Links

🎉 Big News for Iron County History Lovers! 🎉 As we approach the 10th anniversary of A Historical Snapshot of Iron County, Missouri 1857–2017, our membership has voted to make the entire book available online for FREE. Yes—free for everyone to enjoy. This hardbound volume featured over 900 photographs tracing Iron County’s story from its earliest days through 2017. It also included a remarkable section honoring our veterans, with more than 500 veteran photographs, including War of 1812 veteran Elihu Shepherd. Why now? After three highly successful printings, the cost and time required for a fourth run simply aren’t practical. Rather than let this treasured resource fade from reach, our members unanimously agreed at the July 2026 Quarterly Meeting to share it openly with the public. The book spans 416 pages and includes a complete name index for easy searching. A few important notes about the link: • The file is a high resolution PDF over 1 gigabyte in size, so it may take a bit to load depending on your device. • The Iron County Historical Society retains all copyright privileges. By accessing the file, you agree not to use it for any commercial purposes. We are proud to make this piece of Iron County’s heritage available to everyone. Enjoy exploring our shared history.

A great starting point for those new to the subject of researching their African American ancestors.

March18, 2025 marked the 100th anniversary of the Tri-State Tornado. This catastrophic event remains the deadliest and most record-breaking tornado in United States history. Over the course of three and a half hours, the storm carved a 219-mile path of destruction across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, moving at unprecedented speeds of up to 73 mph and claiming 695 lives. The disaster leveled entire towns, destroyed 15,000 homes, and left an indelible mark on the Midwest. This program examines that history, explains why there was so little warning along its path and explains the circumstances that came together in deadly unison to make it so deadly and destructive. The program also incudes some of the stories of those that were there and looks at the relief and rebuilding efforts after the storm.

The 1986 interview of Johnny Rion was conducted in the Rion home in Belleville, Illinois by Johnny's son, Hugh Daniel (Danny) Rion. It covers Johnny's life and career from the time of his birth in 1916 to 1986.

A great overview of African American genealogical research from the Family Search Wiki.

Here you can search, by location and slave owner's name for the records of enslaved individuals. Slaves themselves are not enumerated by name, only by age and sex.

History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, published by Robert Sidney Douglass in 1912 is similar in its scope and presentation to Goodspeed's book published in 1888. Like Goodspeed's book, you will find a wealth of historical and biographical information. The book can be downloaded for free.

From the Family Search Wiki, are "links, charts, and exercises will provide some helpful ways to help teach your children all about their current and extended family."

RootsTech is a place to learn, be inspired, and make connections through family history. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by other leading genealogy organizations, we have hundreds of expert classes, tips and tricks videos, and inspiring stories that can help you experience family history like never before. Visit their on-demand learning library or make plans to join them for their next virtual or in-person conference event

How to locate and use cemetery records in your family history research.