Illinois Archives and Libraries

United States Illinois  Archives and Libraries

Archives, libraries, societies, private enterprise, groups and individuals are posting records online at lightning speed. Still, vast collections of invaluable offline records are available for research through these facilities.

Most have online catalogs or published record-finding aids, such as guides to their own collections or inventories of records housed elsewhere. Archives and libraries located near state boundaries usually collect records relating to the adjacent states.

Many archives and libraries have resources such as maps, gazetteers, and other place-finding aids to help you locate information about Illinois. They may have collections of previous research, such as family and local histories and biographies. Many have record-finding aids such as guides to their own collections or inventories of records housed elsewhere in the state.

These repositories preserve sources, maintain indexes, and provide services to help genealogists document their ancestors who lived in Illinois.

National
Allen County Public Library 900 Library Plaza Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Telephone: 260-421-1225 E-mail: [mailto:genealogy@acpl.info genealogy@acpl.info] Internet: Genealogy Center ACPL


 * This is the second-largest genealogy collection in the United States and the largest genealogy collection in a public library. Its holdings include more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items on microfilm and microfiche. It has a premier genealogical periodical collection, local histories, genealogies, databases, military, censuses, directories, passenger lists, ethnic sources, and Canadians. They have a great Illinois collection.

National Archives at Chicago 7358 S. Pulaski Rd. Chicago, IL 60629-5898 Phone: 773-948-9001 Fax: 773-948-9050 E-mail: [mailto:chicago.archives@nara.gov chicago.archives@nara.gov] Internet: National Archives at Chicago


 * Includes federal censuses 1790–1930; selected military service indexes, pension indexes, passenger lists, and naturalizations. Free computers for Ancestry, Heritage Quest, or Fold3. Federal agency, civil, and criminal court records of Illinois and surrounding states.

Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center Denkman Memorial Library Augustana College 639 38th Street Rock Island, IL 61201-2296 Telephone: 309-794-7204 Fax: 309-794-7443 E-Mail: [mailto:sag@augustana.edu sag@augustana.edu] Internet: Swenson Center Library


 * Nearly 20,000 volumes about the Swedish-American immigrant experience in North America, Swedish genealogy, and Swedish local history.

Statewide
Illinois State Archives Margret Cross Norton Building Springfield, IL 62756 Phone: (217) 782-4682 Fax: (217) 524-3930 Internet: Illinois State Archives

Since the Illinois State Archives responds only by mail to inquiries, all fax, telephone, and e-mail inquiries must also contain a mailing address.
 * The Illinois State Archives preserves county and state records, including pre-Chicago fire documents. They have indexed vital records, early land grants, military records such as muster rolls and Civil War registers. All federal and state censuses are available. Their surname card index covers much of the collection. A helpful guide to the holdings of the Illinois State Archives is:


 * Descriptive Inventory of the Archives of the State of Illinois This source is also available on compact disc from the state archives. Internet Archiveshas a free copy avialable online.

Illinois State Library Gwendolyn Brooks Building 300 South Second Street Springfield, IL 62701 Phone: (217) 785-5600 Internet: Illinois State Library


 * The Illinois State Library collects official publications of the state and federal governments. This includes federal censuses to 1920, plat books, Illinois county histories, Sanborn fire insurance maps, and Revolutionary War pensions and bounty land warrants.

Illinois State Genealogical Society P.O. Box 10195 Springfield, IL 62791-0195 Phone: (217) 789-1968 E-mail: [mailto:info@ilgensoc.org info@ilgensoc.org] Internet: Illinois State Genealogical Society


 * The ISGS can provide research guidance about Illinois resources and repositories, teach through webinars and the ISGS blog for free, and look-up death certificates 1916-1947 for a fee. They do not handle research requests.

Illinois State Historical Society P.O. Box 1800 Springfield, IL 62705-1800 Phone: (217) 525-2781 Fax: (217) 525-2783 Internet: Illinois State Historical Society


 * The State Historical Society was formed to support the Historical Library (now the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum). The Society is independent of the Library and State, but continue to promote research, writing, and study of Illinois history.
 * See Collections of the Illinois State Histoircal Society.

Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) 100 Trade Centre Drive, Suite 303 Champaign, IL 61820-7233 Phone: (217) 244-7593 or (866) 904-5843 Internet: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI)


 * CARLI's Digital Collection links to 96 independent collections that are freely viewable by the general public–from an 1829 Alumni Catalog for Illinois College to 1837 snapshots of Chicago streets and everything in between.

IRAD System
Many Illinois local government records are housed in the I llinois R egional A rchives D epositories system. By following the links below you can find which county records are held at each depository. In addition, the depository sites can help you discover other possible sources for records and information not available from IRAD.

You may visit an IRAD depository to research available records. Because many of the depositories are associated with universities and observe university holidays, be sure to call before planning a visit.

IRAD welcomes mail and telephone requests for research help. No e-mail requests are available at this time. There is no charge for research help, except for photocopy costs. You will be informed if your copies exceed $5. Otherwise you will be billed for your copy requests. IRAD requests that you limit your request to 2 names at a time and that you wait for that response before submitting addtional requests. Send your request directly to the IRAD regional depository holding the county records of interest. You may send requests to up to 5 different depositories at a time.

IRAD Guides
Regional Map of IRAD Depositories Click on the approprate region, then click on the county of interest for contact information, county formation, and other information about the county. To search which county records are available in IRAD, from any IRAD page click on Local Governmental Records Holdings Database or link to it directly from here. Once on this page, by only entering the county name in the search box, you can see all IRAD holdings for any individual county.

See A Summary Guide to Local Governmental Records in the Illinois Regional Archives, available from the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System.

For more information about IRAD and the regional depositories see Illinois Regional Archives Depositories.

IRAD Locations
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) Archives Building Springfield, IL 62756 Phone: (217) 785-1266 Internet: Illinois Regional Archives Depository System (IRAD)

IRAD - Eastern Illinois University (EIU) Booth Library 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston, IL 61920 Phone: (217) 581-6093 Internet: Eastern Illinois University Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.


 * EIU Region: Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Moultrie, Richland, Shelby, Wabash, Wayne

IRAD - Illinois State University (ISU) 2016 Warehouse Road Campus Box 1520 Normal, IL 61790-1520 Phone: (309) 452-6027 Internet: Illinois State University Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.


 * ISU Region: Champaign, DeWitt, Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston, Logan, Marshall, McLean, Piatt, Tazewell, Vermillion, Woodford

IRAD - Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) Ronald Williams Library 5500 N. St. Louis Avenue Chicago, IL 60625-4699 Phone: (773) 442-4506 Internet: Northeastern Illinois University Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.


 * NEIU Region: Cook and City of Chicago

IRAD - Southern Illinois University (SIU) c/o Special Collections Morris Library – 6632 Carbondale, IL 62901-6632 Phone: (618) 453-3040 Internet: Southern Illinois University Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.


 * SIU Region: Alexander, Clinton, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Clair, Saline, Union, Washington, White, Williamson

IRAD - Northern Illinois University (NIU) c/o Regional History Center Founders Memorial Library, Room 400 DeKalb, IL 60115 Phone: (815) 753-1807 Internet: Northern Illinois University Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.


 * NIU Region: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, DuPage, JoDaviess, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago

IRAD - University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) LIB 144 One University Plaza, MS BRK 140 Springfield IL 62703-5407 Phone: (217) 206-6520 Internet: University of Illinois at Springfield Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.


 * UIS Region: Bond, Cass, Christian, Fayette, Greene, Jersey, Macon, Macoupin, Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Sangamon, Scott

IRAD - Western Illinois University (WIU) University Library 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455 Phone: (309) 298-2716 Internet: Western Illinois University Hours: Monday – Friday, except state holidays 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.


 * WIU Region: Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Pike, Rock Island, Schuyler, Stark, Warren

Regional
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum 112 N. Sixth Street Springfield, IL 62701 Phone: (800) 610-2094 or (217) 782-5764 Internet: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum


 * Holdings include: family genealogies; oral histories; county histories; cemetery inscriptions; atlases and plat books; indexes and transcriptions of census, vital records, and naturalization records for many counties. Records of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Civil War Union veteran's society, are also included. The online collection has a statewide obituary search for newspapers held at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.

Arlington Heights Memorial Library 500 N Dunton Ave Arlington Heights, IL 60004-5910 Phone: (847) 392-0100 Fax: (847) 506-2650 Internet: Genealogy and Local History


 * The local history and genealogy collection here is huge. They have printed genealogies, manuscripts, periodicals, newspapers, special aids, surname folders and a great overall genealogy collection.

Chicago History Museum 1601 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60614 Phone: (312) 642-4600 Fax: (312) 266-2077 Internet: Chicago History Museum


 * Formerly known as the Chicago Historical Society, their archives hold more than 20 million manuscripts such as letters, account books, certificates, diaries, genealogical charts, journals, licenses, log books, membership lists, memoirs, minutes, muster rolls, research notes, scrapbooks, sermons, speeches, subscription lists, and telegrams. They are strong in U.S. history through the American Civil War, especially in early Chicago history and social conditions.

Chicago Title and Trust 171 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60601 USA Phone: (312) 223-2000 Fax: (312) 223-2942 Internet: Chicago Title and Trust Company


 * For a fee they will search property records prior to the Chicago fire.

John A. Logan College Library 700 Logan College Road Carterville, Illinois 62918 USA Phone: (618) 985-3741 E-mail: E-mail a question form Internet: John A. Logan College Library


 * This library is a focal point of Southern Illinois genealogy. Their collection is huge.

Lincoln Library 326 S 7th Street Springfield, Illinois 62701 USA Phone: (217) 753-4900 x234 Fax: (217) 753-4905 Internet: Lincoln Library: the Public Library of Springfield, Illinois


 * They have indexed obituaries from the Illinois State Journal from 1861-1934 and 1959 to now. All Springfield city directories are here. The Sangamon Valley Collection has resources (photos, directories, yearbooks, histories, maps) for studying Sangamon and nearby counties.

Newberry Library 60 West Waltron Street Chicago, IL 60610 Telephone: 312-255-3512 Email: [mailto:genealogy@newberry.org reference@newberry.org.] Internet: Newberry Library


 * A large Chicago repository with genealogies, local histories, censuses, military, land, indexes, vital records, court, and tax records many from Illinois, the Mississippi Valley, eastern seaboard, Canada, and the British Isles. They have over 17,000 printed genealogies. The collection is noteworthy for its colonial America, especially New England holdings. They have church, town, and county histories from all parts of the United States, Canada, and the British Isles. This includes a comprehensive set of New England town histories, and strong collection of county histories from the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states. Their Civil War unit histories collection is one of the best. This library has research guides on various subjects related to genealogy and library holdings cataloged from 1978. See


 * Genealogy Collection Guides and Research Tools for more information about the collections.  
 * A surname index to genealogical periodicals and local history books in the Newberry Library was completed in 1915 and published as The Genealogical Index of the Newberry Library Since this index is old, be sure to use the online guide sheet to this collection before using the source.

Peoria Public Library 107 NE Monroe St. Peoria, IL 61602-1070 Phone: (309) 672-8835 E-mail: Ask a librarian. Internet: Local History and Genealogy Collection


 * They enjoy a large genealogy and local history department, including many indexes, DAR files, and basic genealogy resources for the plains states.

Pritzker Military Museum and Library 104 S. Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60603 Telephone: (312) 374-9333 Fax:(312) 374-9314 E-mail: [mailto:librarian@pritzkermilitary.org Ask a reference question] Internet: Pritzker Military Museum and Library


 * The research library has 45,000 books on military history including numerous unit histories, photos, uniforms, equipment, insignia, and ships for many of the world's militaries. They help genealogists.

South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society 3000 W. 170th Place Hazel Crest, Illinois 60429-1175 USA Phone: (708) 335-3340 E-mail: [mailto:research@ssghs.org research@ssghs.org] Internet: South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society


 * This is a very good genealogical collection with local histories, genealogies, naturalization records, Pullman Car Works personnel records, obituary files, and church histories.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Lovejoy Library 30 Hairpin Drive Edwardsville, IL 62026 USA Phone: (618) 650-4636 Internet: Library and Information Services


 * This is the best library in southern Illinois. They have a large genealogical collection including newspapers, biographies, county histories, family folders, and maps.

University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637-1502 Phone: (773) 702-4085 E-mail: Ask a librarian form Internet: The University of Chicago Library


 * This library has plentiful historical records. Noteworthy is the Durrett Collection  of historical Kentucky and Ohio River Valley manuscripts. The size and content of this collection is comparable to the Draper Manuscript Collection. It includes the earliest people in the Ohio Valley.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Main Library 1408 W. Gregory Dr Urbana, IL 61801 Phone: (217) 333-2290 E-mail: Ask a librarian e-mail form Internet: University Library


 * One of the best book collections in America, including county histories, and farmers registers. Think of it as another archives for Illinois.

Urbana Free Library 210 West Green Street Urbana, Illinois 61801 Phone: (217) 367-4057 Fax: (217) 367-4061 E-mail: [mailto:reference@tufl.info reference@tufl.info] Internet: The Urbana Free Library


 * Their strength is Champaign County history, but they have good basic genealogy for the entire United States including printed genealogies, manuscripts, family folders, and microfilms.

Family History Centers
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of FamilySearch and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. There are many centers located in Illinois. Their goal is to provide resources to assist you in the research and study of your genealogy and family history by:


 * Giving personal one-on-one assistance to guests
 * Providing access to genealogical records through the Internet or microfilm loan program
 * Offering free how-to classes (varies by location).

To find the nearest Family History Center:


 * Click on Find a Family History Center. Type your city and state in the search box, then tap [Enter]. A map showing nearby centers will appear. Click a FamilySearch Center icon on the map to view its address, phone, and hours.

Directory
Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of many Illinois archives, libraries, and genealogical and historical societies are listed in:


 * Lowell M. Volkel, ed. Illinois Libraries with Genealogical Collections (Springfield, IL: Illinois State Genealogical Society, 1992). ;.