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 / SIU IRAD
McLeansboro fire department: investigate a working community
A fire department series can help frame a question about the department, a building or a reported incident.
Fire Department Record (McLeansboro) 1894–1943 · Accession 6/0392/01
A focused question to ask
Does the volume record calls, personnel, equipment or accounts, and is there an index?
Evidence limit: The catalog does not specify which kinds of entries survive; do not assume every fire or firefighter appears.
STOP 02 / SIU IRAD
Local improvements: follow changes to a street
Compare the improvement board’s decisions with the city council’s record for a narrow period.
Local Improvements Board Minutes (McLeansboro) 1906–1922 · Accession 6/0392/04
City Council Minutes (McLeansboro) 1872–1925 · Accession 6/0392/02
A focused question to ask
Are the proposed works organized by street, project or date?
Evidence limit: A municipal project can explain a place without proving that an ancestor owned or occupied it.
STOP 03 / COMMUNITY COLLECTION
Grandma Deem’s obituary compilations
Harrisburg’s inventory lists Grandma Deem’s Hamilton County obituary volumes for 1897–1917 and 1917–1925, plus a 1926–1931 obituary collection.
A focused question to ask
Is there a surname index, and does the entry identify its original newspaper?
Evidence limit: These are compiled items in a regional library, not a promise that every Hamilton County death is covered.
IRAD is an Illinois Secretary of State program administered by the Illinois State Archives. Depository location: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Direct IRAD research requests to the regional depository, not the university’s separate archives or special collections.
Call before visiting the IRAD facility in the Library Storage Building, 1835 University Press Drive, Carbondale. It is separate from the main library. Follow the statewide telephone/mail request policy; reduced summer hours and university closures can affect access.
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 Hamilton County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
Fire Department Record (McLeansboro)
1894–1943
6/0392/01
Local Improvements Board Minutes (McLeansboro)
1906–1922
6/0392/04
City Council Minutes (McLeansboro)
1872–1925
6/0392/02
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.