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Society Spotlight - Henry County Genealogical Society

The Henry County Genealogical Society (HCGS) in Kewanee, Illinois, was organized in 1983 with the purpose collecting and distributing information to its members. An individual membership is $20/year and members receive Genie, the Society's quarterly publication.

Regular meetings of the Society are held the fourth Monday of each month at 1:30 PM in the Kewanee Public Library upper level. Members of the public are invited to attend all meetings. Upcoming programs can be found on their website.

HCGS's reference collection is housed at the Kewanee Public Library, lower level, located at 102 S. Tremont Street, Kewanee. Their collection includes local history books, genealogies, cemetery records, and marriage records.

One of the most popular references is an index created by Chris Ratliff that contains many facts of one large funeral home in Kewanee. The funeral home records contain much information about persons that might have died elsewhere and an obituary may not be found in the local paper.

The Society recently purchased microfilm of the Cambridge Newspaper dating back to the late 1850s. In addition, the HCGS collection includes records of Tumbleson and Schueneman Funeral Home, as well as original copies of records for several churches. A listing of their holdings can be found on their website.

The HCGS website has a few resources and indexes that may be helpful in your research, including the following:

The Society does accept research requests for a fee.

In addition, the Society has published several books including indexes for county birth, marriages, deaths, and probate. A complete list of publications can be found on their website.

For additional information about Henry County Genealogical Society, visit their website.

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