This page is provided to furnish genealogical researchers with the addresses and telephone numbers of Kendall County libraries with genealogical holdings.
Kendall County Historical Society, P.O. Box 123, Yorkville, IL 60560. Telephone 630 553-6777.
The Kendall County Historical Society library holds a good collection of items relating to Kendall County and its residents. The library is located in the Chapel On The Green, on the north side of the park in Yorkville, Illinois. The park is a one block square north of the Fox River along Illinois Route 47. The Chapel On The Green was formerly the Yorkville Congregational Church.
The library is staffed by volunteers and consequently has very limited hours. Typically, the library is only open from 9:00 am until noon on Wednesday. Also it is usually closed during the coldest months of winter. Winter closures may be for the months of January and February or only for the month of February. The best approach would be to call first. It may be possible to schedule a visit outside of scheduled hours. Yorkville is also the county seat.
Little White School Museum, Box 23, 72 Polk Street, Oswego, IL 60543. Telephone 630 554-2999.
Museum archivist, Stephanie Todd, telephone 630 554-2321.
Museum hours are, noon to 5:00 pm Thursday and 9:00 am to noon Saturdays. The museum is open September through June. Staff generally take July and August off for vacation. Interested parties should call before visiting the museum to verify that the research area is staffed on the day of the proposed visit. Additionally arrangements can often be made to visit the museum research area by appointment.
The museum holds a variety of county records indices, plus original microfiche of the Kendall County Marriage Register. In addition, all existent county histories and plat books are held. Museum archives include numerous original documents pertaining to the Oswego area, including papers, diaries, scrapbooks, photos, and genealogical information. Museum staff can supply a more complete list of museum holdings if necessary.
The Little White School Museum was built in 1854 as a Methodist Episcopal Church. It became a public school in 1915 and was continued to be used for this purpose until 1964. In 1975, the Oswegoland Heritage Association was established to restore the building and open a community museum. The museum occupies a classroom addition built on the rear of the building in the 1930s. The main portion of the building has been undergoing restoration since 1983. The projected completion date of the restoration project is the year 2000.
State Of Illinois:
Illinois State Archives, Norton Building, Capitol Complex, Springfield, IL 62756. Telephone 217 782-3672; 217 782-4682. Fax 217 524-3930. http://www.sos.state.il.us/depts/archives/arc_home.html
Illinois State Library, 300 S. Second Street, Springfield, IL 6270l (For inter-library loan services including
county histories and some census schedules.)
Illinois State Library provides a wonderful service for locating books
called ILLINET. This is basically an on line, state-wide card catalog. ILLINET can be access through the Illinois
State Library home page.
To access ILLINET follow the steps listed.
1. Select Illinois State Library
2. Select ILLINET (Illinois Library and Information Network Web
3. Select ILLINET Online, etc.
4. Select Connect to ILLINET Online via the Web!
5. Select To Begin: Click "Guest" button.
Illinois State Historical Library, A Division of the Illinois Historical Preservation Agency. Old State Capitol, Springfield, IL 62701. General information: 217 524-7216. Reference: 217 524-6358. Newspapers on microfilm: 217 785-7941. http://www.state.il.us/hpa/lib
Return to Libraries
Return to Table of Contents