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 / UIS IRAD
Decatur: scholarship and classroom records
A short scholarship-record series offers a different school lead beside daily registers.
Decatur: School Pupils' Scholarship Record 1874–1879 · Accession 4/0319/04
Decatur: School Teachers' Daily Registers 1861–1883 · Accession 4/0319/05
A focused question to ask
Which schools and grades are represented, and what does the scholarship record measure?
Evidence limit: The title does not establish financial scholarships or name-level contents. Ask staff how the record was used before interpreting an entry.
STOP 02 / UIS IRAD
Long Creek Township: sparrow bounties and stray animals
Animal administration produced two narrowly defined series that can be approached by locality and date.
Long Creek Twp: Animal Bounty Certificates, English Sparrows 1891–1898 · Accession 4/0072/01
Long Creek Twp: Estray Record 1861–1893 · Accession 4/0075/02
A focused question to ask
Are the certificates or estray entries indexed, and which details identify claimants or locations?
Evidence limit: A bounty certificate and an estray entry serve different purposes. Neither automatically establishes residence, ownership or kinship.
STOP 03 / UIS IRAD
Long Creek Township: taxes alongside road decisions
Road tax lists and commissioners’ minutes provide separate administrative routes for investigating a road and its local setting.
Long Creek Twp: Road Tax Lists 1863–1893 · Accession 4/0075/07
Long Creek Twp: Highway Commissioners' Minutes 1876–1915 · Accession 4/0075/04
A focused question to ask
How are the tax lists arranged, and can staff identify minutes relevant to a road or year?
Evidence limit: A tax entry does not prove a person lived on that road. A proposed road decision is not proof of construction.
IRAD is an Illinois Secretary of State program administered by the Illinois State Archives. Depository location: University of Illinois Springfield. Direct IRAD research requests to the regional depository, not the university’s separate archives or special collections.
Call first. UIS official pages differ about appointment availability and whether email research requests are accepted. Mail is a listed request route; confirm current staffing, the mailing address, appointments and copying arrangements directly before visiting.
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 Macon County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
Decatur: School Pupils' Scholarship Record
1874–1879
4/0319/04
Decatur: School Teachers' Daily Registers
1861–1883
4/0319/05
Long Creek Twp: Animal Bounty Certificates, English Sparrows
1891–1898
4/0072/01
Long Creek Twp: Estray Record
1861–1893
4/0075/02
Long Creek Twp: Road Tax Lists
1863–1893
4/0075/07
Long Creek Twp: Highway Commissioners' Minutes
1876–1915
4/0075/04
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.