Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Guest Author, Dennis Suttles One of Springfield’s best kept secrets for genealogical research is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (ALPL). The Illinois General Assembly created this library in 1889 as the Illinois State Historical Library charged with the collection of the history of Illinois and its people. In October 2004 the library’s name changed to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and moved from the basement of the Old State Capitol to its present location at the corner of Jefferson and Sixth Streets, just south of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. The ALPL houses published, manuscript, audio-visual, newspapers on microfilm, and Lincoln collections documenting all aspects of Illinois history. Its collection strengths include Lincoln, the Civil War, 19 th -century Illinois history, genealogy, biography, and geography. The reference desk in the Steve Neal Reading Room on the first floor of the library services the books and maps housed in both the general ...

FGS 2011 Conference registrants who plan to do research at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (ALPL) while visiting Springfield should consider taking a behind-the-scenes-tour of the facility. This is a great way to get acclimated to the library and learn about their holdings. Guided tours include a visit to the following areas of the library: Closed Stacks Steve Neal Reading Room Newspaper/Microfilm Collection Manuscripts Collection Audio-Visual Collection Conservation Lab Microfilm Lab FREE tour tickets will only be available at the conference Hospitality Table which will be located in the lobby of the Prairie Capitol Convention Center beginning at 3:00 on Tuesday, September 6th.  Space is limited and you must have a ticket. ALPL Tours are for registered conference attendees only. Library Location: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is located at: 112 N. Sixth Street, Springfield, just a 3.5 block walk from the Convention Center. Directions and further inst...

If you will be attending the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2011 Conference, why not take an informative behind-the-scenes tour of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library during your visit to Springfield.  Guided tours include a visit to the following areas of the library: Closed Stacks Steve Neal Reading Room Newspaper/Microfilm Collection Manuscripts Collection Audio-Visual Collection Conservation Lab Microfilm Lab Tickets FREE tour tickets will only be available at the conference Hospitality Table, located in the lobby of the Prairie Capital Convention Center beginning at 3:00 on Tuesday, September 6th.  Space is limited and you must have a ticket. ALPL Tours are for registered conference attendees only. Tour Schedule Wednesday, September 7 10:00-11:00 AM 2:00-3:00 PM Thursday, September 8 10:00-11:00 AM 2:00-3:00 PM Friday, September 9 10:00-11:00 AM 2:00-3:00 PM Location The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is located at: 112 N. Sixth Street, Spri...

Two new links have appeared for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library over at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency : ALPL Newspaper/Microfilm Obituary Finder :  search for citations for obituaries that can be found in the Newspaper Microfilm Collection of the ALPL. You will not find the actual obituary. You will find citations (name of newspaper, date, page and column ) for the obituaries. The database does not contain every obituary citation for anyone who ever died in Illinois. It contains only those names that have been researched at the library. If you do find someone’s name, the obituary is available through the ALPL. If you do not find a name it doesn’t mean the obituary is not in a newspaper here, it just means that no one has researched that particular name and recorded it. ALPL Surname Index Search : assists genealogists and historians in locating biographical sketches that are included in nineteenth and early twentieth century Illinois county histories, biogr...

Great news for fans of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) in Springfield, IL! The ALPLM now has its own blog entitled From Out of the Top Hat . As stated on the About page: A cartoon shows Abraham Lincoln looking askance at a book with the caption: “My God, another book.” The reference assumes the reader knows that there are quite a few Lincoln books, roughly 17,000 titles to date. The same exasperation might be expressed as: “My God, another Lincoln blog.” There are quite a number of blogs, active and inactive, regarding Lincoln and the Civil War. Why is another needed? The simple answer is that whereas most blogs are the creation and expressions of individual opinion, this blog is institutionally based and serves a broad purpose. By tapping into the collections of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the blog hopes to tease out meanings about Lincoln, his times, and his legacy. The bloggers for this site are Dr. James M. Cornelius,...

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum has just acquired a rare photograph of Lincoln's son, Tad, dated 1861 when the child was 8 years of age. Read more at: Rare photo of Tad Lincoln, 8, on display in Springfield © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society