Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) System Illinois State Archives

St. Clair County

Contact Information
St. Clair County Building
10 Public Square
Belleville, IL 62220
618-277-6600, ext. 2380 – County Clerk
618-277-6600, ext. 2324 – Circuit Clerk
618-277-6600, ext. 2479 – Recorder

IRAD—c/o Records Management
Morris Library, Mail Code 6808
Southern Illinois University
1835 University Press Dr.
Carbondale, IL 62901-6808
618-453-3040

Established

• April 27, 1790 (Territorial Records of the Northwest Territory, St. Clair Papers, Vol. 2, p. 165)

Origin of the name of the county

• Named for Arthur St. Clair, a soldier of the French and Indian wars, a Major General during the American Revolution, Commander-in-Chief of the Army after the American Revolution, and Governor of the Territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio River.

Present area, or parts of it, formerly included in

• St. Clair County was the first county established in Illinois, at the time a part of the Northwest Territory.

County Seats

• 1790–1814 – Cahokia*
• 1790–1795 – Kaskaskia*
• 1790–1795 – Prairie du Rocher*
• 1814–present – Belleville

* Arthur St. Clair established three judicial districts with court sessions held in Cahokia, Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher. With the formation of Randolph County in 1795, Cahokia became the sole seat of government for St. Clair County.

History of county governing board

• 1790–1806 – Court of Quarter Sessions
• 1806–1809 – Court of Common Pleas
• 1809–1811 – County Court
• 1811–1814 – Court of Common Pleas
• 1814–1818 – County Court
• 1818–1819 – Justices’ Court
• 1819–1849 – County Commissioners’ Court
• 1849–1873 – County Court
• 1873–1884 – Board of County Commissioners
• 1884–present – County Board of Supervisors

Township Government

• Adopted – November 6, 1883

Township Names

• Belleville
• Canteen – Formed from Centreville Station when it was subdivided into Canteen and Centreville on March 5, 1910.
• Caseyville
• Centreville – Formed from Centreville Station when it was subdivided into Centreville and Canteen on March 5, 1910.
• East St. Louis – In February, 1888, East St. Louis was reorganized as two townships: the township of the City of East St. Louis and Brooklyn (Stites) which comprised the territory outside of the city.
• Engelmann
• Fayetteville
• Freeburg
• Lebanon
• Lenzburg
• Marissa
• Mascoutah
• Millstadt
• New Athens
• O’Fallon
• Prairie du Long
• Shiloh Valley – Name changed from Shiloh (date unknown).
• St. Clair – Formed from Belleville on October 5, 1885.
• Smithton
• Stites – Formed when East St. Louis township was reorganized in February, 1888: territory outside of the city of East St. Louis was designated Brooklyn; this name was then changed to Stites in April, 1888.
• Stookey
• Sugarloaf

Township Map

Pertinent Databases

• East St. Louis City Court Naturalization Papers (1874–1906)
• Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales Database
• Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916–1950
• Illinois Statewide Marriage Index
• Illinois Servitude and Emancipation Records
• Local Governmental Records Database
• Name Index to Illinois Local Governments
• St. Clair County Circuit Court Chancery Case Files Index (1815–1870)
• St. Clair County Farm Board Record Index (1874–1879)