Welcome to Dekalb County
Illinois / USGenWeb 

Dekalb County was established on March 4, 1837 from Kane County. Our County Seat is in Sycamore.

The Joiner History Room



THIS WEBSITE HAS BEEN UPDATED.  CLICK HERE





The Home of The Joiner History Room
is in the Sycamore Public Library    
103 East State Street.
Sycamore, IL. 60178
815-895-7271

Hours  Tuesday & Thursday 10 A.M. to 3 P.M.

  

Email - The Joiner History Room

If you are researching Dekalb County History or your own genealogy, this is the place
to start. You can spend literally hours scouring the resources available here.


 

 


Fairview Cementery Listing
Has Been Updated and Available on CD
Sue Breese and Robert Meyer have recently walked and completed a new transcript of burials. 
The information is in Excel format and available for purchase.
All proceeds (except production costs) from the sales of the CD
are being donated by Sue and Robert to the Joiner History Room.
If you are interested in purchasing a CD, please email The Joiner History Room using the link at the top of this page.

$15 plus postage
 


 

Images of America - Sycamore

Images of America-Sycamore has been compiled by the Joiner History Room staff
for Arcadia Publishers.  Two hundred twenty unique photos have been selected to be
included in seven chapters.  The book will be available for sale in October.  It will be
sold in bookstores. at local merchants and at the Joiner History Room. 

The cover, shown to the left, is of the 1936 Anaconda Wire & Cable Co. annual picnic
which was held at "The Farm" on East Route 64.

 





Click on banner to read current issue.  Past issues are available from the Joiner History Room
 

Genealogy Research Available

The Most Useful Research You Can Ask For
The staff of the Joiner History Room will do a limited amount of research on your ancestors by request. The subject must be of Dekalb County ancestry and can be submitted by email or in writing. There is no charge for research time.  Cost is determined by the number of copies made and the postage charges.  We do suggest in lieu of payment for research time that you make a donation to the Joiner History Room.  Most or all of the references listed below are at our disposal. Please be reasonable with your request and be specific as to what you are looking for, as we do not want to duplicate your efforts.   Please do not request "any and all" information.  We can not do all of your genealogy research for you.

Email - The Joiner History Room

Local History Collection

         Local History Collection         

Local History Collection
Census Records Manuscript Materials - 121 Boxes Family Files & Genealogies
Obituaries from 1860 Photo Collection - Residents/Places County and Township Histories
Cemetery Records Road Plats 1838 - 1952 Sycamore Newspapers 1867-1965
Church Histories Misc. School Records Atlases, Maps & Plat Books
City Directories Nurse's Registry 1877 - 1935 Civil War Discharges
Underground Railroad Poll Books 1859 - 1872 WWI & WWII Records
Early Railroads   Poor Farm Records
Photos of members of the G.A.R.
Potter Post # 12 (Civil War)		 Judge Cassius Poust Scrapbooks
1920 - 1929		 The Dekalb Chronicle Newspaper
on microfilm
Grand Army of The Republic
Roster Book (Dekalb County)		 Dekalb County Historical &
Genealogical Society Newsletters		 Illinois Adjutant General's Reports
(Civil War)

Obituaries

Thousands of obituaries are available, indexed and catalogued from several newspapers and
other sources. Call or write the Joiner History Room to submit your queries.
Email the Joiner History Room to inquire.

Family Genealogy Files

Our Family Files were contributed by those who dedicated years of hard work in researching their family lines.
Others were developed by the Joiner Room volunteers. 
Most of these files are extensive and are available for anyone to use to further their own research.
They can only be seen at the Joiner History Room in the Sycamore Library. 

To view an alphabetical list of these files Click Here

Early Wills  1847-1899

The Joiner History Room has indexed two volumes of early wills recorded by the Dekalb County
Circuit Clerk during the years 1847 - 1899. This index contains the names of 1,025 individuals.

This information is handwritten by the Circuit Clerk and for some unknown reason these individuals
chose to officially record their wills with that office. Photocopies are available.
Email the Joiner History Room to inquire.

 

Subject Binder Files

The Joiner History Room has developed individual binders on a number of topics of local interest.


 

 

Application For A Marriage License 1892 - 1901

The Joiner History Room has indexed "Applications for a Marriage License" for the years 1892 - 1901.
The original copy of each application is in the JHR archives. It is not known if this collection is complete
but it does contain over 2,100 forms. THIS IS NOT THE MARRIAGE LICENSE, but is the application
form completed so the couple could get a marriage license.

Information contained on the application include the names, addresses and ages of the couple and asks
if (1) they are related, (2) are they both single and unmarried and (3) is there any reason why either of them
may not lawfully be married? If the applicants were under legal age, there is parental consent information.
Most have the groom's signature.

This is an ongoing project and more years will be added. When the entire collection has been indexed,
a list of names will be provided to this web location. Until then, you can contact the Joiner History Room,
103 East State Street, Sycamore, Il. 60178, (815)895-7271, or
if your ancestor is included in the collection. Photocopies are available.
Email the Joiner History Room to inquire.

 

The Joiner History Room is a cooperative effort of the Dekalb County Board,
Dekalb County Judiciary, Dekalb County Finance Office, Dekalb County
Central Plant, and Dekalb County citizens concerned with safeguarding 
their heritage represented by the historical documents in this collection.

History of the Joiner History Room
 

Between 1926 and 1976 a father / son team held the office of Dekalb County Clerk. Earl Joiner
1926 - 1956 and Ralph Joiner 1954 - 1976. It was long Ralph Joiner's dream that the old records
and other memorabilia scattered throughout the Courthouse could find a new home together, and
he tagged numerous items with notes to "Save for Museum".

In the early 1980s, under the direction of  Dekalb County Clerk Terry Desmond, Phyllis Kelly
spent 18 months cataloging and indexing the contents of the old vaults, which comprise the bulk
of the materials in the Joiner History Room. As plans progressed for the renovation of the old
Courthouse, new hope emerged that some space might at last be found for a historical repository.
Negotiations with the proper county officials proved a success. Following the conclusion of the
Dekalb County Sesquicentennial celebration, which generated funds to pay for it, work began in
1988 to transform 400 square feet in the basement of the courthouse into the Joiner History Room.
Dedicated to Ralph Joiner and his wife Bertha for their efforts in preserving the county's historical
documents, and in memory of the late Earl Joiner, the room opened to the public on May 4, 1989.
In 1998 negotiations between the Dekalb County Board and the Sycamore Library Board arranged
for the collection to be transferred to the Sycamore Public Library. The move was made in June 1998.
The Joiner History Room is staffed by volunteers and funded by donations and grants.

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This page maintained by Sheri Baker 

Copyright 2007 Sheri Baker.  All Rights Reserved.
Copyright of submitted items belongs to those responsible for their authorship or creation unless otherwise assigned.