RHC/RC. Regional Collections
Record Group Term
Identifier: RHC/RC
The Regional Collections include original manuscripts and records generated by private individuals, institutions, and organizations from throughout the eighteen northern Illinois counties. The collections span the period from 1800 to the present and focus on several major themes in the region's history: agriculture, politics, ethnic heritage, commerce and industry, the role of women, and urban expansion. To provide documentation in these areas of interest the Center actively collects the historical records of farmers and their organizations, businesses and retail stores, state and local politicians, churches, cemeteries, civic agencies, individuals, women's organizations, and labor unions. In addition, the Center holds vertical file manuscripts, county and local histories, atlases and plat books, city directories, maps, broadsides, posters, photographs, oral histories, genealogical journals, and core reference printed materials on the history of northern Illinois that complement the manuscript collections.
Found in 14 Collections and/or Records:
Centennial United Methodist Church
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-333
Scope and Contents
The Centennial United Methodist Church Records document the history of Methodism in Rockford, Illinois. The records are comprised of nine series: (l) Historical Records (2) Administrative Records, (3) Financial Records, (4) Memberships, (5) Church Groups and Committees, (6) Audio-visual, (7) Publications, (8) Artifacts, and (9) Oversize. The records date back to1831, but are predominantly from the late nineteenth century through the present day. Arrangement is by series and then loosely by...
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1831-2016; Other: Majority of material found in 1880+; Other: Date acquired: 10/29/2012
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
E.J. "Zeke" Giorgi Papers (Rockford)
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-136
Scope and Contents
The Giorgi Papers are organized into three series: (1) constituent correspondence (1967-1981), (2) topical files (1965-1979), and (3) topical newsclipping files (1969-1975). The topical files contain information Giorgi gathered from various sources and comprise the largest series. Major subjects covered include the Board of Higher Education, energy, environmental protection, equal rights amendment, Governor Walker’s news releases, health care, law enforcement, the lottery, the mental...
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1965-1981; Other: Date acquired: 11/02/1981
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
Fordtran Family Collection
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-330
Scope and Contents
The Fordtran Family Collection contains materials of the Fordtran/Wherley/Barkley family. The items were among the personal effects of Lola Belle (Barkley) and Eugene Fordtran. Material related to Rockford High School is a large part of the collection and includes student published periodicals and newsletters when Fred and Marie Barkley (1908-09) and Dorthy Wherley (1945) attended the school. The collection also contains records related to Lola Belle (Barkley) Fordtran’s attendance at...
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1908-circa 1965; Other: Majority of material found in 1930s and 1940s; Other: Date acquired: 01/30/2013
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
Giles P. Ransom Family Collection (Roscoe)
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-275
Scope and Contents
Records in the Dr. Giles Paddock Ransom Family collection date from 1789 to 2009 with the majority of the records from the 1850 through 1930 time period. They document the personal and business aspects of individuals living in Rockford and Roscoe, Illinois. There are four main families represented in the collection–Jenks, Sherman, Leland, and Ransom; the Ransom family is most predominant. The other families are associated by marriage or settled near the Ransoms or both. Documents include...
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1839-2009; Other: Majority of material found in 1850s-1930s; Other: Date acquired: 06/22/2006
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
Kane County Development Department Records
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-164
Scope and Contents
The material in this collection came from the background and informational files of two directors of the Kane County Development Department, Thornton “Tony” Ware and Frank Olson. In general, the material covers the years between 1960 and 1980. However, some of the files date as far back as 1957 and the creation of the department.
Department Administration deals with the business and staff workings in the Development Department. Such information as annual reports, budgets, and...
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1950-1980; Other: Date acquired: 07/13/1983
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
Lyford-Davis Family Collection
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-356
Scope and Contents
The core collection consists of the records of the Lyford-Davis Family from 1858 to 1951. It contains family diaries, ledgers, calendars, card games, photographs, and books. The collection documents the Lyford-Davis family life in their Midwestern farming community. The diaries document daily events and are mostly complete. Also in the collection are research notes and working papers for Carrie Meyer’s books about the family; the 2005 and 2007 publications are included in the collection.
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1858-2007; Other: Majority of material found in 1858-1951; Other: Date acquired: 10/21/2016
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
Maple Grove Grange No.1746 Collection (Winnebago County)
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-209
Scope and Contents
The Maple Grove Grange Collection dates from 1872 to 1982 with the majority of the collection consisting of meeting minutes. The remainder of the collection includes a rollbook, manuals and songbooks, a group photograph of the grange, and a constitution and by-laws for the Winnebago County Grange.
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1872-1982; Other: Date acquired: 05/01/1992
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
North Central Illinois Genealogical Society Collection (Winnebago County)
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-188
Scope and Contents
The North Central Illinois Genealogical Society records consist of 10 volumes of cemetery inscriptions from 8 different townships within Winnebago County, Illinois, 1 volume of surnames which appeared in the Pecatonica News from 1872-1917, and a 1986 directory of members of the Society.
Within the volumes of township cemetery inscriptions, each cemetery is named, inventoried and indexed separately. The location of each cemetery is given at the beginning of its listing....
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1986-1988; Other: Date acquired: 01/20/1989
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
Oversize Collection - Maps, Posters, Photographs, Calendars, Drawings
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-200
Scope and Contents
The Oversize Collection consists of unbound items from various Regional History Center collections which are too large to store in regular archival boxes.
The Oversize Collection contains five major groups of documents: posters and broadsides, photographs and prints, maps, newspapers, and certificates.
The Embree Collection's railroad calendars and posters show the locomotives of various railroads from the late 1930's through the mid-1950's. The war poster collection contains 629 posters...
Dates:
Other: Dummy Date
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
Prairie View Grange Records (Pecatonica)
Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-014
Scope and Contents
The Prairie View Grange No. 1786 Collection documents the establishment and history of a farming organization in Pecatonica, Illinois from 1915 to its dissolution in 1970. The main series of the collection consists of a partial set of minute books (1931-1970) containing information about the members’ concern with agricultural problems. These books also relate how social events relieved the loneliness and isolation typical of the farming life. A major weakness in the collection is the lack...
Dates:
translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1915-1970; Other: Date acquired: 08/25/1980
Found in:
Northern Illinois University
