In the 1960's the NSDAR [National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution] members walked down cemeteries in Mercer County as they did in most counties throughout the United States. Tombstone records were
compiled and indexed. In Mercer County the work was done under the auspices of the William Denison Chapter of the DAR. The results were hand typed into eight volumes and presented to the National Society Library of the DAR.
The Society bound the manuscripts with covers with labels on the spine. Titles of the individual volumes vary a bit as they were evidently bound at different times. The title page in each volume appears to be the title page of the original manuscript as typed by members of the William Denison Chapter. The titles vary somewhat as they were typed at different times.

After the history we will give a list of the Titles and Title Pages of each volume and people can choose how they wish to use the information as references. They are difficult to fit into any standardized form of referencing.

The records were never formally published by the William Denison Chapter of the DAR as it was felt that there were errors reading many of the tombstones because of condition and then there were further errors made in reading
handwriting and typing the manuscripts.

Fortunately the Latter Day Saints Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, filmed the typed volumes at the National Society Library on December 3, 1970 and the records are available to anyone through LDS Library
loan services. Volume 1 is found at the end of LDS Microfilm 0848589 and Volumes 2 through 8 are found on microfilm 0848590. Wishing to post the indexes of the eight volumes online on the Internet, we sought permission from the William Denison Chapter of the DAR. The DAR was unwilling to give permission, so the local chapter "sold" the records to the Mercer County Historical Society (there is a copy of the entire typescript at the Mercer County Historical Society for those doing research in person in Mercer County.) The Mercer County Historical Society in turn gave permission to post the indexes online. This was accomplished by Teresa Davis on the IlGenWeb Mercer County site:  http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmercer. Nadine Holder has copies of the LDS microfilms on permanent loan at
her local LDS Library and volunteered to do lookups for those people finding their ancestors (or possible ancestors) on the Mercer County site. People with access to a local LDS Library can order copies of the microfilms for use at their local LDS Library.

Following is the list of NSDAR Book Titles with each one followed by the typed manuscript title page.

Cemetery Records of Mercer County, Illinois, Vol 1 (1962)
Copied 1961 by William Denison Chapter NSDAR, Aledo, Ill

Cemetery Records of Mercer County, Illinois, Vol 2 (1963)
Cemetery Records collected 1962, compiled by Arah-Dean Finch
Cemeteries of Mercer County, Illinois, Vol 3 (1964)
Cemetery Records collected by William Denison Chapter DAR 1963, compiled by Arah-Dean Finch

Cemetery Records of Mercer County, Illinois, Vol 4 (1965)
Inscriptions copied from gravestones by (8 members of the DAR named) 1964,
compiled by Arah-Dean Finch Presented to the National Society Library

Mercer County Cemetery Records, 1965 [this is Vol 5]
Tombstone inscriptions copied 1965 by [10 members of DAR as named]
Mercer County, Ill. Cemetery Records (1966) [this is Vol 6]
Presented 1966-1967. Copied 1966 by William Denison Chapter of DAR, compiled by Arah- Dean Finch

Mercer County Illinois Cemetery Records, Vol 7 (1967-1968)
Presented 1967-1968. Copied by William Denison Chapter, compiled by Arah-Dean Finch

Mercer County, Illinois Cemetery Records, Vol. 8 (1968)
Presented 1968-1969. Copied by the William Denison Chapter DAR, compiled by Arah-Dean Finch