Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

On March 9, 2012, FamilySearch added to new databases of interest to Illinois researchers. Illinois, Births and Christenings, 1824-1940 (506,916 entries as of 3/9/12) Illinois, Marriages, 1815-1935 (636,536 entries as of 3/9/12) Also of note, the Illinois, Probate Records, 1819-1970 image collection was updated on February 22, 2012.

Guest Author, Stephanie Carbonetti Just a few blocks west from the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, you can find another magnificent Chicago treasure, The Newberry Library. The Newberry is an independent research library that houses an extensive non-circulating collection of rare books, maps, music, manuscripts, and other printed material. The Library's holdings span the history and culture of Western Europe from the Middle Ages to the mid-twentieth century and the Americas from the time of first contact between Europeans and Native Americans. Its strengths include: European discovery, exploration, and settlement of the Americas; the American West; local history, family history, and genealogy; literature and history of the Midwest, especially the Chicago Renaissance; Native American history and literature; the Renaissance; the French Revolution; Portuguese and Brazilian history; and British literature and history. The collections number 1,500,000 printed titles, five million manuscri...

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 ...

Guest Author, Julie Tarr One of the best places to conduct genealogy research in Illinois is at the State Archives in Springfield. This massive repository is home to many government records, some of which are of interest to genealogists. The Archives is located at the Margaret Cross Norton Building, Capitol Complex, near 2 nd & Edwards.  You can contact the Archives at 217-782-4682 or visit their website . Death Certificates 1916-1947 I would imagine this is the most-used resources among genealogists doing research at the Archives. All of the death certificates in the state from 1916 to 1947 can be found on microfilm. To obtain the records, you will first need to visit the index for Illinois death certificates, 1916-1950 . Once you locate the decedent, record all of the information contained in the line item, as you will need this to determine which film the record is on. At the Archives, refer to the binders in the reading room to locate the film number based on the info...

Guest Author, Dax Dixon One of Springfield’s most often overlooked genealogical resources is the Illinois State Library. The building is located at 300 S. Second Street, Springfield, Illinois, directly east of the Illinois State Capitol Building and is open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The Illinois State Library houses a large number of collections that pertain to the history of the state of Illinois. One of the more prominent collections is the map collection. This is the second largest collection of Illinois maps housed in the state, the largest being the University of Illinois map collection. The maps stored here cover all the counties in the state and a variety of cities and individual towns throughout the state. Also included in this collection are landowner maps, topographical maps, some cemetery maps, and a variety of maps from other countries throughout the world. County plat books and atlases are also included in this collection. When visiting the library...

Guest Author, Becky Higgins If you have ancestors from the Elgin, Illinois area, here are a couple of places you’ll really want to check out. The Gail Borden Public Library ( www.gailborden.info ) is a treasure not to be missed. Their holdings include how-to guides, name indexes, family and county histories, cemetery indexes, census records, death records, and over one hundred thirty-five years of local newspapers on microfilm. The microfilmed Elgin death records contain wonderful information that may not be found anywhere else. The Elgin Genealogical Society has been gleaning vital record information from the microfilmed local newspapers found at Gail Borden for many years. Gail Borden personnel and volunteers have and continue to include these findings in the online Local Newspaper Index . With the information found in the index, the researcher may go to the newspaper and find the actual announcement/obituary. Also, at Gail Borden in the Genealogy Section is a card file of informa...

Guest Author, Janice Fritsch Among my favorite research facilities in Illinois are the Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD). The Illinois State Archives administers a system of depositories (IRAD) to manage the archival records of local governments. Each IRAD covers specific counties. The seven IRAD offices, each with a research area, are typically located within a State University Campus and are named for the University they reside in. The type and amount of records are varied depending on the records transferred from the local government. They can include records from cities, counties, townships, municipalities, and school districts. Some of the record types included are: Circuit Court/Circuit Clerk Coroner County Board of Supervisors/Board of County Commissioners County Court County Home/County Farm/Almshouse County Mine Inspector County Treasurer Justice of the Peace Probate Court Recorder Sheriff Superintendent of an Educational Service Region Why would yo...

Yearbooks from Arcola Township High School in Arcola, Illinois are now available for free on the Ancestry.com website. ISGS 1st Vice President Larry Pepper helped scan the yearbook pages, uploaded them to the Ancestry site and indexed them as well! Currently, ISGS has fully-indexed the yearbooks for 1921 and 1922. Yearbooks for 1926 and 1927 are available in image only format and the indexing will be completed very soon. To view the ISGS Collection at Ancestry.com, click http://bit.ly/ISGSAncestryContentPublisher or visit the Free Databases section of the ISGS website at http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=66 . © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Question : I was born in Illinois and adopted. How do I obtain a copy of my original birth certificate? Answer : Until recently, obtaining a copy of such record was impossible without a court order. With the passing of Public Act 96-0895, now adopted adult children have a much better chance to obtain a non-certified copy of their original birth record. If the birth parents have not requested the information to be kept private, anyone any adult who was born in the state of Illinois can request the non-certified copy of the original birth record with parental identifying information. More information and methods to apply can be found at http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/vital/non_certified.htm . * * * Do you have a question about Illinois resources, records or research strategies? Send your inquiry to the ISGS Genealogy Committee at isgsgenealogist@ilgensoc.org . If your query helps answer a “how to” question of interest to our members and readers, we’ll print ...

Did you that there are close to 400 surnames of Illinois ancestors in the ISGS Surname Research Database   ( http://ilgensoc.org/surname.php ) which allows any visitor to view surname information and contact researchers? Make a visit and see if there isn't a member of ISGS who might be researching one of your surnames. Then leave a message and who knows, you might be breaking down a brick wall! While the public can review the entries in the ISGS Surname Research Database and contact researchers, only members of ISGS can submit their surname information to be listed in the database. Click here to learn about the other ISGS membership benefits and how you can join ISGS. One neat feature of the database:  researcher contact information is never displayed or given out! The database acts as a “message relay” system and lets the ISGS member decide if they want to contact the other researcher! For complete instructions on how to use the ISGS Surname Resear...

On October 20, 2011, FamilySearch updated the Illinois Probate Records collection containing images from 1819-1970. The collection is not indexed , but researchers can browse through images by clicking here . The collection description at FamilySearch : Collection of probate records, which includes will, indexes, and other documents created to track the distribution of estates of deceased individuals who lived in Illinois. Probates were generally recorded in the county of residence. This collection covers probate records created by Illinois courts, 1819-1970, but the content and time period of the records will vary by county. A few additional county court records are also present. Additional records may be added to this collection. Check the wiki or browse the collection to determine current coverage. Learn more about Illinois Probate Books in this article at the FamilySearch Research Wiki. © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The Illinois State Genealogical Society maintains a Surname Research Database over on its website at  http://www.ilgensoc.org/surname.php . The public is invited to search for their own surnames and use the Email Inquiry icon next to each listing to contact the respective ISGS member about a specific surname. Now, ISGS members can enter their own surname information on the ISGS website and also add alternate spellings or edit existing surname information. To do so, simply login at the ISGS website and click Edit Profile under the Members Section. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and start entering surname information for your ancestors. Only ISGS members can submit surname data - this is one of the many benefits of an ISGS membership. If you aren't already a member, click here to join us! © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Important changes are coming to all FamilySearch Centers (formerly known as Family History Centers) in Illinois when it comes to ordering microfilm for research purposes. Please see the very informative article at Tony's Genealogy Blog here for more information:  http://genealogywithtony.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/important-post-online-lds-film-ordering-coming-to-all-illinois-family-history-centers-fhc-on-september-21-2011/ © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The Illinois State Genealogical Society is pleased to announce its new Military Certificates database at its website ( http://www.ilgensoc.org ). Just in time for Memorial Day, you can now search for your Illinois ancestors who served in various wars and military conflicts. Simply click Free Databases and then click Military Certificates ( http://ilgensoc.org/cstm_militaryCerts.php ) and use the search field to enter your surnames. ISGS currently has several Military Certificate projects in progress covering various wars from the Blackhawk Wars to World War II. The purpose of these projects is to recognize the sacrifices made by the veteran's valiant efforts and to record and preserve material submitted in support of the certificates so that it will be available for future generations of researchers. For more information on how you can obtain a certificate for your Illinois ancestor who served in the military, visit Military Certificates in the ISGS Projects section of the...

The ISGS website now has a Surname Research database < http://ilgensoc.org/surname.php > which allows any visitor to view surname information and contact researchers. As a member of ISGS, you can also submit your surname information so other researchers can contact you. For complete instructions, please see Surname Research Help < http://ilgensoc.org/upload/menu/ISGS_Surname_Research_Instructions.pdf >. © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The Illinois State Genealogical Society is proud to announce the creation of a new database at the ISGS website . In honor of Black History Month, ISGS member volunteers have been busy scanning and transcribing a selection of African-American genealogy articles which were first published in the ISGS Quarterly during the late 1970s. Located under Free Databases and titled African-American Genealogy , items so far include these articles: Black Women's Descendants Sought (ISGS Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 1977) Introduction to Black Genealogy (ISGS Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 1978) The Negro in Montgomery County, Illinois (ISGS Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 1978) Register of Slaves (Indentures) and Emancipation of Slaves (ISGS Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 1978) Published during the exciting post-Roots era when the genealogy community experienced a re-awakening and a renewed interest in African-American genealogy, these articles provide valuable data f...

ISGS Announces New Members-Only Website Section Includes Access to Illinois-related Genealogy Databases and Indices February 1, 2011 – Springfield, IL . The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) announces the addition of a new Members Section to its recently revamped website at http://www.ilgensoc.org . Active members of ISGS can now access various databases and indices created by ISGS members and volunteers including: Civic and Fraternal Organization Lists : Indexes extracted from various sources such as annual reports, conference programs and more. Organizations include the Masonic Veterans Association of Illinois. Data includes names, membership dates, death dates, locations, addresses and more! Professional Membership Lists : indexes extracted from various sources such as annual reports, bulletins, conference programs and more. Organizations include Illinois State Dental Society, Illinois Bar Association and others. Data includes names, membership dates, death dates, marr...

Thanks to Tony's Genealogy Blog at the Schaumburg Township District Library for the heads up to this great resource! The Newberry Library has a 359 page PDF available for free download at http//www.newberry.org/genealogy/cbif.pdf which lists surnames of Illinois ancestors and where they are listed in various biographies.  Take a few minutes to download this file and then search for your surnames - you might be surprised at what you find! © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

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...

One of our favorite resources as of late - the Uptown Chicago History blog - has a great series of posts on how to research an older Chicago residence: Researching Your Old Chicago House -- Part 1 Do You Live in an Older Uptown Residence? Researching Your Old Chicago House, Part II Take a close look at Part II which lists some fantastic research resources courtesy of the Chicago History Museum : Address Conversions Architectural Blueprints, Elevations, and Drawings Building Permits Fire Insurance Maps (Atlases) 1868 to 1951 Historic Resources Survey Newspaper Directories Old Chicago Directories Photographic Collections Trade Publications And one note: Did you know that the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago was known for is population of Appalachian migrants ? So if you have ancestors from Appalachia it maybe worth researching Chicago resources for valuable information. Photo: P.J. King House, Chicago, 1902, Inland Architect magazine, public domain via Wikimedia Com...