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
Teachers’ daily registers: ask for the exact school
This series offers a reason to search below county level when you know a school or district.
School Teachers' Daily Registers 1890–1962 · Accession 6/0347/04
A focused question to ask
Which schools and years survive, and what access restrictions apply to student information?
Evidence limit: The overall span does not mean every school year or pupil survives.
STOP 02 / SIU IRAD
School trustees and superintendent: reconstruct the district
Administrative volumes may help resolve which school district served a family’s location.
School Trustees' Minutes 1857–1953 · Accession 6/0347/02
School Superintendent's Record 1882–1905 · Accession 6/0326/15
A focused question to ask
Are district changes or school locations indexed, and which volumes cover my locality?
Evidence limit: An administrative entry is not proof that a particular child attended.
STOP 03 / COMMUNITY COLLECTION
Hardin newspaper abstracts at a regional library
Harrisburg’s inventory lists Hardin newspaper abstracts for 1871–1889 and 1890–1908, plus Stories of the Lamb Community.
A focused question to ask
Does the abstract give an issue date and newspaper title that I can use to locate the original?
Evidence limit: The inventory is not an online full-text edition. Abstracts can omit surrounding context.
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 Hardin County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
School Teachers' Daily Registers
1890–1962
6/0347/04
School Trustees' Minutes
1857–1953
6/0347/02
School Superintendent's Record
1882–1905
6/0326/15
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.