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The Illinois Soldiers' Orphans' Home at Normal originally was established in 1865 to provide care and education for indigent children of Civil War veterans (L. 1865, p. 76). In the succeeding years indigent children of veterans of all wars became eligible for admission. Temporary facilities were established at locations in Bloomington in 1867 and in Springfield in 1868. The home's permanent quarters in Normal opened in June 1869. A board of trustees operated the home and acted as legal guardian for the children. The home also was subject to inspection by the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities, created in 1869 to inspect and report upon the conditions in all state charitable institutions (L. 1869, p. 63). The Board of Administration succeeded to these duties and retained executive and administrative control over the home until the creation of the Department of Public Welfare in 1917 (L. 1917, p. 2).
While under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Welfare the home's name was changed to the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School in 1931 (L. 1931, p. 217). The department also was authorized to place veterans' indigent children in foster homes or in other child-care facilities. This responsibility was handled by Division of Child Welfare staff members working at the school. For 1907-1924 dependent orphans who were not children of veterans also were admitted to the home when space was available.
In 1961 the Department of Mental Health assumed many of the duties of the Department of Public Welfare including administration of the school (L. 1961, p. 2666). This responsibility was transferred in 1963 to the newly created Department of Children and Family Services (L. 1963, p. 1061).
Access to some of these records is restricted according to the provisions of P.A. 79-453 and the State Records Act of 1957 as amended. 255.001
MINUTES OF BOARD MEETINGS. 1871-1909. 3 vols. No index.
Minutes are of monthly and special meetings of the board of trustees of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School. Minutes primarily concern payment of school expenses, applications for admission, employee matters, and rules and regulations for the operation of the school. Minutes also indicate that the record of board meetings for 1865-1869 were destroyed in a fire that occurred in Springfield in December 1870.
255.002
CASE FILES. 1910-1964. 78 cu. ft. Index, 1910-1940.
Case files of children admitted to the school contain primarily correspondence concerning the child's admission, school activities, vacation plans, placement in a foster or adopted home, and final discharge from school. Usually included in each file are admission application giving child's name, birthplace, birth date, residence, date accepted at school, parents' names and father's service record; warrant of commitment; copies of court orders; physician's certificate and results of medical examinations; visitation record; intelligence and aptitude test scores; academic report cards; reports from professional staff on child's behavior and adjustment to school life; and data sheets on child's family history. Also found, particularly in files of children admitted after 1940, is material on child's family, including home visitors' reports on situation of child's parents and other relatives; correspondence with and concerning child's family; and copies of birth, marriage, and honorable discharge certificates.
255.003
CHILD SERVICE CASE RECORDS. Ca. 1935-1967. 30 cu. ft. No index.
Closed case files are of children placed under the guardianship of the Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School. These files, compiled by staff members of the Division of Child Welfare, concern children who were never at the school, but were placed in other child care facilities or foster homes or discharged from the school's guardianship. A file for each child or family lists parents' names and the names and birth dates of all children under the school's guardianship. A wide range of material is contained in each file including interoffice memoranda and correspondence with social welfare agencies about the placement of children; intake studies for each child which outline family's history and economic condition and give child's physical description and record of previous placement; results of medical examinations; birth, marriage, and honorable discharge certificates; guardian's consent forms for out-of-state travel; requests for trust fund balances; and copies of court orders of discharge and dependency decrees.
255.004
REGISTER OF CHILDREN Ca. 1867-1942. 3 vols. No index.
Register of children at the school includes child's name, birthplace, birth date, sex, residence, and school grade level; admission number; admission date and child's age when admitted; father's name, company, regiment, and service branch in which he served; date and place of father's death; father's physical condition, if living; mother's name and whether living or dead; name and address of parent or guardian; date discharge due; and date of and remarks on child's discharge from school.
255.005
REGISTER OF CHILDREN AT SPRINGFIELD LOCATION. Ca. 1868. 1 vol. No index.
Register is of children residing at the school's temporary location in Springfield. Entries include child's name, age, sex, residence, and grade level; father's name, regiment, and company; place and date of father's death; mother's name and whether living or dead.
255.006
COUNTY REGISTER. 1884-1924. 1 vol. No index.
Record gives a listing by county of all children at the school. Each child's name, town of residence, admission, and discharge dates are given along with parents' names and remarks on the child's family background.
255.007
MOVEMENT OF SCHOOL POPULATION. 1895-1942. 4 vols. No index.
Record is of all changes in the school population. Each day on which the number of children increased or decreased are listed the date; name of child added or removed from school; town and county of residence; whether admitted, readmitted, returned, discharged, died, or temporarily absent; numbers of boys and girls present; and total number of children present. Daily population was totaled quarterly and daily averages over the quarter were given for boys and girls.
255.008
STUDENT ACADEMIC REPORTS. 1889-1890; 1892-1894. 2 vols. Index.
Semiquarterly reports were submitted by the school's teachers. Each report includes teacher's name and grade level of the class followed by children's names and individual grades for reading, arithmetic, language, spelling, and conduct. The average grade for all subjects also is given.
255.009
ACADEMIC RECORDS. Ca. 1933-1965. 16 cu. ft. No index.
File on each child's academic performance includes grade and progress report cards submitted by teachers, results of achievement tests, student profiles compiled by psychologists or social workers, attendance record, and correspondence concerning child's academic capabilities.
255.010
CLASSROOM ATTENDANCE RECORD. No date. 1 vol. No index.
Monthly attendance record includes each child's name, age, number of days absent and reason for absence, number of times tardy, number of minutes lost, reason for tardiness, daily school work average, monthly examination average, overall monthly average, teacher's name and classroom number, and number of school days in month.
255.011
CLOTHING REGISTER. No date. 1 vol. No index.
Record is of clothing issued to school children. Each child's name and register number are listed along with a description of the quantity and type of clothing issued each month. Register also gives the name of the person issuing clothing and infrequent remarks on the condition of child's old clothing.
255.012
REGISTER OF VISITORS. September 30, 1904-November 10, 1915. 1 vol. No index.
Register entries include date of visit, visitor's name and residence, and occasional visitor's remarks on conditions at the school.
255.013
TRUST FUND RECEIPTS JOURNAL. November 1911-November 1915. 1 vol. No index.
Monthly record is of trust fund receipts. Dated entries include child's name, amount received, and check number.
Journal entries posted to TRUST FUND LEDGER, RS 255.015.
255.014
TRUST FUND DISBURSEMENTS JOURNAL. December 1912-October 1932. 4 vols. No index.
Monthly reports are of payments made to children from the trust fund account. Entries include date, child's name, purpose and amount of payment, check number, balance due children from last monthly report, amount received since last report, receipt numbers of deposits made to trust fund account, total amount disbursed to children, and balance due children.
Journal entries for 1912-1918 posted to TRUST FUND LEDGER, RS 255.015.
255.015
TRUST FUND LEDGER. 1911-1919. 1 vol. No index.
Record is of trust fund transactions. For each child's account entries include the date of each transaction, whether deposit or withdrawal, amount debited or credited to account, and balance remaining in account.
Ledger entries posted from TRUST FUND RECEIPTS JOURNAL, RS 255.013, and TRUST DISBURSEMENTS JOURNAL, RS 255.014.
255.016
TREASURER'S JOURNAL. July 1, 1884-November 20, 1888. 1 vol. No index.
School treasurer's record is of institutional income and expenditures. Credit entries include date of receipt of funds, from whom received (i.e., State Treasurer, school superintendent), and amount received and school account paid into. Debit entries include date of payment, check number, name of payee, and amount and purpose of payment (i.e., salaries, services, supplies). Amount of cash balance on hand at the end of each month also is listed.
255.017
JOURNAL OF SUPPLIES RECEIVED. Ca. 1902-1910. 2 vols. No index.
Record is of supplies received by the school's storekeeper. Journal entries include date supplies received, supplier's name, description of supplies, quantity and net price, amount received by storekeeper and charged to account, amount returned by storekeeper, and amount charged on invoice journal.
Journal entries for 1903-1909 posted to SUPPLY LEDGER, RS 255.018.
255.018
SUPPLY LEDGER. 1903-1910; 1915-1918. 4 vols. Index.
Record is of incidental supplies purchased for the school. An account for each type of supply purchased lists purchase date, unit of measurement, quantity purchased and price, and total amount of purchase.
Ledger entries for 1903-1909 posted from JOURNAL OF SUPPLIES RECEIVED, RS 255.017.
255.019
JOURNAL OF DEPARTMENTAL SUPPLIES. 1902-1904; 1907-1915. 3 vols. No index.
Monthly itemized statement concerns supplies issued to each school department. Entries include name of department receiving supplies, description of supplies, date and quantity of issue, unit of measurement, unit price and total cost, and total monthly quantity issued and cost for each department.
255.020
GENERAL ACCOUNTS JOURNAL. January 1903-February 1922. 2 vols. No index.
Record is of school expenditures for supplies and services. Journal entries include invoice date and amount, description of article purchased or service provided, name of supplier, and school account to which expenditure was posted (e.g., hospital, storekeeper, farm).
Journal entries posted to GENERAL ACCOUNTS LEDGER, RS 255.021.
255.021
GENERAL ACCOUNTS LEDGER. 1894-1927. 3 vols. No index.
Monthly record is of payments to individuals and business firms with whom school had accounts. Entries for each account include name of payee, amount and method of payment, journal page reference and date entry was posted to ledger, and total monthly amount paid into account.
Ledger entries for 1902-1921 posted from GENERAL ACCOUNTS JOURNAL, RS 255.020.
255.022
ACCOUNTS JOURNAL. July 1902-June 1939. 1 vol. No index.
Monthly record is of income and expenditures for various school accounts. The name of each account is listed along with the amounts to be debited and credited for that month. Journal occasionally gives purpose for a payment or receipt.
255.023
LEDGER OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE. July 1911-July 1912. 1 vol. Index.
Record is of payments of school bills. For each individual or business firm with whom school had an account are listed all invoice and voucher transactions, including the dates of issue and amounts of invoices and vouchers. Occasionally voucher numbers also are listed.
255.024
VOUCHER AND APPROPRIATION REGISTER. 1903-1933. 3 vols. No index.
Record is of vouchers issued to pay school expenses. Entries include voucher number and date of issue, name of payee, school fund appropriation from which payment was made (e.g., trust fund, maintenance, salaries and wages), and total amount paid by voucher. Monthly totals of each fund's indebtedness and aggregate total are given. Beginning in 1923 the purpose of each payment also is listed.
255.025
CASH JOURNAL. March 1920-August 1932. 1 vol. No index.
Record is of money received from the State Treasurer, various funds, and individuals. Dated entries include receipt number, from whom received (e.g., State Treasurer, trust fund, managing officer's payroll), and school account to which funds were posted (e.g., farm, general, kitchen, machinery). A recapitulation at the end of each month lists, by school account, total amounts paid into and out of each account.
255.026
LEDGER. 1935-1940. 1 vol. Index.
Ledger is of various institutional accounts, including General Assembly appropriations. Listed under each account are dated entries giving the amount to be debited or credited.
255.027
REQUESTS FOR RELEASE FROM GUARDIANSHIP. Ca. 1951-1965. 0.1 cu. ft. No index.
Requests were filed in circuit courts by the school for the release from guardianship of children. Usually attached to each request is a statement from the school's business office on the balance remaining in the child's trust fund account. Statements were requested by the child guidance office at the school.
These records are available at the Illinois State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State.
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