Tour of Illinois State Archives and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library

Here is a great opportunity for Illinois genealogists and family historians - a behind-the-scenes tour of the Illinois State Archives and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.

On Saturday, 10 April 2010, the Illinois State Genealogical Society will be holding its annual Spring Tour and Workshops event (click here for PDF brochure).  Attendees get to choose from several different options including:

• Archives Tour - An informational tour of the Archives will be offered .You will see what is available on weekdays. Civil War Muster Rolls, Revolutionary War pension applications, WWI draft cards, original land records, census records, and much more! 

• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Tour - Find out what extensive resources are available for your genealogical research.

• Military Records Workshop - Tina Beaird will show us how to trace military records from the American Revolution to WWI with an emphasis on sources pertaining to the Civil War, available at the Illinois State Archives. Learn how to search microfilm reels and original documents including Adjutant General Records, Muster Rolls, and burial records.

• General Land Office Records and Federal Township Plats Workshop - Karl Moore, IRAD Supervisor, will cover the Public Lands Survey, the value of General Land Office records, how to locate and print the land tract an ancestor purchased. You will learn several ways to use records online with the Public Domain Land Sales Database and the Federal Township Plats of Illinois.

• Illinois Death Certificate Assistance - How to find and copy a death certificate from microfilm from the years 1916-1947.

This is a once-a-year opportunity and allows researchers access on a Saturday when these resources are normally inaccessible to the public.  Take advantage of this event and sign-up here.

Note: you can sign up online and pay via credit card or Paypal here - this link only works for Internet Explorer users.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee