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Description of Holdings Our emphasis is on Champaign County, Illinois in
general, and states east of the Mississippi River, most generally
those that lay along the migration routes from the East Coast to
Illinois. Other strengths of the collection include City of Urbana
government. Significant holdings include material on the inner tier of four counties nearest to Champaign County: Douglas, Ford, Piatt, and Vermillion, and an outer tier of ten additional counties close to Champaign County: Clark, Coles, Cumberland, DeWitt. Edgar, Iroquois, Livingston, and McLean, Macon, and Moultrie. Available in the Archives are also a number of major records for other Illinois counties. The Archives holds mostly secondary materials for seventeen eastern states which served as nineteenth century migration routes to Champaign County. These include Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. With regard to many Illinois counties, we have complete sets of published genealogical and historical sources, including a large percentage of complete sets of periodical titles. This is very unusual for a library of our size. In addition, we have a large number of family histories, both for local families and families around the country. Finally, we have good collections of books on nationalities, the United States in general and foreign countries, primarily European countries, including major sets of reference works for the United States and international sources. References to most of these materials may be found in the library's online catalog and Local History Online. Listing of new publications (forthcoming) The Archives has a sizable collection of local history materials which may be related to activities or organizations in which an individual has participated. Holdings include organizational records and personal papers, including athletic organizations, churches, schools, funeral home/ monument companies, title companies, civic organizations, clubs, fraternal organizations, libraries, government agencies, businesses, quasi-governmental organizations, and personal files. Holdings include an extensive collection of photographs, sound recordings, oral history interviews, and a collection of newsletters from local area organizations. The archive contains an extensive collection of photographs of individuals, buildings, and county scenes. Some have been indexed, including thousands of people that appear in the Courier newspaper. In addition, the Archives has many photographs of individuals and families alphabetically arranged by surname. In some "Family Files" you will also find photocopies of photographs. Some of these may be in the Archives collection; others remain in private hands. Access to our holdings is provided through various indexes, including our Local History Online database and the library’s online catalog. If you wish to know whether there is material on a particular individual, organization or subject, the reference staff at the Archives will be happy to tell you what is available. Selected list of Champaign County records: 1. Court records (Circuit, County, and Criminal courts): 2. Birth, death, and marriage records (Some original books; some
on microfilm; some photocopies of the books) 3. Newspapers - All extant copies of newspapers published at one time in Champaign County from 1853 to the present. Most are on microfilm. Contact the archives for a complete listing. 4. Federal and State censuses – The Archives owns all available
(1830-1930) censuses and census indexes of Champaign County, all
in microfilm. Selected list of Non-Champaign County records: Federal and State censuses: – The Archives owns a complete
set of Illinois Federal and State censuses and census indexes. |
