Genealogical skeletons in the closet - Searching Illinois prison records

November 9, 2:19 PMChicago Genealogy ExaminerRaymond Johnson

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Mugshot from Marquette Prison Records             Michigan State Archives

Many times people do not like to talk about or even acknowledge that a family member was a guest of their state's department of corrections.  Not so if you are a genealogist and not particularly concerned about how politically correct your source of family history is.  Being prior law enforcement, I can tell you that local, county and state inmate records are a wonderful source of family history information.  The focus of this article is on the State of Illinois records but I may have a follow up article on county or local records.

Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet circa 1901

In Illinois, and in many other states, the older prison records are usually maintained by the individual state archives.  If it is information on a current guest or parolee of the Illinois Department of Corrections that you are looking for, there is a great Illinois Department of Corrections inmate locator on their website and it contains vital statistics on the inmate as well as a photograph and other statistical information.  If the inmate has been recently discharged from parole or incarceration then public information is available by emailing the Department of Corrections.  Information on how to write and what to include is available on their website here. 

Some of the best records are those that are old enough (75 years old in the State of Illinois) to be searched through by the public and those are in the custody of theIllinois State Archives in Springfield.   The Department of Corrections (Record Group 243.00) is chock full of great records that cover the years 1833 through 1975 (remember as of the date of this article you will only have access to records older than November 1934 without a subpoena or other court order)  They have inmate records, hospital records, psychologist reports, electrocution records, photos, transfers and much more.  To give you an example of the type of information available, the Joliet / Stateville (1860 - 1975) Register of Prisoners contains: the prisoner's registration number and name; date received; names of aliases used; name of the county in which the crime was committed; description of the crime; sentence term; prisoner's plea; his age, height, complexion, hair and eye colors, birthplace, and length of residence in Illinois; indication that his parents are living or dead; their residence; his marital status and if married his wife's residence; his religious affiliation, habits (e.g., drinks, smokes, chews), and education; the term of the court which convicted him; and his disposition (e.g., discharged, paroled, escaped, sent to insane asylum, died).

Beginning October 1885 also provided are the prisoner's weight, occupation, former prison record, age he left home, parents' birthplaces, the number of children he fathered, and his prison work assignments, conduct record, and medical treatment history. After July 1895 the prisoner's race, names of associates, hereditary diseases, conditions of heart and lungs, addresses of correspondents, and parole record are given. Starting January 1914 the prisoner's naturalization status is provided and after July 1936 indication of past service in the U.S. armed forces is given.
 

For current information on doing research at the State Archives contact: The Illinois State Archives Margaret Cross Norton Building Capitol Complex Springfield, Illinois 62756, (217) 782-4682,  Normal hours: MF 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. 1st Saturday of the month from 8:00am - 3:00pm

I will offer one cautionary note to fellow genealogists out there.  Even though we may not particularly care about the public record of one of our ancestors because their prison record helped us clear a hurdle in our genealogical research, other family members may not be so happy with your new found discovery and by publishing the info on an Internet site or written family history you might accidentally write yourself off a few Christmas lists!  Happy Hunting