IGHS & Foundation

IGHS & Foundation Illiana Genealogical & Historical Society, the first Illinois genealogical society chartered in 1964 Conducts research at a reasonable cost.

Publishes Illiana Genealogist, a quarterly Illiana Genealogical and historical publication provided to all members. Operates a comprehensive and independent genealogical library at 215 North Street, Danville, IL 61832.

100% volunteer-run. Repository of all Vermilion County, Illinois, probate files from c1829-1970. Please check our website and visit us at the IGHS library!

Did you know…that the mansion of Dr. Clark Leavitt (1833-1906) once stood at 431 N. Vermilion in Danville, Illinois? Bui...
12/19/2025

Did you know…that the mansion of Dr. Clark Leavitt (1833-1906) once stood at 431 N. Vermilion in Danville, Illinois? Built in 1888-1889, the house was a showplace at the time. Located across the street from the current Sherwin-Williams Paint Store, it was torn down in 1939.

Did you know…that in the 1850s, all men who were residents of Danville, Illinois, had to work three days a year on the s...
12/16/2025

Did you know…that in the 1850s, all men who were residents of Danville, Illinois, had to work three days a year on the streets and roads? If a man aged 21 to 50 did not, he was assessed a fee of one dollar for each day not worked. This undated article cites an April 26, 1856, Prairie State article, an early Danville newspaper. A dollar in 1856 equates to $38 today.

Did you know…that Vermilion County formerly had over 200 one-room schoolhouses before school consolidations took place?...
12/13/2025

Did you know…that Vermilion County formerly had over 200 one-room schoolhouses before school consolidations took place? Most were closed by the end of World War II. These schools taught first through eighth graders in the same room. Here is a photograph of the students and teacher of Higginsville School taken in 1926. Higginsville was a former community in the northwest corner of Blount township. First row, left to right: unknown, Elizabeth Kirk, Mary Porter, Chester Powell, Cecil Porter, and _____Parson. Back row, left to right: unknown, V. Kirk, Zelma Parson, Thelma Parson, _____ Kinney, Mr. Cooper, Florence Powell, Vera Powell, Bud Powell, and Jim Reece.

Did you know…that small villages formerly had hotels for travelers? Here is an article from the February 1, 1910, issue ...
12/13/2025

Did you know…that small villages formerly had hotels for travelers? Here is an article from the February 1, 1910, issue of The Danville Press-Democrat. It tells about the hotel in Fairmount, Illinois, changing hands.

Did you know… what the Holland Apartments at the corner of N. Vermilion and Seminary in Danville, Illinois, looked like ...
12/12/2025

Did you know… what the Holland Apartments at the corner of N. Vermilion and Seminary in Danville, Illinois, looked like in the early 1900s? Here is a photograph of the apartment building in its early years. The building has been recently purchased and is being renovated. Its new name will be the Verander.

Did you know…that the Chicago Southern constructed a railway bridge across the Vermilion River near Danville in the earl...
12/12/2025

Did you know…that the Chicago Southern constructed a railway bridge across the Vermilion River near Danville in the early 1900s? Here is a photograph of the bridge being built.

Did you know… what Denmark Road northwest of Danville, Illinois, looked like in the early 1900s?
12/03/2025

Did you know… what Denmark Road northwest of Danville, Illinois, looked like in the early 1900s?

Did you know…that retired District No. 118 teacher Carol Givens always celebrated Thanksgiving with her class by having ...
11/27/2025

Did you know…that retired District No. 118 teacher Carol Givens always celebrated Thanksgiving with her class by having her students re-create the first Thanksgiving feast at Plymouth, Massachusetts? Here are three of her former first grade students portraying Pilgrims at Daniel School in the mid-1980s. Ms. Givens taught primary grades in the Danville Schools for three decades at Fairchild, Daniel, East Park, Edison, and Liberty Schools.

Did you know…that the residential streets of Danville, Illinois, were tree-lined in the early decades of the 1900s? Here...
11/25/2025

Did you know…that the residential streets of Danville, Illinois, were tree-lined in the early decades of the 1900s? Here is a view of Walnut Street north of downtown.

Did you know…that Barker Bros. Bakery was located at 405 South Street in Danville, Illinois, in 1906? The bakery was fou...
11/25/2025

Did you know…that Barker Bros. Bakery was located at 405 South Street in Danville, Illinois, in 1906? The bakery was founded in 1905 by R.R. and A.A. Baker. They turned out hundreds of loaves of homel-made bread each day. Like most establishments of that time, they delivered!

Did you know…that Danville once was the home of the Royal Ice Cream Company? The business was located on the corner of H...
11/22/2025

Did you know…that Danville once was the home of the Royal Ice Cream Company? The business was located on the corner of Hazel and South Streets. This photograph of its interior was taken in the early 1900s.

Did you know…that the McGee Cemetery is located on the property of the power station north of Oakwood? The cemetery cont...
11/22/2025

Did you know…that the McGee Cemetery is located on the property of the power station north of Oakwood? The cemetery contains about 14-16 graves according the 1989 article below, but IGHS cemetery inscriptions list just five markers dated from the 1840s until 1852. The cemetery was named after the James C. and Rebecca Canady McGee family, the first settlers in Pilot township in 1824. The May, 1989, article below details the efforts of a Boy Scout troop to clean up the graveyard. By the time IGHS transcribed the cemetery in 2008, the volunteers noted: “The access to the cemetery was through the Illinois Power gate. An employee of the power plant met us and led us to the site. If not for the employee, the site would be impossible to find. There was no visible path back to the cemetery nor was there a fence evident. The stones in the cemetery were broken and stacked in disarray. The cemetery has not been recently maintained. “

Rebecca Canady McGee, wife of James C. McGee, died July 21, 1852, aged 50, is buried in the cemetery as well as her 17-year-old son, Silas McGee, who died in 1847. Amanda McGee, wife of Giles McGee, and her infant daughter are also here, both dying in 1848. Rachel Bloomfield (1826-1845) also has a marked grave. These were the only graves whose markers were visible in 2008.

Address

215 West North Street
Danville, IL
61832

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 1pm

Telephone

+12174318733

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