You're right, many in IL were opposed to Lincoln. I'm fortunate that in the county I live in we still have many of the old court files here and most of the old judge's dockets, election returns, etc. dating back to 1843. They make for fascinating reading!!

I think perhaps I'm a little more open-minded concerning history here because I don't "teach" or work for the State. I do help the Summer Preservations Program from SIU if they ask. I discovered a few years ago that the only sources they knew to use were the printed history books. Unfortunately, they only work a few weeks, before they start school again.

I always ask one question of them--how did the people who wrote the Illinois history books get their information? When I ask this, most choose to work in another county during the summer, but a couple work here each summer until they graduate. I really feel like the ones who spend the summer looking up records in a dusty, old courthouse vault walk away actually learning something of value.
Ann