Williamson County: A school snapshot, wheel taxes and city-clerk files
Explore Williamson school schedules and Johnston City administrative records through the IRAD regional depository in Carbondale, using exact catalog references and focused requests.
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 / SIU IRAD
Schools: a single-year schedule beside later registers
The 1871 school schedules offer a narrowly dated lead. Later daily registers are a separate series to approach after identifying a school or district.
School Schedules 1871 · Accession 6/0285/02
School Teachers' Daily Registers 1914–1964 · Accession 6/0444/01
A focused question to ask
Which schools are represented in the 1871 schedules and later registers, and what information and access restrictions apply?
Evidence limit: The two series are separated by decades. A schedule may contain totals rather than named pupils; the catalog does not establish entry-level content.
STOP 02 / SIU IRAD
Johnston City: wheel taxes and local improvements
A wheel-tax record is an unusual municipal lead. Improvement-board minutes offer a separate route for researching a street or project.
Johnston City: Wheel Tax Record 1929–1949 · Accession 6/0390/06
Johnston City: Local Improvements Board Minutes 1916–1921 · Accession 6/0390/02
A focused question to ask
How is the wheel-tax record arranged, and does it identify payers or vehicles? Which projects appear in the improvement minutes?
Evidence limit: The catalog does not specify the fields in the tax record. The different date spans should not be treated as a continuous account of one project or person.
STOP 03 / SIU IRAD
Johnston City: compare clerk files with council decisions
Miscellaneous clerk files may lead to supporting paperwork that meeting minutes summarize. Ask about arrangement before requesting a broad name search.
Johnston City: City Clerk's Miscellaneous Files 1911–1931 · Accession 6/0390/14
Johnston City: City Council Minutes 1896–2004 · Accession 6/0390/01
A focused question to ask
What subjects and file types survive in the clerk files, and can staff identify a file or council volume for my topic and year?
Evidence limit: Miscellaneous is a catalog label, not a verified description of individual documents. A council reference does not prove supporting paperwork survives.
IRAD is an Illinois Secretary of State program administered by the Illinois State Archives. Depository location: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Direct IRAD research requests to the regional depository, not the university’s separate archives or special collections.
Call before visiting the IRAD facility in the Library Storage Building, 1835 University Press Drive, Carbondale. It is separate from the main library. Follow the statewide telephone/mail request policy; reduced summer hours and university closures can affect access.
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 Williamson County
Record series
Catalog dates
Accession
School Schedules
1871
6/0285/02
School Teachers' Daily Registers
1914–1964
6/0444/01
Johnston City: Wheel Tax Record
1929–1949
6/0390/06
Johnston City: Local Improvements Board Minutes
1916–1921
6/0390/02
Johnston City: City Clerk's Miscellaneous Files
1911–1931
6/0390/14
Johnston City: City Council Minutes
1896–2004
6/0390/01
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.