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Research Guides / Illinois / Vermilion County

ILLINOIS / LOCAL RECORDS

Vermilion County:
School records, city improvements and township relief

Investigate Vermilion County through school registers, Hoopeston municipal improvements and Danville Township relief applications, with focused retrieval questions.

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

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

Schools: ask for the school before the student

The high-school permanent-record series and daily registers provide two distinct starting points for a school-specific inquiry.

School Student Permanent Record, High School
1912–1938 · Accession 3/0187/02

School Teachers' Daily Registers
1886–1963 · Accession 3/0187/03

A focused question to ask

Which schools are represented, what identifying details help retrieve an entry, and what restrictions apply to student information?

Evidence limit: The catalog spans do not establish continuous coverage or every school. Consult the custodian about access before requesting personal student details.

STOP 02 / ISU IRAD

Hoopeston: connect an improvement to a council decision

A local-improvements board record may help frame a street or infrastructure question alongside the city council minutes.

Hoopeston: Local Improvements Board Minutes
1904–1914 · Accession 3/0196/03

Hoopeston: City Council Minutes
1897–1963 · Accession 3/0196/02

A focused question to ask

Can a street, project or property description be used to locate entries, and are the board and council minutes indexed?

Evidence limit: These are separate government series. A listed project does not prove an ancestor owned or occupied nearby property.

STOP 03 / ISU IRAD

Danville Township: relief and public administration

Poor-relief applications offer a potentially personal research route, while township audit reports provide a separate administrative context.

Danville Twp: Poor Relief Applications
1936–1945 · Accession 3/0037/02

Danville Twp: Township Annual Audit Reports
1947–1968 · Accession 3/0037/09

A focused question to ask

What access restrictions apply to relief applications, how are they arranged, and what details are needed for a permitted search?

Evidence limit: Relief applications can contain sensitive information. Audit reports cover a later period and are not evidence that a named person received assistance.

BEFORE YOU TRAVEL OR ORDER

Request records from the IRAD regional depository

IRAD regional depository · 309-452-6027

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 Vermilion County
Record seriesCatalog datesAccession
School Student Permanent Record, High School1912–19383/0187/02
School Teachers' Daily Registers1886–19633/0187/03
Hoopeston: Local Improvements Board Minutes1904–19143/0196/03
Hoopeston: City Council Minutes1897–19633/0196/02
Danville Twp: Poor Relief Applications1936–19453/0037/02
Danville Twp: Township Annual Audit Reports1947–19683/0037/09

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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