Illinois Research and Beyond
Click on the links below to be directed to resources containing contents not just for Winnebago and Boone counties, but statewide. In some cases, content may be national or international in scope.
Classmates.com includes a large collection of yearbooks, all of which are accessible to view (or buy) with a free membership. To access their collection, first register as a basic member. Then on the main page, enter the school name in the Search Box on the top right (for example, Belvidere High School). If multiple options appear, choose the school of interest. The Alumni tab will open first, so click the Yearbooks tab. Click on the image of any yearbook shown to view it (or buy it).
Illinois Digital Archives - a repository for the digital collections of the Illinois State Library as well as other libraries and cultural institutions in the State of Illinois.
Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library - Free to search, browse and download. There are five collections on this site containing over 250,000 issues from 251 newspapers. As of Nov 2024, the collection includes several papers from Loves Park.
Illinois Free Online Genealogy Research Toolkit - A list of free Illinois-based websites curated by The Ancestor Hunt
Illinois State Archives - Online Databases
A wealth of indexes for research in Illinois, including early land indexes, several databases related to Illinois veterans, Illinois Statewide Death Index (Pre-1916, 1916-1950, and 1951-1971), Marriage Index (1763-1900), and much more.
Master List of German Record Websites - This list comes from Katherine Schober, used with permission. For more info and additional resources, see her website at https://germanologyunlocked.com.
The Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island IL
The center has extensive resources for Swedish-American genealogical research--for example, a list of US-Swedish church records on microfilm.
1832-1870 Northern and Central European Map Collection by G.D. Reymann - Introductory Pages
High resolution map images are in the David Rumsey Map Collection. Find the map number in the Introductory Pages link above.
1876 North American Indians with Letters and Notes by George Catlin Vol. 1 - Archive.org
1876 North American Indians with Letters and Notes by George Catlin Vol. 2 - Archive.org
1882 "Record of the Faithful" - A Church of the Brethren directory
1915 The County Archives of the State of Illinois
1930 Pilgrimage for the Mothers and Widows [of WWI]- includes veterans' names by county
1952 Atlas of Illinois, published by WW Hixson and Co
1982 American Lutheran Church Archives on Microfilm
Now the ELCA Archives in Elk Grove Village IL. Illinois records start on page 17
1993 Archival Holdings of the United Methodist Church - Northern Illinois Conference - includes notes by Martin W. Johnson
Illinois Digital Archives - a repository for the digital collections of the Illinois State Library as well as other libraries and cultural institutions in the State of Illinois.
Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library - Free to search, browse and download. There are five collections on this site containing over 250,000 issues from 251 newspapers. As of Nov 2024, the collection includes several papers from Loves Park.
Illinois Free Online Genealogy Research Toolkit - A list of free Illinois-based websites curated by The Ancestor Hunt
Illinois State Archives - Online Databases
A wealth of indexes for research in Illinois, including early land indexes, several databases related to Illinois veterans, Illinois Statewide Death Index (Pre-1916, 1916-1950, and 1951-1971), Marriage Index (1763-1900), and much more.
Master List of German Record Websites - This list comes from Katherine Schober, used with permission. For more info and additional resources, see her website at https://germanologyunlocked.com.
The Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island IL
The center has extensive resources for Swedish-American genealogical research--for example, a list of US-Swedish church records on microfilm.
1832-1870 Northern and Central European Map Collection by G.D. Reymann - Introductory Pages
High resolution map images are in the David Rumsey Map Collection. Find the map number in the Introductory Pages link above.
1876 North American Indians with Letters and Notes by George Catlin Vol. 1 - Archive.org
1876 North American Indians with Letters and Notes by George Catlin Vol. 2 - Archive.org
1882 "Record of the Faithful" - A Church of the Brethren directory
1915 The County Archives of the State of Illinois
1930 Pilgrimage for the Mothers and Widows [of WWI]- includes veterans' names by county
1952 Atlas of Illinois, published by WW Hixson and Co
1982 American Lutheran Church Archives on Microfilm
Now the ELCA Archives in Elk Grove Village IL. Illinois records start on page 17
1993 Archival Holdings of the United Methodist Church - Northern Illinois Conference - includes notes by Martin W. Johnson