A Genealogy Workshops sign inside the Danville Public Library . Jennifer Bailey photo
“ I ’ ve probably done 35 to 40 programs ,” Williams said .
They meet once a month on the second Monday at 1 p . m . in the secondfloor conference room of the library , 319 N . Vermilion St ., Danville .
Williams said meeting on the second floor works out well for “ field trips ” to the archives area also on the second floor in the library . That ’ s where they search through city directories and other resources .
“ Many times they ’ ll stay and do research afterwards ,” Williams said of the genealogy workshop attendees .
The first part of this year has been genealogy basics . January ’ s meeting topic was Starting Your Family Tree . February ’ s topic was Genealogy : Birth , Marriage and Death records . Other topics will be Finding Women ’ s Maiden Names and Interviewing Your Family Members .
The January meeting saw someone who had done their DNA and now wanted to do a family tree . Another person also was starting their family tree from scratch .
Williams said anytime someone is researching genealogy in Vermilion County , she suggests they not only use the library ’ s resources but also go to the Illiana Genealogical and Historical Society ,
Vermilion County Museum and Vermilion County War Museum . The war museum is expanding its technology research area .
War museum officials say the room remodeling is underway , and they are waiting for all the equipment to arrive . They look forward to getting the system fully operational within the next few months .
Williams added that benefits to using the library is that it ’ s open more hours to the public , 9 a . m . to 7 p . m . Monday through Thursday , 9 a . m . to 3 p . m . Friday and Saturday and closed on Sunday . The archives area is open all the time the library is open .
A visitor can go to the library for free . A person doesn ’ t need to have a library card to go to the library and archives . The library also has a low copy fee for documents starting at 15 cents .
Williams said it doesn ’ t have to cost someone anything . Someone can save their research through the Ancestry Library Edition from Ancestry . com and send the information they find to their home through email or bring a flash drive and save the information on that . Images also can be taken on cell phones of the microfilm screen or from books .
Danville Public Library Reference and Archives Librarian Taylor VanTryon said other great resources to help people are the library staff themselves , including 25-year library employee Leann Stine .
Danville Public Library Archives Collection
The Archives Room in the Adult Services Department houses the genealogy and local history collection . There are books , census records , newspapers on microfilm and vertical files ( clippings files ).
Types of materials include : Danville city directories from 1874 to the present ; Danville and Vermilion County newspapers from 1833 to the present ; Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps from 1884 to 1970 ; maps , atlases and plat books ; Vermilion County births , marriages , deaths , wills , naturalization records and deeds ; Federal Population Census 1830-
14 ILLIANA MAGAZINE | SPRING 2023