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.
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.
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.
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 series
Catalog dates
Accession
School Student Permanent Record, High School
1912–1938
3/0187/02
School Teachers' Daily Registers
1886–1963
3/0187/03
Hoopeston: Local Improvements Board Minutes
1904–1914
3/0196/03
Hoopeston: City Council Minutes
1897–1963
3/0196/02
Danville Twp: Poor Relief Applications
1936–1945
3/0037/02
Danville Twp: Township Annual Audit Reports
1947–1968
3/0037/09
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.
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.