Dick Eastman collected all the information on Illinois Archives databases together. Most of you know this but it is good to have it all in one location. We may sometimes wish for more but we really are way ahead of most states and very lucky John Daly is computer oriented. The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2003 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.RootsForum.com. - Illinois Online Genealogy Databases The Illinois State Archives is one of the more progressive state archives. It is adding new online databases so fast that I can barely keep up with them. Here are a few databases added in recent months: Database of Servitude and Emancipation Records (1722­ 1863) at http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/servant.html This database includes approximately 3,400 names found in governmental records involving the servitude and emancipation of Africans and, occasionally, Indians in the French and English eras of colonial Illinois (1722–1790) and African-Americans in the American period of Illinois (1790–1863). The Archives extracted the names of servants, slaves, or free persons and masters, witnesses, or related parties from selected governmental records to produce this database. After searching the database, researchers can see an abstract of the record by clicking the record number of the appropriate entry. Currently the following records are included in this database: Bond County Board of Supervisors' Minutes, 1817 Edwards County Servitude and Emancipation Record, 1815–1860 Gallatin County Servitude Register, 1815–1839 Madison County Servitude and Emancipation Register, 1805–1826 Emancipation Registers, 1830–1860 Massac County Emancipation Register, 1849–1855 Pope County Servitude Register, 1816–1819 Randolph County Record Book 1, 1736–1782 Deed Record J-M, 1797–1815 Servitude and Emancipation Registers, 1809–1863 Kaskaskia Manuscripts, 1714–1816 St. Clair County Register of Insinuations, 1737–1769 Record of Auction of Charleville Estate, 1782 Deed Record A-C, 1790-1796, 1800–1813 Servitude Register, 1805-1832, 1846–1863 Slave Registration Files, 1807–1849 Emancipation Register, 1812–1843 Union County Emancipation Register, 1835–1844 U.S. General Land Office, Kaskaskia District Board of Commissioners Transcripts of Documents Collected, 1722–1814 Database of Illinois Civil War Veterans Serving in the U.S. Navy at http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/ilnavy.html This database indexes the Archives’ record series, Roster of Illinois Men in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War (RS 301.022). This record of approximately 3,000 men came from the Illinois Adjutant General. The database includes the name and birthplace of each sailor. Database of Illinois Civil War Veterans of Missouri Units at http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/missouri.html: This database indexes names of 5,610 Illinois citizens appearing on the rosters of Missouri’s Federal Civil War units. Illinoisans occasionally joined military units raised in other states. In December 1863 the Missouri Adjutant General compiled rosters of Illinois men, extracting the names from his unit rolls. He then sent them to the Illinois Adjutant General. The rosters are a part of the Archives’ record series, Company Muster Rolls (RS 301.019). Database of Illinois Spanish-American War Veterans at http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/spanam.html: This database of Illinois Spanish–American War Veterans indexes the portion of the ninth volume of the nine volume publication, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, which lists veterans of that war. (The remainder of the ninth and the other eight volumes list veterans of the Black Hawk, Mexican, and Civil Wars.) This 1902 publication, originating from the rosters maintained by the Illinois Adjutant General, is the result of an 1899 Illinois statute mandating that the rosters of Illinois volunteers be printed. The names of approximately 11,000 men, organized into 10 regiments, are found in its pages. The volume includes a roster and history for each regiment. Database of 1929 Illinois Roll of Honor at http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/honorroll.html: This database indexes the 1929 publication, Roll of Honor, which contains the locations of the burial places of soldiers, sailors, marines, and army nurses who served in any of the wars of the United States and are buried in Illinois. The database contains more than 72,000 names. The General Assembly mandated in 1927 and 1929 that Illinois publish the Roll of Honor as an aid to patriotic and veteran organizations honoring deceased veterans on Memorial Day. The Grand Army of the Republic, United Spanish-American War Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans of the World War, and the 33rd Division War Veterans Association were among the various organizations that gathered the information. Database of Soldiers' and Sailors' Home Residents (1887­1916) at http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/quincyhome.html: This database indexes the names of male residents of the Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home admitted from its opening in 1887 through September 1916. Female residents are also included from their first admissions in 1908 through September 1916. The database contains more than 14,000 entries. The 1st –16th Biennial Reports of the Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home are the sources of the names included in the database. Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763­1900 at http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/marriage.html: Since 1985 the Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) has cooperated with the Illinois State Archives to create an index to Illinois marriages occurring prior to 1901. Today more than one million marriages, or two million names, are included in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index. Data entry has been done by Archives staff and volunteers working on mainframe terminals at the Illinois State Archives and by other volunteers who have entered hundreds of thousands of marriages at home on their personal computers. Currently the Marriage Index resides on the Secretary of State web server and Department of Information Technology has developed an online program to allow volunteers to use their web browsers to send marriage data directly to the server for inclusion in the index. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.386 / Virus Database: 218 - Release Date: 9/9/02