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.
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
-We have many 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
Click here to view a list of Mercer County, Illinois Veterans that have been added to Find A Grave
