Christmas came early for the McDonough County Genealogical Society. Thanks to generous member donations and a $1,200 grant from McDonough Power Coop, an additional 51 rolls of county newspaper microfilm were digitized. This added 59,000 more pages to the McDonough County Genealogical Society’s online collection.
The newly digitized newspapers include the Macomb Daily Journal (1868–1931), The Macomb Eagle (1858–1868), and The Macomb Independent and Democratic Review (1851–1854). The entire collection is available for free at: https://mcdonoughcountygs. advantage-preservation.com The new materials were unveiled at the Society’s November meeting, and exciting discoveries followed immediately. One member found the previously missing obituary of Joseph Blandin, founder of Blandinsville. Another located a 1920 mention of Macomb’s own Lizzie Magie visiting her former home.
These kinds of discoveries are exactly why the Society is committed to digitizing and preserving their microfilm collection. Access to more than 150,000 newspaper pages is completely free to the public.
The Society continues to add to the collection to help preserve the history of McDonough County. “We feel it’s very important as we approach the beginning of the county’s Bicentennial Year to provide even more access to our history,” said President Allen Nemec.
Each year, the Society plans to digitize another year’s worth of microfilm at a cost of about $200 per roll, adding to the collection.
