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.

Back to Basics Genealogical Class - April 12 - 9:00 am-3:00pm Mary Fouts will present an all-day genealogical class covering the three major events of our ancestor's life - Birth, Marriage, and Death.  You'll learn how to find and use the records of these events.  Mary, a professional genealogist, is a founding member of our society.  Mary has taught genealogy classes at Illinois Central College and has also written a genealogical column for The Pekin Times newspaper for many years. May Monthly Meeting - Tuesday - May 13 - 7:00 pm Mike Dickson, our webmaster & computer chair, will present a multimedia DVD presentation containing updated & additional memories of our some of our Tazewell County veterans.  The presentation uses the veteran's own remembrances along with historic photographs, videos, and music to present a narrated story of the veteran's experience.  As usual, a business meeting will be held afterward. June Monthly Meeting - Tuesday - June 10 - 7:00 pm Kerstin O'Connor will give a presentation about Swedish immigrants and their descendants in America.  Kerstin is a graduate of Augustana College where she worked at the Swenson Center, a national archives and research institute providing various resources for the study of Swedish immigration to North America, the communities the immigrants established, and their history and culture.  Business meeting to follow. August Monthly Meeting - Tuesday - August 12 - 7:00 pm Patricia Goitein, a Peoria historian, has written a paper for the Illinois Historical Society Quarterly titled "Meet Me in Heaven" which deals with living in Illinois in the 1825-1855 time frame. She will speak to us about this topic, including some information directly related to Tazewell County. Visit her website to learn about a new scenic drive which follows the historic route of the Galena Trail and Coach Road. Year-End Tax Information from our Treasurer     For those of you who itemize deductions on your income tax return, the revised 2007 IRS regulations require that you have an acknowledgement of your charitable donations from the recipient organization. If you made one or more donations to TCGHS during 2007 for which you have not received a thank you receipt (usually only those less than $20), you may request the acknowledgement by mail or e-mail - to the attention of the Treasurer.     Also, if you work for or are retired from a business that has a Matching Gifts program you may be able to increase the benefit of your donation(s) to TCGHS by filling out the appropriate form and forwarding it to our Treasurer. 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 Christmas gift that will be cherished for generations to come! Follow this link for more details and to get your copy today!  Historical Tazewell County Maps     Over the next several months we will be adding historical maps of Tazewell County. The seventh to be added is a an 1857 Map of Tazewell County done by Surveyor Thomas King, Jr that is owned by W. Thad Kuhfuss, Attorney at Law in Pekin.  Mr. Kuhfuss has generously allowed our Society to copy the map and has placed images of the map in the public domain.  This month's portion (the sixth) covers Cincinnati and Pekin townships. 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. 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. Award winning Tazewell County Cookbook makes a wonderful gift! Our cookbook, Cooking Up Memories, makes a terrific present for anyone interested in Tazewell County.   Besides over 700 Tazewell County recipes, the book contains over 40 historical pictures, 30 historical drawings, and many intriguing "Tazewell Tales".  Each chapter is named after one of the Tazewell County townships. And, Cooking Up Memories was selected as the 1999 Midwest Regional Winner for the TABASCO® Community Cookbook Awards.  See what the judges had to say and find out how you can get a copy of this award winning cookbook!  Order your copy today - we've already sold over 2300! 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.