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Research Guides / Illinois / Lee County

ILLINOIS / LOCAL RECORDS

Lee County:
Road surveys, township files and classroom registers

Investigate South Dixon Township roads and Lee County school records through named series and focused requests to NIU IRAD.

Match your research years in the planner → · Explore historical county boundaries →

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

South Dixon Township road decisions

Working files and the commissioners’ record may document different stages of the same road question.

South Dixon Twp: Highway Commission Proceedings Files
1892–1949 · Accession 1/0026/04

South Dixon Twp: Highway Commissioners' Record
1891–1949 · Accession 1/0026/01

A focused question to ask

Can staff identify files and recorded decisions concerning [road or land description] around [year]?

Evidence limit: South Dixon Township is not the city of Dixon. A file’s existence does not establish that a proposed route was adopted.

STOP 02 / NIU IRAD

A 1917 road survey and earlier road-tax lists

A dated survey can help frame a location search, while earlier tax lists provide a separate administrative snapshot.

South Dixon Twp: Road Survey Record
1917–1917 · Accession 1/0069/01

South Dixon Twp: Road Tax Lists
1866–1892 · Accession 1/0070/01

A focused question to ask

Does the 1917 survey record include [road or section], and how are the earlier road-tax lists organized?

Evidence limit: The series do not overlap in date. Do not assume a road, parcel or taxpayer remained unchanged between them.

STOP 03 / NIU IRAD

School registers and a fire-safety snapshot

Use registers for a school-specific inquiry and the 1932 safety reports for a different view of the buildings serving that community.

School Teachers' Daily Registers
1914–1943 · Accession 1/0076/01

School Fire Safety Reports
1932–1932 · Accession 1/0073/14

A focused question to ask

Which registers survive for [school], and does its 1932 fire-safety report identify the building or district?

Evidence limit: A building report is not an attendance list. Ask which schools are represented and whether access limits apply.

BEFORE YOU TRAVEL OR ORDER

Request records from the IRAD regional depository

IRAD regional depository · 815-753-1807

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 Lee County
Record seriesCatalog datesAccession
South Dixon Twp: Highway Commission Proceedings Files1892–19491/0026/04
South Dixon Twp: Highway Commissioners' Record1891–19491/0026/01
South Dixon Twp: Road Survey Record1917–19171/0069/01
South Dixon Twp: Road Tax Lists1866–18921/0070/01
School Teachers' Daily Registers1914–19431/0076/01
School Fire Safety Reports1932–19321/0073/14

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.

Return to the Illinois county map →

HELP KEEP THIS GUIDE USEFUL

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