Digitized Content from the St. Clair County, Ill. Perrin Collection | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

The digitized content of the St. Clair County, Ill. Perrin Collection, 1722-1809 consists of microfilm copies of official records of the French, British, and early American periods in Illinois found in the archives of St. Clair County. These copies are mainly from the Perrin Collection, and include the Registre des Insinuations des Donations aux Siege de Illinois, 1737-69, the oldest court record in the Upper Mississippi Valley; "Record Book A" of the Court of Common Pleas, 1795-96; marriage contracts, 1763-1802; marriage certificates, 1791-1807; and marriage records, Volumes A, C, and D, 1807-45. The collection also contains extensive catalogs, calendars, and indexes that inventory the microfilm reels and transcripts of two documents concerning a 1786-87 suit over the consignment of goods.

The Perrin Collection was created by J. Nick Perrin, a lawyer, judge, Illinois history enthusiast, and co-founder of the St. Clair County Historical Society in 1905. Upon Perrin’s death in 1940, the collection was transferred to the Illinois State Archives for permanent safekeeping. The collection is comprised of documents relating to the French, British, and American regimes at Cahokia and to early St. Clair County at Belleville.

The digitized content contains marriage contracts, partial indexes, records of donations, and catalog cards for select entries relating to Cahokia and St. Clair County in Illinois.

The St. Clair County, Ill. Perrin Collection was partially digitized in 2022. Items are available online at the University of Illinois Digital Library. A preservation copy of the items is available to IHLC and digital preservation staff at the Library Digital Repository: https://medusa.library.illinois.edu/collections/2260.