County Clerk and Recorder’s Office
700 S. Main St.
Princeton, IL 61356
815-875-2014
www.bureaucountyclerk.com/vitals.html
Use this website to view the County Clerk’s name indexes with dates of births, marriages and deaths. You can also purchase copies online with a credit card, or you may email bcvitalrecords@yahoo.com if you are unsure of the location or date of event. Copies of records for genealogical purposes obtained this way cost less than certified copies.
Vital Records:
Starting dates:
- Marriages – 1837
- Births – 1878
- Deaths – 1878
In Illinois 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.