Free books that may contain your relatives names
Free books of general interest
Digitized by TMCGS
A Place We Called Home
Compiled and Edited by Ruth Cobb
By permission of Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s School
Historical Preservation Society
An important part of Normal’s history.
To Open 155 mb file, click on image to the left
To Open smaller file that is word searchable, Click HERE
New – Surname Index (Check your name here)
Civil War Diaries of James W. Jessee by
Alan D. Selig and William P. LaBounty
Produced by TMCGS.
Company K, 8th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry
People, Places, Maps, Events
Click on title page to left to open a pdf version of this document in a new window
Copyrighted in 1997, but entered into the Public Domain so long as attibution to source.
Elmer E. Garst’s Little Black Book
Amateur historian E. E. Garst of Stanford, Illinois had a hobby of recording vital statistics of Stanford residents.
He was born November 12, 1869 to Elias and Elizabeth Garst.
Births and Deaths of Stanford residents are recorded and shown in alphabetical order.
Fifty Years of Genealogical Service by TMCGS
This is our Society’s history, and we have a lot to be proud of.
Thousands of volunteer hours have been donated to assist others in their quest for information.
You may download the book in .pdf by clicking on the title page to the left.
Funk of Funks Grove by Helen Cavanagh
Put into Public Domain by Illinois State Historical Society
208 page – with complete index with Names mentioned
of other McLean County Historical Figures
You may download the book in .pdf by clicking here or on the page to the left.
Grand Lodge of the State of Illinois of
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows
1891 Proceedings
In 1896, the World Almanac showed the Odd Fellows as the largest among all fraternal organizations.
This book is OCR word searchable to check for surnames. Click on the cover to download to a new tab.
Many names and many towns listed.
Harry Martin Waite’s book of Spanish American Veteran graves in McLean County
Harry Martin Waite was a veteran of the Spanish American War.
He remembered his comrades by walking the McLean County Cemeteries and placing flags on Memorial Day
This book is his walking guide to those graves with names of the veterans and some service information.
History of the Illinois Conference of the Evangelical Church 1837-1937
Writen by Rev. John G. Schwab and Rev. H.H. Thoren, this history begins with the first circuit rider arriving in Illinois in 1837 and the development of Evangelical churches throughout the state.
The Illinois State Genealogical Society has indexed over 11,000 names and events in this volume. Use this index to search for relatives! It is available here: https://ilgensoc.org/cstm_ILcmbDB.php
You may download the .pdf version by clicking on the title page to the left.
Illinois Corn Growers Association – 1910
Includes constitution, a listing of officers, accredited judges throughout Illinois, judging criteria, and past winners of best corn.
Life membership was $5.00 and annual membership was $1.00
“All corn growers of Illinois who expect or wish to make exhibits at the National Corn Show, Columbus, Ohio, January 31 to February 11, 1911, must first allow their exhibits to compete at the Illinois State Corn Show to be held at Urbana, during the Corn Growers’ and Stockmen’s Convention.”
McLean County Cemetery Locations by TMCGS
Compiled by Liz Veselack in 1993, this 65 page guide gives information on known McLean County Cemeteries.
After you compile a list of possible cemeteries your relative may be in, goto our publication store to obtain cemetery memorial listings.
You may download the book in .pdf by clicking on the title page to the left.
McLean County Farm Bureau Membership March 1950
This booklet has names of all Farm Bureau Members from 1950.
It is organized by Township
You may download the book in .pdf by clicking on the title page to the left.
The First One Hundred Years of Second Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, Illinois
Written by Roy A. Ramseyer in 1956
The 1800’s found the need for ministers exceeded supply as the country moved West
Congregational Ministers allowed expansion
An important part of history.
Hundreds of names who played a role
Surname Index (Check your name here)
Two Valuable Books
The Good Old Times in McLean County, Illinois
Two Hundred and Sixty-one Sketches of Old Settlers
Written by Dr. E. Duis, Published in Bloomington 1874
Index of The Good Old Times compiled by Alice Taylor Steinberg
Published by Bloomington Normal Genealogical Society (Now TMCGS) 1969
Over 500 Early Names Indexed to the Book !
Click on image to left to select a book.
Pathways on the Prairie
A Field Guide Approach to Allin Township
By Lyla Lemke Coppess – Maps by Jill Freund Thomas
Published in 1990 by Illinois State Department of Geography and Geology, this is a guide to explore Allin Township
Pack a lunch and visit the many beautifuls spots that are highlighted and described
Test runs of this itenerary averaged 3 hours. It’s time to explore.
Thanks to Lyla for waiving copyright and allowing TMCGS to publish
Troyer News 1948 Graduate Edition
Mennonite Hospital School of Nursing 1948 Class
Edited by student/graduate Jane Davis
A souvenir for members of the 1948 class gives insight into
the struggles and fun had as the women worked to become nurses.
Interesting and fun – many photos
Thanks to the McLean County Museum of History for loaning it’s copy.