GENEALOGY & LOCAL HISTORY RESOURCES

The Eureka Public Library houses numerous local history and genealogy resources, including print and digital copies of the Woodford County Journal. Review the list below for specific resources, links, and a contact form. ​
  • Library Resources
  • Links to Additional Resources
  • Contact Form
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genealogy & Local history Reference assistance
Librarian Cindy O'Neill has extensive historical research and genealogy experience and is available to assist visitors with research. On-site reference hours are by appointment. For those unable to visit the library, research assistance is also available by request. Extensive research services are available for a $10/hour donation. Email [email protected] or call 309-467-2922 for more information. You can also fill out the contact form in the tab to the right with your request.
Woodford County Journal
  • Free online access available on our public computers for 1896—2020 (except 1898, 1928*, & 1932—1937*) through Newspapers.com. Click on Woodford County Journal icon to access collection. Printing, saving, sharing, and downloading to Ancestry accounts are options.     
  • Print copies available  to view upon request for 1947—1984 (no photocopying permitted)
  • Print copies of 1928 and 1932—1937 are available at the Woodford County Journal office (467-3314)
  • Online access also available for Eureka Journal (1896), El Paso Times (1895—1896), and Pantagraph (1857—2018) newspapers through Newspapers.com.
Familysearch affiliate library
The Eureka Public Library is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. FamilySearch.org is one of the most  heavily used genealogy sites on the internet. It offers free access to over a billion national and international genealogy resources. As an Affiliate Library, visitors accessing FamilySearch.org from Eureka Public Library’s public computers will have special access to historical records not otherwise available to the public outside of a FamilySearch Family History Center. Users will need to create a free account, and then they will be able to search records, family trees, genealogies, books, and more to learn more about their ancestors.  Click on FamilySearch icon to access collection.
Ancestry.com—library edition
  • Don't have a subscription to Ancestry.com? You can access their United States records for free using the library’s public computers.  Go to www.ancestrylibrary.com to search family histories, census records, passenger lists, and much, much more.
Heritage quest online
This database can be accessed from home using your library card or from the library’s public computers. Database includes: 1790—1940 Federal Census; over 28,000 family and local history books; PERSI Archive (1800-2009 articles); Revolutionary War Era Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications; Freedman’s Bank records (1865-1874); and U.S. Serial Set (memorials, petitions and private relief acts of U.S. Congress). Go to https://www.heritagequestonline.com/ipbarcode?aid=88079 to access collection.
eureka pumpkin festival online digital collection
Over 300 digital images of photographs and artifacts pertaining to the  Eureka Pumpkin Festival (held from 1939—1961) have been collected by the Eureka Public Library and are now available to view online on the Illinois Digital Archives website. Click here to access the collection and read the history of the festival.
Family History Magazine
The library subscribes to this popular monthly genealogy magazine. The magazine features tips and references for beginning and advanced family history researchers. Magazine available for one week checkout.
ILLINOIS LOCAL HISTORY REFERENCE COLLECTION (USE IN LIBRARY ONLY)
The library has a non-circulating collection of over 200 books related to Eureka, Woodford County, and Illinois history.  Highlights include:
  • Woodford County plat books (1873, 1893, 1912, 1920, 1970, 1972, 1981, 1986, 1989, 1991, 2018)
  • Peoria County plat book (1873) and Tazewell County plat books (1864, 1873, 1891)
  • Woodford County history books
  • Eureka history books
  • 1827—1834 Tazewell County Marriages (Woodford was part of Tazewell County until 1841)
  • 1841—1847 Woodford County Marriages
  • 1850 Woodford County Federal Census transcription with index
  • Woodford County Cemetery Index (2000 [incomplete]) and Olio Cemetery Index (2009)
  • Tazewell County Cemetery Index
  • Benson, El Paso, Metamora, Secor, and Washburn historical books
  • Family histories (Hunkler/Ramsey/Winkleman/Grafenstein/Buck/Crump, Kinzinger/Gundy;    Longanecker; Ritchey; Silldorff; Waggoner; Wiegand)
  • Eureka High School Yearbooks (1923—2017, missing 1924 and 1928). These have been scanned. For $15, we can copy any 4 years onto a DVD for you to keep.
  • Eureka High School’s American Cultural Studies historical biographies (2001—2017)
  • Eureka College history books and yearbooks (1913—1975 [incomplete], 1995—1996, 2000)
  • Disciples of Christ, Baptist, and Mennonite history books
  • Illinois history books and Greene, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McLean, Peoria, and Tazewell county history books
HISTORY COLLECTION (AVAILABLE FOR CHECKOUT)
  • The library has a circulating collection of select United States, Illinois, Woodford County, and Eureka history books. Nonfiction call numbers: 940—998 (Illinois books are 977).
  • Genealogy reference books (including guides to Ancestry and FamilySearch; and Family Tree guides to German, Irish, and Polish/Czech/Slovak genealogy research). Nonfiction call number: 929—929.3. ​
Hometown History Blog
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