Illinois, Macon County, Decatur Public Library Collections - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of images of card indexes from the Decatur Public Library. The records include:
 * Obituary indexes, Decatur Daily Review, 1879-2007
 * World War I deaths, 1917-1918
 * World War I enlistees, 1917-1918
 * World War I Soldiers, 1916-1918

The collection covers Christian, Coles, Douglas, Effingham, Fayette, DeWitt, Logan, Marion, Moultrie, and Montgomery counties.

Newspapers included obituaries from their beginning issues.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Obituaries
 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Cause of death
 * Residence
 * Date and place of burial

World War I Soldiers Cards
 * Names of soldiers and enlistees
 * Death information

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of death
 * The last known residence of your ancestor

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Record
 * 2) Select the Record Type, Volume, and Year Range to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Search for a death certificate
 * Use the information from the obituary index to obtain the actual obituary
 * Search for the family in census records
 * Search for service and pension records if the individual served in the military

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Illinois.
 * Illinois Guided Research
 * Illinois Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.