ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES
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Illinois Archives staff has compiled a list of the 100 most valuable documents in our collection. Any list like this is, almost by definition, subjective. How does one define most valuable? The Illinois State Archives is the repository of all official Illinois government documents of permanent value. More than 75,000 cubic feet of paper, microfilm, photographs and audio and film recordings are housed in the Margaret Cross Norton Building on the capitol complex in Springfield. Paper records date back before 1818 statehood and include governors' correspondence, public acts, departmental histories, census records, military records, election results and more.
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Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) System
The State Archives administers a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) to manage the archival records of local governments. Local governments which have transferred records to the regional depositories include counties, townships, municipalities and school districts. Located on seven state university campuses, regional depositories house and service those records of local governments which have been appraised as having long-term values and have been transferred to the Archives.
Records include:
county board proceedings files and meeting minutes
records of births, deaths and marriages
land deeds, mortgage and tax sale records
assessors' and collectors' tax books
poll books and voter registers
naturalization records, including declarations of intent
probate records, including wills and will records, case files, administrators' and executors' records, guardianship records, and inventory and appraisement records
civil and criminal court case files, chancery court case files (including divorces), docket books and court proceedings, and insanity proceedings and records
coroner's inquest records and inquest files
miscellaneous county records, including almshouse/county home records and jail registers
school records, including school trustees’ minutes, pupil registers and school land sale records
township records, including township meeting minutes and highway commissioners’ minutes
municipal records, including city council proceedings files and meeting minutes, ordinance records, and city election records.
A special part of IRAD's holdings are from the City of Chicago which includes nearly 35,650 previously unknown documents that predate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In addition to these City Council proceedings files of 1833 through 1942, holdings include plats, atlases, and Sanborn Maps. Other Chicago records include election registers for 1888, 1890 and 1892 and ordinance records spanning 1837 to 1916.
For more information, please contact:
Illinois Regional Archives Depository
Illinois State Archives
Springfield, IL 62756
The State Archives administers a system of Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) to manage the archival records of local governments. Local governments which have transferred records to the regional depositories include counties, townships, municipalities and school districts. Located on seven state university campuses, regional depositories house and service those records of local governments which have been appraised as having long-term values and have been transferred to the Archives.
Records include:
county board proceedings files and meeting minutes
records of births, deaths and marriages
land deeds, mortgage and tax sale records
assessors' and collectors' tax books
poll books and voter registers
naturalization records, including declarations of intent
probate records, including wills and will records, case files, administrators' and executors' records, guardianship records, and inventory and appraisement records
civil and criminal court case files, chancery court case files (including divorces), docket books and court proceedings, and insanity proceedings and records
coroner's inquest records and inquest files
miscellaneous county records, including almshouse/county home records and jail registers
school records, including school trustees’ minutes, pupil registers and school land sale records
township records, including township meeting minutes and highway commissioners’ minutes
municipal records, including city council proceedings files and meeting minutes, ordinance records, and city election records.
A special part of IRAD's holdings are from the City of Chicago which includes nearly 35,650 previously unknown documents that predate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In addition to these City Council proceedings files of 1833 through 1942, holdings include plats, atlases, and Sanborn Maps. Other Chicago records include election registers for 1888, 1890 and 1892 and ordinance records spanning 1837 to 1916.
For more information, please contact:
Illinois Regional Archives Depository
Illinois State Archives
Springfield, IL 62756