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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 27 Collections and/or Records:

Hilmer Borggren Collection (Rockford)

 Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-012
Scope and Contents The Hilmer Borggren Collection contains a variety of materials collected by Borggren between 1932 and 1977. Borggren's role in the Scandinavian Fraternity of America, the Vasa Order of America, along with his experiences during World War II are revealed through the scrapbooks, the correspondence, programs, convention materials, songbooks, and photographs. Since Rockford comprises a large Scandinavian population, these records partially reveal the important social function of American...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1905-1977; Other: Date acquired: 08/08/1981

John L. Gent Collection

 Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-354
Scope and Contents Materials in the John L. Gent collection date from 1905 to 1946, but are predominantly from the years leading up to and including World War II (1936-1945). While serving Gent collected artifacts significant to his time at war. These artifacts represent a large portion of the collection and include foreign paper money and coins as well as military arm bands, patches, ribbons, pins, and belt buckles. Nazi Party propaganda postcards, many of which feature Hitler, are also included in the...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1905-1946; Other: Majority of material found in 1936-1945; Other: Date acquired: 09/15/0016

Johnson Family Records (DeKalb County)

 Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-231
Scope and Contents

At present the collection contains information relating to Revere E. Johnson’s careers in farming (1917 - 1945), and at the General Electric Plant in DeKalb (1946-1964), Johnson family materials and photographs, documentation relating to World War II rationing, maps, and DeKalb County history articles.

Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1917-1969; Other: Date acquired: 02/00/1994

Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry Records

 Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-157
Scope and Contents The records in this collection document the activities of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1917 to 1979. The collection is arranged in two series. Series I consists of bound volumes containing the records of the Chamber’s board of directors including agendas, minutes of meetings, special reports, and correspondence for the years 1917-1977. Also included in many of the volumes are financial records, committee files and reports, annual meeting reports, pamphlets and...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1917-1979; Other: Date acquired: 12/28/1982

Leo B. Olson (DeKalb)

 Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-338
Scope and Contents The Leo B. Olson Collection consists of materials related to Leo Olson’s community involvement, professional activities, and military service from 1911 to 1990. The collection also includes a small amount of materials related to Olson’s family and the history of DeKalb County. His professional activities make up only a small portion of the collection. There is very little related to his time as communications director at DeKalb AgResearch. A digital image of Leo’s Bronze Medal display is...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1911-1990; Other: Date acquired: 07/31/2014

Lindenwood Grain Co-Op Records

 Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-011
Scope and Contents The Lindenwood Collection traces the economic development of an agricultural co-operative from 1919 to 1956. The materials are arranged in a series of three record groups all providing a comprehensive account of the co-op’s fiscal operations. The first series consists of the co-operative’s general business files, 1921-1947; included in this series are correspondence, receipts, tax returns, and annual reports. Also included are several folders of material concerned with the implementation of...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1919-1956; Other: Date acquired: 06/23/1978

National Chair Company Records (Rockford)

 Collection — Volume 1-4
Identifier: RHC-RC-059
Scope and Contents The records in this collection are business correspondence files, financial records, and legal documents falling in the period 1927 to 1954.  These documents were found mingled with the records of another defunct Rockford business, the Rockford Chair and Furniture Company.  There appears, however, to have been no formal connection between Rockford Chair and National Chair.  These records, used in concert with other Center manuscript material collections and printed sources, offer a value and...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1927-1954; Other: Date acquired: 10/24/1978

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

Robert Borden Papers (Rockford)

 Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-186
Scope and Contents These records partially document the history of Thomas Jefferson Junior High School, Rockford, Illinois, 1956-1969 which became Thomas Jefferson High School in 1970. The collection is comprised of material received and generated by Robert Borden during his twenty-eight year tenure at Thomas Jefferson School, 1958-1986. The first record series covers the policies and administrative decisions, daily life of both teachers and students, special events at Jefferson, and Robert Borden's classroom...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1944-1991; Other: Date acquired: 11/00/1987

Rockford Council of Social Agencies Records

 Collection
Identifier: RHC-RC-125
Scope and Contents Organized to discover human needs, to plan for the meeting of such needs, to bring about and maintain improved policies, standards, and methods of social work, to develop team work in the conduct of social work activities, and to create intelligent public opinion concerning problems of welfare, the Rockford Council of Social Agencies helped area citizens in a variety of ways. This collection, only a small part of the records generated by the council, gives some insight into the...
Dates: translation missing: en.enumerations.date_label.created: 1930-1945; Other: Date acquired: 00/00/1965