Edgar County: School reorganization, road-hearing notices and community yearbooks
Follow a school district or township into its administrative records, then compare those leads with local yearbooks, surname files and photographs at the genealogy library.
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 / EIU IRAD
School districts: trace organization before searching a classroom
The catalog distinguishes preliminary school-classification reports from school-district organization files, including a separate high-school series.
School Classification Reports, Preliminary 1935–1957 · Accession 5/0155/01
School District Organization Files 1915–1955 · Accession 5/0155/03
School District Organization Files, High Schools 1913–1937 · Accession 5/0155/04
A focused question to ask
Which districts are represented, are names or locations indexed, and do the files include the district involved in the research?
Evidence limit: These are administrative series. Do not assume pupil rosters or attendance lists without checking the volume contents.
STOP 02 / EIU IRAD
Brouilletts Creek Township: a road proposal and its public notice
A narrowly dated road-petition hearing-notice series can be compared with the township’s road-and-bridge accounts. Search using a road or location as well as a name.
Road Petition Public Hearing Notices (Brouilletts Creek Twp) 1924 · Accession 5/0027/29
Road and Bridge Fund Record (Brouilletts Creek Twp) 1925–1948 · Accession 5/0027/26
A focused question to ask
Does the 1924 notice identify the road, petition or hearing, and is there a related decision elsewhere?
Evidence limit: A notice concerns a proposed action and does not prove the road was built. Series date ranges are not a guarantee that every item survives.
STOP 03 / COMMUNITY COLLECTION
Edgar County Genealogy Library: school communities and surname files
The library lists yearbooks for several county schools, surname and vertical files, military scrapbooks and plat books. Brocton yearbooks are listed for 1949–1967; Chrisman holdings span 1924–1929 and 1932–2021 with gaps.
A focused question to ask
Check the online surname and vertical-file indexes, then ask about the exact school year or file. Ask for the original source behind a compiled genealogy.
Evidence limit: Yearbook runs have gaps. A surname-file entry may be a compiled account rather than an original record. Affiliate access does not unlock every restricted FamilySearch image.
IRAD is an Illinois Secretary of State program administered by the Illinois State Archives. Depository location: Eastern Illinois University, Charleston. 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, Booth Library, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln Avenue, Charleston, IL 61920. The depository is on Booth Library’s first level near the south entrance. Call before visiting to confirm access, university closures, seasonal hours, copying charges and accessible arrival arrangements. Follow the statewide telephone/mail research policy.
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 Edgar County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
School Classification Reports, Preliminary
1935–1957
5/0155/01
School District Organization Files
1915–1955
5/0155/03
School District Organization Files, High Schools
1913–1937
5/0155/04
Road Petition Public Hearing Notices (Brouilletts Creek Twp)
1924
5/0027/29
Road and Bridge Fund Record (Brouilletts Creek Twp)
1925–1948
5/0027/26
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.