Illinois Archives and Libraries

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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.

Directories

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

Directory of Illinois Museums Including Historical, Cultural, and Scientific Agencies. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Association of Museums and Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1996. This source is not available at the Family History Library, but most libraries in Illinois have a copy. An earlier source is:

• A Guide to the Cultural Resources in Illinois

The following archives, libraries, and societies have collections or services helpful for genealogical research:

National Archives Great Lakes Region (Chicago)

7358 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629
Telephone: 773-581-7816
Internet: http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/

State Archives, Libraries, and Societies

Illinois State Archives
Margret Cross Norton Building
Springfield, IL 62756
Telephone: 217-782-4682
Fax: 217-524-3930
Internet:  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.

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.

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

Illinois State Historical Library
Old State Capitol
112 North Sixth Street
Springfield, IL 62701-1507
Telephone: 217-558-8844
Fax: 217-785-6250
Internet: www.state.il.us/hpa/lib

Illinois State Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 10195
Springfield, IL 62791
Telephone: 217-789-1968
Internet: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilsgs/

Other genealogical societies are listed in the Directory of Illinois Museums and the Reithmaier book, both cited at the beginning of this section.

Illinois State Historical Society
Old State Capitol
Springfield, IL 62701
Telephone: 217-524-6258
Internet: www.prairienet.org/ishs

Illinois

Illinois Regional Archives Depository System

Illinois Regional Archives Depository System (IRAD)
Archives Building
Springfield, IL 62756
Telephone: 217-785-1266
Internet: https://www.ilsos.net/departments/archives/irad/iradaddr.html

From the above site you can link to any county for information on that county and the government databases available, including the county courthouse address and phone numbers and other counties which each county used to be part of.

IRAD—Booth Library
Illinois State University
600 Lincoln Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920
Telephone: 217-581-6093

IRAD—Williams Hall
Illinois State University
Campus Box 5500
Normal, IL 61790-5500
Telephone: 309-452-6027

IRAD—Regional History Center
Swen Parson Hall
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Telephone: 815-753-1779

IRAD—LIB-144
University of Illinois at Springfield
Post Office Box 19243
Springfield, IL 62794-9243
Telephone: 217-206-6520

IRAD c/o Special Collections
Morris Library—6632
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL 62901-6632
Telephone: 618-453-3040

IRAD—Ronald Williams Library
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 N. St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625-4699
Telephone: 773-794-6279

IRAD—University Library
Western Illinois University
1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455-1390
Telephone: 309-298-2716

A useful guide to records in IRAD depositories is:

• A Summary Guide to Local Governmental Records in the Illinois Regional Archives

Newberry Library

For further details see the Newberry Library Wiki page.

Newberry Library

60 West Walton Street

Chicago, IL 60610

Telephone: 312-943-9090

Telephone to reference desk: 312-255-3512

Internet: Newberry Library

This library has research guides on various subjects related to genealogy and library holdings cataloged from 1978.

Major collections at the Newberry Library are described in:

• Guide to Local and Family History at the Newberry Library

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

Family History Library

To learn more about the history and record-keeping systems of Illinois counties, use the 33 inventories of the county archives published around 1940 by the Historical Records Survey. The Family History Library has copies of most of these. These inventories can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

ILLINOIS, [COUNTY]- ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES-

ILLINOIS, INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS

Web Sites

You can find computerized research tips and information about ancestors from Illinois in a variety of sources at local, state, national, and international levels. Much of the information is available at little or no cost. Addresses on the Internet change frequently. The following sites are important gateways to additional sites:

FamilySearch™ Internet Genealogy Service. [Salt Lake City, Utah]: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 22 March 1999 [cited 7 October 1999]. Available at FamilySearch.org. At this site you can access the Family History Library Catalog, Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, Source Guide, lists of Family History Centers, web sites related to family history, and lists of researchers interested in similar genealogical topics. You can also learn about and order Family History Library publications.

Howells, Cyndi. "U.S.- Illinois- IL." In Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet. Puyallup, Washington: Cyndi Howells, 6 October 1999 [cited 7 October 1999]. Available at Cyndislist.com. This list has more links to other Illinois genealogical sites and describes more resources than any other site on the Internet.

"Illinois USGenWeb." In The USGenWeb Project [Internet site]. N.p., 1999 [cited 7 October 1999]. Available at rootsweb.com. This is a cooperative effort by many volunteers to list genealogical databases, libraries, bulletin boards, and other resources available on the Internet, for each county, state, and country.

"United States Resources: Illinois." In RootsWeb. N.p., 28 August 1999 [cited 7 October 1999]. Available at rootsweb.com. This list of sites and resources includes a large, regularly updated research coordination list.

"IL GenExchange." In Genealogical Exchange & Surname Registry. This site brings searchable data to genealogists including databases (church, cemetery, census, land, immigration, naturalization, and vital records), directories, historical accounts, mailing lists, queries, local surname researchers, and look-up volunteers.

Some Family History Centers have computers with FamilySearch™. These computers do not have access to online services, networks, or bulletin boards. You can use these services at many public libraries, college libraries, and private locations.

International Genealogical Index (FamilySearch) - free