Documents Online from Illinois History

The Prairie State: A Documentary History of Illinois

Sutton, Robert P. ed.,

Eerdmans 1976

Chicago and Cook County: A Guide to Research

Szucs, Loretto Dennis

Ancestry 1996

Chronology and Documentary Handbook of the State of Illinois

Vexler, Robert I., ed.

Oceana 1978

Digital State Archives – Illinois

Digital State Archives website

The Digital State Archives website has a page for every U.S. state where links and descriptions can be found for significant digital archives sponsored by state organizations; particularly government agencies and universities.

Chicago Primary Source Set

Library of Congress TPS-Barat

Digitized primary sources that includes images, maps, sheet music, books and articles, newspapers, more. TPS-Barat: The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program works with an educational consortium of schools, universities, libraries, and foundations. The mission of the Primary Source Nexus is to serve as an online community support resource for the TPS-Barat program.

Illinois Digital Archives

A Repository for the Digital
Collections of Libraries, Museums, Historical Societies and other Cultural Institutions in Illinois

State of Illinois; State Librarian

What can you find in the Illinois Digital Archives? Photographs, slides, glass negatives; Oral histories; Manuscripts and letters; Illinois government documents; Federal government documents; Postcards; Posters; Videos; Newspapers; Maps; and more.

Illinois Historical Collections

Western Illinois University

The Illinois Historical Collections contain a series of scholarly volumes on a variety of topics related to Illinois history published by the Illinois State Historical Library. Each volume deals with one or more topics.
The following volumes have been digitized:
Volume 1. [Miscellaneous Documents, ca. 1672-1779]. – A compilation of primary sources related to LaSalle, Marquette, Hennepin, deTonty, George Rogers Clark and others.
Volume 2. Virginia Series, Volume I: Cahokia Records, 1778-1790.
Volume 3. Lincoln Series, Volume I: Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1858.
Volume 4. Executive Series, Volume I: Governors’ Letter Books, 1818-1834.
Volume 5. Virginia Series, Volume II: Kaskaskia Records, 1778-1790.
Volume 6. Bibliographical Series, Volume I: Newspapers and Periodicals of Illinois, 1814-1879.
Volume 7. Executive Series, Volume II: Governors’ Letter Book, 1840-1853.
Volume 8. Virginia Series, Volume III: George Rodgers Clark Papers, 1771-1790.
Volume 9. Bibliographical Series, Volume II: Travel and Description, 1765-1865; County Histories, Atlases and Biographical Collections; Territorial and State Laws, 1788-1913.
Volume 10. British Series, Volume I: The Critical Period: 1763-1765.
Volume 11. British Series, Volume II: The New Régime: 1765-1767.
Volume 12. Bibliographical Series, Volume III: The County Archives of the State of Illinois.
Volume 13. Constitutional Series, Volume I: Illinois Constitutions, 1818-1870.
Volume 14. Constitutional Series, Volume II: The Constitutional Debates of 1847.
Volume 15. Biographical Series, Volume I: Governor Edward Coles.
Volume 16. British Series, Volume III: Trade and Politics, 1767-1769.
Volume 17. Law Series, Volume I: The Laws of the Northwest Territory, 1788-1800.
Volume 18. Illinois Election Returns, 1818-1848.
Volume 19. Virginia Series, Volume IV: George Rogers Clark Papers, 1781-1784.
Volume 20. Lincoln Series, Volume II: The Diary of Orville Hickman Browning, Volume I: 1850-1864.
Volume 21. Law Series, Volume II: The Laws of Indiana Territory, 1801-1809.
Volume 23. French Series, Volume I: The French Foundations, 1680-1693.
Volume 24. Statistical Series, Volume II: Illinois Census Returns, 1810, 1818.
Volume 25. Law Series, Volume V: The Laws of Illinois Territory, 1809-1818.
Volume 26. Statistical Series, Volume III: Illinois Census Returns, 1820.
Volume 27. French Series, Volume II: Anglo-French Boundary Disputes in the West, 1749-1763.
Volume 28. Law Series, Volume III: Pope’s Digest, 1815, Volume I.
Volume 29. French Series, Volume II: Illinois on the Eve of the Seven Years’ War, 1747-1755.
Volume 30. Law Series, Volume IV: Pope’s Digest, 1815, Volume II.
Volume 35. The Black Hawk War, 1831-1832, Volume I: Illinois Volunteers.
Volume 36. The Black Hawk War, 1831-1832, Volume II: Letters and Papers, Part I: April 30, 1831-June 23, 1832

Also see: Illinois History Politics & Government, Illinois General History and Great Lakes General History

Illinois Primary Source Set

Library of Congress TPS-Barat

Digitized primary sources that includes images, maps, sheet music, books and articles, newspapers, more. TPS-Barat: The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program works with an educational consortium of schools, universities, libraries, and foundations. The mission of the Primary Source Nexus is to serve as an online community support resource for the TPS-Barat program.

Inventory of the County Archives of Illinois – at Illinois Reference Works

Inventory of the County Archives of Illinois – at Internet Archive

Illinois Historical Records Survey Project

Chicago: Historical Records Survey 1937-1941

The Historical Records Surveys were done during the Depression to provide employment to needy unemployed historians, lawyers, teachers, and research and clerical workers. It was organized to compile inventories of historical materials, particularly the unpublished government documents and records in local archives. Some of the Inventories have been digitized and are available online.
These surveys of the holdings of County archives were done throughout the country, but many were never finished. For Illinois, about 34 or these surveys are available online. The first link above (at Illinois Reference Works) lists all the counties that have online surveys, with links for each. However, the online reader there is difficult to use. The second link, at Internet Archive, contains copies that are more usable. However, a user needs to open each volume to see what county it covers.

The Territorial Papers of the United States

Carter, Clarence Edwin and Bloom, John Porter, eds.

Washington: National Archives 1934 – 1975

Volumes for the Great Lakes region are:

Vol 1. General
Vol 2. The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, 1787-1803
Vol 3. The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, 1787-1803 continued
Vol 7. The Territory of Indiana 1800-1810
Vol 8. The Territory of Indiana 1810-1816
Vol 10. The Territory of Michigan 1805-1820
Vol 11. The Territory of Michigan 1820-1829
Vol 12. The Territory of Michigan 1829-1837
Vol 16. The Territory of Illinois 1809-1814
Vol 17. The Territory of Illinois 1814-1818
Vol 27. The Territory of Wisconsin, Executive Journal, 1836-1848; Papers, 1836-1839
Vol 28. The Territory of Wisconsin 1839-1848

Constitution of the State of Illinois 1818

Washington: Kraft 1818

Illinois’ first State Constitution.

Also see: Illinois History Politics & Government and Illinois General History

“Insurrection of 1806. The Burr Incident”

American History Teachers Collaborative

Several documents related to the treason case against Aaron Burr, former Vice President of the United States.

“The Chicago Treaty of 1833, with Introduction and Notes by Milo M. Quaife”

The Wisconsin Magazine of History Vol 1, number 3, March 1918, p. 287

Madison: Historical Society of Wisconsin

Included here is not just the treaty that ceded a large part of Northern Illinois and a little of Wisconsin, but also letters accusing the U.S. Government representative in the treaty negotiations of major corruption. Included are details of large payoffs to multiple members of the McKinzie family.
Note: the link at the button takes you to the issue of the “Wisconsin Magazine of History”. The materials are then found under three consecutive headings in the right column: “Documents: The Chicago Treaty…”, Documents: Charges preferred against George B. Porter”, and “Documents: Letter from George B. Porter to President Andrew Jackson”.

Also see: History of Illinois Cities, Counties & Regions and Illinois General History