125Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Lawrence Public Library
Lawrenceville, Illinois
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Lawrenceville.
1840 to 2019Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
436,710Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Lawrenceville, Illinois.
Get to know Lawrenceville, Illinois in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Lawrence Public Library's digital archive. Its one hundred twenty-five titles include material from 1840 to 2019.
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Selected titles
A selection from Lawrence Public Library: “American Banner” and “Wheeling Independent”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.
Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse one hundred twenty-five titles and 436,710 digitized pages, with material from 1840 to 2019. A partnership between Lawrence Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A family story or a question about a familiar place can lead somewhere unexpected. Browse the titles below and see which detail draws you in.
American Banner
12 pages from 1851 to 1856
Arlington School Yearbooks
41 pages in 1989
Birds Review
8 pages in 1887
Bridgeport High School Yearbooks
503 pages from 1914 to 1959
Bridgeport Leader
19,429 pages from 1974 to 1993
Brookside School Yearbooks
159 pages from 1977 to 1989
Campaign Republican
4 pages in 1858
Central Arlington and Lincoln Yearbooks
154 pages from 1997 to 2001
Central School Yearbooks
30 pages in 1992
Clay County Herald
6 pages from 1864 to 1865
Clay County Tribune
19 pages from 1874 to 1877
Clay County Union
4 pages in 1867
Daily Advocate
8 pages in 1894
Daily News
94 pages in 2013
Daily Record
310,565 pages from 1922 to 2019
Democratic Herald
100 pages from 1875 to 1893
Elks New Home Booster
24 pages in 1914
Fulton Advocate
4 pages in 1842
Fulton Banner
15 pages from 1844 to 1845
Fulton Democrat
130 pages from 1840 to 1907
Fulton Gazette
4 pages in 1846
Fulton Republican
21 pages from 1848 to 1850
George Field Class 42 K 9
4 pages in 1942
George Field Class 43 D IMM
9 pages in 1942
George Field Class 44 A IMM
20 pages in 1944
George Field Class 44 B IMM
18 pages in 1944
George Field Class 44 C IMM
18 pages in 1944
George Field Class 44 D IMM
14 pages in 1944
George Field Class 44 E IMM
18 pages in 1944
George Field Class 44 F IMM
17 pages in 1944
George Field Class 44 G IMM
2 pages in 1944
George Field Class E 43 J_IMM
3 pages in 1943
George Field Class E 43 K IMM
18 pages in 1943
George Field Yearbooks
122 pages in 1942
Golden Era
17 pages from 1872 to 1878
Hamilton County Express
2 pages in 1863
Hamilton County Herald
8 pages from 1881 to 1889
Hamilton Democrat
10 pages from 1867 to 1868
Hamilton Express
4 pages in 1862
Hamilton Sucker
33 pages from 1859 to 1869
Herald
14 pages from 1888 to 1890
Illinois Christian Advocate
4 pages in 1852
Illinois Gazette
4 pages in 1852
Illinois Public Ledger
28 pages from 1851 to 1853
Illinois Son of Temperance
8 pages in 1862
Kickapoo Press
48 pages in 1954
Knox County Republican
16 pages from 1868 to 1872
Knox Republican
38 pages from 1857 to 1865
La Harpe Leader
8 pages in 1874
La Rose Vidette
8 pages from 1882 to 1883
La Salle Journal
7 pages in 1855
Lacon Herald
13 pages from 1850 to 1851
Lacon Intelligencer
8 pages from 1855 to 1856
Lake County Times
160 pages from 1890 to 1893
Lake Forest Era
16 pages from 1892 to 1893
Lake Villa Advocate
32 pages from 1892 to 1893
Lake Zurich Independent
8 pages in 1893
Lake Zurich News
8 pages in 1892
Lawrence County Clerk Records
1,539 pages from 1864 to 1898
Lawrence County Coroner Office
3,065 pages from 1870 to 1943
Lawrence County Courier
8 pages from 1870 to 1871
Lawrence County Courier
16 pages in 1895
Lawrence County Democrat
8 pages from 1872 to 1873
Lawrence County Journal
4 pages in 1868
Lawrence County News
29,127 pages from 1897 to 1962
Lawrence County Press
13 pages from 1876 to 1881
Lawrence High School Yearbook
791 pages from 1920 to 1928
Lawrenceville Banner
30 pages from 1848 to 1850
Lawrenceville Republican
12,630 pages from 1898 to 1928
Lawrenceville Yearbook
10,629 pages from 1908 to 2015
Le Roy Eagle
6 pages in 1887
Le Roy Exchange
24 pages in 1871
Le Roy Free Press
4 pages in 1888
Le Roy Weekly Exchange
8 pages from 1871 to 1872
Lebanon Journal
15 pages from 1895 to 1915
Lebanon Leader
16 pages from 1899 to 1901
Lena Daily Star
16 pages in 1879
Lerna Weekly Eagle
4 pages in 1920
Lewistown Democrat
10 pages from 1879 to 1881
Lewistown Lance
4 pages in 1890
Lewistown News
8 pages in 1893
Lewistown Union
16 pages from 1868 to 1871
Lincoln and Central School Yearbooks
102 pages from 1986 to 1988
Lincoln Evening Star
4 pages in 1917
Lincoln Herald
8 pages in 1868
Lincoln School Yearbooks
78 pages from 1989 to 1991
Lincoln Times
4 pages in 1876
Lincoln Weekly Herald
9 pages from 1858 to 1859
Litchfield Advocate
16 pages from 1883 to 1885
Litchfield Union Monitor
26 pages from 1872 to 1874
Little Rock Press
4 pages in 1854
Local Reporter
2 pages in 1901
Lockport Telegraph
8 pages from 1854 to 1855
Logan Courier
8 pages in 1863
Lomax Herald
4 pages in 1913
Louisville Ledger
40 pages from 1869 to 1893
Louisville Ledger Democrat
24 pages from 1878 to 1880
Louisville Visitor
12 pages from 1851 to 1852
Louisville Weekly Democrat
6 pages from 1859 to 1888
Lyons Herald
8 pages in 1893
Mammoth
8 pages in 1845
Marshall County Democrat
324 pages from 1883 to 1912
Marshall County Sentinel
4 pages in 1854
McLeansboro Times
17 pages from 1869 to 1873
Montgomery Democrat
20 pages from 1878 to 1881
Mouser
1 page in 1901
Parkview Junior High School Yearbooks
1,285 pages from 1975 to 2008
Quill
214 pages from 1908 to 1958
Red Hill High School Yearbooks
816 pages from 1973 to 1979
Rural Republican
5,400 pages from 1874 to 1901
Sentimentalist
4 pages in 1844
SNAFU
500 pages from 1943 to 1945
St Franciscan High School Yearbook
2,783 pages from 1930 to 1973
St Francisville Grade School Yearbooks
415 pages from 1974 to 1997
Star
19 pages in 1927
Star Spangled Banner
12 pages in 1847
Sumner Advocate
4 pages in 1891
Sumner Democrat
202 pages from 1891 to 1893
Sumner Press
31,292 pages from 1882 to 1972
Sumner Yearbook
2,871 pages from 1909 to 1973
Voice of the People
4 pages in 1872
Wauconda Independent
16 pages in 1893
Weekly Herald
4 pages in 1893
Western Globe
34 pages from 1858 to 1866
Wheeling Independent
8 pages in 1893
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About the Library
About Lawrence Public Library District
The Lawrence Public Library District serves all residents of Lawrence County with a commitment to providing educational, cultural, and recreational materials and services. The library's membership in the SHARE consortium enhances access to millions of items, and the library continues to meet the community's evolving needs with modern technology and dedicated staff.
Library History
The History Of Lawrence Public Library District
Since its establishment, the Lawrence Public Library District has grown to be a cornerstone of the community, offering a vast collection of materials, online resources, and programs for all ages. The library continues to support Lawrence County's rich history and cultural development through its local history archives and active public engagement.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Compare accounts as you trace a story
Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Lawrenceville. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Lawrence Public Library to follow that question into the historical record. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. Use a report's date to look for earlier or later coverage where those issues are available. Compare what each account says and what it leaves out, treating a related mention as a lead rather than a complete history.
Compare each newspaper account with a nearby dated issue where available, noting what changes or stays consistent. Keep alternate versions and unresolved details visible rather than blending distinct sources into one story. Use those differences to frame a next question, not to settle the account before the sources support it.
Keep source details beside each quotation or observation. If accounts differ, preserve both references and note what remains unresolved. Let the evidence, rather than a smooth retelling, show where the sources agree and where the story is still open.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Lawrence Public Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
Preserving documents on microfilm has been a popular method of storage for many years, and it still holds many benefits today. Here…
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May 7, 2025
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
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April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
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April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
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March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
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March 18, 2025
It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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