Research Aids and Addresses

RESEARCH AIDS and ADDRESSES

Below find listing for the Courthouse, Genealogical & Historical Society, IRAD, IL State Archives, IL State Historical Library, etc. This informaton will hopefully aid some in their research. If you know of other links which should appear on this page, please let me know.

Cass County Illinois

Cass County Courthouse
Virginia, IL 62691
(217)452-7217

Virginia Memorial Public Library
100 North Main Street
Virginia Illinois 62691

Phone: (217) 452-3846
  Fax: (217) 452-3846
E-Mail:

Hours:
Tues & Wed:     Noon - 8 pm
Fri                        9am - 5pm
Sat:                      9am - 1pm

Beardstown Houston Memorial Library
13 Boulevard Road
Beardstown, IL 62618-8119
Phone: (217) 323-4204
Fax: (217) 323-4217
E-Mail: Library

Ashland Public Library
125 W. Editor
Ashland, IL 62612
Phone: (217) 476-3417
Fax: (217) 476-8076

Cass County Genealogical & Historical Society
109 S. Front St.
Virginia Illinois 62691

Illinois State Genealogical Society

Illinois State Archives

Norton Building

Springfield, IL 62756

The Archives holds death certificates from 1916 -1946 (not sure on the ending date). Request a search for one individual or a print-out of all of one surname from the microfiche.

The Archives also houses all the IL Census 1810-1920; Military records, including some Revolutionary microfilm; War of 1812; BlackHawk; Mexican; Civil War; Spanish- American War, WWI draft registrations; and Korean; Files of the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Home (1887-1961) and Illinois Widow's Home (1896-1960); Records from National Home in Danville (1898-1934); and the publication "Honor Roll of Veterans Buried in Illinois". FIRST purchasers of Land from federal or state are indexed and print-outs can be obtained.

Some of these records are available through Inter-libray loan, including several state and federal censuses; War indexes and a Census records index for 1810-1855, through your local library.

Copy fees are $1.00 for legal size, 50 cents for regular. They request a person buy a Coupon voucher for $5.00 when first submitting a request. This voucher is good for two years and can be used for future copies when submitting it with future requests.

The IL State Capital Bldg. is on 2nd and Capitol Sts, The Norton Bldg. is just south of the Capital.

Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD )
Brookens Library, LIB 144
P. O. Box 19243,
University of Illinois at Springfield
Springfield, IL 62794
(217) 786-6520
Hours open: M-F: 9:00am-5:00pm, with exception of holidays when the University is closed.

IRAD is Illinois Regional Archives Depository and is located in Brookens Library, University of IL at Springfield. One can get there by going South on Interstate 55 south of Springfield, exit Toronto Road, East and follow the signs to University. It is a few miles from downtown.

IRAD is a depository for County and City governments who do not have room and who wish to preserve their respective County records. IRAD is located in seven Universities throughout the State of Illinois. Morgan County records are located at Brookens Library, University of IL in Springfield, as well as the surrounding Counties of Menard; Cass; Sangamon; Macoupin, Christian, Montgomery, Macon and others.

Records that are housed in IRAD are Local governments records; county board proceedings; records of births, deaths, and marriages; land deeds, mortgages and tax sale records; assessors' and collectors' tax books; pollbooks and vote registers; naturalization records; probate records, including wills, case files, administrator's and exectors' records guardinaship records, and inventory and apprasiment records; court case files, chancery cases (including divorce), docket books and court proceedings and insanity proceedings files and records; coroners' inquest records and inquest files; miscellanous county records incuding alms house/county home records and jail records.

County holdings in IRAD differ per County, depending on what the respective County sends to IRAD. For instance, you could find marriages for one county but not for another. A computer listing of the holdings for each County is available upon request at no charge. Their is no research fee, but there is a copying fee of a minimum of $1.00 (10 pages), all over 10 are 10 cents each IRAD Research Policy.

Visiting a Depository
Researchers may visit an IRAD depository and examine the records that are available. The seven IRAD depositories are open Monday through Friday. Depositories are closed on Saturdays and Sundays, state holidays, and any weekdays the university libraries are closed. Hours are reduced in June and July. Researchers are urged to call before planning a visit to a depository.

Requesting a Search
IRAD welcomes mail and telephone requests from researchers interested in genealogy and local history. The regional depositories are unable to receive or send requests by e-mail. Please direct inquiries to the depository holding the records you wish to have searched. Click here for Depository Addresses and click here for a Map of the IRAD Regions.

In order for depository staff to conduct a search of the IRAD holdings, researchers should provide the following information:
The full names of the persons they are researching
The approximate year when these persons are expected to appear in the records
The county which created the records
Record titles/types to search

Include any additional information that may assist in locating the person or information requested (such as township or precinct for searches of tax and election records).

Researchers also are asked to limit requests to two (2) names at a time and to wait for a response to one request before submitting another one. Inquiries should be sent directly to the depository holding the records of the county to be searched.

Illinois State Vital Records
Division of Vital Records
605 West Jefferson Street
Springfield, IL 62702-5097
(217) 782-6553 or (800) 547-0466
Fax: 217-523-2648

One can obtain copies of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Divorces at this office. IL Adoption Registry is at this address, also. There are many rules/regulations governing each of these records, so one should click on the link above and research what they are interested in. Check this sites for fees: IL Vital Records Information

Illinois State Library
Jean E. Wilkins, Director
300 South Second Street
Springfield, IL 62701-1796
217-785-5600 / 800-665-5576 (within Illinois only)
TDD: 217-524-1137 (circulation desk)
Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m
(Located across the Street from IL State Capitol Building)

The State Library collects the official publications of state and federal government. It holds microform copies of many State Archives records, which may be used onsite or borrowed on interlibrary loan. Collections of genealogical interest include; manuscript Census reels for Illinois through 1920, 19th and 20th century Illinois county plat books, Illinois county histories, Sanborn atlases, and Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Warrants microfilm. An extensive Map collection is part of their holdings.

Illinois State Historical Library
The Old State Capital which houses the IL State Historical Library is right in the middle of downtown Springfield, between 5th and 6th Sts, Adams and Washington Sts.
Parking is available in the underground public garage beneath the Old State Capitol Plaza. The library houses 170,000 books and pamphlets, 3,000 maps and 1200 periodical series. Major collections relate to individuals, cities and towns, agriculture, industry, religion and transportation. They house many Illinois County Histories as well as books covering many other States. DAR books are available for research here. There are many family genealogies and a variety of materials on the Civil War (both Union and Confederate) , the Northwest Territory, overland journeys, and Midwestern settlement. The earliest maps in the Library collection date from the mid-1700s. Of particular note are pre-statehood maps of the the Great Lakes, Northwest and Louisiana territories, and the US east of the Mississippi River. They house over 5,000 manuscript collections containing letters, business ledgers, diaries, and organizational record, major holdings relate to frontier travel and settlement, agriculture, the Civil War, medical care, women's studies and labor and social history.

The Library's Lincoln Collection is the most complete holding of Abraham Lincoln's pre-presential materials. Newspaper Micofilm and second copies of books may be borrowed on Inter-Library Loan from your local library. Photographs, films, manuscripts and Lincol materials are not loaned.

Re research request, the Library staff will respond to requests for specific information from the collection. Each request from non-Illinois residents must be accompanied by a $5. fee. Photocopies of materials can be provided for a nominal fee.

The Historical Library does not hold census or local records, such as birth and death certificates.

Newspaper Microfilm- The library house newspapers statewide for Illinois and will search for obits. The charges are more for out-of-state researchers. One does need an exact death date, not just a year.
Address is:

Illinois State Historical Library
%Newspaper Microfilm
Old State Capitol Plaza
Springfield, IL 62756

IN-STATE RESEARCHERS

1. Request no more than two searches per letter.

2. Include a non-refundable payment of $1 to cover related copy costs. We donot recommend sending cash, but rather encourage payment by check or moneyorder payable to Illinois State Historical Society.

3. Do not send another request until we have responded to your first one.

4. Give specific information. Obituary requests must provide full name and exact date and place--month, day, and year as well as city and county--of death. Please type or print legibly.

5. If you do not have the specific information needed for a reasonable search by our staff, you may borrow our newspapers on microfilm via interlibrary loan through your local library to do your own research.

6. If our search is unsuccessful, you will be notified of that fact.

7. Each letter of request must include a self-addressed, stamped business-size envelope.

Guidelines for Non-Illinois residents, effective January 1, 1996.

1. Request no more than four searches per letter.

2. Include a non-refundable payment of $10 for each search requested. We donot recommend sending cash, but rather encourage payment by check or moneyorder payable to Illinois State Historical Society.

3. Do not send another letter of request(s) until we have responded to your first one.

4. Give specific information. Obituary requests must provide full name and exact date and place--month, day, and year as well as city and county--of death. Please type or print legibly.

6. If our search is unsuccessful, you will be notified of that fact.

7. Each letter of request must include a self-addressed, stamped business-size envelope.

Library Hours:
8:30 am to 5:00 pm - Monday through Friday
8:30 am to 4:30 pm Saturdays (Reference and Newspaper departments only)
Closed on State holidays, holiday weekends and the last two Saturday in December.

The Family History Center
3601 Buckeye Drive
Springfield, IL 62703
Phone: 217-585-1294
Hours: Tuesdays 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Wednesdays 9:00 - 3:00 pm and 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Saturdays 9:00 - 3:00 pm