Welcome to Wabash County Illinois History and Genealogy!

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Hello! I am your new host, Dawn Daddario.  My Mother and Uncle were raised in the town of Allendale near Mt. Carmel in Wabash County, Illinois.  My Mom loved to share the rich history, beauty, and charm of living in a small country town.  I have visited many times and have come to love it even more each time I return.  I have a passion for family history and sharing it with others.  I will be posting new information monthly or semi-monthly - in addition to the information we already have.

We would love for you to share historical information about Wabash County and/or brief histories/biographies of your ancestors, as well.  You can contact me at dawnmrie@sbcglobal.net

From the Illinois Historical Encyclopedia, 1901:

WABASH COUNTY - situated in the southeast corner of the state; area 220 square miles. The county was carved out from Edwards in 1824, and the first court house built at Centerville, in May , 1826. Later, Mount Carmel was made the county-seat. The Wabash River drains the county on the east; other streams are the Bon Pas, Coffee and Crawfish Creeks. The surface is undulating with a fair growth of timber. The chief industries are the raising of live-stock and the cultivation of cereals. The wool-crop is likewise valuable. The county is crossed by the Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis and the Cairo and Vincennes Division of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroads. Population in 1880 was 4,945. In 1890, 11,866; in 1900, 12,583.

MOUNT CARMEL - a city and the county-seat of Wabash County; is the point of junction of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis and the Southern Railroads, 132 miles northeast of Cairo, and 24 miles southwest of Vincennes, Ind; situated on the Wabash River, which supplies good water-power for saw mills, flouring mills, and some other manufactures. The town has railroad shops and two daily newspapers. Agriculture and lumbering are the principal pursuits of the people of the surrounding district. Population (1890), 3,376; (1900), 4,311.

Wabash County
County seat: Mount Carmel
Named for the Wabash River
Wabash County covers 224 square miles and was founded in 1824

Precincts

 BELLMONT - COFFEE -  COMPTON -  FRIENDSVILLE -  LANCASTER -  LICK PRAIRIE -  MOUNT CARMEL -WABASH

 Towns and Cities

Village of Allendale -- Village of Bellmont -- Village of Keensburg
Lancaster -- City of Mount Carmel
Wabash County Courthouse
P.O. Box 277
Mount Carmel, IL 62863-0277
Phone: (618)262-4561
 
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We sincerely regret the we are unable to provide personal research for folks.
 

Many of my ancestors were some of the earliest settlers in Wabash County, and several forts were built for protection against the Indians.  Barney's Fort was one of the first - built by William Barney and his son-in-laws. In 1819  they and other associated families started the first Christian Church in Illinois - “Barney’s Prairie Church."

Here are some interesting links with helpful information:

ONLINE DATA
BIOGRAPHIES BIRTHS CEMETERIES
CENSUS CHURCHES COUNTY RECORDS
HISTORY (NEW!) MARRIAGES COMING SOON! NEWSPAPER DATA
MILITARY DATA OBITUARIES POSTCARDS
BARNEY'S PRAIRIE CHURCH (NEW!) WABASH COUNTY EARLY SETTLERS (NEW!)
PICTURES
COMING SOON!
Wabash County Deaths, 1915-1950
A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / J / K / L / M / N / O /
/ P / Q / R / S / T / U / V / W / X / Y / Z

             Website Updates:

Apr 2009: History of Orio
Feb 2009: List of Churches; History of St. John Baptist Evangelical Church; Burials in many of the county's Cemeteries, Mt. Carmel Postcards
Sep 2008: Biography of HIGGINS; 1883 Pensioners; 1850/1860/1870 Mortality Schedules
Aug 2008: 1915-1950 Deaths   

                                 Visit the Surrounding Counties:

EDWARDS LAWRENCE* RICHLAND*

 

Visit the main Illinois Genealogy Trails Page, where you will find more data, including: