#Book 1 -Combined History of
Randolph, Monroe & Perry Counties, Illinois
With Illustrations Descriptive of Their Scenery and
Biographical Sketches of some of their Prominent Men and Pioneers
Published 1883
570 pages, 42 illustrations, 48 portraits
 
 
#Book 2- Portrait & Biographical Record
of Randolph, Jackson, Perry & Monroe Co.
Published 1894
865 pages, hundreds of bios, 92 portraits
 
#Book 3- Illinois Counties-Their Origin and Evolution  
66 pages
 
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The original text is small and fine. The electronic books produced a good reproduction, but requires 
enlarging to 150-200% when viewing. They are indexed  and searchable. And, to sweeten the deal, 
I have added a third book "Illinois Counties - Their Origin and Evolution".  Tremendous 
aid in understanding the development of counties over time, and knowing the correct locations to search
 for your ancestor records. 
(Example - I have relatives that moved to SW VA late 1700's. They never moved again, 
but due to changes they resided in five different counties.)
 
 
Randolph County was organized in 1795 out of a part of St. Clair County. It was named in honor of 
Edmund Randolph, Governor of Virginia. The Northwest Territory was captured from the British 
near the end of the Revolutionary War by the army of Virginia. Illinois then became, for a brief 
time, Illinois County, Virginia.  Randolph County is located on the Mississippi River in southwestern  Illinois. 
Its county seat is Chester. Owing to its role in the state's history, the county motto is 
"Where Illinois Began."
 
Monroe County was formed in 1816 out of Randolph and St. Clair Counties, as the 8th county created 
from the then Illinois Territory. It was named in honor of James Monroe, who had just served as 
United States Secretary of War and who was elected President later that same year. Its first 
county seat was Harrisonville named for William Henry Harrison, former governor of the 
Northwest Territory and future President  Waterloo assumed the mantle of county seat in 1825. The site 
of the old town of Harrisonville has since been submerged by the Mississippi River,  Monroe County
 is part of the St. Louis Metro Area. 
 
Jackson County was organized in 1816, having been carved out of Randolph County. It was named 
for Andrew Jackson, who had just defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans . As early as 1813
, Conrad Will (namesake of Will County) conducted a large salt extraction operation, using slave labor, 
on the banks of the Big Muddy River, south of Murphysboro. As this area was in the "free" Northwest 
Territory, Will had to have legal exemptions to possess slaves.
 
Perry County was formed in 1827 out of Jackson and Randolph Counties.  It was named in honor of 
Oliver Hazard Perry who defeated the British fleet at the decisive Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. 
Parts of Perry County were formerly included in Randolph,  St. Clair and Jackson counties.
 
 "Combined History" Book Contents:
COUNTY HISTORY. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
A Brief Sketch of the North- West Territory. Geographical Position, 9 ; Early Explorations, 9 ; 
Discovery of the Ohio, 15 ; English Explorations and Settle- 
ments. 16 ; American Settlements, 22 ; Division of the North- West Territory, 
23 ; Present Condition of the North-West, 24 9-25 
 
CHAPTER II. 
Brief Historical Sketch of Illinois. French Possessions, 25 ; The first Settle- 
ments in Illinois, 26; Founding of Kaskaskia, 27 ; As a part of Louisi- 
ana, 27 ; Fort Chartres, 28 ; Under French rule, 29; Character of the Early 
French Settlers, 30; A Possession of Great Britain, 30 ; Conquest by Clark, 
32 ; The " Compact of 1787," 32 ; Land Tenures, 34 ; Physical Features of the 
State, 35 ; Progress and Development, 35; Material Resources of the State, 
36 ; Annual Products, 36 ; The War Record, 36 ; Civil Government, 39 ; 
Territorial and State Officers, 40 ; Miscellaneous Information 25—43 
 
CHAPTER III. 
GEOGRAPHy, .Agricultiure 44 Resources and Railroad Facilities. 
Randolph Coustt,-46 ; Monroe Countv, 47 ; Perry Cousty, 48 ; Transpor- 
tation facilities, 49; St Louis and Cairo Short Line Railroad, 50 ; St. 
Louis and Cairo. 51 ; Wabash, Chester and Western, 51 ; St. Louis Coal 
Road, 51 ; Illinois Central, 52; Railroad Lands.-53 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
Geology. General Stratum. 53; Randolph County, 54 ; Coal Measures, 54 ; Chester Limestone, 55 ; 
Economical Geology, 55; Monroe County, 56; Perry County. 
57 53-58 
 
CHAPTER V. 
Flora. List of Native Woody Plants, Grasses, etc., etc 58-59 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
Fauna.  Treating of the Various Families of Animals and Birds that have existed in 
these counties 59-62 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
Pioneer Settlements Randolph County, 62; The French Settlers, 62; Character of the Early French Settlers, 63 ; 
American Immigration, 64; American Population in 
1800, 67 ; Subsequent Settlements, 67; E.irly Mills, 75 ; Overflows of the 
Mississippi, 75; Monroe County, 75; Indian Hostilities, 78; Early Mills, 
82; Destructive Hurricane, 82 ; Perry County, 83; Manners and Customs 
of the American Pioneers, 86. . . 62--89 
 
CHAPTER VIII, 
Civil History. 
Randolph County from 1778 to 1818, 89 ; License for trade, 92 ; Letters to 
the Court of Kaskaskia, 92 ; Kahokia Fund (No. 1.) 93; Warrant for Exe- 
cution. 94 ; Todd's Embargo, 95 ; James Moore's Naturalization, 96; 
Land Tenure, 97; Extract from assessment of 1808, 98; Government of 
County in Territorial Times, 100 ; Scraps from Records of the Period 
1795 to 1809, 101 ; 1809 to 1819, 102 ; List of Township Officers 1809, 103 ; 
Proceedings in Courts of Justice, Territorial Laws. 104 ; Shadrach Bond 
and Rice Jones' Duel, 105 ; Dunlap — Jones Murder, 105 ; Another Murder 
Case, 105; Probate Court 1809, 106; Estates under Administration from 
1809 to 1818, 106 ; Slavery in Randolph County, 107; Manumission in 
1760, 108 ; A Negro Child set Free, 109; Public Buildings, 111; Early 
Marriages. 112; Randolph represented in Territorial Legislature, 1795 to 
1818, 112; Territorial Officers, 113; Randolph County, 1818 to 1883, 113; 
Census 1825. ; Heads of Families, 115; County Finances, 1819 to 1844, 
lis ; Change of County Seat to Chester, 119; Financial Condition of the 
County, September Ist, 1882, 122 ; List of county Officers, 121-127. . 89-127 
 
MONROE County (from 1816 to 1882), 127; County Government, 129 ; List of 
Tax-payers in 1816, 132 ; Emancipation Papers, 133 ; Tenure of Lands, 
134; Lands Entered, 135; Early Transfers of Real Estate, 136; First 
Road Petitions and names of Monroe county Pioneers, 137 ; Early Mar- 
riages, 139 ; Towns and Villages prior to 1820, 140 ; Contracts for first Public 
Buildings, 141 ; Prairie Du Long, 144 ; Circuit Courts, 1817 to 1848, 146; 
Challenge to Fight a Duel, 148; Murders, 148 ; Naturalization, 148 ; In 
General Assembly from 1818 to 1848 — 1883, 149 ; Precincts, March, 1875, 
155 ; Statistics. 1881-'82. 1.56; Murder and Execution. 1.56 , In General 
Assembly 1848 to '84, State Offices and Congress, Officers of county, 159. 
 
Perry County, 161 ; First License, 164 ; First session of Circuit Court, 164 ; 
First Road Districts and Road Officers, 165 ; Proceedings in Relation to 
Establishing the County Seat, 165; First Officers, 166 ; First Fiscal State- 
ment, 167 ; First Probate Court, 167 ; Petition for Redress, 168 ; First Gen- 
eral Election, 168 ; First Bridge, 169; First Court House, 169 ; Second Court 
House-Remonstrance against building it, 170; Third Court House, 170; 
Present Court House, 171 ; First and Present Jail, 171 ; Almshouse, 173 ; 
Circuit Court, 173; First Murder Trial — Execution of Vaughn, 174 ; 
Statistics, 175 ; Subscription to Railroads, 177 ; Saline and Swamp Lands, 
177 ; Officers, 17S 89-180 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
The Bench and Bar. RANDOLPH Co, ISO; Former members of the Bar, 182 ; Present Members, 185; 
Monroe County, Former Members of the Bar, 186 ; Present Members, 187; Perry County, 18S ; 
Non-Resident Lawyers, 190 ; Former and Present Members, 191.180-193 
 
CHAPTER X. 
The Press. Randolph County. — First Newspaper in Illinois, 193. Subsequent Newspa- 
pers— Monroe COUNTY, 198, Perry County, 199 193-201 
 
CHAPTER XI
Patriotism. Early French, Conquest by Clark, 201 ; War of 1812, 203 ; Soldiers in Black 
Hawk and Mexican Wars, 204 ; Rebellion, 207 ; Muster Roll of all the 
Soldiers who enlisted from Randolph, Monroe and Perry counties . . . 201-231 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
Common Schools. Randolph county, 231 ; Monroe county, 237 , Perry county, 238 231-242 

 
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