Ehrlicher Research Center 719 N. Eleventh Street Pekin, Illinois (309) 477-3044 Mailing Address: PO Box 312 Pekin, Illinois 61555-0312

Map to the Ehrlicher Research Center

The Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society library is located in the Ehrlicher Research Center at the above address. The library is open Monday 9 am-1 pm, Tuesday 9 am-1 pm & 7-9 pm, Wednesdays 9 am-4:30 pm, Thursday-Friday 9 am-1 pm, and Sundays 2-4:30 pm central standard time (closed on holidays and holiday weekends). The library is usually staffed with two trained volunteer genealogists.

Since we do depend on volunteers, unexpected closings can occur but are very rare.  If you are coming through town and can't stop by during our normal hours, email us and we'll try to make arrangements to meet you at the library.

New Book Released—Everett McKinley Dirksen…a Boy from Pekin      Several months ago our society became aware students at Dirksen Primary School in Pekin had no idea who Senator Everett Dirksen (the school's namesake) was or what he had done during his public service.  Since there were no books documenting the Senator's life available at an elementary reading level, a committee was created to research and write a biography for elementary students.  On March 27, copies of the books were presented to the Dirksen Primary students.      Although written for a third through seventh grade reading level, the book presents many facts and photos of the Senator's life that adults would also find interesting.  Here's more information on the creation of the book and how to get a copy. Fourth Annual Carolyn's Closet Rummage Sale - June 8-9 Our fourth annual rummage sale will be held in the parking lot in front of the library on Saturday & Sunday, June 8-9.  All proceeds will go to the society.  Stop by and browse or if you have items you'd like to donate for the sale (no clothing, please!), you can drop them off at the society's library during normal business hours.  Thanks for your support! June 2012 Meeting - Tuesday, June 12 - 7:00 pm      Mr. Fred Fry will present a program entitled The History of the Census. Mr. Fry is a retired entrepreneurship professor at Bradley University. He has written several books and articles on entrepreneurship and other business topics.      Professor Fry has also taught courses on Demographics and on the 2010 U.S. Census for Bradley's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute . He and his wife, Lois, are researching both of their families.  Besides discussing how census data can be used in your family research, his presentation will look at the changes since the first census in 1790 including how the census is taken and the information requested. A discussion of the recently released 1940 census will included.      Normal business meeting will follow. 2012 Ostfriesen Family Reunion - Rockford, Illinois - August 11-14     Many early Tazewell County settlers came from the Ostfriesland area of Germany.  Each year the Ostfriesen Genealogical Society of America (OGSA) holds a four day conference in an area of the country where early settlers arrived from Ostfriesland.  This year's conference is in Rockford - just a short distance from Tazewell County.  If you have Ostfriesland ancestors, don't miss this opportunity to further your research!     First, start or brush up your exploration of your family history by attending Ostfriesen Genealogy 101─a comprehensive overview of the resources and culture of Ostfriesland.  Then learn how to research most effectively by attending terrific basic and advanced genealogy sessions taught by Ostfriesen experts (including our own John Durdle).  Or, perhaps you'd rather attend one of the several hands-on computer workshops for those new to computer research.  Next, bring your brick walls, old photos, and other questions to the Ancestor Road Show for a one-on-one consultation with specialists in research, photo identification, translations, and DNA research.  And, access the finest collection of  Ostfriesen research materials in the country as the entire OGSA Research Library will be making the trip from St. Paul─along with a private collection of books normally not easily accessible to the public.      There will be plenty of time to network with fellow Ostfriesen researchers at the sessions, banquet, or community picnic.  You'll even get a chance to learn to speak a little Platt (Low German)─along with some idioms of the region.  You'll make friends and contacts that will last a lifetime!  Who knows??  You might even meet a new cousin!       Intrigued?  Interested?  Learn more, including how to register for all or part of the 2012 Ostfriesen Family Reunion, by reading through the conference brochure  and the conference program schedule. Searchable CD-ROMs of Tazewell County History Books     Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society member Carol Hiller has recently finished scanning the Atlas Map of Tazewell County, Illinois - 1873 --- 165 pages.  This project was a major accomplishment - due to the large size of the book (14" x 17"), Carol had to break each page into four separate scans, then join the images back together digitally, before running the pages through optical character recognition (OCR) to make the final searchable version of the book.     Previously, Carol has scanned The History of Tazewell County, 1879 and A Portrait and Biographical Record of Tazewell and Mason Counties, Illinois, 1894.  Here's more info on all three books including how to order your own copy. Tazewell County Veterans of World War II Remembrances!      The Society collected oral & written histories, documents, and photos from over 450 Tazewell County WWII veterans in order to preserve their stories for future generations.  These memories have been published in an approximately 500 page 8.5" x 11" book entitled Tazewell County Veterans of World War II Remembrances.  As you can see, the book has a high quality, long-lasting library binding.      Pictures of most of the veterans have been included with their stories.  This is a unique opportunity to relive how these “ordinary” men and women made amazing sacrifices during those extraordinary times, forging the values that made our people and nation great! This book would make a gift that will be cherished for generations to come! Follow this link for more details and to get your copy today!  The Monthly now available electronically! The Monthly is now available for home delivery in pdf format via e-mail. Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society members have always received a monthly print newsletter called The Monthly as one of the benefits of their membership. The Monthly is filled with Tazewell County historical and genealogical articles, documents, and pictures as well as information on Society special events, monthly meetings, and projects.   Members may now elect to receive their newsletter either through the postal mail service or electronically via e-mail. Supporting the long-term goals of the Society Similar to a great university's endowment fund, the TCGHS Foundation Endowment Fund helps create a margin of excellence by supporting acquisitions, innovations, and special projects beyond the capacity of the Society's normal operating budget.   Commemorate your support by sponsoring a leaf for your family on our surname tree or a tile for your company on our Tazewell County Business Plaque!

~~ About Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society ~~

Mission & Purpose Here's what the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society stands for. Our Library We moved into our new facility in 1997.  See more photos of our library and check out some of our holdings. Do you know of a group, no matter what age, who would like a tour of our library - whether it be a grade school class, church group, or civic organization?  If so, give us a call or send us an email to schedule a convenient time for a tour. Our Board & Committee Chairs The Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society board consists of the elected officers, four elected at-large board members, and the immediate past president.  Here's our current officers and committee chairs. Society Membership Become one of the almost 400 members of the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society.  Or renew your current membership! Pioneer Certificates Do you have a direct ancestor who was an early (prior to 1875) Tazewell County settler?   If so, apply for our Pioneer Certificate.  It will become a proud addition to your home! (see sample).   So far, we've issued certificates for these Tazewell County Pioneers. Updated April 2012. Think about TCGHS when shopping Online! If you ever shop online, please keep in mind that many online merchants will donate a small portion of your purchase to TCGHS.  Just go to Igive.com (through this link) and select any of over 500 major merchants including names such as Ebay, Gateway, Dell, HP, Sears, Verizon Wireless, Staples, Lands End, PC Connection, Microsoft, Best Buy, Disney, and Eddie Bauer.  You'll get the same great prices and service you would get by going directly to any of these merchants.  So, whether you are buying big items such as a new computer, small items like an ink cartridge, or any item online, Igive out first.

~~ Tazewell County Research Tips ~~

Tazewell County Surname Registry - Free! Here's a list of folks who are researching various Tazewell County surnames and who would like to correspond via email with other researchers.  Register the surnames you're researching now -- all we ask is you limit your entries to surnames which have a connection to Tazewell County. Introduction to Tazewell County Vital Records - Free! My ancestor was born in 1825 - can I get his birth certificate?  Where can I get a copy of a death certificate?  These questions and more are answered in our overview of Tazewell County Vital Records. Tazewell County Cemeteries - Free! Here's a list of all known cemeteries in Tazewell County, including the township and section they are located in.  Some cemeteries have links to additional information such as cemetery history, location maps, driving instructions, and photos. Tazewell County Township Map - Free! Here's a map of Tazewell County showing the township names and locations. Historical Tazewell County Maps - Free!     Here are historical maps of Tazewell County covering 1833, 1857, 1873, 1896, 1920, and 1929. Ortssippenbücher (OSB) Collection - Free! Many of the early settlers of Tazewell County emigrated from a region of northeast Germany known as Ostfriesland (East Friesland or East Fresia).  Ortssippenbücher (OSB) books contain important information for Ostfriesen researchers such as names, occupations, family relationships, and dates of births, marriages, and deaths for families from a specific Ostfriesen town or village. The information (usually extracted from local church records) is presented alphabetically by family group surname.  Our collection of OSB books is thought to be the largest in the State of Illinois. List last updated January 2012. Tazewell County Education Records - Free!  Joy Wojtas, Certification Specialist - Tazewell County Regional Office of Education, discusses school records dating from 1911 through 1962 which may be of assistance for research purposes.  During the past one hundred years, many changes have taken place in education.  The maintaining of various records gives future generations some insight into what was happening during a particular period of time. Newspapers on Microfilm - Free! Here's a list of the Tazewell County Newspapers prior to 1953 we currently have in our microfilm collection. Links - Free! Here's some other websites, family histories, and mailing lists you might find helpful doing your Tazewell County research.  Last updated April 2012.

TCGHS Publications Tazewell County records transcribed, indexed, and published by the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society.  Classic research materials such as cemetery listings, marriage records, land records, naturalization records, census records, atlases, and directories.  We've recently added several items including previews of our historical postcards.  And, we now have an online shopping cart for your convenience! Tazewell County Research Services Our society can provide research services to those unable to visit our library such as surname searches of the TCGHS library holdings, obituary searches at Pekin Public Library, searches of Tazewell County courthouse records (birth, death, marriage, & probate), and photographs of your ancestor's grave. Tazewell County Notable Men Photographs now available! Our archivists were recently given access to over 1500 5"x7" photos taken by 19th century photographer H.H. Cole.  These photos have been stored in the basement of the Tazewell County Courthouse for decades.  Most of these photographs are of early Tazewell County settlers.  We have scanned the collection and the images are now available to researchers.  Check our list for your ancestors. Tazewell County WWI Soldier Photographs now available! Included in the society's L. Sidney Eslinger Glass Negative Collection are over 100 glass plate negatives of identified area soldiers in uniform, probably from around the time of World War I. There are many, many more unnamed ones. These photographs were taken by H. H. Cole, the well-known Tazewell County photographer.  Our archivists have scanned the collection and the images are now available to researchers.  Check our list for your ancestors. Tazewell County Shelf Sitter The TCGHS Foundation has created a collectable shelf sitter representing the third Tazewell County Courthouse.  This is first in a series of planned Tazewell County Building shelf sitters.  Here's a photo of a sample. The Berry Gang One of our members, Jim Conover, has co-authored the definitive book on the history of "the Berry Gang", which terrorized the people of Tazewell County for years in the late 1860's, despite the efforts of Pekin’s tough City Marshal Alfred Stone, Tazewell County Sheriff Edward Pratt, and his deputies - including the gang's eventual downfall.  A classic piece of western frontier history right here in central Illinois!  Here's a brief overview of the book, including surnames mentioned, and directions on obtaining your own copy.