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Illinois Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Familysearch™
Familysearch At Family History Centers
Familysearch™ Internet Genealogy Service
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
National Archives
State Archives, Libraries, And Societies
Illinois Regional Archives Depository System
Another Important Library
Computer Networks And Bulletin Boards
Bible Records
Biography
Major Biographical Collections
Biographical Encyclopedias
Cemeteries
Locating Cemeteries
Internet Tombstone Transcripts And Index
Print And Microfilm Abstracts
Census
Federal Censuses
Mortality Schedules
Territorial And State Censuses
Census Substitutes
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
City Directories
Business Directories
Locating Directories
Divorce Records
Emigration And Immigration
Immigration And Migration
Records
Histories
Funeral Homes
Gazetteers
Genealogy
Nationwide Indexes
Statewide Indexes And Family Group Collections
Pioneers Certificate Applications
Centennial Farms
History
State Histories
Federal Papers Regarding Illinois
The Draper Manuscript Collection
Kaskaskia And Cahokia Records
Local History Bibliographies
County And Local Histories
Land And Property
Early Settlers
Government Land Transfers
Individual Land Transfers
Maps
Statewide Atlases
County Atlases
City Maps
Military Records
Records Covering More Than One War
Revolutionary War (1775 –1783)
War Of 1812 (1812–1815)
Civil War (1861–1865)
Spanish-american War (1898–1899)
World War I (1917–1918)
Additional Military Records
Minorities
Native Races
Naturalization And Citizenship
Guide Book
Card Index, 1840–1950
Availability
Newspapers
Inventory On The Internet
Published Inventories
Birth, Marriage, And Death Notices In Newspapers
Availability
Obituaries
Occupations
Periodicals
Probate Records
Public Records
Societies
Taxation
Vital Records
Birth And Death Records
County Records Of Births And Deaths
State Records Of Births And Deaths
Marriages
Chicago And Cook County
Guide To Vital Records
Voting Registers
Other Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
OBITUARIES Obituaries have been published in Illinois since the mid-nineteenth century. Obituaries may provide information such as the age of the deceased, birth date and place, names of living relatives and their residences, maiden name, occupation, death date, cause of death, and place of burial. Deceased family members are frequently mentioned. Obituaries may also mention previous places of residence, immigration information, religion, and any social organizations or activities in which the deceased was involved.
The “Obituaries” and “Newspapers” sections of the United States Research Outline (30972) list sources for finding obituaries and the newspapers that published them.
For Illinois, some obituaries have been published and indexed in genealogical periodicals that are available in the Family History Library. These are referenced in the “Places” section of the Periodical Source Index (PERSI)
Obituary files may also be kept in local public libraries and by newspaper publishers.
Obituaries and indexes from a few individual newspapers can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Locality Search under:
ILLINOIS- OBITUARIESILLINOIS, [COUNTY]- OBITUARIESILLINOIS, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- OBITUARIES
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OCCUPATIONS
Large companies sometimes preserved records about their employees. These records usually contain hiring and termination details and may include biographical data about the employees and possibly their families. If a company where your ancestor worked is still in business, it may allow limited access to its historical employee records.
Few employee records have been made public. Examples that are available for Illinois include:
Pullman Car Works (Pullman, Illinois). Employee Records, ca. 1900–1949. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993–94. (On 68 FHL films beginning with 1908114; computer number 740366.) (Not available at Family History Centers.) These records include employment index cards, which contain hiring and termination dates, and service forms, which contain dates and places of birth as well as information on previous employment, for about 200,000 employees who worked in the Pullman car plant.
Biographical sketches of lawyers in Illinois about 1916 can be found in Crossley’s Courts and Lawyers, cited in the “Court Records” section of this outline.
The Illinois State Archives and IRAD depositories have registers of physicians, accoucheurs, midwives, veterinarians, dentists, optometrists, nurses, surgeons, and other professions. They also have the Chicago Civil Service Commission records of policemen, firemen, and tradesmen.
Farming is one of the major occupations in Illinois. Farmers directories were published occasionally. Local farmers associations may have kept membership records with biographical information. Many farms that have been owned by the same family for 100 years or longer are mentioned in The History of Centennial Farms, cited in the “Genealogy” section of this outline.
For state employees from 1921 to 1924 and later, see the Blue Book of the State of Illinois cited in the “History” section of this outline.
Occupation records can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Locality Search under:
ILLINOIS- OCCUPATIONSILLINOIS, [COUNTY]- OCCUPATIONSILLINOIS, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- OCCUPATIONS
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PERIODICALS
Most family history periodicals publish transcriptions of local sources used in genealogical research. Information published in periodicals may include family histories, genealogies, historical background, maps, information about local records and archives, queries, census indexes, transcripts of family Bibles, church records, court records, cemetery records, land records, military records, obituaries, and wills. Often published by genealogical or historical societies, they typically focus on the records of a particular county, while a few may specialize in records of a particular ethnic group or religion. Among the periodicals at the Family History Library are:
Branching Out From St. Clair County. 1973–. Published by the Marissa Historical and Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 47, Marissa, IL 62257-0047. (FHL book 977.389 D25b; fiche 6101495–13 [vols. 1–19 no. 3]; film 1927530, items20–35—1927532, items1–17 [vols. 1–17 no. 1]; computer number 105896.) This periodical focuses on St. Clair County, which was created in 1790, the first county formed in the Northwest Territory.
Chicago Genealogist. 1968–. Published by the Chicago Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1160, Chicago, IL 60690. (FHL book 977.311 D25ch; films 1927805–8 [vols. 1–22 no.2]; computer number 223567.) This contains member and ancestor lists and abstracts of cemetery, Bible, census, court, and other records of the Chicago area.
The Circuit Rider. 1973–. Published by the Sangamon County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1829, Springfield, IL 62705. (FHL book 977.356 B2c; films 1976338–40 [vols. 5 no.5–vol.21]; computer number 223736.) This covers Springfield and Sangamon County.
The Illiana Genealogist: Quarterly Publication of the Illiana Genealogical and Historical Society. 1965–. P.O. Box 207, Danville, IL 61834. (FHL book 977.3 B2iL; computer number 230995.) This includes transcriptions of records for the border area of Illinois and Indiana. There is a surname index for each volume.
Illinois Historical Journal. Published by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency for the Illinois State Historical Society. (FHL book 977.3 B2i; computer numbers 55004 and 224322.) (See the “Archives and Libraries” section of this outline for the address.) Previously known as the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, each issue contains articles and reviews pertaining to Illinois history. There are cumulative indexes for volumes 1–25, 26–50, and 51–60.
Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly. 1969–. Published by the Illinois State Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 10195, Springfield, IL 62791-0195. (FHL book 977.3 B2is; films 1954961–4 [vols. 7–25, index to vols. 1–25]; computer number 208820.) Covering the entire state, this provides articles about Illinois records and how to use them, as well as abstracts of records.
Prairie Roots. 1973–. Published by the Peoria Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1489, Peoria, IL 61655. (FHL book 977. 352/Pl B2p; computer number 55947.) This periodical focuses on Peoria County.
St. Clair County Genealogical Society Quarterly. 1978–. Published by the St. Clair County Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 431, Belleville, IL 62222-0431. (FHL book 977.389 D25s; films 1976344, items 3–10 [vols. 1–9 no.2]; 1976345, items 1–11 [vols. 9 no.3–12 no.1]; computer number 163025.) This periodical focuses on historical St. Clair County. Volume 20, number 4 is devoted entirely to county research and resources. A 10-year index is:
Schmidt, Martha Mae, comp. Surname Index, 1978–1987, St. Clair County Genealogical Society Quarterlies. Belleville, Ill.: The Society, 19–?. (FHL book 977.389 D25s index; computer number 580597.)
Where the Trails Cross. 1970–. Published by the South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society, P.O. Box 96, South Holland, IL 60473. (FHL book 977.31 B2w; films 1907605 [vols. 1–14], 1907634 [vols. 15–23]; computer number 208839.) This contains lists of World War I and II soldiers and abstracts of records from south Cook and north Will counties.
Indexes. Some of the periodicals listed above have annual indexes in the final issue for the year. For nationwide indexes to other family history periodicals, see the “Periodicals” section of the United States Research Outline (30972.)
The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) book and microfiche indexes are especially useful since they refer to countless items published in thousands of English and French-Canadian family history periodicals. The compact disc version, which merges all 29 PERSI volumes published through 1997 into one search, is:
Periodical Source Index (PERSI). Ft. Wayne, Ind.: Allen County Public Library Foundation, 1987–. (FHL book 973 D25per; fiche 6016863 [set of 40](1847 to 1985); fiche 6016864 [set of 15](1986 to 1990); computer number 658308; compact disc no.61; computer number 808087.) For further details, see the Periodical Source Index Resource Guide (34119). PERSI is also available on the Internet for a subscription fee at www.Ancestry.com.
For more family history periodicals, study the Family History Library Catalog by using a Locality Search under:
ILLINOIS- PERIODICALSILLINOIS- GENEALOGY - PERIODICALSILLINOIS- SOCIETIES - PERIODICALSILLINOIS, [COUNTY]- PERIODICALSILLINOIS, [COUNTY]- GENEALOGY- PERIODICALSILLINOIS, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- PERIODICALS
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