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.

Surplus Book Sale! We have to get rid of some of our duplicate books to make room for additional research materials. They cover a wide variety of topics from many Illinois Counties and other States as well.  Most are 1/2 price!  First-come, First-served!  Here's the list! June Monthly Meeting - Tuesday - June 9 - 7:00 pm Gary Watson from Morton will speak about the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion generally referred to as the "O.R.". Our library has the entire 127 volume set of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion.  Mr. Morton has used the books to review specific battles that involved the Civil War veterans from Morton. Based on his use of the books, he will discuss how to find information in the O.R. along with other available Civil War veteran resources.  Normal monthly meeting will be after the presentation. July Monthly Meeting - Tuesday - July 14 - 7:00 pm The July 14 program will be an audience "Show and Tell" event - people may bring a piece of memorabilia related to genealogy or history and/or an interesting story to share with the audience.  Normal business meeting follows. August Monthly Meeting - Tuesday - August  9 - 7:00 pm Tim Sawers of Springfield will speak to us about Tazewell County's namesake - Littleton Waller Tazewell.  Mr. Sawers wrote his doctoral dissertation on Littleton Tazewell about 35 years ago.  Business meeting follows. September Monthly Meeting - Tuesday - September 8 - 7:00 pm Jan Frazier will present a program about the nonfiction book, Transatlantic Ticket 1852. The book is about the Germans coming to the New World in the 1850s -- their struggles in the Old World, the boat trip to America, and trials once they arrived in the New World. A video will show pictures of Germany during the 1850s as well as pictures of Pekin during the same period.  Business meeting follows. October Monthly Meeting - Tuesday - October 13 - 7:00 pm     Join Dr. John Hallwas for an exciting lecture and slide presentation entitled Desperadoes: Notorious Lawbreakers of Early Illinois that delves into the dark side of Illinois history, from the frontier killers at Cave-in-Rock to later horse thieves, bandits, and murderers. Groups such as the Brown Gang, the Johnson Gang, and Tazewell County's own Berry Gang – and outlaws like Joe Brice, Ed Maxwell, and Frank Rande – will be discussed, and then slides, based on lithographs and historic photographs, will depict some of the outlaws and the locations associated with their nefarious activities. The lecture will also include comments on the early lawmen and vigilantes who tracked down the desperadoes.      John Hallwas holds a PhD from the University of Florida and retired in 2004 from Western Illinois University. He has received a number of teaching and service awards and has written more than a dozen books and scores of articles on Illinois history and literature, including the recently published Dime Novel Desperadoes.  This program is made possible in part by an award from the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC), the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.  Dr. Hallwas is a member of the IHC Roads Scholar speaker program. This presentation has been rescheduled from May 12. 2009 Fort Wayne Bus Trip Cancelled! Since we did not have enough interest last year to fill a bus (and the economy has become even worse since then), the society will not be able to sponsor a trip this year or for the foreseeable future.  We will continue to review the issue in coming years to determine if the project can become viable again.  Many thanks to our past riders for their patronage! Ladies Aid Society of Malone Banner - circa 1899 Peoria's Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences is currently displaying a handmade banner created by the Ladies Aid Society of Malone in 1899.  Here's further information and a photo of the banner. Tazewell County Veterans of World War II Remembrances! now available!      For the past several months, the Society has 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. 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.  All you have to do to get a donation for TCGHS from Amazon.com is always enter their site through this link.  What if you don't wish to shop at Amazon?  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, check Amazon and 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. Tazewell County Education Records - Free!  Joy Wojtas, Assistant Superintendent - 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. Census Records on Microfilm & CD-ROM - Free! Here's a list of the U.S. Census Records we have available for your research.  We will soon be adding updates for our Illinois Census Records collection.  For added interest, we have the total population and the U.S. Flag flying at the time displayed for each census.  Because of the large amount of information on these pages, it may take a minute or so to finish downloading - we think it's worth the wait! Links - Free! Here's some other websites and mailing lists you might find helpful doing your Tazewell County research.

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.