Sanders Collection
The Walter Sanders collection is a one-of-a-kind genealogy resource, found only at the Litchfield Library.
Walter Sanders, a high school history teacher, spent many years collecting and organizing family history materials of those families in and around Litchfield. He sold this collection of history to the Litchfield Library in the 1980s, and it is now housed in the Library's genealogy room.
Mr. Sanders collected an entire series of genealogical materials on the Sanders / Saunders line, which details the family in states like Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, and many other states. This collection is found in the Litchfield Library and consists of more than 25 books with the Sanders / Saunders lineage.
In addition to his Sanders family history, Mr. Sanders also gathered information on early settlers in Illinois. This series of 15 books is filled with information on the early years of Illinois and the people who settled here.
Mr. Sanders was also an avid organizer of exisiting records, and has complied many books of cemetery records, marrige records, and death records for Montgomery County.
In February 2009, the Library microfilmed all of the Sanders / Saunders and Early Illinois Settlers books for easier use and to preserve the documents. This microfilm is now available in the genealogy room.