Roots & Branches

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Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society

114 North Chicago Street

Lincoln, Illinois 62656

Ph. (217) 732-3200

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2^nd& 4^thSat. 10 am-1 pm

Web Pages: http://www.logancoil-genhist.org & http://www.rootsweb.com/~illcghs

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SPRING 2026: January, February, March

Meeting Schedule: All program meetings are at 6:30 pm on the third Monday of each month. The speakers are first on the agenda. We look forward to seeing you. Please call, Vice-President and Program Chairperson, with suggestions for programs at 217-732-3200.

April 20 – Bill Donath – Jewish Presence in Lincoln and Logan County.

May 18 – Casey Claypool – Rt 66 Scenic Byways

June 15 – Shelly Klinger – Middletown Artifacts and History

Call for Article Submissions

Members and readers who have a genealogical or historical story related to Logan County to tell can do so through the Roots & Branches. Stories can be submitted in writing or by email. These stories will provide a variety. Bill Donath, Editor

Officers for 2026-2027

The "deep snow" of the winter of 1830-31, to which reference has already been had, was not only one of the most remarkable meteorological phenomena ever experienced in Central Illinois, but it marked a dating point, for every antecedent or subsequent event, in the history of the early settlers. "Before" or "after the deep snow" was a chronological expression, similar to the much later one of, "before" or "after the war." The snow began to fall in the latter part of November and continued to fall, until it reached a depth of three feet or more on the level. Then came a rain, with the weather so cold, that the rain froze as it fell, forming a crust of ice, over this great depth of snow, nearly, but not quite, strong enough, to bear up the weight of a man; and finally, over this

crust of ice, came a few inches of light snow. The clouds passed away and the wind came down, from the northwest, with extraordinary ferocity. For weeks, the mercury was no higher, any morning, than twelve degrees below zero. The air was filled with flying snow, which blinded the eyes, and almost stopped the breath of any one who attempted to face it. The settlers were all largely from regions to the south of this, had never experienced anything of this kind and were wholly unprepared for it. It is not difficult, therefore, to give due credence to the stories of suffering and destitution which its prolonged visitation entailed.

When the storm came, it found most of the corn standing on the stalk. It had been warm and wet. and the settlers had been in no hurry

to gather the corn. They were so unprepared for such an extreme season that it became almost impossible, in many cases, to obtain bread for family use, although amid stacks of wheat and fields of corn. Few had any milling done, and all sorts of devices were used to reduce what little grain that could be dug out of the snow into anything resembling bread. Watermills, few as they were, were frozen and stopped. Roads were obliterated and it was useless to make new ones in the snow, for the drifts filled them up as fast as made. Stock perished for want of sustenance, as also did hogs and poultry, in great numbers.

Nearly all kinds of game were destroyed, especially the deer, which being unable to run in the snow, fell an easy prey to the hunter and his dogs. Prairie chickens, with their well

known habits of roosting on the ground, were destroyed by hundreds. Apple and peach trees were invariably killed. Prior to the "deep snow," this section was considered the greatest fruit country known, but since the "deep snow," it has never recovered its prestige in this regard. It is also a well-known fact, that cotton was grown in what is now Logan County, prior to this remarkable weather, but none since.

David England, who settled in Sangamon County, close to the present Logan County line, said in 1870: "Previous to 1831, we raised plenty of cotton, without cultivation, all we wanted, but after the deep snow, there was a change in climate, and it has not been the same since, as every old settler can testify. My father had a cotton gin, which consisted of two rollers turned by hand." Cotton was raised in considerable quantities in the Buckles' settlement in the Lake Fork country, before the "deep snow" as before noted in the chapter on early settlement.

Elisha Primm, of Sangamon County, used to relate that his father built a cotton gin in 1822. He said that from the time the first settlers came into the county, until 1831, this was as good a cotton country as Georgia. He

said that this was attested by men familiar with cotton growing in the south. Elisha attended the gin built by his father, which was run by horse power. The people brought cotton to be ginned, from all distances up, to twenty miles. Sometimes it would accumulate on his hands, until he would have as much as three thousand pounds. The price for ginning was a toll of one pound in every eight, after the cotton was ginned. It sold from 12 to 16 2/3 cents per pound and occasionally higher. But after the "deep snow," he said that the seasons appeared to shorten, and cotton was generally bitten by the frost before it had time to mature, and cotton raising was abandoned.

-John Buckles, during his lifetime, said - that though only nine years of age, he remembered the "deep snow" quite vividly. He described it as follows: "The snow began falling about Christmas and continued until it was three feet deep on the level, and four or six feet deep where it drifted. A cold wave, following the snow, froze the surface into a thick hard crust, strong enough to bear the weight of team and sled. Deer and wild turkeys became so tame, through desire for food, that they ventured near enough to the cabin of the pioneers, in some instances, to be fed from the door. Before the opening of spring, much wild game was killed, by the merciless wolf or perished from starvation. Families not having prepared for such a trying time, and being housed only in open-built huts, were in many cases frozen to death, while others suffered cruelly from lack of food. The difficulties and adversities through which the people of that winter passed, and the misery and suffering they underwent, are indescribable and inconceivable, and those who survived it and are yet living, recall to memory or speak of it, with ghastly recollection of its horrors."

Christopher C. Ewing, in writing to the Old Settlers' Association, about the "deep snow," said: "During this winter, we had to hitch two or three yoke of oxen, to a sled, to

drive out into the field, and get some corn for ourselves and the stock; and we would find our trails, completely covered up, on our return. The snow was two or three feet deep, on a level. Sundogs followed the sun all day, and the weather was bitterly cold. We got through the winter with a lot of poor stock."

James Randolph, at the Old Settlers' meeting in 1875, said that he came to the county, with a colony of fifty persons; that they came from a warm country and the men spent the fall in hunting, instead of finishing their cabins and that only two cabins had chimneys when the big snow came; that by spring forty-nine of the fifty were in the two cabins that had chimneys, one having died; that nearly all were sick, they had no doctor, and a number of the settlers became discouraged with the outlook and went back home.

Samuel Hoblit used to relate that he moved into his new log house, near the present site of Atlanta, "the day of the commencement of the deep snow," that the house was somewhat open, not having had it finished and "that the snow of that long

winter, lasting eighty days, without a thaw, continually drifted in, until, under the bed, it reached the cords, where it became packed and was allowed to remain until spring."

David Ward Clark, one of the first presidents of the Old Settlers' Association, is authority for the statement that, during the winter of the deep snow, the house tops were covered with prairie chickens, which died by the thousands.

Jacob H. Judy, in his lifetime, always claimed that the snow was five feet deep, on an average, and drifted, in places, to fifteen and twenty feet.

Ford Ewing used to relate that during this period, he, and his brother, ran down eleven half starved, scrawny deer, which they afterwards fattened, but could not domesticate. This great snowfall produced constant sleighing for nine weeks, and when, at last, warm rains and sunshine prevailed, the roads remained as lines of ice, which disappeared but gradually. The streams were raised, by the melting snow, to an unusual height. and thus passed away this epoch-marking event.

About five years after the "deep snow," or to be exact, on December 20, 1836, another meteorological event occurred, in the history of the county, which has likewise not been surpassed, since that time. This event was known as the "sudden freeze." Rain and sleet had been falling in the early afternoon, when without warning, a strong wind, traveling at the rate of at least seventy miles an hour, accompanied by a deep, bellowing sound, with its icy blast, swept over the county, and everything was instantly frozen hard. The water of the little pools in the roads froze in waves, sharp-edged and pointed, as the gale had blown it. Chickens, pigs and other animals were frozen in their tracks. Wagon wheels,

ceasing to roll, were frozen to the ground. Men, going to their barns or fields, in slush and water, a short distance from their houses, returned a few minutes later, walking on the ice. Some caught out on horseback, were frozen to their saddles. Ice was frozen in streams, from six inches to a foot thick, in a few hours. John Buckles, of Mt. Pulaski, gave the following version of this event, during his lifetime: "On the morning of the sudden change, it was warm, the atmosphere was saturated with moisture and on the ground was a light layer of snow. About noon, rain began to fall for a time, when without a moment's warning, an icy wave swept down from the north, freezing everything as it went.

Underfoot, was a slush of snow and water, but in less time than it takes to write it, the polar blast converted it into solid ice.

Carter T. Scroggin, who was on his road from a neighboring mill, in an old Durbin, was struck by the frigid wind. The top of his Durbin was removed and his horse faced in the opposite direction. Realizing the peril of his situation and knowing that if he did not find shelter immediately death would claim him, he drove rapidly in search of some friendly cabin, which he found in time to save his life. Those who had the misfortune to be overtaken by this icy terror and were unable to find shelter, quickly succumbed and much stock was numbered among the frozen victims."

Christopher C. Ewing, of Lawndale, now deceased, reporting this event, said: "In December of 1836, our pioneers experienced another severe change in the atmosphere and lost heavily of their stock and poultry, and in some cases their own lives. The snow had been falling for a day or two, when a drizzling rain set in, which continued until about two o'clock, in the afternoon, melting the snow and converting it into thin, mushy ice. Suddenly, there came a mighty, rushing wind from the northwest, which roared at a distance, like a hurricane, and froze everything in its course. The water on the ponds was frozen in waves and all who were out, suffered more or less, as in an hour, the mercury changed from forty degrees above to thirty degrees below. This severe weather continued three days and resulted in much sickness throughout the country."

J. T. Hackney in an Old Settlers' talk at the annual meeting, recalled the sudden change. "The earth was wet from recent rains," said he "when suddenly a cold wind came, which seemed to whiten the earth. Three of us were caught in this storm and the

ice becoming thicker and thicker and the cold more intense, we were compelled to stop at the house of Alfred Sams for safety."

Ezekiel Bowman, one of the early sheriffs of the county, used to say that after the sudden freeze, he found frogs frozen, with their mouths open, and he verily believed that the change was so sudden, they didn't have time to close them.

John Hepperly, of Lincoln, illustrated the suddenness of the change, by saying that it was "sudden as a clap of thunder."

The father of Abe Larison had a narrow escape from death, at the time, his clothing being frozen on him and he frozen to the saddle, when he arrived at his home. Many cases of subsequent death among the early settlers were due to exposure during the storm, and much sickness followed.

James Harvey Hildreth, who died in Mt. Pulaski township in 1858, underwent such an amount of suffering, during this sudden change, that, in after years, he rarely ever cared to refer to it. He came to this country in 1833 and was engaged in cattle trading. At this time, he was a stout and rugged young man, of about twenty-four years of age. In December of 1836, he, in company with a young man, by the name of Frame, started, on horseback, for Chicago. On the day of the sudden freeze, they had entered the border of a large prairie, in the northern part of the state, and the next timber was many miles distant. It had rained all morning, and the earth was covered with water. They encountered a slough, containing so much water, they did not like to attempt passing through it. In order to head the slough, they rode some miles in a northeasterly direction, and having crossed it, turned northwest. to regain their course. That was about the middle of the afternoon. It suddenly ceased raining and the cold wave came, in all its fury, from the northwest,

striking them square in the face. They were then out of sight of any human habitation, and their horses became absolutely unmanageable. They drifted with the wind or across it, until dark closed in upon them. The cold becoming more intense, death seemed to be imminent. As a last resort, they decided to kill their horses, take out the entrails and crawl into the carcass, as a protection against the cold. They dismounted, killed Frame's horse first, disemboweled it and both crawled into the carcass, as far as they could, and remained there until midnight. The animal heat, by this time, having been dissipated, they crawled out, with the intention of slaughtering Hildreth's horse. In some way, however, they lost the only knife they had, and could not find it in the darkness. They then huddled about the living horse, until about four o'clock in the morning. By that time Frame had become so benumbed by the cold, that he sank to sleep and while in this stupor, froze to death. Mr. Hildreth, in the meantime, kept from freezing, by jumping about. As soon as it was daylight, he mounted his horse and started in search of shelter. In mounting, he dropped his hat, but was afraid to dismount and get it, for fear he would not have strength to mount again. Bareheaded, he rode about, until he reached the bank of a stream, supposed to be the Vermillion River. Seeing a house on the opposite shore, he made an outcry, which brought the occupant out. This did him little good, for the occupant, whose name turned out to be Benjamin Russ, was one of those inhuman outlaws, who were occasionally to be met with in the timber. Russ yelled to Hildreth, that he could not do anything for him. A canoe was lying tied to the opposite shore, but he affected to be afraid of the

running ice. Hildreth then offered him a large sum, if he would cut a tree and let it fall over the stream, so that he could cross. Russ still refused and directed Hildreth to a grove, which he said was a mile distant, where he would find a house. He went, but it was five miles, and the house proved to be a deserted cabin. He then returned to Russ' house and called for help and was again refused. He then dismounted, crawled to the bank, found that the ice had closed, and was strong enough to bear him and crawled over. Arriving at the fence, the brutal owner of the place refused to help him. Hildreth tumbled over the fence, crawled to the bank and laid down near the fire. He was allowed to lie there, until four o'clock that afternoon, but no assistance was given him, either by Russ or his wife. Finally, some hog drovers came along and moved him to another house, where he was properly cared for. Afterwards, the settlers of the neighborhood, hearing of the inhumanity of Russ, decided to mete out severe punishment but Russ and his wife fled the country. Mr. Hildreth always expressed the belief, that his offering to pay liberally, for cutting down a tree across the river, led them to think that he had a large sum of money, and that, if, by their neglect, he perished, they could obtain it. Mr. Hildreth was conveyed back to the house of his brother in Vermillion County, where all his toes were amputated from both feet and the bones of all his fingers, except one joint of the thumb, on his right hand, which enabled him to hold a pen or drover's whip. His left foot never healed entirely and nearly twenty two years after his misfortune his leg had to be amputated below the knee. This healed, but his lungs, already diseased, caused his death as before stated.

“Logan County was established in 1839 by carving the region out of Sangamon County – all except the northern tier of townships which were taken from Tazewell County and added to Logan in 1840. I compiled the map, for not better reason than my own amusement, and not to represent the region as it was on any particular date, but to depict some of the interesting conditions and events there during the 1820’s and 1830’s just before it became Logan County.

“The natural features – water courses and timber – were taken from the plats of the original surveys, most of which were made before the Federal Land Office in Springfield was opened in 1823, and all of which are still on file in the Illinois State Archives. Note that the hill now occupied by Mt. Pulaski was not timbered. (Incidentally, Mt. Pulaski Hill and Elkhart Hill “Komes,” mound of almost pure sand deposited by prehistoric subglacial rivers where they emerged from the ice.) Note also that Lake Fork – that is to say, the lake fork of Salt Creek – really was a lake, at least during the rainy season. During the dry season it was a mere swamp. Many of the township lines were not precisely where they are today, mainly because chain was so scarce in the frontier in those days that surveyors were often obliged to use thongs (leather strips) which stretched considerably when the weather was humid, of course, and shrank when it was dry – so that even a basic distance might yield significantly different measures on successive days.

‘The locations of the various trails – leading to Springfield on the southwest, to

Fort Clark (now Peoria) on the northwest, to Bloomington and Clinton on the northeast, and to Decatur on the southeast – were derived from bits and pieces of information in a variety of sources; The Interstate Publishing Company’s History of Logan County (1886), Judge Lawrence Stringer‘s History of Logan County (1911), early plat books showing roads (such as the ‘grape vine road’ running northeast from Mt. Pulaski) which undoubtedly followed the lines of ancient trails, and an old Illinois atlas in the University of Illinois Library. It should be noted that the locations of the trails were very approximated and were subject to considerable change from time to time; they followed the high ground during the rainy season and much of the low ground was bottomless mud, Impassable even for a rider on horseback, but in the dry season they took short cuts across the prairies.

“The locations of the very Early settlements – James Latham’s on Elkhart Hill, Robert Musick’s on Sugar Creek, and James Turley’s on Lake Fork – are to be found in Judge Stringer’s History.

“Judge Stringer’s History was also the principal source of dates on the thirteen ‘Boom Towns’ – supplemented, however, by the original plats filed in Springfield, seat of Sangamon County, and in Pekin, seat of Tazewell County.

“The town lot boom of the 1830’s was one of the most interesting and exciting episodes in the early history not only of our region but of all central Illinois. Middletown (1832) and Mt. Pulaski (1836) are the only ones to

“A letter was received in this city yesterday morning from of the principles in the late duel (!) at Lincoln, and the gentleman to whom it was addressed brought it to our office and allowed us to throw our eyes over it. It was right funny. From a careful perusal of it we are satisfied that an extensive ‘sell’ was perpetrated upon the inhabitants of the thriving borough of Lincoln, and it is more than likely that a few of our citizens allowed themselves to be sold for less than the price of an old song. It seems that the two fighting men have been waiting patiently, and it is supposed some somewhat nervously, for squalis, and one of them (Y.) said to the other, (W.) ‘I’ll bet you and oyster supper that mine screams first.’ W. is said to have replied, ‘Now you’re talking sense; I’ll take that bet and am willing to double the stakes.’ But Y, replied that he was not a sporting man, and that he considered the stakes quite large enough for the occasion; so the parties, separated, with a fair understanding that the loser of the wager was to pay for an oyster supper that should not cost less than $5. Fortune favored Y., for the wail of a newborn babe was heard in his house six hours before a similar sound entered the ears and gladdened the heart of his neighbor W. On the following day Y signified to W. his readiness to eat a large number of oysters at his (W.’s) expense, and W. acknowledged that he had lost the bet and expressed that his willingness to

comply to its conditions. By some means not generally known, it became town talk in Lincoln that Y. had challenged W. to mortal combat, and most of the inhabitants were thrown into a high state of excitement. The two happy fathers concluded to humor the joke, and we are informed that when they were advised by the respective friends to compromise the matter, they replied that they did not need any assistance in the settlement of their difficulties. It will readily be supposed that their apparent thirst for each other’s blood did not tend to ally the excitement, and we venture to say that the good people of Lincoln were completely unfitted for their usual duties during the greater part of last Friday. The arrangements for the duel having been made, privately of course, the Lincoln people did not know when or where the combat would take place; but when Y and W rode out together in the direction of Postville, they were followed by a pretty large crowd.

“We do not know how long a chase the two friends led their followers over the prairie, but presumed they rode till some of their train got an inkling of the joke. The oyster supper doubtless came off in good time, and the probabilities are the happy fathers and a few of their intimate friends made the most of the occasion. – Springfield Journal, 22^nd.”

“Ed. Herald: If not trespassing upon your good nature, I would like, through the medium of your valuable journal, to inform the citizens of Logan County of the patriotism of the citizens of Mr. Pulaski. You are aware that the 22^ndof February was the anniversary of the birth of our glorious Washington. It being so, the Young Men’s Literary Association of this place, having obtained the consent of the school directors for the use of the Court House, at once gave out a prospectus of the celebration to be had in the evening at the aforesaid place, and when the hour arrived, the Court House was filled with the good citizens of Mt. Pulaski. The House was call to order by the President of the association, Mr. D. VanHise, when Addresses suitable to the occasion were delivered, in an eloquent manner, by Messrs. Whitaker, King, Reiser, St. Clair, Lushbaugh, and Master Frackelton; after which, a call was made for toasts, by the president, and a hearty response was made by both ladies and gentlemen – a few I will make

mention of. Were I to give you all that were made, I would most surely trespass upon your, too good, nature;

Washington – The morning star of the Revolution. – L. C.

The Union – May the golden chain that has bound her together be perpetrated till time shall end.

Washington – The first in war, first in peace, and first and forever in the hearts of the American people. – St. C.

Washington – May his memory ever be venerated by the ladies of our beloved country. – J. S.

The 22^ndof February 1732 – The beginning of a new era; the head of a new world. – A. E. C. The Birthday of Washington – May its annual return be celebrated by the people of Mt. Pulaski through all coming time. L W

The Union - And next November a Republican President – W. W. M.

“A little less than a year ago an English gentleman and his family went to spend some months in South Carolina for his health. On their return to the North in the spring, they stopped on their way at the residence of a British Consul. He was at that time boarding at a hotel. A conversation arose on slavery. ‘Sir,’ said the landlord, ‘the slaves have an easy time, a very easy time, I have a slave woman in my house whom I keep well, and feed well, and who done little or no labor of any kind for six years I have owned her.’ ‘That is very liberal of you sir,’ replied the English gentleman.

“Are such cases common?’ ‘O, Yes, very common.’

“The next day the wife of the English gentleman was spending a little time in the sitting room of the wife of the landlord. While there, a young, good-looking mulatto woman came in appearing languid and complaining of beings sick.

“Her mistress accosted her sharply, saying, ‘What’s the matter now Phillis, are you going to stop having children?’

“‘Indeed, I hope so missus, I would rather die than have any more,’ replied the girl.

“’Phillis,’ said the mistress, ‘don’t let me hear you talk in that way. If you stop having children, I will sell you to go South at once.’

“The slave left the room in tears. ‘Is that girl married?’

‘No,’ answered the land lady.

’How long have you owned her?’

’Five or six years,’ replied the landlady. ’How many children has she had since you bought her?’

“’Four,’ replied the landlady.

“’All living?’ ‘All fine, fat and healthy.’ The landlady subsequently disclosed the fact that this was their breeding woman, bought and kept for the purpose, and the one to whom he alluded to as having an ‘easy time.’

“Her children had different fathers, chosen with reference to their stock qualities by the owner of the girl. She had been made to produce a child in almost every year since she had been purchased and the landlord professed to be getting boys and girls by his judicious system of crossing equal to any in the State, and which would bring him the very highest prices. In what way the girl was coerced into this diabolical arrangement, we have seen by the interview in the sitting room.

“We do not attempt to heighten the picture. We give the simple facts as related to us months ago by the gentleman in question, in the confidence of private intercourse; and for this reason, we do not wish to be more particular as to detail. We only vouch for the strict truth of the story.”

“I do the very best I know how –

the very best I can; and I mean

to keep doing so until the end.” -

Abraham Lincoln

“If the end brings me out all

right, what's said against me

won't amount to anything. If the

end brings me out wrong, ten

angels swearing I was right

would make no difference.” -

Abraham Lincoln

In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be and one must be wrong. A. Lincoln, September 2, 1862.

LCGHS STORE

To order books send a letter to LCGHS at 114 N. Chicago St, Lincoln, IL 62656, give the name of each book - quantity and price + S/H for each item. Please include your check for the total amount, along with your name and address.

It has been interesting to me how Logan County and the towns within it promoted themselves during the 19^thand early 20^thcenturies. The following information about Lincoln came from an unknown source. The pages were cut from a larger book that was likely printed during the early years of the 20^thcentury. Although a date for the publication is not known we can surmise that it was between 1895, the date of Mr. Latham’s death, and 1902, because there is no mention of the Carnegie library or the new courthouse. I hope you find it as interesting as I have.

BOOKS

A Deeper Dive Into the Better Government Council of Logan County, Illinois, Fuller – 2021. $35+$5 S/H.

The Spanish Influenza Epidemic in Logan County, Illinois, 1918-1920, Donath – 2020. $30+$5 S/H.

Abraham Lincoln in Logan County, Beaver - $25 + $5 S/H

Days Gone By (Our one-room schools) - $38 + $5 S/H

Generosity, The Story of Logan County, During the Great War, Donath-2016 - $30 + $4 S/H

Be Careful Crossing the Hard Road, Detmers - $15 + $3 S/H

Logan Co. Township Maps of one room schools & Cemeteries; (soft cover) shows location of one room schools & cemeteries in Logan County. $10 + $3 S/H

This Is My Story, Vol. II; (hard cover) 365 pages Personal stories from Logan County Veterans who served in any branch of the Military. $25+$5 S/H

A Pictorial History of Lincoln – Paul Gleason $25 + $5 S/H

The Town Abraham Lincoln Warned, Henson-2011- $15 + $5 S/H

The History of Logan County, Illinois - 1982 $150 + $10 S/H

Logan County Courthouse 100^thAnniversary;

(soft cover) $10 +$4 S/H

Lincoln, IL, A Chronology 1953-2003; $5+$3 S/H

1917 Prairie Farmers Reliable Directory of Breeders & Farmers in Logan County; 3 ring notebook & protective sleeves $20+5 S/H or $15 for soft cover

Mason City Centennial Book, $15 + $5 S/H

Echoes From The Branches – G. Rosenfeld $7 + $5 S/H

Elkhart is Like a Box of Chocolates - G. Rosenfeld $7 + $5 S/H

Glimpses of Lincoln, IL by Jan Schumacker $14.95 + $5 S/H

Mt. Pulaski 100yr 1836-1936 - $10 + S/H Elkhart is Like a Box of Chocolates - $7 + S/H Echoes from the Branches - $7 + S/H

Glimpses of Lincoln, IL. - $15 + S/H

Lincoln, IL, A Chronology, 1853-2003, $15 + S/H

Make Tracks to Latham 125^thAnniversary 1872- 1972 - $20 + S/H

Elkhart Sesquicentennial: 2005, $15 + S/H

Worrying won't stop the bad stuff from happening. It just stops you from enjoying the good.

Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society

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(217) 732-3200

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LCGHS requires a $20 donation for an initial search of a surname, which includes going through several indexed collections, in our library. Standard Logan County Histories are included in the search. (Note: A membership of $30 includes the quarterly publication, Roots and Branches, sent by email. Members are also eligible to get access to the Research portion of our website, which is restricted to members only.)

If, after receiving the results of the initial search, you decide you would like LCGHS to conduct further research, we ask $20 per research hour plus the costs of mailing, the costs of photos and the amount we have to pay for documents from the Court House plus $2 per document (if we pay $5 for a death record, you pay $7, since we go to the court house, look up the name in the indexes and fill out the request form.)

For additional research, you decide the number of hours by the amount of the check you send ($60 will be requesting 3 hours of research.) In addition, you will be billed for documents, photos and copy fees.

Hard copies of items from our collection are twenty-five cents a copy for non-members plus postage. Members pay fifteen cents per copy plus postage.

For cemetery searches to take photographs of gravestones we ask $5 for the first stone and $3 for each additional stone in that cemetery.

Please mail your written request and a check to:

LCGHS

114 N. Chicago St.

Lincoln, Illinois 62656

Please include as much information as you can on each person to be researched so we do not use your research time gathering information you already have.

Include contact information for yourself. A phone number and an email address are required.