Requests

The $15 per hour research fee ($12.00 for members), will be charged to research the archives for information pertaining to various historical events, people in history or your ancestor's background in the Rock Island County area. The one-hour, non-refundable fee is required to initiate the research, however, most requests take two hours, approximately ($30.00).  We will search all relevant holdings in our collection for a specific individual, surname or family. Postage and copies are not included in the research fee, as those fees cannot be calculated until the request is complete.  Once your request is completed, we will contact you with the postage and copy fees. With your results, we will also provide recommendations of additional sources for further research. Answers are filed in our vertical files. Please allow a turn-around time of 2-4 weeks. 

A $5.00 obituary copy fee is charged per obituary to research an obituary when the exact day, month and year is known or the book and page number is found in our obituary database.  If the death information is incomplete or incorrect, the request will be subjected to the $15.00 ($12.00 for members) research fee.  Obituaries will be sent via e-mail, however, paper obituary copies can be sent via postal mail when a SASE is sent with the obituary copy fee.  If you would like multiple obituaries, please fill out a Research Request Form for each person. 

Before we begin the research, we must receive a letter including names, dates, and places, and as much information as you have found. Below our address is a list of common types of research requests, which are frequently requested at the historical society, which can help you, the researcher, narrow down the your request.  If you are a member and wish to come to the library, there is no charge for using our facility and you may do your own research. Our staff is available to help you. Donations are always appreciated. If you have questions, contact us by e-mail or call us at (309) 764-8590. Please fill out the Research Request Form, include $15.00 to initiate the search, and send your letter to:

• Obituary with Exact Date Known - Exact month, day, and year is required to complete request or the book and page number from Obituary Index. Obituary requests missing information, or incorrect will be subjected to the $15.00 per hour research fee.
• Obituary Date Unknown - Researchers must give us an adequate time to complete the request.
• Historical - Researcher is looking for information on businesses, houses, and organizations within Rock Island County.
• General Genealogy - Researcher is trying to confirm if an ancestor was born, resided, married, worked, or died in Rock Island County.
• Specific Genealogy - Researcher is trying to confirm a birth, marriage, death or that an ancestor lived in Rock Island County, and the researcher has previously confirmed their ancestor has ties to Rock Island County. Researcher must specify what information they are searching for.