Springfield Illinois FamilySearch Center

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

The Springfield Family History Center is located in the Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It serves Sangamon, Logan and Menard Counties. There are numerous Family History Centers within central Illinois so it is best to check for the location nearest you. The hours, services and collections of the Centers do vary. You are welcome to attend any Center whose services best meet your needs.

Center Contacts and Hours

Location & Map:

3102 Buckeye Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62712
Enter the grounds from either drive. The Center is located in back of the building on the West side.
(Link to map using Google or other map sites)

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

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

Holiday Schedule: The Center is closed the Saturday closest to major holidays, the first Saturday in April and the first Saturday in October. Rare closings occur due to severe weather or special events being held in the building. These will be announced in the phone message so it is wise to call ahead to check for non-routine closings.

Calendar and Events

Upcoming Events

A Family History film featuring family historians in the Springfield Stake area, including Litchfield, Jacksonville, Pittsfield and Decatur, will Premiere on September 11. It will be shown at 6 pm in the Ward Chapel. The public is invited to attend this exciting opening.

Class Schedule

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.

Center Resources

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 afro-American and white residents, from 1851 - 1859 for most counties.

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

Ancestry
Footnote
Heritage Quest
19th Century British Newspapers

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

Although we do not have a printer for microfilm or microfiche, we encourage visitors to bring their digital cameras for copying images. 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.

Staff Research Specialties

(Include sections for any other services your center provides. Add additional sections for those services. See the Mesa and Logan FHC pages for examples.)

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.

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 counties 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
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 colelction for genealogists is the large number of Illinois newspapers available on microfilm.

Links

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/databases

Missouri Digital History Archives http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/deathcertificates
Utah Vital Records, http://archives.utah.gov/research/index

Volunteer at the Center

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