Illinois Research Guide Digital Download

You'll love this if:

• You're getting started tracing your ancestors in Illinois
• You want new ideas and resources to get past a Illinois brick wall
• Your genealogy search is focused mainly on Illinois —you don't need the full State Research Guides collection

Trace your Illinois ancestors with the advice and resources in our State Research Guide! This four-page download includes:

• a how-to article detailing Illinois's history and records, with helpful advice on tracking your family there
• the best websites, books and other resources for Illinois research, handpicked by our editors and experts
• listings of key libraries, archives and organizations that hold the records you need
• descriptions of the top historic sites for learning about your ancestors' lives and times, including visitor information
• timeline of key events in the state's history
• full-color map to put your research in geographical context

Here's a sampling of the helpful tips you'll get in the Illinois guide:

• Nomadic Paleo-Indians and their descendants explored what's now Illinois long before the first Europeans, Frenchmen Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet, arrived in 1673. Twenty-six years later, French priests founded a settlement at Cahokia, and in 1717, the area became part of French Louisiana.
• The Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) system, part of the state archives, will point you to vital records housed at seven state universities.
• The US government counted Illinois residents every 10 years starting in 1800. That initial census was lost, and only Randolph County remains from the 1810 enumeration.

Plus, each guide contains active web links for one-click access to every recommended online resource. You can view this PDF on your computer and print pages for reference.