The Iroquois County Genealogical Society Archives are located in the Iroquois County Museum, 103 West Cherry Street in Watseka, Illinois. This building is the old Iroquois County Courthouse, built in 1866 and in use as the county courthouse until 1965. --- This site will explain and highlight this huge collection of genealogy resources. --- Best of all, with these resources, we have very helpful and knowledgeable staff and volunteers who are here to assist in your family history journey!
You would have heard about a German horseman whose barn still stands today, a generous family donating land for a church in Schwer, a young girl whose spirit possessed a child, a philanthropist who left money to improve education of local boys, and an educational and community leader who spent his later years helping children and adults become productive community members.
The second annual Iroquois County Genealogical Society Cemetery Walk took place on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. There were five volunteers portraying notable people whose final resting place was Oak Hill Cemetery on Cemetery Road in Watseka, Illiniois. The weather could not have been better, a beautiful, sunny day in the Midwest.
Portraying Gebhard Oltmann; Mina Tucker-wife of William; lady possessed by Mary Roff; Ada Welles, wife of Legrand Welles; and Mae Roberts, wife of R.P. Roberts
This was the first time I had done anything like this. First I had a tough time choosing a person. There were several resources in the ICGS archives that I turned to.
Township files - newspaper articles about people, places and activities in the county
Obituaries - over 71,000 obituaries of people or relatives who were born, lived or died in Iroquois County
Cemetery Inventory booklet - Oak Hill cemetery has been inventoried, as well as all other Iroquois County cemeteries
Iroquois County WW I register - list of all veterans, entry and discharge dates
With the centennial of World War I coming up, it was suggested that I could choose the bride of a war veteran. Since I have spent over 35 years in education, I thought about choosing an educator.
It was actually my mother who suggested R.P. Roberts. Robert Paul Roberts, usually called Paul, came from a family of medical doctors. His grandfather, father and two younger brothers were doctors, but Paul chose a career in education. After retiring from the job of Iroquois County Superintendent in 1959, he worked at improving conditions for children and adults with special needs. He served on several committees to improve the school and workshop we now call The Arc and helped to find financing for The Friendship House, a home for adults with special needs. He was honored when the name was changed to The R.P. Roberts Friendship Home.
With a little online research and the ICGS archives, I was able to find all these details of his life and community.
It was a wonderful experience for me, and I believe those who attended had an enjoyable day. Next year we want to improve, so we started brainstorming a list of ideas.
publicize the names of those being portrayed
invite other "actors"
invite visitors through schools, churches, senior centers
do more specific publicity - this year we posted it on our Facebook page, on the local cable public service channel, in the local newspaper, on posters in areas of Watseka
Last year our Cemetery Walk was at Body Cemetery, Woodland, Illinois. We portrayed Eliza Meyers Rush, wife of Samuel Rush; Catherine Body Williams; soldier Samuel Wesley Warren; and Serena Body, wife of Isaac Body.
We are already working on ideas for our 2015 Cemetery Walk. Any ideas?
We had a great time talking with visitors to our booth at the Iroquois County Fair, July 16-21, 2014.
Raffled off full set of U.S. Census books for Iroquois County for the years 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900 and the 1890 Tax List
Entertained children with our "Prize Every Time - Pick a Duck" game
Gave out our genuine, handmade "I'm a Genealogy Fan" fans, even though temps were chilly
Sold many books and booklets, such as Aerial Farm Photos of Iroquois County 1955 and Beckwith's 1880 History of Iroquois County. These are available from our web site.
Who could ask for more? ICGS and ICHS in one booth.
Join us at the Iroquois County 4-H & Agricultural Fair, July 16 - 21, 2014!
Oh, how I remember the county fair. It was that week every kid looked forward to. Well, it's that time again!
Before I go further, I want to wish ALL the exhibitors, young and old, the best of luck! It's great to win, but it's great to have fun and learn, too. The county fairs do that for everyone involved, even us!
Stop by our booth in the Commercial Building to see us, and get an ICGS magnet or a "genealogy fan" to keep you cool. (And those are genuine, hand-made fans!) You will find information on the ICGS and popular books to purchase.
For the youngsters who stop by our booth, we will again have our "Pick a Duck - Win a Prize" event. Every duck is a winner, and even the adults liked our warbling water birds last year! Ashley has worked and worked to make sure it all runs smoothly. I had a blast helping sort the prizes, too.
Every duck wins a prize!
A new opportunity this year - for the genealogists (family historians) interested in Iroquois County residents from 1830-1900, we will be selling chances for a complete set of U.S. Census books for Iroquois County for the years 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900 and the 1890 Tax List. This set is available for purchase from ICGS and valued at nearly $70.00. The tickets are $1.00 or 6 for $5.00. You do not need to be present to win.
Take a chance to win this census collection!
You can find a list of all of our publications at the ICGS web site on this link. We will have the popular book, Aerial Farm Photos of Iroquois County 1955, Informative, Historical, Pictorial, Review of Iroquois County, as well as 1880 History of Iroquois County (Beckwith). We have Iroquois County marriages, births and deaths, probate and civil case indexes. Another popular series of booklets are the cemetery books for each township. We have several books of church records. For a complete list, be sure to check our web site. We will try to keep the booth stocked with books to purchase while you are at the fair. You can purchase books online or you can visit us at the Old Courthouse Museum, 103 West Cherry Street in Watseka, Illinois.
The Iroquois County Historical Society will be sharing the booth space with us this year. You will see a slide show about the activities of the Historical Society and find additional information about the Old Courthouse Museum.
The Iroquois County Fairgrounds is located north of Crescent City, IL on Illinois Route 49. Follow this link for more about how to get to the fairgrounds and the activities for this week.
Have a GREAT week. I hope the weather is wonderful and everyone has a good time!
Thanks to the members of the Prairie State Sams for a chance to speak with them at their
Campout for Charity at the Iroquois County Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 31,
2014. What a great crowd, and what great weather for a weekend of camping! This
group was raising money for three charities with lots of fun activities during
their 4-day campout. We really enjoyed our time with them and hope everyone got
some useful information or ideas.
Mary, Debbie and Janet presented a seminar including information about the services and
records available at the Iroquois County Genealogical Society (ICGS) archives in
Watseka, Illinois. Read the post from May 30, 2014 for an overview of those records
and follow this blog for more details on those records. Next we discussed the
U.S. federal census records from 1790-1940 and gave some ideas of what other
types of census records can be found.
According to Ancestry.com, “The United States was the first
country to call for a regularly held census. The Constitution required that a census
of all 'Persons...excluding Indians not taxed' be performed to
determine the collection of taxes and the appropriation of seats in the House
of Representatives.” When you research in the census, be sure to read the
information about the census from that specific year for interesting details. A
blank extraction form for each year can be found here on Ancestry.com. Check out the May 2010 issue of Family Tree Magazine for even more census information.
In a recent American Government census it was
discovered that the centre of the US population lies in the farm of Mr
and Mrs John Herrin of Whitehall, Indiana. Their farm is 8 miles west of
Bloomington. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)
General notes about
census records. Don’t forget to read the information given about the census
database you are using. The additional detail may be just what you need to get
to that aha moment. As you use census search pages, remember that names were not
always spelled the same as what you see today. Sometimes the names was changed,
written incorrectly or transcribed incorrectly due to poor handwriting or poor
microfilm copies.
There are several free online sites for census research, the
largest of which is at Family Search at http://familysearch.org.You can search for names directly, search the Catalog for census, or start with
the Family Search Wiki. Enter United States census in the Wiki search box, or use more specific
locations. The USGenWeb Project is by
volunteers who create content from state, county and local sources. RootsWeb is another website that
hosts web pages from different individuals and genealogical organizations who
may include census information. Our RootsWeb page is at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilicgs/.
Here is a summary what and when certain information is available in each U.S.
federal census.
All names in the household were given from 1850 and beyond. In prior censuses, census takers
asked only the name of heads of household and the count of others based on
ages. Before 1880, we do not know the relationship to head of household even
when we have the name. After 1880, each person’s relationship to the head of
household is given, so you know if that extra person is just a boarder or a
relative. As our country changed, slave counts were dropped and everyone’s
information was taken.
Birthdates and birthplaces were not always asked. Ages are given in age ranges only for censuses
from 1790-1840. The age ranges differ from decade to decade, but from 1850 and
beyond, everyone in the household had the age and the place of birth listed. In
1900, the month and year of birth are listed for all names. If you are looking
for someone born within the census year of 1870 and 1880, the age and month of
birth are listed. The person’s parents’ places of birth have been listed since
1880. The number of children born to mothers and number still living was
recorded in 1890-1910.
Check the census day. As you look at census records, you may notice that the
age of your ancestor doesn’t seem to change exactly 10 years at a time. This is
due to what is called the “census day.” Information given to the census taker
was to be correct as of that year’s census day. Census day was “the first
Monday in August” for 1790-1820; June 1 for 1830-1900; April 15 for 1910;
January 1 for 1920; and April 1 for 1930 and 1940. This census day change may
explain the discrepancy in your ancestor’s age from decade to decade.
Finding marriages make
genealogists happy. If a marriage had occurred within the census year,
that was noted on the 1850-1890 censuses. The 1870 census even gives the month.
Since 1880, marital status was given for each person, and in 1930 persons were
asked the age at first marriage. Number of marriages was given in 1900 and
1910.
Knowing something about the citizenship and immigration of ancestors is always helpful. If a person was an
alien or not naturalized, this was noted in 1820-1840. You can discover the
year of immigration, number of years in the U.S. and naturalization status in
various years from 1820-1840 and 1890-1930. For example, in 1940, we see
whether the person was born in U.S., alien, filed first papers or naturalized.
Veteran status was
given in 1890, 1910 and 1930.The
1910 census indicated if person was a veteran of the Civil War, and in 1930
veterans were asked in which war or expedition they participated.
There are many, many other types of census collections. Some we mentioned were State Censuses, Slave
Schedules, Manufacturing Schedules, DDD Schedules, Mortality Schedules
1850-1880, Veteran Schedules, U.S. Military Casualties, U.S. Draft
Registrations and censuses of American Indian tribes. Remember there are also census
records in foreign countries.
As you continue your online research, don’t forget to walk
away from your computer every so often. We all know how hard that is to do
sometimes! Happy searching!
What can you expect if you visit The Iroquois County Genealogical Society Archives in the Iroquois County Museum, the old Iroquois County Courthouse in
Watseka, Illinois? Here is a brief overview of our collections.
The Society’s collections include over 70,000 obituaries
from area newspapers of the 1800’s to present day, inventories of every cemetery
in Iroquois County and coroners' files and burial permits.
Do you need a census replacement for the 1890 U.S. census? Don't we all? We have tax records
from the 1860’s to the 1950’s and books of early land and property records. We have microfilm rolls of Probate and Estate records and court cases of Iroquois County, Illinois.
Marriage applications, family histories, maps, atlases, plat books, biographical indexes and newspaper
clippings of business and social events can be found here. Baptism, marriage
and death records from French and German churches in our collections have been
translated.
We have a collection of German OSB books from towns of Ostfriesland, Germany, and Iroquois County area one-room school records and high school yearbooks.
You can find the 1880 Iroquois County History and the 1950 pictorial book of Iroquois County farms. We have information on neighboring counties as well. Our collection includes a library of genealogy books for beginners or experienced genealogists.
We have microfilmed copies of area newspapers and four microfilm readers with printers. As an affiliate
library of Family Search, you can order films from the LDS Library in Salt Lake
City and read them in our Archives library.
Come in early and stay late. Once you get started, you may wish we were here more than just Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Welcome!!
P.S. Many thanks to Mary for her help in summarizing our many holdings!
