Springfield Illinois Family History Center

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 &amp; Map:


 * 1) 3601 Buckeye Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62712
 * 2) Enter the grounds from either drive. The Center is located in back of the building on the north side.
 * 3) Map to the Springfield Illinois Family History Center 

Phone: Center:  217-529-7930  Director:  217-525-9910

E-mail: [mailto:Mary_Kirgan@sbcglobal.net Mary_Kirgan@sbcglobal.net]

Open Hours: Tuesday 6 - 9 pm, Wednesday 10 am - 2 pm &amp; 6 - 9 pm, Saturday 10 am - 2 pm

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

Upcoming Events
September 7 -10  - The Federation of Genealogical Societies "Pathways to the Heartland" Conference will be held in the Prairie Capital Convention Center. Registration can be completed on-line and at the door for the entire Conference or individual days. A large vendors exhibit hall, featuring the latest in software. books and other items, will open at 10 am on Thursday and remain open through out the Conference. The exhibit hall is free and open to the public.

Sept. 8, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. - FamilySearch Volunteer Reception Join us for an open house at the FamilySearch exhibit hall booth to celebrate the contributions of our FamilySearch community volunteers. Come listen to volunteers share their experiences and get a chance to earn prizes and learn more about how you can become part of the FamilySearch volunteer community. Light refreshments will be served.

September 10 - FamilySearch Kids Camp All 10-14 year-old youth are invited to attend the free FamilySearch Kids Camp at the Hilton Hotel in Springfield, Illinois from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration is required. To register, email kidscamp@fgs.org with children’s names and contact information. If you have any questions about this activity, please contact Sister Rochelle Mooth (rmooth1@hotmail.com).

September 11 - Premiere of a Family History film featuring family historians in the Springfield Stake area, The film will be shown at 6 pm in the Ward Chapel. The public is invited to attend this exciting opening.

Class Schedule
To be announced

Staff Training Meetings
September 6 from 6 - 9 pm, Special training meeting for all staff. Steve Brey, an executive with Family Search, will be visting from Salt Lake City.

Collections
Family History Library Catalog: This center has the ability to order 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, Newpaper &amp; Vital Records, 50 rolls
 * Germany Church Records for 6 Duchys
 * Italy Church &amp; 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 &amp; 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
 * 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 (charge per sheet of fifteen cents).
 * 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 for a slight charge or have the images 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.
 * Beginning September 21, 2011 on-line film ordering will begin for this Center. Patrons will be able to order microfilm or microfiche from their home computer or at any location with internet connection.  Payment will be made online and the film delivered to the Family History Center of your choice.

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 &amp; 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), http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/archives.html

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

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

Basic Computer Literacy Tutor
With the rapid increase in research data becoming available on-line, long-time family history researchers are facing the need to learn new skills. A patient and understanding tutor is needed to help small groups or individuals learn basic computer skills. Contact the Director by telephone or email if you are interested in teaching or helping to develop training in this topic.