This book helps to reconstruct some of the records destroyed in courthouse fires in Hardin County, Illinois. The early newspapers of Hardin are rich in genealogical information. The first half of the book contains death notices which are arranged chronologically and often include name, dates of birth and death, and names of family members. Each entry is followed by a citation which gives the newspaper and date of the issue in which the notice appeared. The second half of the book is made up of biographies, arranged alphabetically. The information in these articles is quite extensive, detailing marriages, children, occupations, personal qualities, inventions, catastrophic weather events, Civil War service, anecdotes and more. These biographies sometimes contain oral histories and are supplemented with lists of documentation. A full-name index is included.