This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/4g.2ADE/1756.4.1.1 Message Board Post: Maxine, I feel compelled to post a closing comment on this issue and it will be a long one. Forgive me all. . My trips to Knox courthouse have been similar to Foxie's. I think she is a local girl like me and has been there a few times. LOL. I live 15 miles north of Galesburg and I was born there. (OK I haven't got around much in my life!) The Warren Co office workers response to me implies that they just seem to expect that genealogy is a given in their duties, they are quite prompt and helpful and the charges for records are amazingly low. Some in Knox seem to be annoyed, some not, some very busy, some not. As in all walks of life......you find those who seem to not enjoy the job or perhaps not do the job. Perhaps that is an issue that the voters might address in the next election. Anyways........i would suggest you do not give up on Knox Co. They have a very good collection and when you finally get it, it may be worth a $10.00 fee. I myself am a cheapskate in research, (don't misunderstand me, not saying that you are) but I have paid 5-10 for many a non producing record in my searches. Example...I know they were born in Sweden but the death cert just lists Sweden. So WHERE in Sweden ???? I went and got my g-grandpa's death cert from Knox last year. He died in 1935. I already knew that, his wife, his mother, father, siblings and everything else I could want to know that would come from that record. BUT what i wanted to know was his mother's mother's maiden name. Of course that would not be on it. I just went to get it to have it cause good grief he died in the county I was born in so go get it!. His mother's maiden name was Aldridge, as I already knew. I had strong reasons to think her mom's maiden name was Duty. On the death cert, my grandmother listed her dad's mom's maiden name as ALDUTY. I first looked at it and said "Well that's not right, who even has that surname and I know it is Aldridge....... or maybe what I think is right is wrong" and then realized it was Aldridge & Duty combined. It had to be. My grandma lived many years past that day, until 1973 and always stated that her dad's mother was Nancy Aldridge born 1819 in Posey Co, IN. Which proves to be true. In 1935 at the time of her father's death, in her grief, she just happened to recall another name in the family line...Duty. That oops on the death cert confirmed a great deal of what I had suspected in my beginning research and convinces me of the Duty line in the family. Knox has a register of deaths, a big fat book/books of old death records. they are alphabetical and time line entered, not that every death is there..Illinos started keeping death records in 1877 but not legally required until much later. They are right there up front under the counters as I recall everytime they hauled them up on the desk. they didn't have to get a search party to find them all the times I have been there. If you go back again, just ask to look at the old death registers. If you just give them a name like Joe Smith died whenever, they will not help you. Walk in there, armed with names, app. dates and tell them you would like to to see the old death books. "i'm sorry to inconvience you, I have so many ancestors i am trying to find so can I just look at the book myself and I'll let you know if I see anything I need?" AND IF YA HAVE A PROBLEM......I will see your boss does not get re-elected and you will not have your job. Harsh words but I say that because I have a family member who works in the clerk's office in another county and she tells me how the whole political thing works in her line of work and how power tripping those can be who are in charge of such. . If you can't pay to get every copy........who can? Just try to get the date and then you take it to the Galesburg Library for possible obits. Who are you looking for ? You never stated tha in you original posting. Us locals might be able to help you. Did you tell them you had traveled far to do this ? This aggravates me, I don't live in Knox Co but have lots of voters, family members who do. Who are you looking for ?