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A valuable new tool for genealogists has just been completed by volunteers and staff at the Madison County Archival Library. It is expected that the new “Guardianship Index” will help genealogists solve roadblocks in their family trees and allow them to learn more about their ancestors.

MCHS has put the index on its website so it can be accessed by anyone, although a visit to the library will be necessary to see the actual file. The index can be found at https://madcohistory.org/archival-library/archival-library-resources/probate-court-files/

It can also be located by going to www.madcohistory.org, and looking at Library Resources on the Archival Library page. 

Last year the Illinois State Historical Society commissioned a limited special bronze casting of John McClarey’s statuette “The Conversation.” which features seated representations of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass in their first conversation in the White House, which took place on August 10, 1863. A very limited number of signed, numbered statuettes are available to individuals who contribute $2,500 or more to the ISHS's endowment fund. Each statuette comes with a certificate of authenticity and the gratitude of the Society’s Board of Directors.

To order “The Conversation,” call 217-525-2781 today.

The Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is currently accepting scholarship applications for the 2022 RBMS Conference, What Now? Reflection, Reckoning, and Recovery, the first hybrid RBMS conference, to be held in New Haven, CT and online, from June 21-24, 2022. The deadline to apply is January 24, 2022, and applicants will be notified on or before March 18, 2022.

Mark A. Plummer–June 1, 1929 - November. 9, 2021
ISHS President 1985-1986

SUN CITY, Arizona - Mark A. Plummer, age 92, passed away Tuesday, November 9, 2021, in Sun City, AZ. There will be a Celebration of Life service at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 13, 2021, at the Sun City Christian Church, 9745 W Palmeras Dr., Sun City, AZ, 85373.

Binge watch the entire Fall 2021 Lunch & Learn Series from the comfort of home. We'll have updates for the Spring 2022 series in February. Stay tuned!

The Illinois State Historical Society recently recognized the Madison County Historical Society (MCHS) as an Illinois Centennial Organization. The Centennial Awards certificate states that MCHS “has contributed to the civic and economic heritage of the State of Illinois for one hundred years.”

In this issue of Illinois Heritage we explore the “Badger Huts” of Jo Daviess County, the destruction of an elegant Italianate farm house in Springfield, the remarkable career of author and editor William Maxwell, Ottawa’s tent colony for the treatment of tuberculosis patients, the elegant art of Christia M. Reade, Joseph Harker’s ascent from the coal mines of southern Illinois to the presidency of the Illinois Woman’s College in Jacksonville, and so much more, including several newly installed historical markers around the state.

If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to renew your ISHS membership. In the coming weeks you will be receiving reminders in the mail from the University of Illinois Press, which handles our subscription and membership renewals. Early renewals help cut down on costs and give us a leg up on the new year. Thanks to all of you who have already sent in your renewals. We look forward to hearing from you in 2022.

William Furry
Executive Director

John Hancock, a well-traveled, heart-broken poet, arrived in Springfield in the summer of 1831. His journey began in Cornwall, England, in the late 18th century, with stops in Italy, France, London (where he studied law), and Canada before his arrival in the Sangamo Country, where he secured a job selling whisky and sundries in Jacob Capps’ Grocery. According to ISHS director John Hallwas, professor emeritus of history and English at Western Illinois University and a Medievalist who has written more than 20 books about Illinois history and culture, Hancock was the finest poet in the Midwest in the 1830s, a writer of exceptional depth who wanted to capture the Prairie experience in verse. He succeeded admirably. Hallwas’ book, The Poetry of H: Lost Poet of Lincoln’s Springfield (Ellis Press, 1982), is the basis for his new play, The Mysterious Bard of Sangamo, which was recorded this past summer.

Illinois Humanities has worked to bring the Smithsonian Institute’s touring world-class exhibitions to communities in Illinois for several years, but it is the current tour – Voices and Votes: Democracy in America – that has presented the most urgency.