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Genealogy Resources

The Genealogy Division at the Mercer County Historical Society was organized in 1979 and has accumulated a large collection of Mercer County material for research purposes. If you need research assistance, please fill out the research request form.

Please refer to our list of fees.

Here is a listing of some of what we have to offer:

Cemetery Records

-DAR volumes covering cemeteries surveyed in the 1960s

-cemetery card files 

-indexes providing names of those in the DAR volumes and card files

-cemetery indexes listing burial places

Census reports

-hard copies of the U.S. census 1840 - 1900

-microfilm of the U.S. census 1910 - 1920

-microfilm of the Illinois state census 1855 and 1865

Death information

-Information extracted from death certificates issued December 1877 - 1915

-DAR books with some handwritten wills

-index to courthouse probate records 1835-1940

-Obituary indexes 1857 - 2022

Directories/Maps/Plats

- We have a variety of directories, maps, and plats showing landowners, farmers, breeders, business firms, residents, schools, churches, etc. from 1864 to 2016. (there are gaps missing in the collection)

Family Histories

-Click to view our list of donated family histories 

Marriage information

-courthouse records listing marriages 1835 - 1925

Military

-We have information on Mercer County residents for:

   War of 1812

   Civil War

   Vietnam 

   World War I

   World War II

Newspapers on microfilm

-Aledo Democrat 1880-1927

-Aledo Weekly Record 1857-1885

-Alexis Argus 1917-1962

-Keithsburg News 1906-1968

-Matherville News 1918-1922

-New Boston (misc. titles)

-Reynolds Press 1897-1899

-Seaton Independent 1912-1968

-Sherrard Bulletin 1903-1950

-Times Record 1891-2014

(there are gaps missing in the collection)

Tax Lists

-Names of landowners, purchasers, delinquent tax owners 1823 -1858

(there are gaps missing in the collection)

Towns & Villages

-Information on businesses, churches, schools, etc.

Yearbooks

-We have a large yearbook collection (there are gaps missing)

Aledo                           Roosevelt Military Academy     

Alexis                          Seaton     

Joy                               Sherrard     

Keithsburg                   Viola     

Little York                   Westmer     

New Boston                William & Vashti College         

New Windsor              Winola

Reynolds

 

Exciting News!

We are in the process of digitizing our collections. As progress continues, more will be added. Check back often. 

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