Brown County: Classroom registers, township decisions and local society histories
Start with a school or Mount Sterling Township question, then compare the administrative evidence with locally compiled histories and cemetery publications.
Sources checked October 29, 2026. Holdings checked against official catalogs and repository descriptions. Staff-confirmed details are identified below; other holdings are based on published sources. No name-level search; dates do not guarantee complete coverage or online images.
STOP 01 / WIU IRAD
School registers and high-school standings
Ask for the exact school rather than assuming the cataloged county series covers every classroom.
School Teachers’ Daily Registers 1866–1952 · Accession 2/0158/01
School Final Standings Record, High School 1910–1928 · Accession 2/0158/03
A focused question to ask
Which schools and years survive, and does the standings record identify individual pupils?
Evidence limit: Catalog dates do not guarantee every school, year or child. Ask about access conditions and copying.
STOP 02 / WIU IRAD
Mount Sterling Township: a local administrative trail
The township record offers an early local-government route for a place, official or public decision.
Mount Sterling Twp: Township Record 1854–1868 · Accession 2/0015/01
A focused question to ask
What subjects does the township record contain, and is there an index for my location or date?
Evidence limit: Mount Sterling Township and the city are different record creators. The title alone does not establish a resident list.
STOP 03 / COMMUNITY COLLECTION
Society histories through Brown County Public Library
The library lists publications from both the Brown County Historical Society and the Versailles Area Genealogical & Historical Society, including cemetery, pictorial and family-history volumes. These provide leads to photographs, places and earlier research.
A focused question to ask
Is the relevant volume available to consult, borrow or purchase, and what source supports a particular family account?
Evidence limit: The publication notice dates to 2022. Confirm availability and price; a compiled family history is not proof of its statements.
IRAD is an Illinois Secretary of State program administered by the Illinois State Archives. Depository location: Western Illinois University, Macomb. Direct IRAD research requests to the regional depository, not the university’s separate archives or special collections.
Request research by telephone or mail to IRAD-WIU, University Libraries, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455. WIU does not accept IRAD research requests by email. Call before visiting; university closures and seasonal hours affect access. Ask about copying charges before ordering.
Start with no more than two names, approximate dates, the county and the record type. Include the township or school where known and the accession number above. Ask whether an index exists, which volumes survive and what copying will cost. For an unindexed series, agree on a manageable search before requesting a long period. The statewide policy directs research requests to telephone or mail rather than email; wait for a response before sending another request. See the statewide research policy ↗.
Request template: I am researching [person or place] in [locality] around [years]. Your catalog lists [title], accession [number]. Which volume covers that period, is it indexed, and how can I consult or obtain the relevant pages? Please let me know any gaps, restrictions and copying charges.
Collection dates at a glance
The table lists IRAD series with verified date spans. Community collections above may have different or unspecified coverage and separate access rules. Catalog spans are starting points, not guarantees of every year, locality or individual. Use the Research Planner to compare your years with these cataloged series.
Selected cataloged series for Brown County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
School Teachers’ Daily Registers
1866–1952
2/0158/01
School Final Standings Record, High School
1910–1928
2/0158/03
Mount Sterling Twp: Township Record
1854–1868
2/0015/01
Keep the record and your interpretation separate.
Save the depository, collection, accession number, volume, page, dates and any copy correspondence. Record uncertain names as uncertain. A shared road, school or signature can suggest an association; it does not establish a family relationship.
Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.