Welcome to the Illinois - Reference Books

Deaths Abstracted from The Camp Point Journal, 1873-1882, Camp Point, Adams County, Illinois - Mrs. Joseph J. Beals Sr. & Mrs. Sandy Kirchner. The deaths and related items included here are abstracted from the articles and notices appearing in the Camp Point Journal and dated between the years 1873 and 1882. Records are listed alphabetically by the name of the principal subject in each entry. Many entries include the names of spouses, children, parents, other relatives, friends, physicians, pastors, and often those who discovered the body of the deceased. Supplemental information is often included. 1999, 188 pp., map, paper, $21.00 #B109

Births and Related Items Abstracted from the Camp Point Journal of Camp Point, Adams County, Illinois, 1873-1903 - Mrs. Joseph J. Beals & Mrs. Sandy Kirchner. While conducting research on their own families in early Illinois newspapers, Mrs. Beals and Mrs. Kirchner realized that others could benefit from the wealth of genealogical material they had discovered. The birth records and related items included here are abstracted from the Camp Point Journal and dated between the years 1873 and 1903. Records are listed alphabetically by the name of the principal subject in each entry and include the date of original publication. 1999, 128 pp., map, paper, $16.50 #ZB102

History of DuPage County, Illinois - C.W. Richmond. DuPage County is situated in north-eastern Illinois and derives is name from the DuPage River. The first permanent settler was Stephen J. Scott, who moved from Maryland with his family in 1825 and made a claim near the present site of Evanston, then called Gros' Point. This book covers the period from the first settlement in 1825 to the year the book was originally printed, 1877. The author provides the reader with information on the officers of DuPage County, supervisors, newspapers, schools and colleges. DuPage's military history is given with a list of those who served in various regiments. The author ends the book with a patron and business directory. (1877) reprint, 250 pp., new fullname index, paper, $23.50 #R319

Marriages and Related Items Abstracted from the Mendon Dispatch of Mendon, Adams County, Illinois, 1877-1905 - Mrs. Joseph J. Beals, Sr. and Sandy Kirchner. The first white pioneers to settle the Mendon prairie arrived in 1829. By 1833, lots in the 160-acre village of Mendon were being sold to more and more newcomers. Many of these early settlers were from Kentucky and Connecticut. In 1867, Mendon was incorporated as a town. The first privately owned newspaper in Mendon, the Mendon Enterprise, was published in 1877. The following year its name changed to the Mendon Dispatch. While conducting their own genealogical research in 25 years' worth of early issues of these newspapers, Mrs. Beals and Mrs. Kirchner realized that other genealogists might be interested in the wealth of family names and interesting information they were discovering. Accordingly, they created this alphabetical listing, which contains more than three thousand names. The abstracted wedding or related announcements from the newspapers are transcribed under the names of the husbands, but brides' names are usually listed, too, with cross-references to their husbands' names. Most of the abstracts are wedding announcements, but significant anniversaries and an occasional divorce are listed as well. The amount of information in individual abstracts varies widely but usually includes the names of bride and groom, with their place of origin and the wedding date. Many listings are much more gossipy and contain such information as occupations, ages, honeymoon plans, previous marriages and officiating clergy. Additionally, all listings include the newspaper's publication date. 1997, 231 pp., paper, $20.00 #ZB103

Obituaries and Death Related Items Abstracted From Clayton Enterprise Newspaper of Clayton, Adams County, Illinois, 1879-1900, Vol. 1 - Mrs. Joseph J. Beals and Sandra Kirchner. The town of Clayton was established on February 9, 1836, by order of its proprietors, Charles K. McCoy, John McCoy and Reuben K. McCoy. It is situated on the T.W. Railroad, at the junction of a road running towards Quincy and the road diverging to Keokuk, Iowa. The death and related entries in this work were abstracted from The Clayton Enterprise newspaper of Clayton, Illinois, dating from 1879 through 1900. Any items mentioning a family name, such as advertisements, jury lists, criminal court records and letters remaining at the post office have been abstracted. Useful information contained in each entry can include: date, time and place of death; cause of death; age; occupation; funeral/burial places; and survivors. Surnames are alphabetically arranged for quick and easy reference. 1997, 802 pp., 2 vols., map, paper, $49.50 #ZB108

The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois - Dr. E. Duis. Two main themes run through this work: biographical sketches and a history of the Black Hawk War. The biographical sketches cover 261 male settlers in McLean County. The Black Hawk War and its causes are explained, beginning with the troubles of 1831, volunteers, Massacre on Indian Creek, the battle of Wisconsin Heights, Battle of Bad Axe, and finally, the capture of the Indian, Black Hawk. Distinguished soldiers of the war are highlighted. Two maps have been added to this reprint: one shows the state of Illinois while the other details McLean County; these were taken from "Maps of the Hemispheres, etc.", Warner and Beers, 1874. (1874) reprint, 946 pp., maps, new index, paper $55.00 #ZD837

Hard Dying Men: A History of the 11th Illinois Infantry (The Story of General W.H.L. Wallace, General T.E.G. Ransom, and their "Old Eleventh" Illinois Infantry in the American Civil War) - Jim Huffstodt. Although this work does discuss the role of the 11th in the various battles of the Civil War, the emphasis is on the war's human element: how the soldiers felt, acted, and lived. As the story of the 11th unfolds, we see them progress from raw recruits in their first skirmish to hardened veterans, enduring both the physical and the mental hardships of battle. This work also highlights the careers of two Federal officers who rose to fame in the 11th: Brigadier General W.H.L. Wallace and Major General T.E.G. Ransom. Extensive footnotes provide additional commentary to the narrative. Several photographs and illustrations are published for the first time in this book. 1991, 350 pp., illus., index, paper, $28.50 #ZH822

A Gazetteer of Illinois in Three Parts: Containing a General View of the State, a General View of Each County, and a particular description of each town, settlement, stream, prairie, bottom, bluff, etc.; alphabetically arranged - J. M. Peck. This book is a detailed work mapping out Illinois in a complete picture. There is a depth to the descriptions that brings to life aspects of this state. (1834) reprint, 334 pp., graphs, charts, new index, paper $32.00 #P114

History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois - John Carroll Power. "Remarkable as it may appear, there is not a State or Territory in our whole nation but has some chord that centers on Sangamon County." A bold declaration from John Carroll Power and a challenge to the skeptical family historian to find your ancestors in Sangamon County, Illinois. This text is a biographical review, composed of concise, informative sketches of the individual members of the first families to settle Sangamon and the Springfield vicinity. Each entry generally contains date and place of birth and death and date of relocation to Sangamon; wherever possible, more colorful data on the settlers and their descendants is provided. Additionally, many entries note military service, level of education, occupation, medical conditions and religious observance, giving a more complete impression of the pioneering Americans who brought civilization to the wilderness of Illinois and the Midwest. Of special interest are accounts of the passage to Sangamon from the East and a wealth of stories depicting the life of these early settlers. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order by surname, and within each surname by date of birth. (1876) reprint, 798 pp., 2 vols., map, paper, $51.50 #ZP582

Central Illinois Chronicles, Volumes 1-3 - Helen Tregillis. Veteran Heritage Books author Helen Tregillis has compiled a new work, ripe with genealogical data. This book compiles three years' worth of issues of a bi-monthly periodical of the same name; it draws information from over 75 counties throughout the state of Illinois inclusive of dates ranging throughout the 19th century. Entries have been gleaned from newspapers and various other sources of records. The 600-plus pages compiled in these volumes contain death records, burial records, marriage records, tax lists, deed records, court records, bond records and military service records, among other genealogically rich sources. Newspaper and record entries are dated and the name of the paper or county of origin is specified. The text is presented in three volumes. Each volume consists of smaller sections, each of which has its own surname index to aid the researcher. The result of Ms. Tregillis' efforts is a valuable resource for genealogical research in Illinois. 1998, 624 pp., 3 vols., 8.5x11, surname index, paper, $84.00 #ZT614

The Indians of Illinois - Helen Cox Tregillis. A look at the history, and notable individuals, of the Illinois Indians who left their mark upon the United States. Two chapters are devoted to the history and customs of Indians in the area of present-day Illinois, beginning in ancient times and continuing through the 1800s; transcribed accounts from newspapers of the late 1800s and early 1900s provide a first-hand look at whites and their interactions with the Illinois Indians during recent history. (A brief chapter covers the non-Illinois tribes of Fox, Sauk, Miamis, Winnebago, Kickapoos and Pottawatomi who moved into the area.) The bulk of the book is made up of selected biographies of local early Native Americans, including such well-known Indians as Big Foot, Black Hawk, Pontiac and Tecumseh, among many others. There is also a lengthy roster of Indians who appear in Illinois records (1642-1861) which typically gives a date, place and event with which the individual was associated. 1991, 158 pp., illus., index, paper, $26.00 #ZT612