Springfield Illinois Family History CenterEdit This Page

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This article describes the services and resources available at a Family History Center, a branch facility of the Family History Library.

The Springfield Family History Center serves Sangamon, Logan and Menard Counties.   There is no cost to visit the Family History Center and everyone with an interest in genealogical research is welcome. ===

Center Contacts and Hours

Location & Map:

• Address: 3601 Buckeye Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62712
• Enter the grounds from either drive.  The Center is located in back of the building on the north side.
• Map to the  Springfield Illinois Family History Center

Phone:

• Center: 217-529-7930
• Director: 217-391-6086

E-mail: Mary_Kirgan@sbcglobal.net

Open Hours:

• Tuesday: 6 - 9 pm
• Wednesday: 10 am - 2 pm & 6 - 9 pm,
• Saturday: 10 am - 2 pm *
• The Center will be closed on Saturday during July & August, 2013.

Holiday Schedule:  The Center is closed the Saturday closest to major holidays,  We are also closed the first Saturday in April and October for General Conference. Closings may occur due to severe weather or special events being held in the building.  Emergency closings are announced through the recorded telephone message.

Calendar and Events

Upcoming Events

Class Schedule 

Staff Training Meetings

Center Resources

Collections

Family History Library Catalog: This center has the ability to receive any of the films and fiche available through the Family History Library Catalog.

Extended Loan Microfilm 

• Kentucky Vital Records, including records for African-American and white residents, from 1851 - 1859 for 104 counties.
• Tennessee Court, Newspaper & Vital Records, 50 rolls
• Germany Church Records for 6 Duchys
• Italy Church & Civil Records, 54 rolls

Microfiche collection:

• 100 most frequently used books in the Salt Lake Family History Library
• Family Histories
• Vital Records indexes
• Records from Europe & South America
  

Databases and Software

FHC Portal This center has the Family History Center Portal  which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions including:

• 19th Century British Newspapers
• Alexander Street Press (American Civil War Collections)
• Ancestry.com (Family History Library edition)
• FindMyPast
• Fold3.com, formerly Footnote.com
• Genline FamilyFinder (Swedish)
• Godfrey Memorial Library
• Heritage Quest

Physical Equipment

• Two microfilm readers
• One microfiche reader
• Four computers with internet connection and access to premium websites.
• Printer for use with computers.
• Digital camera for images of microfilm or microfiche records

Center Services

• We encourage visitors to bring their digital cameras for copying images from microfilm or microfiche. If you choose to use the Center's digital camera, you can have the images printed or loaded to your own memory stick or CD.
• Patrons may bring their personal computers for note taking or entering information into personal genealogical programs, although wireless internet access is not currently available.
• Memory sticks can also be used to download information.
• This Center particpates in online film ordering.  You can order films on the FamilySearch Microfilm Ordering Page.  
• Programs can be developed for organizations desiring presentations or classes on using Family Search or the Family History Center.  Please contact the Family History Center Director, Mary Kirgan (217-391-6086) to discuss programming.

Staff Research Specialties

Under development.

Resources in the Local Area

Illinois State Archives
Margaret Cross Norton Building
Capitol Complex
Springfield, IL 62756
Telephone: (217) 782-4682
Fax: (217) 524-3930
Hours:
Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Central Time Zone)
1st Saturday of month 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (except on holiday weekends)

Sangamon Valley Collection
Lincoln Library
326 South Seventh Street
Springfield, IL
217-753-4900
The Sangamon Valley Collection closes at 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Regular library hours are observed all other days.
The Sangamon Valley Collection (SVC) provides in-depth resources for the study of Springfield, Illinois, Sangamon County and the eleven adjacent counties.  Of particular value is an index to obituaries published in Sangamon County newspapers from 1861 to the present.

Illinois State Library
Gwendolyn Brooks Building
300 South 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62701-1796
Phone: (217) 785-5600
Within IL only: (800) 665-5576
TDD: (888) 261-2709
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Closed on official State of Illinois holidays

The Illinois State Library has well over 500 different Illinois county histories and over 300 historical county atlases, with an additional 800 plat books representative of the 102 counties

Lincoln Presidential Library
112 N. Sixth Street, Springfield, IL 62701
Public and Research Hours
Monday -- Friday -- 9:00 AM -- 5:00 PM
Saturday, Sunday – Closed
Appointments are necessary for research in the Manuscripts, Audiovisual, and Lincoln collections. Please make arrangements by telephone or mail.

Manuscripts: (217) 558-8855
Audiovisual: (217) 785-7955
Lincoln: (217) 785-7954
A significant feature of the collection is the large number of Illinois newspapers available on microfilm.  for a  searchable list of their Illinois newspapers  - http://www.illinoishistory.gov/lib/newspaper.htm

Links

Logan County IL Genealogical & Historical Society, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~illcghs/

Morgan Area Genealogy, includes Cass, Green, Macoupin, Menard, Morgan, Sangamon and Scott Counties, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilmaga/index_sangamon.html 

Illinois State Archives On-line Database

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763–1900

Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre–1916

Illinois Statewide Death Index (1916–1950), 

Missouri Digital History Archives http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/deathcertificates

Illinois Digital Archives, http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm

Indiana State Digital Archives, http://www.indianadigitalarchives.org

Texas Genealogy Resources, http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/genfirst.html

Utah Vital Records, http://archives.utah.gov/research/indexes

State Digital Resources list, http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/statememory

BYU Family History Archives, http://lib.byu.edu/fhc/index.php

Volunteer opportunities at the Center

Family History Center Staff

Staff is needed for customer service during the hours the Center is open.  Volunteers should be comfortable with computer use and  enjoy working with people.  A knowledge of basic family history research principles is helpful but training will be provided.  A minimum of 2 shifts per month in the Center is required and more is cheerfully allowed.

Indexing

Family Search is making records available on-line as quickly as possible.  One of the keys to making these records useful is the Indexing program.   Without an index, researchers have to browse through the images, sometimes one at a time, to find a specific record.  Indexing can be done at home and is an excellent activity for Family History Center Staff when the Center is not busy.  To find out more about indexing and take a test drive go to http://www.familysearch.org/volunteer/indexing.

• This page was last modified on 15 April 2013, at 23:51.
• This page has been accessed 1,272 times.