Illinois Room
Our Illinois Room contains a wealth of historic information on our local history as well as materials to help you with your genealogy. In addition to the Illinois history materials, we have a large number of local history items. We have the Alton newspapers dating back to 1836. They are now on computer in digitized format for easy searching.
We have an exceptional Abraham Lincoln collection covering nearly every facet of his life. Our Illinois Room collection includes the Illinois Statutes, Illinois Blue Books, various Illinois county histories, the Alton City Codes, and our extensive genealogy resources.
The Hayner Public Library District is working on a joint project with the Alton Area Landmarks Association to provide researchers with local house and property histories. You can find collected histories in the file cabinet in the Illinois Room. If you would like to donate information on the history of your house, property, church, or business for future generations of researchers, please contact the Genealogy/Local History Department at 618-462-0677.
We hold an extensive collection of area cookbooks that reflect our local culture, and we welcome donations of organizational cookbooks.
Come in and browse our outstanding collection. Donations of materials having to do with Illinois history are appreciated. If you would like to donate materials for the Illinois Room, please call 618-462-0677 to discuss your donation. If you have visited our Illinois Room in the past, you will want to check with us again to see our growing collection. Materials found in the Illinois Room may not leave the room. Just sign in at the Circulation Desk to use the Illinois Room resources.
Abraham Lincoln
v Multi-volume collection of Abraham Lincoln references
Census Materials
v Madison County Illinois Federal census Indexes for 1820 through 1930
v Madison County Illinois State census indexes for 1845, and 1855
v Illinois Census Returns for 1810, 1818, 1820
v Census materials from other Illinois counties and other states
City Directories
v City of Alton: oldest is 1858; incomplete set for late 1800’s to present
v Wood River/East Alton: incomplete set for 1926 to present
Databases
v ANCESTRY LIBRARY EDITION
v HERITAGEQUEST ONLINE
v FAMILY TREE MAKER – PLUS CDs
v SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAPS
Illinois Law
v Alton City Codes
v Illinois Compiled Statutes
Local History
v Area family histories
v Multiple volumes regarding local history, particularly Alton
v Madison County history, including “Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois and Its People” 1812-1912
v Most Illinois County histories and local town histories
v Alton Properties file
v Information on local businesses of the past
v Local church histories
v Local industries
v Area organizations
Maps
v Many local, state, and territorial maps
v Area atlases
v Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Microfilm
v Illinois Census for various counties, but primarily Madison County starting 1820 to 1930
v American State Papers: Land Grants & Claims (index located in Illinois Room)
v Selected Records of the War Department relating to the Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865
Military Records
v Adjutant General of the State of Illinois: Annual Report 1863-1872
v Alton Military Prison records
v Pension records from various eras
v Civil War CD-ROM (a compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies)
Newspapers and Periodicals
v Alton newspapers from 1836-present
v Elsah History
v Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society
v Madison County Genealogical Society Newsletter
v SAGA (Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois quarterly)
v Stalker (Madison County Genealogical Society quarterly)
Vital Records
v Alton newspaper listing births, deaths, marriages, probate, etc. Most Madison County cemetery inventories plus many others
v Marriage records
v Madison County Naturalizations and Intentions 1816-1900
Yearbooks
v Alton High School – Tatler: various years starting 1905
v Marquette High School – Explorer: various years starting 1961
v Monticello Seminary College – Echo: various years starting 1838
v Shurtleff College – Retrospect: various years starting 1911
v Western Military Academy – Recall: various years starting 1924 plus CD