able to access them, PLEASE let us know how you went about it. There are many researchers trying to get to these records with no success.

Elgin National Watch Company - a link with pictures & history of the company

Another Elgin National Watch Company link. (Note: 19 Nov 2007 - trying to relocate this site... it was great.)

This one is a commercial site (you've been warned...) but it includes a great story from Harper's Magazine, July, 1869 about the Elgin National Watch Company at www.oldwatch.com

DATABASES ONLINE!

1858 Illinois State Gazeteer, Kaneville listings only
1888 Listing of business & people in Kaneville
1893 Illinois State Gazeteer, Kaneville listings only
Veterans buried at Kaneville Cemetery
Transcribed Biographies of County Residents
Transcribed Obituaries of County Residents
Transcribed Probate Records of County Residents
Elgin Photography Studios
Historical Elgin Churches
News Tidbits from local papers
Aurora Relief Corps - Member roster from History Of Kane Co., Ill volume I, page 648, contributed by Cynthia Nelson
Ladies Aid Society and National Alliance - Member roster from History of Kane Co. Ill 1908, Page 653, contributed by Cynthia Nelson
VanVlack Cemetery Photo Tour and Partial Headstone Listing Contributed by Janet Pearson.
Elgin deaths, 1 Jun 1868 - 1 Jan 1869 from the Elgin Gazette, Tuesday, 11 Feb 1869. Many names link to Sexton's records for Channing Cemetery, Elgin (see also Elgin Genealogical Society listing)
Name index for 15 Jul 1881 Valley Chronicle (newspaper).
Name index for 1 Aug 1902 St. Charles Chronicle (newspaper).
USGenWeb Project Archives--Kane County, IL
Aurora Cemeteries Online

SEE A CERTIFICATE

Death Certificate, 1939 Contributed by Dawn Anderson
Death Certificate, 1949 Contributed by Dawn Anderson
Death Certificate, 1956 Contributed by Dawn Anderson
Death Certificate, 1958 Contributed by Dawn Anderson
Death Certificate, 1983 Contributed by Dawn Anderson
Birth Certificate, 1904 Contributed by Dawn Anderson
Marriage Certificate, 1894 Contributed by Tracy St. Claire
Marriage Certificate, 1884 Contributed by Laura Horton

County Formation & State Census Maps

This link (outside of ILGenWeb) will show you how the counties changed through the years and census divisions for federal census years. Illinois Census and County Formation Maps

HISTORICAL COUNTY TOWNSHIP MAPS

Janet Pearson has copied township maps from atlases from different years. As they become available, they will be added to the list. To see a map of a particular township, click on the year within that township. These maps can be exciting sources for research as they show the property owners at the time the map was compiled - between census years.
Sources:
1872 - Combination Atlas Map of Kane County Illinois. Compiled, Drawn and Published from personal Examinations and Surveys by Thompson and Everts, Geneva, Illinois, 1872. See the title page from this atlas. These maps were scanned and contributed by Janet Pearson.

1875 Map of Kane County showing all Townships Donated by Alice Gless from the Atlas of Henry Co. IL to Which is Added an Atlas of the United States" by Warner & Beers Publishers, Chicago.

1892 - Atlas of Kane County Illinois. Drawn and Compiled from Personal Observations, Actual Surveys and County Records. D. W. Ensign & Co. 1892 See the title page from this atlas. County "overview" maps showing the townships and section numbers can be viewed for the north and south portions of the county. This set of maps have been scanned and donated by Janet Pearson.
1892 Railroads - This is a single map of the County showing the railroad lines from the Twenty-First Annual Report of the Railroad and Warehouse Commission of Illinois, 1892 scanned and donated by Deb Haines. Imagine if all those railroads were still functional today... do you see a different traffic pattern??

1904 - 20th Century Atlas of Kane County Illinois, Containing maps of Villages, Cities and Townships of the County. Middle-West Publishing Co. 633-634 Manhattan Building, Chicago, ILL. 1904. See the title page from this atlas. This set of maps were scanned and donated by Janet Pearson.

HAMPSHIRE
Twp 42 North, Range 6 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
RUTLAND
Twp 42 North, Range 7 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
DUNDEE
Twp 42 North, Range 8 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
BURLINGTON
Twp 41 North, Range 6 East
1872
1872 Larger image
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
PLATO
Twp 41 North, Range 7 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
ELGIN
Twp 41 North, Range 8 East
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
VIRGIL
Twp 40 North, Range 6 East
1872
Village of Lodi - 1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
CAMPTON
Twp 40 North, Range 7 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
ST. CHARLES
Twp 40 North, Range 8 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
KANEVILLE
Twp 39 North, Range 6 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
BLACKBERRY
Twp 39 North, Range 7 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
GENEVA
Twp 39 North, Range 8 East
1872
1892
1892, Landowner Index
1904
BATAVIA
Twp 39 North, Range 8 East
1872
1892
1892, Landowner Index
1904
BIG ROCK
Twp 38 North, Range 6 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
SUGAR GROVE
Twp 38 North, Range 7 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904
AURORA
Twp 38 North, Range 8 East
1872
1892, North
1892, South
1892, Landowner Index
1904, North
1904, South

Links to towns of today:

The City of Aurora
Aurora
Batavia
Batavia
Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce
Geneva
Geneva Chamber of Commerce
Kaneville
North Aurora
St. Charles
Visit 1840's Garfield Farm

Please email with links to other towns in Kane County

Links to Newspapers in Kane County:

Aurora Beacon News. Their archives include obituaries since the late 1860's, not online.
Elgin Courier. Obituaries since the 1860's - index available, not online.
The Valley Chronicle (St. Charles), now defunct, has obituary records from the 1880's, not online.
Elburn Herald
Kane County Chronicle

Search for Newspapers at Illinois State Historical Library

Kane County ILGenWeb Success Stories


Outside links to other data in Kane County:

1850-1910 Census for Kaneville

Gail Nelson's Fox Valley Obituary Index Gail: Please submit your new site!! Thanks (11 Mar 2002)

Listing of Cemeteries in Kane County from the Illinois State Genealogical Society

Partial listing of Riverside Cemetery on Cemetery Records Online where you can also research many other cemetery listings.

Searchable database of Andersonville Prison

To report a cemetery in need of attention, contact the Illinois Comptroller's office. Hotline: 1-877-203-3401 See their Cemetery Care page at http://www.ioc.state.il.us/office/CCBT/

Other Useful Links

Illinois State Archives, Includes several searchable databases - Marriages, Land Records, Civil War Veterans. You can get copies of census, death certificates (1916-1947), etc. through the state. Certificate copies are no longer free.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps at the University of Illinois

IHSA Basketball Tournaments, Historical Stats & photos of teams.

American Battle Monuments Commission now includes searchable burial listings for World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Includes Missing in Action, lost or buried at sea and those at the ABMC cemeteries. Does not include those returned to the US for burial.

Illinois Genealogical Society

American Memory Collection - A collection of maps, photographic and written historical information. This is the search page. Enter the name of a city you are interested in. Or try entering "Kane County, IL" to see a sampling of items from across the county. This collection is nation-wide.

The Primitive Baptist Libraray An index of surnames of ancestors who were members of the Primitive Baptist church in Illinois, to help researchers determine if they may have connections in some of our churches. The database has been compiled from original source documents, including church and association records, and obituaries - many of which are found in our shelves of bound church periodicals.

Dead Fred's Original Genealogy Photo Archive - Fred has copied the 1918 yearbook photos from Elgin High School Maroon. To see the yearbook photos, enter ELGIN on the search screen in the photographer slot. He also has photos from the University of Illinois yearbook in 1918. For those photos, enter UI in the photographer search.

History of Holy Angels Catholic School located in Aurora.

Books We Own - A Rootsweb lookup service from specific books. Not specific to Kane County, but a useful resource

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) - A Rootsweb group of volunteers willing to help with research. (New URL as of 1 Feb 2002)

Genie Angels - Another Rootsweb group to assist with research & lookups. (NOTE: 19 Nov 2007 - site temporarily unavailable)

Bible Records Online - Not specific to Kane County, this site has transcriptions and images (as available) of original bible records.

MHI Photographic Database - This Army depository has hundreds of photos from the Civil War. You can search for your ancestor and request a copy of any photo they have on file.

Newberry Library, Chicago, has extensive collections of genealogical interest. They have many city directories, including Elgin and Aurora.

Search for Books in Illinois through the University of Illinois Library mega search


Photo Gallery

Pat Sabin's postcard tour of Aurora

Penny Postcards from Illinois, Kane County. Other Illinois counties available from this page.
Arnold, Fox, Lambert, Meyer Contributed by: Brian Arnold
Postcard of Elgin, Fountain Square, 1907 Contributed by: Shirley Hartman
Postcard of Elgin, D. C. Cook Pub. Co., 1907 Contributed by: Shirley Hartman
Postcard of Elgin, Post-Office, 1907 Contributed by: Shirley Hartman
Postcard of Elgin, Lord's Park, Lower Lake, 1908 Contributed by: Shirley Hartman
Postcard of Elgin, Bird's Eye View of Elgin (train yard), 1908 Contributed by: Shirley Hartman
Postcard of Elgin, Residence Scene, Chicago Street, 1910 Contributed by: Shirley Hartman
Postcard of the Windmill at Faybian's, 1929 Contributed by: Lynnea Dickinson
Postcard of the Kane County Courthouse, Geneva, 1929 Contributed by: Lynnea Dickinson
Headstone of Simon E. Chaffee, Civil War Soldier, Company F, 147th Illinois Infantry. Contributed by: Judy S.
August Holze Contributed by Dawn Anderson
Henry Holze Contributed by Dawn Anderson
Lena Holze Contributed by Dawn Anderson
John, Peter & Jenie Kielion Contributed by Ashley Killian
Herman Otto Killian, late 1930's. Contributed by Ashley Killian
Mary Christina (McKay) Killian (wife of Herman). Contributed by Ashley Killian
Elgin National Watch Works, 1868. Contributed by Cynthia Nelson
The Makers of Elgin, Henry SHERMAN, R W RAYMOND, A J WALDRON, Rev. A J JOSLYN and Dr. Joseph TEFFT. Contributed by Cynthia Nelson
More Makers of Elgin, William C KIMBALL, Gen. George M'CLURE, James T GIFFORD, Sylvanus WILCOX and Luther HERRICK. Contributed by Cynthia Nelson
The Only City Clerks Elgin has Ever Had, W F SYLLA and R W PADDLEFORD. Contributed by Cynthia Nelson
Martha Pundt. Contributed by Shelley Cardiel. Shelley has rescued photos from this family and is anxious to return them to relatives. Let her know if this is your family. For more details, see the queries.
Challenge Co. Foundry Employees, Batavia, IL, 24 Jun 1938. Contributed by Ashley Killian. Ashley has a list of the names of the men pictured. Please e-mail her for details.
Aseneth Miller Barnum taken the day she was 100 years old at St. Charles (back of photo). That date would be 12 Aug 1878. She died 1 Jul 1893 in St. Charles. Contributed by Tracy St. Claire
Digital Past - A joint effor by libraries in the North Suburban Library System highlighting photos and information on area history.
Unidentified wedding couple photo taken by Sackett Photographers, 17 Douglas Ave, Elgin. Contributed by Jackie Hufschmid, the photo was found at her great grandparents house in Juneau Co., Wisconsin.

For Adoptees on the Search

Unfortunately, this is not the right venue to conduct an adoptee search. The following sites are recommended to help you in your special quest:
Cyndi's List for Adoptions - Cyndi maintains an extensive list of web sites to help you find your birth family, places to post your desire to meet and many helpful resources.
Any Birthday - Enter a name, and get a list of all the birthdays with that name along with a location for someone here.

Neighboring Counties


DuPage County - East

Cook County - East

McHenry County - North

DeKalb County - West

Kendall County - South

Back to Other US Gen Web Sources

About the US GenWeb Project
The Illinois Genealogy Web Page With links to all the counties
The US GenWeb Project Page

 
 

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