Piatt County: Blue Ridge roads, Mansfield minutes and a single-year WPA project file
Use township road records and municipal minutes to investigate a place between census years, with a tightly dated county road-and-street project series for 1940.
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 / ISU IRAD
Blue Ridge Township: connect a road description with its account record
Road records and road-and-bridge accounts are distinct township series. A location, road name or legal description can be more useful than a surname alone.
Blue Ridge Twp: Road Record 1876–1914 · Accession 3/0174/03
Blue Ridge Twp: Road and Bridge Account Books 1900–1968 · Accession 3/0174/04
A focused question to ask
How are roads and expenditures arranged? Can staff locate the road, bridge or township section for the years in question?
Evidence limit: The catalog does not establish that petitions, signatures or landowner names appear. The account books continue after the listed road-record span.
STOP 02 / ISU IRAD
Mansfield: a compact run of village trustees’ minutes
Village trustees’ minutes offer a geographically specific starting point for municipal decisions during 1899–1907.
Mansfield: Village Trustees' Minutes 1899–1907 · Accession 3/0174/06
A focused question to ask
Is there a subject or personal-name index, and which meeting dates might address the street, business or village issue I am researching?
Evidence limit: This short catalog span is not the full history of Mansfield. A missing name is not evidence that someone did not live there.
STOP 03 / ISU IRAD
1940 road and street projects: ask for the project before the person
The county catalog identifies a WPA road-and-street project-file series for 1940. It is a focused lead for an identified project, not a general WPA personnel database.
Road and Street Project Files, WPA 1940 · Accession 3/0050/05
A focused question to ask
Which projects and locations are represented, and do the surviving files contain plans, correspondence, payroll or other named-person material?
Evidence limit: Only 1940 is listed. File contents and employee coverage require staff confirmation; the title alone does not establish payroll or worker lists.
IRAD is an Illinois Secretary of State program administered by the Illinois State Archives. Depository location: Illinois State University, Normal. Direct IRAD research requests to the regional depository, not the university’s separate archives or special collections.
Research visits are by appointment only. Call ahead. ISU accepts IRAD research inquiries by telephone or mail, not email. Confirm the mailing address and any copying charges before sending a request or traveling.
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 Piatt County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
Blue Ridge Twp: Road Record
1876–1914
3/0174/03
Blue Ridge Twp: Road and Bridge Account Books
1900–1968
3/0174/04
Mansfield: Village Trustees' Minutes
1899–1907
3/0174/06
Road and Street Project Files, WPA
1940
3/0050/05
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.