Welcome to Stark County, Illinois Genealogy and History Volunteers Dedicated to Free Genealogy This Site is Available for Adoption Our goal is to help you track your ancestors through time by transcribing genealogical and historical data for the free use of all researchers. We're looking for folks who share our dedication to putting data online and are interested in helping this project be as successful as it can be. If you are interested in joining Genealogy Trails, view our Volunteer Page for further information and then contact Kim. (Enough knowledge to make a basic webpage and a desire to transcribe data is required) We regret that we are unable to perform personal research for folks. All data we come across will be added to this site. We thank you for visiting and hope you'll come back again to view the updates we make to this site. Join the Illinois Genealogy Trails Mailing List to be notified of updates to this website and our other county websites. Stark County Established: March 2, 1839 (Laws, 1839, p. 229) Named for John Stark, a soldier of the French and Indian wars, a Major General of the Revolution, who served with distinction at Bunker Hill, Trenton, Princeton, and Bennington. Stark County Courthouse 130 West Main Street Toulon, IL 61483 County Clerk: (309) 286-5911 Circuit Clerk: (309) 286-5941 Recorder: (309) 286-5911 Townships of Stark County Click here to view the 1887 Township Map Elmira Essex Goshen Osceola Penn Toulon Valley West Jersey Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in: 1825 1839 - Putnam 1829 1839 - Knox 1823 1825 - Fulton 1821 1823 - Pike 1812 1821 - Madison 1801 1812 - St. Clair County Seat: 1841 Toulon Online Data County History and Information - General county history Genealogical Information - (obits, census records, marriages, births, biographies, etc.) Village History and Information - includes biographies and photos for each village Stark County History Henry Ford's History of Stark County (Taken from the "Earliest Historical Facts of Marshall-Putnam Counties Also Bureau and Stark Counties", Embracing an Account of the Settlement and Early Progress, compiled and published by Mr. Henry A. Ford, 1860 ) Stark County and Its Pioneers by Mrs. E. H. Shallenberger, 1876 (Pages 28-32, Chapter 2 now online) Early Physicians of Stark County Railroad News Items From the Stark County News - 1869 The building of the Dixon, Peoria and Hannibal Railroad The 1880 Reunion of the 112th Illinois Volunteers at Bradford - September 30, 1880 - Taken From the Wyoming Post - Reprinted in the Henry Republican Miscellaneous News Items A Dash for Liberty (Attempted jail break from the Stark County Jail- taken from the Henry Times, April 17, 1890) Area Farmers Organize Stark Farm Bureau in 1919 (Taken From the Bradford Republican 75th Anniversary Issue, August 1964) Newspaper Stories, Gossip, Etc. Newspaper Clippings From the Bradford Republican, Bradford, Illinois (Miscellaneous news clipping from Grandma Piper's Files taken from the Bradford Republican. I've tried to organize them by year.) History of Stark County Settlements,Towns and Villages Bradford Businesses on Main Street in 1869 Owners of Property in the original town of Bradford, as of September 22nd, 1869 Bradford in 1877 (short sketch in the Henry Republican, 1877) Out in the County - A visit to Bradford (Taken From the Henry News Republican October 21, 1869) Ye Olden Times (News From the Past - Taken From the Bradford Republican The Bradford Republican 75th Anniversary Issue, August, 1964 - Containing The History of Bradford, Its People and Surrounding Area (This online transcription by Nancy J. Piper with permission from the Bradford Republican) Page One (Dorgan Girl's Visit with Henry Ford in 1938, Elmiria School Dates Back 1838, 109-Year Landmark Stands As First School Building, Area Farmers Organize Stark Farm Bureau - 1919) Page Two (Jim Dandy Horse Collar Factory "Collars" The Nation's Business, Amaquonsippi Trail Asset To Community, Motion Pictures Big Hit Here, Early School Life) Elmira The History of Elmira Township School (Taken From the Bradford Republican 75th Anniversary Issue, August 1964) Castleton Local Gossip from the Henry News Republican Stark County Genealogical Information Stark County Biographies Mrs. Mary Camp Jesse L. Moffitt General Thomas J. Henderson Elisha Dixon (New!) Miles Avery Family from Wyoming, PA Cornelius Aten from New Jersey Index to Obituaries and death notices Browse Obituaries Marriages Stark County Marriage Records (1831-1866) Marriages from 1867 - 1883 Newspaper announcements from the Henry Republican Marriages from 1920 - 1940 Births Census Records 1850 Mortality Schedule (New!) 1860 Mortality Schedule (New!) 1860 Federal Census Page 1 (New Jersey Twp) Stark County Patrons in the 1873 Atlas Stark County Convicts in the Joliet Prison Stark County Is Bordered By These Neighboring Counties HENRY* BUREAU MARSHALL KNOX PEORIA   *Available for adoption - Email Kim Visit the Main Illinois Genealogy Trails Website To see what other counties Illinois Genealogy Trails has online, visit our County Selection Map At the Main Illinois Genealogy Trails Page, you will find much more data, including: Military Data Census Data Illinois State Data Illinois Events Help for your Illinois Research Illinois Genealogy Trails Volunteer Information Return to the Illinois Genealogy Trails Main Page Visitors Copyright © Genealogy Trails All data on this website is Copyright by Genealogy Trails with full rights reserved for original submitters.