Free Illinois Online Tax Records

Another type of genealogy record that provides tremendous value is tax records. Like city directories and voting registers, they provide information for us between federal censuses. They also can go back to colonial times.

Types of Taxes

• Income tax
• Federal direct tax
• Poll or head tax
• Real property, e.g., land
• Personal property, e.g., livestock, equipment, carriages, enslaved persons
• Other, such as special levies for roads, schools, etc.

Types of Information

• Date
• Residence address; property, license, or goods; value; tax amount; possibly profession, occupation, or trade
• Name of taxpayer, usually white adult males
• Town/township/city, county, and state of residence
• Owner and/or renter of the property
• Number of white adult males in the home
• Type and value of property
• Livestock owned
• Personal property owned
• Amount of tax owed
• Profession, occupation, or trade
• Number of school-aged children
• Number of enslaved persons

Derivative information, such as birth date, death date, and date of marriage can often be estimated or determined from the presence or absence of a person in a tax list.

Good primers regarding the genealogical value of tax records and more details can be found in these articles:

• The Genealogical Benefits of Tax Records
• Using Poll Tax Records for Genealogy
• Genealogy 101: Tax Records
• Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 1
• Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 2
• Back to the Basics with Tax Records: Part 3
• United States Taxation
• The Value of Using US Tax Records in Genealogy Research

Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

(Updated December 2022)

Listed below are links to tax records that are available for free online for the state:

• Adams County, 1841 Tax List
• Adams County, Land sold for Tax, 1834-1853
• Adams County, Tax Assessment roll, 1850
• Adams County, Tax Lists
• Adams County, Tax Lists for 1841-1844, 1850
• Carroll County, Tax Lists
• Clark County, Tax Indexes, Lists, and Records
• Clark County, Tax Lists
• Clark County, Tax Lists
• Coles County, Delinquent Tax Lists
• Coles County, Tax Lists
• Edgar County, Delinquent Tax Lists
• Effingham County, 1890 Tax Lists
• Hancock County, Tax Lists
• Hancock County, Land Book, 1817-1856
• Hancock County, Tax Records, 1823-1872
• Hardin County, Collector’s Book, 1878, 1890
• Haw Creek Township. Assessor’s List for 1860,
• Henry County, its Tax-payers and voters
• Henry County, Tax Lists
• Illinois, Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for 1862-1866
• Iroquois County, Tax Lists
• Jasper County, Property Taxes
• Jersey County, Tax Lists
• Jo Daviess County, Personal Property Tax Lists
• Johnson County, 1840 census and Early Tax List
• Kane County, 1848 Personal Property Tax List
• Kane County, Tax Lists
• Kendall County, Biographical directory of the voters and Taxpayers
• Kendall County, Tax Assessment Index, 1842
• Knox County, 1855 Personal Property Tax List
• Knox County, 1855 Tax Lists
• Knox County, 1865 Personal Property Tax Lists
• Lake County, Road Tax List, 1855
• Lake County, Land Tax judgements, sales, redemptions and forfeitures, May 1886 & May 1896
• Macon County, 1865-1866 Personal Property Taxpayers
• Macoupin County, Tax Books
• Madison County, Tax Lists
• Marion County, 1837 Tax Assessments
• McHenry County, Assessment roll, 1899]
• McLean County, Tax Lists
• Menard County, Tax Lists
• Monroe County, Tax Lists
• Morgan County, Tax Lists
• Peoria County, Records
• Peoria County, Tax Lists
• Pope County, Forgotten Records
• Quincy, A List of Real Estate and Personal Property appraised for Taxation, 1843
• Randolph County, Tax Lists, 1841, 1845-1846
• Rock Island County, Tax Lists
• Sangamon County, 1835 Tax List
• Sangamon County, 1835 Tax List
• Schuyler County, 1838 Tax Payers
• Schuyler County, Taxpayers in 1838
• Shelby County, Property Taxes, 19857
• Shelby County, Delinquent List of Taxes, 1844 – 1846
• Shelby County, Land Book : Record of Taxable Lands, vol. A-B, 1833-1891
• Union County, Assessor’s Book, Personal Property
• Union County, Assessor’s Book, Real Estate
• Union County, Tax Judgement sale redemption and forfeiture Record 1941-1942
• Union County, Tax Records
• Vermilion County, Tax and Land Records
• Warren County, Index to Lands Listed for Taxation in 1856
• Warren County, Owners’ descriptions & index to Lands Listed for Taxation, 1855
• Whiteside County, Tax Rolls, 1890
• Whiteside County, Special bounty war Tax judgments, 1865
• Williamson County, Delinquent Tax Lists
• Woodford County, Taxpayers