ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES
Fulton County Circuit Court Case Files Index (1825–1876)
Compiled by the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System, Western Illinois University
The Fulton County Circuit Court Case Files Index was compiled by Tim Daudelin, intern for the Illinois Regional Archives Depository at Western Illinois University in Macomb. The 9,399 records in the database were extracted from the Fulton County Circuit Court Case Files (IRAD Accession 2/0001/01).
Each entry found in the index contains the following categories of information: the names of the plaintiff and defendant; the date; and file number. Names of plaintiffs and defendants were transcribed directly from the case files. Every attempt was made to obtain accurate spellings of names. If the spelling of a name could not be determined from the case jacket, a search of the various case documents was conducted. However, names were often spelled a variety of ways throughout the case documents. It was also sometimes difficult to decipher handwriting in some case files. Therefore, when searching this index, we suggest that researchers check alternative spellings of names if they do not find an entry for the name for which they are searching.
Content
The Fulton County Circuit Court Case Files include chancery, criminal and common law proceedings. These case files generally show the names of the plaintiff, defendant, judge and clerk of the court; the court dates; and usually the charge or cause of action. Documents contained in these case files include: summonses, affidavits of witnesses, subpoenas, bonds, receipts, depositions, declarations, decrees and orders of the court, jury and witness lists, indictments, warrants, writs of habeas corpus, verdicts, dismissals and transcripts of coroner's inquests.
Copies
Copies of the files found in this index may be obtained by mail or telephone. Inquiries should be made directly to the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) at Western Illinois University in Macomb. IRAD cannot accept requests by e-mail at this time. Please contact:
Illinois Regional Archives Depository
University Library
Western Illinois University
1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455-1390
309-298-2716