Illinois State Genealogical Society
Our Database Records
 
ISGS's new Combined Name Database combines the searchable records from our Prairie Pioneer Database, the Prairie Patriot Certificates Database, and the ICE Church Records 1837-1937. A description of each record set follows:
 
PRAIRIE PIONEERS
This project was organized for the Bicentennial, and the first pioneer was certified in 1982. This is now a very popular project with over 3,000 pioneers certified. There are three categories of certificates issued to descendants of pioneers who resided in Illinois (1) prior to statehood, (2) 1819-1850, and (3) 1851-1880. Documentation proving the pioneer's date of residency in Illinois, along with documentation proving the applicant's lineage to the pioneer, must accompany the application. Full instructions and fee schedule are available on the application form. For questions concerning the Prairie Pioneers, please send an email to:  isgsprairiepioneer@ilgensoc.org.
 
PRAIRIE PATRIOT CERTIFICATES
ISGS currently has several Prairie Patriot Certificate projects in progress. The purpose of these projects is to recognize the sacrifices made by the veteran's valiant efforts and to record and preserve material submitted in support of the certificates so that it will be available for future generations of researchers. Our database includes veteran's of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Blackhawk War, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II. Full instructions and fee schedule are available on the application form. For questions concerning the Military Certificates project, please send an email to:   isgsmilitarycerts@ilgensoc.org.
 
 
ICE CHURCH RECORDS 1837-1937
A Genealogical Index to the History of the Illinois Conference of the Evangelical Church 1837-1937 (Authorized Centennial Edition, by Rev. John G. Schwab, assisted by Rev. H.H. Thoren, Ph.D., Chicago, IL) (Harrisburg, Pa.: Evangelical Press)
 
This index names persons who were associated with the development of this German-speaking church denomination within the northern part of Illinois from the 1840s to 1937 and the capacity in which they were associated. Those persons were primarily clergymen, but early church founding members and others are often named. The overall structure of the book was based partly on annual conference records – yearly summaries of the activities of its churches and their members – and partly on the history of the circuits or fields where churches were founded.
Click here to see the expanded notes on this important Illinois research database. 
 
 
Other Databases and Indicies
ISGS is working on adding some of these to the unified database. Look for changes!
(Click on each title to open it.)
 
This is a downloadable PDF with an index of the names in the book.
 
This project was established in 1989 to collect and preserve family Bible records. Bible records were accepted from members and non-members. The collection contains information about families from throughout the United States, not just Illinois. The records were published in the ISGS Quarterly and compiled into these two volumes.
 
This is a searchable database of cemeteries in Illinois. It currently lists over 11,000 known cemeteries. Click on the "eye" icon to view more information about the cemetery.
 
A PDF of names only in the Fulton County pre-1916 Death Index Book.
 
This is a searchable database of surnames entered by ISGS members. Click on the "eye" icon to view more information about the individual.
 
The 25-Year Index for Volumes 1-25 is now available for viewing and downloading.
 
Ancestor Charts
This eight volume set contains 5-generation charts submitted by ISGS members between 1988-????. The index for each is available as a PDF download.
 
The following photos have been submitted by ISGS members as part of a contest. You can view the photo and associated information by clicking on each individual's name.
 
The ISGS Quarterly contains articles related to African-American genealogy. Four articles are free to download.