For the Record: newsletter of the Illinois State Archives, & the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board, Secretary of State & State Archivist

              The Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) system will celebrate
its 30th anniversary in July. The State Archives is interested in hearing
from former IRAD interns about what paths they have taken since
working for IRAD. We look forward to hearing from you. Please contact:
Illinois Regional Archives Depository
Norton Building
Springfield, IL 62756
217-785-1266
kmoore@ilsos.net
For the
Spring 2006
Newsletter
of the
Illinois
State
Archives
&
The Illinois
State Historical
Records
Advisory Board
Jesse White
Secretary of State
&
State Archivist
Volume 20
Number 2
www.cyberdriveillinois.com
Secretary White announces new online Civil War database
In his continuing effort to make state records available
on the Internet, Secretary of State and State Archivist
Jesse White recently announced that the Illinois State
Archives has placed online information from its Illinois
Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls. Personal
information about the more than 285,000 Illinois
soldiers who served in the Civil War is now available
on the Archives page of the Secretary of State Web
site.
“This information was taken mainly from large, bulky
ledger books that in the past could only be accessed
through research at the Margaret Cross Norton
Building in Springfield,” said Secretary White. “This
will be a boon to genealogists and historians who
want to do research from their home or office
computer.”
Since May 1996, the Web site has had an index of the
names of Illinois Civil War soldiers. However, detailed
personal information about the soldiers was not
available online until now.
The Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls
database is a transcription of each soldier’s entry in
the Archives’ Muster and Descriptive Rolls (Record
Series 301.020). Each entry includes all the
information recorded by the Illinois Adjutant General
in the original Muster and Descriptive Rolls, including
soldier’s name and rank; age; height; color of eyes,
hair and complexion; occupation; marital status;
birthplace; residence; date, place and term of
enrollment; name of individual who enrolled the
soldier; date and place of muster into service; name of
mustering officer; date and place of muster out; name
of mustering-out officer; and remarks concerning
transfers, promotions, injuries or special duty. A
researcher can conduct a search of the database
based on a soldier’s name, unit or residence.
After Archives staff decided not to scan the volumes
for access on the Web because of their size, volunteer
Fred Delap of Kansas, Illinois, took on the project. He
entered the information from microfilm of the 89
volumes of original Muster and Descriptive Rolls. To
make the database as comprehensive as possible, he
also extracted information from the first eight volumes
of the nine-volume publication, Report of the Adjutant
General of the State of Illinois, which included soldier
information not on the original Muster and Descriptive
Rolls. (The ninth volume lists veterans of the Black
Hawk, Mexican and Spanish-American Wars.)
“Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Delap, the Archives staff
and my office’s Department of Information Technology,
this important research tool is now available to
anyone with access to a personal computer,” said
Secretary White. The Illinois Civil War Muster and
Descriptive Rolls database may be accessed at
www.cyberdriveillinois.com (click Departments, then
Illinois State Archives). (See images on page 2.)
Seeking former IRAD interns
ILLINOIS STATE ARCHIVES
Margaret Cross Norton Building
Capitol Complex, Springfield
217-782-4682
Hours:
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday
8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday
(except holiday weekends)