1880 , 1900-1940 ; Illinois State Census and military census ; Civil War collection ; and school yearbooks .
VanTryon said they have Vermilion County yearbooks such as from Danville High School , Schlarman and Hoopeston .
Microfilm includes the Danville Commercial-News until 2015 . After that it ’ s online . The library is working on digitizing the Commercial- News . None of the Vermilion County papers are digitized yet .
To also look up obituaries , they use papemortuary . com .
VanTryon said city directories are great sources of information . They also have clip files , such as if someone is trying to find out information about someone involved in a crime or about a church ’ s history . That information is saved through about 2019 .
The primary focus at the library is Vermilion County , Ill ., but there also are materials from other Illinois counties of Champaign , Clark , Coles , Douglas , Edgar , Ford and Iroquois ; and Indiana counties of Benton , Fountain , Montgomery , Parke , Vermillion , Vigo and Warren . The library also has genealogical materials from migratory states into Illinois .
The library also can obtain items from other libraries through interlibrary loan .
Online resources include Ancestry . com library edition where people can access a lot more at the library than at home for free .
The library is a FamilySearch affiliate library . Someone can access that information on the library ’ s Wi-Fi .
There ’ s also a HeritageQuest database for records ; newspapers . com for Illinois and Indiana papers ; and links to smaller websites .
Williams said they help people find credible , reputable websites . People should verify sources . In some cases , some websites might have persons guessing when putting in information .
“ Technology has made information available to even the least of us ,” she said .
Not all information is online , and some information is limited to who can get it .
It ’ s not just family history either that people research .
Environmental Protection Agency representatives research buildings and properties using city directories at the library . People ask about past baseball team scores . People search for a high school photo in the newspaper .
Library employee Jacqueline Woodard-Smith also continues to work on the “ Pardon Me , Brother ” project on African-American genealogy .
Genealogy requests can be made by phone , email or mail . The library has a genealogy research fee for those who can ’ t go to the library in person . The first half hour is free , then it is $ 10 per hour . The library can be reached at Reference _ Desk @ DanvillePublicLibrary . org , 319 N . Vermilion St ., Danville , IL 61832 ; or 217- 477-5228 . The library ’ s website is danvillepubliclibrary . org where there is a Contact Us box too .
The Danville Public Library ’ s steps to start your family tree .
SPRING 2023 | ILLIANA MAGAZINE
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