Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society

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Home > Records & Indexes > Tazewell County Pioneer Certificates

Tazewell County Pioneer Certificates

Photo of William & Phebe Hodgson - early settlers in Tazewell County
William & Phebe Hodgson

To honor the first families of Tazewell County, the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society is compiling a roster of settlers who were county residents by 1875.

The Society will issue certificates to documented direct descendants of early settlers of Tazewell County. A list of the Tazewell County Pioneers we've recognized so far is at the bottom of this page.

Image of Sample Prairie Pioneer Certificate
Actual Size: 11 x 8.5

Eligibility

To qualify for a Pioneer Certificate, an applicant must be directly descended from an ancestor who settled in Tazewell County as follows:

  • Early Family Certificate (1851-1875) - Silver Seal
  • Old Settlers Certificate (1827-1850) - Gold Seal
  • Pioneer Certificate (prior to 1827) - Gold Seal with Purple Ribbon

The application, with the completed lineage and documentation, is kept on file in our library and may be accessed by researchers. Eventually, the information may be published online or in book form.

How to apply for a Pioneer Certificate (click)

Expand

Documented evidence connecting each generation must accompany the application such as census records; birth, death, and marriage records; school or church records; Bible records; military records; obituaries; estates records; land records; tombstone inscriptions (give location of cemetery); county histories; etc.

Please send only copies of the original documents—as all applications and verifying material will become the property of the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society.

Anyone may apply. Applicants need not have ever been residents of Tazewell County. After proof of direct descent has been submitted and eligibility has been determined, we will mail the appropriate certificate.  Separate certificates will be issued for each ancestor properly submitted.  The fee for each application is $10.

You may fill out your application using our fillable pdf form—then you can save & print it and mail it to us along with your payment and supporting documentation.

Some folks want certificates for both the pioneer husband and wife.  Separate applications and fees are required.  However, they may share supporting documentation.  Both spouses will be issued a separate certificate.

When requesting additional certificates for members of the applicant's immediate family (mother, father, siblings, children), proof of descent needs to be sent only once. To request additional certificates, send $10.00 and a separate completed application and straight-line lineage chart for each additional certificate needed. 

For example, suppose you wanted three Pioneer Certificates to recognize you and your two children, Jack & Jill, are direct descendants of John Quincy Doe. The first application (yours) must contain everything to document you are a direct descendant of John Quincy Doe.  Once that is done, Jack & Jill's applications can just refer to the contents of your application, adding just the additional documentation to prove they are your direct descendants (such as birth certificates).

If any of the Documented Prairie Pioneers listed below are an ancestor, the Pioneer Certificate application file can be a treasure trove of resources such as legal documents, family photos, ancestor charts, family group sheets, research contacts, etc.  If you are interested in the contents of a pioneer's application file, ask us for an inventory of the file and estimated cost of making copies.

Documented Prairie Pioneers

wdt_ID Name of Pioneer Location Date Settled Name of Spouse
1 Ackerman, John 1850 Birkey, Magdalena
2 Bailey, Josiah Gordon Delavan 1853 Barnes, Catherine B.
3 Bailey, William before 1867 Smith, Francis B.
4 Beal, Moses H.  Washington Township 1841 [?], Anna Amelia
5 Berry, Samuel  1835 Larimore, Elizabeth
6 Blust, Arnhold Tremont 1864 Hotze or Hatze, Catherine Maria
7 Boyle, John Adolph Dillon 1835 Miars, Sarah A.
8 Brecher, Phillip John (Jacob) Groveland 1847 Gable, Anna Catharina
9 Brooks, Thomas Pekin 1837 Curtis, Mary
10 Brown, Nathanial ca 1838 Emerson, Sally Densmore

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