Hayner Genealogy & Local History Library

The Hayner Public Library District provides a variety of genealogy-related services to support research efforts. Information from various states in addition to Illinois and other countries is available. The digitized newspaper collection is a wonderful resource for genealogy research. The lobby of the Hayner Genealogy and Local History Library contains an original piece of the printing press which was broken and thrown into the Mississippi River by an angry mob who destroyed the press and murdered Elijah P. Lovejoy in November, 1837. The yoke, which served as a framework for the press, is black metal and weighs half a ton. Lovejoy published newspapers in St. Louis and Alton that advocated the abolition of slavery.

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