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 / NIU IRAD
School land: pair petitions with plats
School-land sale petitions and school plats offer a land-based route into local education history before many later school records begin.
School Land Sale Petitions 1840–1864 · Accession 1/0043/02
Plats, Schools 1841–1866 · Accession 1/0043/04
A focused question to ask
For this township, range and section, are there related petitions and plats, and how are the files arranged?
Evidence limit: The two series have different date spans. A matching parcel or named ancestor must be established from the documents; school land is not proof of pupil attendance.
STOP 02 / NIU IRAD
DeKalb: trace a planning question through city files
Planning petitions and proceedings can help investigate a property or neighborhood change within the city of DeKalb.
Can an address, subdivision or petition number locate the relevant file, and is there a corresponding proceedings entry for 1970–1972?
Evidence limit: This is city-level coverage, not all DeKalb County. The proceedings series covers only 1970–1972 and has not been matched to individual petitions.
STOP 03 / NIU IRAD
Kingston Township: identify the cemetery record’s scope
A township cemetery record and the broader township record provide two routes into local administration and burial-place research.
Kingston Twp: Cemetery Record 1877–1936 · Accession 1/0234/01
Kingston Twp: Township Record 1850–1945 · Accession 1/0234/02
A focused question to ask
Which cemetery or cemeteries does the volume cover, and does it record burials, lots, transactions or administrative decisions?
Evidence limit: The catalog title alone does not establish a complete burial register. Township entries and cemetery entries must be checked separately before connecting a person.
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 DeKalb County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
School Land Sale Petitions
1840–1864
1/0043/02
Plats, Schools
1841–1866
1/0043/04
DeKalb: Planning Commission Petitions
1955–1975
1/0181/02
DeKalb: Planning Commission Proceedings Files
1970–1972
1/0181/01
Kingston Twp: Cemetery Record
1877–1936
1/0234/01
Kingston Twp: Township Record
1850–1945
1/0234/02
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.