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1850 United States Federal Census

Original Images

This database contains images of original records.

Sample Forms
Download blank Census forms
You can fill out the form with information on your ancestor, or just use it to better read the column headings.

Handwriting Help
View a sampling of handwriting examples
The examples should help you read the text on the original images more easily.

Please choose a county in Illinois:

Adams Henderson Moultrie
Alexander Henry Ogle
Bond Iroquois Peoria
Boone Jackson Perry
Brown Jasper Piatt
Bureau Jefferson Pike
Calhoun Jersey Pope
Carroll Jo Daviess Pulaski
Cass Johnson Putnam
Champaign Kane Randolph
Christian Kendall Richland
Clark Knox Rock Island
Clay Lake Saline
Clinton Lasalle Sangamon
Coles Lawrence Schuyler
Cook Lee Scott
Crawford Livingston Shelby
Cumberland Logan St Clair
Dekalb Macon Stark
Dewitt Macoupin Stephenson
Dupage Madison Tazewell
Edgar Marion Union
Edwards Marshall Vermilion
Effingham Mason Wabash
Fayette Massac Warren
Franklin McDonough Washington
Fulton McHenry Wayne
Gallatin McLean White
Greene Menard Whiteside
Grundy Mercer Will
Hamilton Monroe Williamson
Hancock Montgomery Winnebago
Hardin Morgan Woodford

Census Records - Counties

After separating the census records into groups by state, the federal government subdivided these records into county groups. Searching for an ancestor on the county level provides a smaller region for research if you remain uncertain about the specific township where your ancestor resided. Researchers should also be aware of boundary line or jurisdictional changes through time. These changes may affect where an ancestor was enumerated on the census, so it remains important to search the counties surrounding the area where your ancestor lived.