Peoria County - How to access documents and records

Peoria County Clerk - Vital Records
http://www.peoriacounty.org/214/Vital-Records
The County Clerk maintains the birth, civil union, and death certificates for events occurring in Peoria County.

Peoria County Clerk - Genealogical Indexes Guide (pre-1916) for birth, death, and marriage records prior to 1916 https://www.peoriacounty.org/DocumentCenter/Index/1858

Peoria County Circuit Clerk Archive  
Court Records for probate, naturalization, divorce, adoption, and criminal and civil cases are kept by the Peoria County Circuit Clerk Archive. The Circuit Court records date back to 1823. For more information, contact the Archive Manager, Victor Palazzolo vpalazzolo@peoriacounty.gov at +1-309-672-6024.

Peoria County Clerk - Recorder of Deeds
http://www.peoriacounty.org/countyclerk/
Historical Index menu includes Grantee Indexes (for real estate) from 1825 to 1989.

Peoria County Supervisor of Assessments Property Info
http://www.peoriacounty.org/502/Supervisor-of-Assessments

Peoria County Maps
Downloadable county-wide maps in PDF format

Peoria County Townships and Sections Maps

Peoria, Illinois Family History Center https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Peoria_Illinois_Family_History_Center

Family Search Peoria County, IL https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Peoria_County,_Illinois_Genealogy

Peoria County Genealogy Trails History Group
http://genealogytrails.com/ill/peoria/

Peoria County, Illinois GenWeb
http://peoria.illinoisgenweb.org/ 

Cemeteries
For an overview of cemeteries within Peoria County (19 Townships and City of Peoria), and their respective indexes, visit: https://www.peoriacountygenealogy.org/resources/indexes-for-peoria-county-records/cemetery-indexes/

Catholic Cemetery Association of Peoria, 7519 N. Allen Rd, Peoria, IL
https://ccapeo.org/

• St. Joseph Cemetery, 2105 Heading Ave, West Peoria, IL
  - one of the oldest Catholic cemeteries in Peoria, was founded in 1865 by the pastor of St. Joseph's Parish, Rev. Henry Bors even before the Diocese of Peoria was formed. Its covers about 25 acres. The original use of the cemetery was for families of German descent. In more recent years, members of the Lebanese community have also chosen St. Joseph's Cemetery as their earthly resting place.
• St. Mary's Cemetery, 421 N. Sterling Ave, West Peoria, IL
  - in 1881, the second Catholic cemetery was developed with 40 acres of land.
• Resurrection Cemetery and Mausoleum, 7519 N. Allen Rd, Peoria, IL
  - in 1963, a third Catholic cemetery was developed with 130 acres.

Lutheran Cemetery, 2020 W. Malone St, Peoria, IL
https://www.christlutheranpeo.org/resources/?#cemetery_id
Established in 1872, the cemetery is owned by both Christ Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church and the sole purpose of the cemetery is to provide members of both churches, as well as other citizens in the community, a serene atmosphere for Christian burials.

Springdale Cemetery Grave Finder - 3014 N. Prospect Rd, Peoria, IL
https://springdalepeoria.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=1bea995359e54ea8b41c122189915fbb
Springdale Cemetery is a historic, non-sectarian, active cemetery in the United States city of Peoria, Illinois. It was chartered in 1855, received its first interment in 1857. Almost 78,000 individuals are buried at the cemetery. It contains a public mausoleum and 15 private mausoleums.

Swan Lake Memory Gardens - 4601 West War Memorial Drive, Peoria, IL 61615
There are over 20,600 people buried or interred at this cemetery. You can view the names on Find a Grave.

Parkview Cemetery, 2001 N. University Ave, Peoria, IL
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/107409/parkview-cemetery
In 1921, a group of businessmen founded the cemetery. It consists of 68 acres. You can view 433 profiles of people buried in Parkview at: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Parkview_Cemetery%2C_Peoria%2C_Illinois

Moffat Cemetery, 3917 SW Adams St, Peoria, IL 61605
https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2022-06-30/forgotten-no-more-remembering-the-2-600-stories-still-buried-under-south-peorias-razed-moffatt-cemetery  Founded in 1840, the cemetery was razed in 1950. About 2,600 people are still interred there, 50 or so were Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Fondulac Cemetery, 143 Arnold Rd, East Peoria, IL (Tazewell County)
https://fondulactownship.com/services/fondulac-cemetery/
In 1835, the first known burial in Fondulac Cemetery occurred and the stone stands to this day. The Fondulac Cemetery Association was formed February 17, 1857. The existing Fondulac Cemetery consists of 30 acres. Currently, Fondulac Cemetery can accommodate up to 960 casket burials per acre and is responsible for about 100 burials per year including both cremation and casket. The office currently maintains over 14,000 lot sale and burial records.

Online:

BillionGraves - free database search by deceased or by cemetery

Find A Grave - free search of 170 million memorials and grave records

History of Peoria County

History of Peoria County, Illinois 1870 (on Internet Archive) https://www.loc.gov/item/rc01001963/

History of Peoria County, Illinois…1880 (on Internet Archive)
or https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=j4w6AQAAIAAJ

Portrait Biographical Album of Peoria County, Illinois - Vol. 2, 1890 (on Internet Archive)

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Peoria County, Vol 1, 1901 (on Internet Archive)

Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Illinois, Vol 2, 1902 (on Internet Archive)
or https://play.google.com/books/reader?printsec=frontcover&output=reader&id=tk00AQAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.PA385

Peoria City and County, Illinois: A Record of Settlement, Organization, & Achievement; Col. Rice…Vol 1, 1912

Historical Peoria County Map - 1896 (Illinois GenWeb Project)

Illinois History: Slavery & Abolition

Illinois Black Codes & Slavery
https://www.lib.niu.edu/1996/iht329602.html
Historical research and narrative by Roger D. Bridges. Summary of Illinois Black Codes, 1818–1865.
The State of Illinois observed the Illinois Black Codes from 1818 until the passage of Amendment XII in 1867. After 1853, Illinois prohibited all African Americans from entering the state. This law was passed in response to the federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 which required citizens in free states to assist in the return of escaped slaves to their 'owners.' Despite the severe restrictions placed on African Americans living in Illinois at the time, the state became a major center of antislavery activity.

WTTW PBS Chicago
In 1818, Illinois was admitted into the Union as a "free" state, but slavery continued and free blacks were oppressed by a series of restrictive state laws that denied them fundamental freedoms. These Illinois Black Laws (also known as Black Codes) were observed from 1819 - 1865. Illinois Black Laws were repealed in 1865, the same year the United States Congress ended the legal institution of slavery with the passage of the 13th Amendment.

Underground Railroad in Illinois

Overview by Illinois Public Media

Video narration by Eric Robinson, Underground Railroad Historian (watch on YouTube).

Comprehensive story of the underground railroad–especially in Illinois by author Glennette Tilley Turner. The UGRR, its "passengers", "stationmasters", and "conductors" and their role in the abolitionist movement in Illinois are documented by the many puzzle pieces which the author meticulously researched and assembled to represent in this book. Watch on YouTube.

PEORIA COUNTY, Illinois

Peoria Location
Peoria Public Library Main - Local History & Genealogy Collection
The Local History and Genealogy Room contains a vast and growing collection highlighting the history of Peoria. The department is located on the lower level of the Main Branch in downtown Peoria. The Genealogical Collection includes indexes, bibliographies, magazines, books, microfiche, and microfilm.

Cullom-Davis Library Special Collections at Bradley University (Library of Peoria Historical Society)  Phone: (309) 677-2822.  On deposit at the University since 1980, this collection contains more than ten thousand items pertaining to the history of Peoria and central Illinois. Among the holdings are: a nearly complete run of city directories beginning with 1844, most cross indexed by occupation, business, and street address; biographical dictionaries covering residents from 1880-1912; an index with abstracts for 15 area newspapers published between 1834 and 1864; city and county maps including Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlases; and almost 275 linear feet of vertical files containing ephemera indexed by broad subjects such as family and street names and business and organization types. Holdings also include a library of publications by area authors, a reference collection of books on central Illinois history, and thousands of photographic images of early Peoria, a number of which can be viewed online at CARLI Digital Collections.

Peoria Heights Herald Newspapers Archives (1940-1999) (site not secure)
http://peoriaheights.advantage-preservation.com/

Journal Star / NewsBank
Explore Peoria history through local news, events, people and obituaries with the Peoria Journal Star Collection. Search current and archived issues with full-color newspaper pages, full-text articles and content only published online. Available remotely 24/7 on any device. NOTE: Use your Peoria Public Library card number for remote access.

District Library Locations

Alpha Park Library - Bartonville

Brimfield Public Library District

Chillicothe Public Library District

Dunlap Public Library District

State and Regional

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum - Springfield, IL

Century Past
Great Lakes States Past & Present - covers the U.S. States of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin with large collection of links spread over 90 webpages. Thousands of free online books & articles, plus collections of maps, documents and periodicals.

Genealogy Center at Allen County Public Library - Fort Wayne, IN
The Center's recorded genealogy programs can be found on the Genealogy Center section of the Library’s YouTube channel.

FamilySearch.org
FamilySearch resources help millions of people around the world discover their heritage and connect with family across generations. FamilySearch helps people discover their family’s history through their website, mobile apps, and in-person help at over 5,000 local family history centers. FamilySearch is accessible anywhere on the Internet, but many of the images (25-30%) require viewing at a FamilySearch family history center.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides FamilySearch free of charge to everyone regardless of religious affiliation.

Illinois Digital Archives
The Illinois Digital Archives (IDA) was created in 2000, as a repository for the digital collections of the Illinois State Library as well as other libraries and cultural institutions in the State of Illinois. The archives contain photographs, slides, glass negatives, oral histories, manuscripts and letters, postcards, posters, videos, newspapers, maps, federal government documents, and more.

Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections - University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
The Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections collections contain 228,323 issues from 213 newspapers. They are free to search, free to browse, and free to download.  There are five collections on this site:

• Illinois Newspapers - The Newspaper Library at Univ. of Illinois has digitized over 200,000 pages of pre-1922 historically significant newspapers, ranging in date from 1831 to 1975. These papers provide a sense of local life and culture in the Midwest across two centuries.
• Farm, Field and Fireside (farm newspapers) - Collection contains historically significant U.S. farm weeklies published in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These titles document a time of transition in American agriculture, politics, family life, and technology. Together with the introduction of rural mail delivery, the telephone, and the automobile, farm newspapers played a key role in the modernization of rural America.
• American Popular Entertainment (vaudeville newspapers) - Collection contains digital facsimiles of historic newspapers and trade journals published for the entertainment industry in the US between 1853 and 1929. These works include trade perspectives, features, and travel information on vaudeville, music performance, burlesque, and other popular forms of entertainment of the period.
• Collegiate Chronicle (student newspapers) - Student newspaper repository aggregating newspapers from colleges and universities across the USA.
• Black Newspapers - Collection contains newspapers, including college papers, that were owned by, operated by, or intended for Black communities in Illinois. These titles focus on the 20th century, but range from 1897 to 2003. The papers chart the growth of Illinois’ Black population and the resulting development of Black culture, arts, and civic engagement.

Illinois Periodicals Online (IPO) - Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL
IPO provides public domain Internet access to Illinois-based magazines covering many topics of interest about the state, including genealogy, history, bios, and politics. IPO is a digital imaging project at Northern Illinois University.

Illinois State Archives Depository (IRAD) - Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
IRAD manages the archival records of local governments.  The records for Peoria County are located at Western Illinois University, Macomb, and are housed with the University Archives and Special Collections.  For more information about how to request records, visit https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/archives/IRAD/iradregn.html

100 Most Valuable Documents at Illinois State Archives online

Illinois & Michigan Canal Records

• Will County Historical Society and Research Center in Lockport, IL has an extensive collection about the Illinois & Michigan Canal and the laborers who built it. The I&M Canal itself did not hire workers, the individual contractors did the hiring. Most canal construction took place between 1837-1848. To access these records or to request research assistance, contact the Will County Historical Society.  The Society relies exclusively on volunteers and donations.
• For an overview of the I&M Canal collection, read the article published in Quarterly Journal of Illinois State Genealogical Society (Vol. 52, No. 1) entitled "Found After 180 Years: Records of the Laborers Who Built the Illinois & Michigan Canal," by Debra Dudek.

University of Illinois Library - Urbana-Champaign, IL
Provides a guide to finding genealogical materials at the University of Illinois Library.

Newberry Library - Chicago, IL
Founded in 1887, the Newberry is one of Chicago’s most historic cultural institutions. Newberry also provides a list of historical boundary changes of counties in all states. The library collections, programs, and exhibitions are a portal to more than six centuries of human history, from the 15th century to the present. The Newberry welcomes anyone who is eager to learn about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.

Midwest Genealogy Center & Mid-Continent Public Library - Independence, MO
Mid-Continent Public Library is a consolidated library district and tax-supported political subdivision that serves nearly 800,000 people in the greater Kansas City metro area. The Library is governed by a 12-member Board of Trustees, which includes four representatives from each of the three counties in its district — Clay, Jackson, and Platte. The Midwest Genealogy Center has genealogy and historical resources that are now being digitized and made available through cooperative projects with Familysearch and the Missouri State Archives. MGC’s circulating collection is donation based and began with contributions from genealogy organizations such as American Family Records Association (AFRA), the Missouri State Genealogical Association (MoSGA), the Heart of America Genealogical Society (HAGS), and the Gann Historical Society & Library, Inc. The MGC will provide limited research, lookups, answer your genealogy-related questions, and provide suggestions to break those "brick walls."

New York Public Library (NYPL)  Among the elite tier of library collections, second only to Library of Congress in the size and scope of its historical and genealogical collections. One of the best collections in the U.S.; the Milstein Division has extensive local history and genealogical materials related to the all fifty states, including one of the largest American collections of city directories on microfilm. NYPL includes many accessible online digital collections and image galleries.

Peoria State Hospital Records
The Illinois State Archives in Springfield, Illinois holds extensive records of Peoria State Hospital. In Illinois, regardless of time period, any record from a state hospital or mental health and developmental center that mentions a patient’s name is closed. This is per the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act. The Division of Mental Health in the Illinois Department of Human Services reiterated that a court order is the only way to obtain patient records.

• The order must come from an Illinois circuit court in the county where the hospital was located, in this case Peoria County.
• The judge must be familiar with mental health law (ask at the Clerk of Circuit Court office which judges handle those types of cases).
• The most effective argument is that access is needed for family health history.
• A copy of the court order is directed to the Chief Health Information Management Administrator, Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health. As of 2023, this is Ms. Traci Davis, Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), 401 S. Clinton, 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60607, 312-814-4771, Tracy.Davis@illinois.gov.
• You will need to hire an attorney licensed in Illinois to help you. The Illinois State Bar Association has a directory online, https://www.isba.org/public/illinoislawyerfinder

National

BYU Library Family History Webinars
The BYU Library hosts family history webinars by experts on a variety of topics including research, resources, tools, and methods.

Internet Archive
The Internet Archive.org, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, they provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, people with print disabilities, and the general public. Their mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge. The Internet Archive has millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more in their library.

JSTOR
JSTOR for Genealogists - you can use the rich JSTOR library to build out your family tree’s historical, cultural, and social contexts.  Gain the knowledge and details around places, times, and historical trends. JSTOR can be the key resource to build out the story around your family history. No one lives in isolation and knowing the context around your family’s history can lead to a deeper understanding of your past. JSTOR is a digital library of more than 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.

Chronicling America
Chronicling America is a website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages, and is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). NDNP, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress (LoC), is a long-term effort to develop an Internet-based, searchable database of U.S. newspapers with descriptive information and select digitization of historic pages.

Library of Congress (LOC)
The Library of Congress has one of the world's premier collections of U.S. and foreign genealogical and local historical publications and free images. The Library's genealogy collection began as early as 1815 when Thomas Jefferson's library was purchased. Check out the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room (Researcher and Reference Services Division, Library of Congress). LOC maintains collections of nearly all city directories and county histories in the U.S.; houses a comprehensive directory of all known copyrighted newspapers by timeframe and where they can be located today, in the important U.S. Newspaper Directory and Chronicling America.

Freedman’s Bureau
A Federal agency of the United States Department of War to help slaves who were set free after the Civil War and also poor whites with provisions, clothing, and fuel. It also helped with immediate and temporary shelter and supplied food and aid to the destitute and suffering. The Bureau was responsible for providing assistance to four million formerly enslaved individuals and hundreds of thousands of impoverished Southern whites. The Bureau provided food, clothing, medical care, and legal representation; promoted education; helped legalize marriages; and assisted African American soldiers and sailors in securing back pay, enlistment bounties, and pensions. In addition, the Bureau promoted a system of labor contracts to replace the slavery system and tried to settle freedmen and women on abandoned or confiscated land. The Bureau was also responsible for protecting freedmen and women from intimidation and assaults by Southern whites. The Bureau set up offices in major cities in the 15 Southern and border states and the District of Columbia. Under-funded by Congress and opposed by President Andrew Johnson, the Bureau only operated between 1865 and 1872.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

National Archives at Chicago, IL
The Archive holds permanent records created by federal agencies and courts for these states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin. The Archive resource guides and finding aids can assist with research on specific Federal agencies, name and topical searches, and locating digitized microfilm.

National Archives at St. Louis, MO 
The Archive holds permanent records that include:
- Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs)
- Official Personnel Folders (OPF)
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Enrollee Records
- Selective Service Records
- Deceased Veteran's Claim Files
- Individual Deceased Personnel Files

WorldCat.org
WorldCat.org is a great resource for locating unique, trustworthy materials that you often can’t find anywhere except in a library. And by connecting thousands of libraries’ collections in one place, WorldCat.org makes it easy for you to browse the world’s libraries from one easy search box. WorldCat.org connects genealogical researchers to millions of pieces of unique content not found elsewhere. Newspapers, family Bibles, cemetery and burial archives, microfilm, and digitized local records — it’s a treasure trove of family history waiting to be uncovered. Learn how to make the most of this powerful, global resource.

Maps

Atlas of Historical County Boundaries - Newberry Library - Chicago, IL
AHCB is a powerful historical research and reference tool in electronic form. The Atlas presents in maps and text complete data about the creation and all subsequent changes (dated to the day) in the size, shape, and location of every county in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. It also includes non-county areas, unsuccessful authorizations for new counties, changes in county names and organization, and the temporary attachments of non-county areas and unorganized counties to fully functioning counties. The principal sources for these data are the most authoritative available: the session laws of the colonies, territories, and states that created and changed the counties. The Newberry Library makes these data available without charge over the Internet as shapefiles that users can download for use with geographic information system (GIS) software.

Bureau of Land Management - U.S. Dept. of Interior
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office (GLO) Records Automation web site provides live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, including image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1788 and the present. Records include:

Survey plats are part of the official record of a cadastral survey (boundaries of land ownership). A cadastral survey creates, marks, defines, retraces or re-establishes the boundaries and subdivisions of Federal Lands of the United States. The survey plat is the graphic drawing of the boundaries involved with a particular survey project, and contains the official acreage to be used in the legal description.

Land Status Records are used by BLM Western State Offices to document the ongoing state of a township's Federal and private land regarding title, lease, rights, and usage. These documents include Master Title Plats, which are a composite of all Federal surveys for a township.

Cyndi's List of Illinois Maps & Geography Sites

Dave Rumsey Map Collection
The David Rumsey Map Collection contains more than 150,000 maps located at Stanford University. The collection includes atlases, globes, wall maps, school geographies, pocket maps, books of exploration, maritime charts, and a variety of cartographic materials including pocket, wall, children's, and manuscript maps. Items range in date from around 1550 to the present. The collection is distinguished by American cartography illustrating the country's history, with its changes in culture and population over time. Close inspection of the maps often reveals the growth and decline of towns, mining excavations, the unfolding of the railroads, and the exploration of the American West by European settlers. The depiction of westward expansion also features locations populated by indigenous peoples, including Indian reservations. The collection also includes European maps of the Americas that were influential to American cartographers. In addition, the collection’s geographical coverage spans the globe, with maps of superlative craftsmanship, historical significance, and beauty.

Illinois County Boundaries 1790-Present http://maps.ilgw.org/ (site not secure)
Most of the information for these maps came from Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties published by the Secretary of the State of Illinois.  For software that includes county boundary development maps for all U.S. states, you can check out a demo version of AniMap (see link below).

Maps of US / Illinois
Illinois County Maps: Interactive History & Complete List
Maps of Illinois are an invaluable area of ancestral and family history research, notably if you live far from where your ancestor was living. Given that the political borders of Illinois have changed frequently over the years, historic maps are important in helping you to uncover the exact location of your ancestor’s hometown, what land they owned, just who his or her neighbors happen to be, and more.

Illinois Railroad Maps - Illinois State Library
As a crossroads state, as well as incorporating the city of Chicago, a terminus of industry going back to the 19th century, Illinois was a crucial link in the railroad industry. Both passengers & freight were moved in great numbers throughout our territory. One of the most valuable collections held by the Illinois State Library is a collection of railroad maps showing the development of the state's rail system starting in 1854 and up through the present day. At one time many companies crisscrossed the state, but as time passed lines gradually merged as numerous went out of business, their track bought up by the remaining entities until only a few remained. These maps will show what companies existed when and where their track went. Also electric rail passenger lines, i.e. interurban railroads, will be shown on these maps as well. One can still find traces of their tracks, but the maps will show the entirety of these long gone modes of public transportation.

Maps of US
Collection of county maps, historical maps, and state park maps is carefully curated to provide a comprehensive view of the land and its people. Historic plat and land ownership maps of all sorts can be a boon for family historians. As their name implies, these maps indicate who owned parcels of land in a particular geographic area for a specific time period. The collection has images of old American atlases during the years 1750 to 1900. These are scanned from the original copies so you can see the states and counties as our ancestors saw them over a hundred years ago. Some maps years (not all) have cities, railroads, P.O. locations, township outlines and other features useful to the avid genealogist in North America.

McConnell's Historical Maps of United States at Library of Congress Map Division
On each map is a brief history of the period shown. Maps include historical geography, territorial expansion, early settlements, civil war, revolutionary war, military battles, and more.

New York Public Library (NYPL) Map Division - one of the world’s premier map collections in terms of size, scope, unique holdings, diversity and intensity of use. Established in 1898, their holdings include more than 433,000 sheet maps and 20,000 books and atlases published between the 16th and 21st centuries. The collections range from the global to the local scale and support the learning and research needs of a wide variety of users.

Randy Majors Historical US County Boundary Maps - puts publicly available map data into Google Maps-based tools.

PEORIA AREA

Chillicothe Historical Society

Peoria Chapter Daughters of American Revolution

Peoria High School Alumni

Peoria Historical Society

Princeville Heritage Museum
The historical association's purpose is to to collect and preserve artifacts relating to the history of Princeville, Illinois and surrounding communities including Monica, Laura, Edelstein, and Lawn Ridge. The museum is open Wed & Fri from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm.

Wheels of Time Museum - Dunlap, IL
The Museum's mission is to educate and entertain, and to provide a facility where folks of all ages can see and hear and sometimes touch, items representing transportation, industry, farm and home life, as well as entertainment, from times past, mostly in the central Illinois area. They are open May-October, Wed thru Sun, 12 noon to 5:00 pm

Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society - Pekin, IL
Some of the 16 cities in Tazewell County include East Peoria, Morton, Pekin, Washington, Creve Coeur, Marquette Heights, Tremont, Mackinaw, Delavan, North Pekin, South Pekin, Minier.

STATE / REGIONAL

Adoption Records Search

• Child Welfare Information Agency - Children's Bureau, US Dept Health & Human Services
• Illinois Adoption Research - FamilySearch
• Illinois Adoption Registry, Illinois Department of Public Health
• Confidential Intermediary Service of Illinois, Midwest Adoption Center (MAC)

Illinois Railway Museum - Union, IL
The Illinois Railway Museum has the largest collection of historic railway equipment in America. From horse-drawn streetcars to million-pound steam locomotives, from sleek streamliners to workaday boxcars, there's a LOT to see! The main Illinois Railway Museum campus features more than 20 structures spread out across 100 acres of land. These include exhibit buildings which house much of the museum's collection of trains as well as historic structures. The Museum strives for an immersive experience: we want you to feel transported back into the glory age of rail travel aboard our rolling time machines. The centerpiece of the museum experience is the train ride. One or more authentic, historic trains will be in operation during your visit. The Museum is open weekends, May-September, and weekdays, late May-August, and for special events.

Illinois State Genealogical Society

Illinois State Museum - Springfield, IL
The ISM promotes discovery, lifelong learning, and stewardship of the natural and cultural heritage of Illinois. The Museum collections focus on the Midwestern U.S. with an emphasis on Illinois.

Illinois State Museum Dickson Mounds - Lewistown, IL
A branch of the Illinois State Museum and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the major on-site archaeological museums in the United States. It offers a unique opportunity to explore the world of the American Indian in an awe-inspiring journey through 12,000 years of human experience in the Illinois River Valley.

Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum
The AAHM, located in Springfield, Illinois, features exhibits and presentations which tell authentic stories about African American life in Central Illinois past and present. The Illinois Freedom Project exhibition traces Black Illinoisans’ struggles for freedom from the French Colonial era to early-20th-century Chicago. The Illinois Freedom Project provides a glimpse into the struggles and victories of African Americans in Illinois, including the presence of quasi-legal slavery in pioneer Springfield starting in 1819. “Our Footprints, Our Stories”, traces the historic journey of African Americans across Downstate Illinois through their imprint on the landscape.

Illinois Mennonite Historical and Genealogical Society - Metamora, IL
IMHGS remembers the Swiss and German Amish-Mennonite pioneers that arrived in Illinois to start their new lives, and preserves the items they brought with them and used on the Illinois prairie. You can visit the museum gallery, the farm museum, view the agricultural tools and equipment in the Sutter's 100-year old barn, research Amish-Mennonite history and genealogy in their library, or observe nature in our arboretum and see native trees, prairie grasses, and flowers. To schedule a tour, call IMHGS at 309-367-2551.

Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center - Germantown Hills, IL

National

National Museum of American History - Washington, DC.
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is home to more than 1.8 million objects and more than three shelf-miles of archival collections. The museum's artifacts comprise the greatest single collection of American history in the world. "The museum’s basic mission is to use the infinite richness of American history to help people make sense of the present and shape a more humane future."

National Museum of African American History and Culture - Washington, DC
The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world history.

International African American Museum - Charleston, South Carolina
The IAAM, located at Gadsden's Wharf in Charleston, was one of the nation’s largest transatlantic slave ports -- an estimated 40% of African captives entered the U.S. through this port. The museum explores the African roots and African routes of enslaved people from West and West Central Africa to the Atlantic world. The IAAM "tells the unvarnished stories of the African American experience across generations, the trauma and triumph that gave rise to a resilient people."

National Orphan Train Museum - Concordia, Kansas
The Museum and Research Center are dedicated to the preservation of the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854-1929. The mission of the National Orphan Train Complex is to collect, preserve, interpret, and disseminate knowledge about the orphan trains, and the children and agents who rode them. Most orphan train riders came from Boston and New York City, which were the main sources of the Riders. The majority of the 200,000+ orphans were sent to the Midwest and West, but New England and the South also received children. Occasionally, children were also sent to Canada or placed in indentures or apprenticeships on ships.

Pony Express National Museum - St Joseph, Missouri  1860-1861

Bureau of Land Management - U.S. Dept. of Interior

Bureau of Land Management (BLM), General Land Office (GLO) Records Automation web site provides live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, including image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1788 and the present. Records include:

Federal Land Patents offer researchers a source of information on the initial transfer of land titles from the Federal government to individuals. In addition to verifying title transfer, this information will allow the researcher to associate an individual (Patentee, Assignee, Warrantee, Widow, or Heir) with a specific location (Legal Land Description) and time (Issue Date). We have a variety of Land Patents on our site, including Cash Entry, Homestead and Military Warrant patents.

Survey plats are part of the official record of a cadastral survey (landownership).  A cadastral survey creates, marks, defines, retraces or re-establishes the boundaries and subdivisions of Federal Lands of the United States.

Land Status Records are used by BLM Western State Offices to document the ongoing state of a township's Federal and private land regarding title, lease, rights, and usage. These documents include Master Title Plats, which are a composite of all Federal surveys for a township.

Tract Books are used by BLM Eastern State Offices as the basic index for public land title research. Tract Books are simply listings of all the transactions involving surveyed public lands—by State or territory, meridian, township, range, section, and subdivisions. Today, there are 1,582 original General Land Office tract books at Eastern States, showing how, when, and to whom title to Public Domain lands passed from the United States—in the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Civil War - Union Veterans

Illinois Civil War Muster & Descriptive Rolls (IRAD)
This database is a transcription of each soldier's entry in the record series, Muster and Descriptive Rolls (RS 301.020). The database contains information about over 285,000 soldiers from Illinois who served in the Union Army during the War of the Rebellion. Each entry includes all of the information that was recorded by the Illinois Adjutant General in the original Muster and Descriptive Rolls. Entries for each roll include soldier's name; rank; age; height; colors of eyes, hair, and complexion; occupation; marital status; birthplace; residence; date, place, and term of enrollment; name; name of mustering officer; date and place of muster out; name of mustering-out officer; and remarks concerning transfers, promotions, injuries, or special duty.

National Archives - Research of Military Records
Over 2.8 million men (and a few hundred women) served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. The National Archives research page briefly describes resources for researching the military service of individual Civil War soldiers in "Volunteer" Army units. Records include:

Compiled Military Service Record (CMSR) - Each volunteer soldier has a CMSR for each regiment in which he served. An index is available online at the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System website or on microfilm at selected NARA facilities and large genealogical research libraries. The CMSR contains basic information about the soldier's military career, and it is the first source the researcher should consult.

Pension Records - Most Union army soldiers or their widows or minor children later applied for a pension. In some cases, a dependent father or mother applied for a pension. The pension files are indexed by NARA microfilm publication T288, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 (544 rolls) which is also available online at Ancestry.com (for a fee). The pension file will often contain more information about what the soldier did during the war than the CMSR, and it may contain much medical information if he lived for a number of years afterwards.

Record of Events - Sometimes, additional information about a soldier's war activities can be deduced from the compilations of the activities of each company known colloquially as the "record of events." These records, which were compiled from information on the original muster rolls and returns, are uneven in content; some give day-by-day narratives of a company's activities, while others simply note that the company was stationed at a certain place during the reporting period (usually 2-months). Although they rarely name individual soldiers, the descriptions of the activities and movements of the company can be used, in conjunction with the soldier's CMSR and pension file, to determine where the soldier was and what he was doing. As noted above, records of Union regiments are reproduced in microfilm publication M594, Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations (225 rolls)

Civil War Soldiers & Sailors Database - National Park Service
The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is a database containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Other information on the site includes histories of Union and Confederate regiments, links to descriptions of significant battles, and selected lists of prisoner-of-war records and cemetery records, which will be amended over time. The CWSS is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and several public and private partners whose goal is to increase Americans' understanding of this decisive era in American history by making information about it widely accessible.

Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865 - Springfield, IL
The DUVCW Museum preserves countless artifacts of Civil War history, including rifles, medals, photographs, currency, drums, uniforms, and letters from soldiers at the front. Located next to the Museum, the Dr. Benjamin Franklin Stephenson Library and Research Center, named for the founder of the Grand Army of the Republic, houses a complete set of “War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.” Numerous other volumes relating to the War are also available for onsite research. Eligibility for membership in the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861 – 1865 is based on eligibility as formerly required for membership in the Grand Army of the Republic and is limited to daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters of any generation through lineal descent only.

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, Union Navy, and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Stephenson in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, and grew to include hundreds of "posts" across the North and West. It dissolved on August 2, 1956. Successors: Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Women's Relief Corps.

Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (site not secure)
This is a Congressionally Chartered non-profit organization, and is the oldest women’s hereditary organization in the United States. The original objectives of the organization included promotion of patriotism and loyalty to the Union, and participation in community service, especially for the aid of our Veterans and their dependents. Today’s objectives are still the same, with great emphasis on promotion of patriotism, education, and preservation of history.

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Woman's Relief Corps
The National Woman’s Relief Corps (WRC) was chartered July 25 and 26, 1883 as auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and congressionally chartered on September 7, 1962. The WRC mission is to perpetuate the memory of those who sacrificed much and sometimes all in the American Civil War; provide assistance to veterans of all wars and extend needed aid to them and to their widow(er)s and orphans.

Other Civil War Rosters of Union Soldiers

Ohio War of the Rebellion Roster (Hathi Trust Library)
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000454243?type%5B%5D=subject&lookfor%5B%5D=%22%20O

New York Volunteers Rosters of Civil War
https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/conflict/us-civil-war-1861-1865/rosters-new-york-volunteers-during-civil-war

Civil War - Military Prisons and Union Prisoners

Camp Sumter / Andersonville Prison, Georgia
The largest and most famous of 150 military prisons of the Civil War, Camp Sumter, commonly known as Andersonville, was the deadliest landscape of the Civil War. Of the 45,000 Union soldiers imprisoned here, nearly 13,000 died. At its most crowded, it held more than 32,000 men, where forced overcrowding compounded problems of disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition , and exposure. Each prisoner experienced Andersonville on their own terms, meaning that the story of captivity here is a very complex one. Camp Sumter operated from Feb. 1864 to May 1865. The historic site is administered by the National Park Service.

Cahaba Prison near Selma, Alabama, in the center of the now-vanished town of Cahawba which was the state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1826. The prison was located in a cotton warehouse on the banks of the Alabama River and was in operation intermittently from 1862 to April 1865. More than 9,000 men were imprisoned at Cahaba over that time period. At its peak in 1864 and 1865, 3,000 men were housed there in with an average living space of only six square feet, by far the most crowded of any prison, north or south. Conditions were harsh, but thanks to a humane prison director and the kindnesses of town people, fewer than 250 soldiers died there. Over 800 men who had been imprisoned at Cahaba perished in the Sultana steamboat disaster on April 27, 1865.

Sultana Steamship disaster (Mississippi River near Memphis) - After the Civil War ended in April 1865, a prisoner parole agreement to return former prisoners to their homes was arranged. Many of the Union men held at Cahaba Prison boarded the steamboat Sultana at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on April 24, 1865. Tragically, three of the Sultana‘s four boilers exploded on the morning of April 27 as the boat struggled against a strong current seven miles north of Memphis, Tennessee. Of the 2,100 former prisoners on board, between 1,700 and 1,800 (about 800 being former Cahaba prisoners) died of burns, drowning, or hypothermia in the Mississippi River. This high loss of life makes the Sultana disaster the greatest maritime disaster in U.S. history.

Civil War Prisons and Adjutant General Reports (site not secure) - includes regimental histories, memoirs, periodicals, and references Adjutant General Report for of the State of Illinois: Revised Roster of Officers and Enlisted Men from Regiments, 1861-66. Springfield: Phillips Bros., State Printers, 1900.

Phillip Smith - Civil War Diary (Peoria Historical Society)
https://www.peoriahistoricalsociety.org/assets/images/objects/virtual_exhibit/vex1/456322CB-0942-4FEE-AA0E-309750047557.htm

Phil Smith penned a remarkable diary about day to day happenings during his three year stint as a young Union soldier -- from the time he and the Peoria Zouave Cadets left Peoria on June 19, 1961 to join the Company H, 8th Missouri volunteer infantry -- until they returned on July 15, 1864. Smith, fervently pro-Union and antislavery, was deeply disturbed and angry toward Confederates, and reflected on the developing crisis, the rebellion, and slavery in his diary. Bloody battles, adverse weather conditions and disease were vexing to soldiers on both sides. Artillery, wagons and draft horses became hopelessly mired in muddy, washed out roads by rain. Disease killed more soldiers in the Civil War than the war itself. The most common diseases during the Civil War were typhoid fever, dysentery, and pneumonia. These diseases were caused by unsanitary conditions in camps and hospitals. Diseases spread through both armies due to the lack of sanitation practices and contaminated water.

American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

Illinois Daughters of the American Revolution

Illinois DAR Genealogical Library Collection is housed at the C.E. Brehm Library in Mount Vernon, Illinois. The Illinois DAR Genealogical Library catalog can be searched online.

DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS) is a free resource provided by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to aid general genealogical research and to assist with the DAR membership process. The GRS is a collection of databases that provide access to the many materials amassed by the DAR since its founding in 1890.

National DAR Library collection does not circulate, and the Library does not have an interlibrary loan program. Patrons who cannot travel to Washington, D.C., may wish to search the Library's online catalog and take advantage of the Library's Search Service for photocopy requests

National DAR Museum in Washington, DC, supports the NSDAR’s goals of historic preservation, education and patriotism by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting the material culture and social history of pre-industrial America.

Ancestry.com
You have two options to search historical documents and photos, indexes, and other resources in over 30,000 databases that span from the 1500s to the 2000s.

• Paid subscription (personal)
• Free - In Library Use Only (Library Edition at Peoria Public Library)

HeritageQuest Online
Includes family histories, genealogical serials, local histories, the U.S. Federal Census, 1790-1930 and primary sources in full images. It can be accessed in the library - or - remotely with your library card number and PIN

AncestorStuff.com
A leading genealogy resource for the beginner through the experienced professional, includes genealogy books, e-books, military history, maps, records, charts and forms, U.S. states, and family histories.

Cyndi’s List
A categorized and cross-referenced index to genealogical resources on the internet, including forms.

Ancestor Hunt - search for ancestors by location and browse category by U.S. state or Canadian province

Genealogy Explained
Genealogy Explained is an educational website started by Marc McDermott to help weekend-warrior genealogists learn how to climb their family trees. It is divided into different sections based on how most weekend warrior genealogists should progress in this hobby: Basics, Research Techniques, Managing a Family Tree, and DNA Testing. The site reviews the various tools, products and subscription services available to family history buffs. Having the right tools for the job is half the battle in genealogy. The other half is knowing what to look for and how to look for it. Also known in the professional genealogy world as “reasonably exhaustive research.”
NOTE: Genealogy Explained may earn a commission when you purchase something using one of their links. This includes the Amazon Associates Program for which, as an Amazon Associate, they earn from qualifying purchases.

Illinois Daughters of the American Revolution - Mount Vernon, IL
The DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS) includes free online databases containing information on Revolutionary patriot ancestors, descendants of those patriots, as well as the vast array of genealogical resources from the DAR Library. The Illinois DAR Genealogical Library Collection is housed at the C.E. Brehm Library in Mount Vernon, Illinois. The National DAR Library in Washington, D.C., is one of the nation's best genealogical research centers, and their catalog can be accessed online.

National / International

Fold3.com
Fold3® features collections of original military records. These records include the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served in the military. Many of the records come from the U.S. National archives, the National Archives of the U.K. and other international records. Fold3 is owned by Ancestry.com. The Fold3 name comes from a traditional flag folding ceremony in which the third fold is made in honor and remembrance of veterans who served in defense of their country.

USGenWeb - free online county & state historical resources for genealogical research

WorldGenWeb Project - a non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to providing genealogical and historical records and resources for world-wide access.

International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) - Advocates for and educates about the use of genetics as a tool for genealogical research while promoting a supportive network for genetic genealogists. Genetic Genealogy is the use of DNA testing in combination with traditional genealogical and historical records.

Journal of Genetic Genealogy (JoGG) - a free and open-access quarterly journal of strategies, case studies, and topics of interest for genetic genealogists using DNA testing to research the ancestry of an individual or group.   Articles include features, editorials, and peer-reviewed scholarly articles.

Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS)
AAHGS is a non-profit 501(c)3, which strives to preserve African-ancestored family history, genealogy, and cultural diversity by teaching research techniques and disseminating information throughout the community. Their primary goals are to promote scholarly research, provide resources for historical and genealogical studies, create a network of persons with similar interests, and assist members in documenting their histories.

German Ancestry

Church Records

Matricula Online (Catholic records) - church registers (mostly books of birth, marriage and death) from various European countries (currently Austria, Germany, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia). Matricula is free to use.

Archion Online (Protestant records) - portal that has been providing digitized historic church books and other sources relevant for genealogical and biographical research since March 2015. Archion is operated by the Stuttgart-based Kirchenbuchportal GmbH, a company established by the Protestant Church of Germany together with 11 Protestant regional churches. Archion's partner archives include Protestant, diocese, town, association and state archives. More than 150,000 church books from 25 archives are available for inspection on Archion. NOTE: Access to digital book material requires paid access. There are different passes available based on your needs. Each pass expires at the end of its period of validity and is not automatically renewed.

Compugen.de (view on chrome and select translate to english)
This is the largest genealogical association in Germany. The Association for Computer Genealogy (CompGen) uses the latest information technology, and strives to work with archives that store primary historical sources from the past centuries. CompGen also has a Name Distribution Map that shows the distribution of your surname in 1890 and 1996.

Kartenmeister (site not secure)
This database contains over 108,900 locations with with over 45,000 name changes of towns, cities, and provinces in Germany, and parts of Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. All locations East of the Oder and Neisse Rivers are based on the borders of eastern provinces in Spring 1918. The database includes the following provinces: East Prussia, including Memel, West Prussia, Brandenburg, Posen, Pomerania, and Silesia. It currently list most towns or points, such as: Mills, some bridges, battlefields, named trees, cenotaphs etc. You can search criteria by: German name, older German name, Kreis/County, by larger town (proximity search), and by family name.

Irish Ancestry

JohnGrenham.com operates several useful free databases for Irish surnames, placenames and ancestors.

Irish Surnames - surname searches of Irish households in the 1800s

Irish Ancestors - based on where a surname is most popular, you can find links to family histories, births, and other websites specializing in that surname

Irish Placenames - tool for identifying Irish Placenames based on 1851 Index to Townlands and Towns, parishes and Baronies of Ireland. Also has interactive maps with Roman Catholic Parish maps.

Geneology Guidelines by National Genealogical Society

NGS Guidelines are provided for the benefit of those who wish to improve their skills and performance in genealogical pursuits.

Evidence Based Analysis Process by Evidence Explained

Historical research and Evidence Analysis Process focuses on three analytical elements: Sources,  Information, and Evidence.

For help with complex research, brick walls, or general family searches, we recommend contacting a professional genealogist.

Paid professional help can be found through these organizations:

Association for Professional Genealogists https://www.apgen.org

International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGEN) https://www.icapgen.org/

Midwest Genealogy Center
Offers family history forms

National Genealogical Society

• Getting Started > Charts and templates to organize your family research
• Family Relationship Chart - to find relationship between two people and a common ancestor. Determine relationship up to a fifth cousin.

FamilySearch
Offers printable genealogical forms for recording research including Family Group Sheets and Pedigree Charts.

• Research Process > Identify What You Know > Use Appropriate Forms

Restore & Enhance Photos

There are several AI-powered programs and apps designed to sharpen out-of-focus photos. These programs use various algorithms and machine learning techniques to enhance the clarity and sharpness of images. Some popular options include:

Adobe Photoshop Elements: an excellent photo editing tool for hobbyists who don't want to pay for a subscription or learn complex Photoshop techniques. Photoshop Elements is designed for those who are just getting started with photo editing and want an easy way to organize, edit, create, and share their photos. Automated options deliver great results to enjoy as is or use as a starting point for creative exploration. Photoshop Elements is offered as a one-time purchase ($100) — no subscription required.

NOTE: Photoshop is the professional standard for creating more complex images and designs, and requires a subscription.

• Adobe Sensei AI technology and automated options make it fast and easy to automatically reframe your subject, select specific areas to add effects, fix grainy footage, and more.
• Step-by-step guidance - just follow along to make basic adjustments, artistic creations, visual effects, and more with 61 step-by-step Guided Edits.
• Automatically colorize photos - give black-and-whites new life or change up the colors in your pics with automatic colorization.

> Adobe Photoshop with Shake Reduction: Adobe Photoshop has a Shake Reduction feature that uses AI technology to correct blurriness caused by camera shake. It analyzes the image and attempts to restore sharpness. Requires monthly subscription.

> Topaz Labs Sharpen AI: This software uses advanced AI algorithms to correct both general softness and motion blur in images. It offers various modes for different types of blurriness, including Focus, Stabilize, and Deblur. The program can resolve common image defects like low resolution, noise and blurring from defocusing or subject motion in a very easy-to-use manner with minimal user intervention. Cost: Image Quality Bundle is $200; AI Image Sharpener is $80.

> Luminar Neo AI: includes a tool called "AI Enhance" that can help improve the sharpness and clarity of images. It uses AI to enhance various aspects of the photo, including sharpness and detail. Requires monthly or yearly subscription.

> Fotor Pro: an online photo editing tool that offers a "Sharpness" feature. While it's not as advanced as dedicated AI sharpening tools, it can still help improve the sharpness of images to some extent. Fotor's online photo editor offers a free plan that allows anyone to edit as many images as they want and export the edited photos without watermarks. Those who want even more advanced features can upgrade to Fotor Pro. Plans start at $3.50 monthly/billed annually.

> Google Photos: has an AI-powered tool called "Enhance" that can automatically improve the quality of images, including sharpness. It's available on the Google Photos website and app.

AI-powered Mobile Apps: There are also mobile apps available on platforms like iOS and Android that claim to sharpen images using AI.

Keep in mind that while these tools can help improve the sharpness of out-of-focus images to some extent, they might not be able to fully restore the original clarity if the image is severely out of focus.  AI technology and software offerings may have evolved since the last update, so it's a good idea to explore the latest options and read reviews before making a choice.

Mobile Scanning Apps (for photos & documents)

Adobe Scan - easy to scan documents.

PhotoScan by Google - use your phone's camera to create enhanced digital scans, with automatic edge detection, perspective correction, and smart rotation in seconds. Can stitch multiple images together and remove glare.

Microsoft Lens - trims, enhances and makes pictures of whiteboards and documents

Photomyne - has the most photo editing tools; easy, speedy and high quality