Sources checked October 28, 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 / NIU IRAD
Township organization and road taxes
Start with how local government was organized, then use a dated road-tax list to frame a narrower search for a place or taxpayer.
Township Organization Record 1862–1872 · Accession 1/0229/05
Road Tax Lists 1865–1865 · Accession 1/0265/02
A focused question to ask
Which township organization entries and 1865 road-tax pages cover [locality], and are the tax lists arranged by township or name?
Evidence limit: An organizational record is not a census. A tax entry does not by itself establish residence, ownership or kinship.
STOP 02 / NIU IRAD
The school district behind the tax levy
School financing can help identify the district to pursue when a modern school name is all you know.
School Tax Levy Certificates 1849–1865 · Accession 1/0229/17
School District Annual Reports, High Schools 1884–1885 · Accession 1/0229/22
A focused question to ask
Which districts appear in the levy certificates and high-school reports, and do the surviving reports identify officials, teachers or only totals?
Evidence limit: The two series cover different periods. Their titles do not establish named pupil coverage or a continuous district history.
STOP 03 / NIU IRAD
Mount Carroll Township: roads and elections
Pair a township administrative record with election papers to investigate local public work and civic participation.
IRAD is an Illinois Secretary of State program administered by the Illinois State Archives. Depository location: Northern Illinois University, DeKalb. Direct IRAD research requests to the regional depository, not the university’s separate archives or special collections.
Call to ask a question or schedule an appointment. The IRAD office is in Founders Memorial Library, Room 265, on the second floor. For a remote request, follow the statewide telephone/mail policy and confirm the current mailing address with staff.
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 Carroll County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
Township Organization Record
1862–1872
1/0229/05
Road Tax Lists
1865–1865
1/0265/02
School Tax Levy Certificates
1849–1865
1/0229/17
School District Annual Reports, High Schools
1884–1885
1/0229/22
Mount Carroll Twp: Highway Commissioners' Annual Reports
1949–1953
1/0079/05
Mount Carroll Twp: Election Papers
1947–1965
1/0079/06
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.