On our way home from our niece’s wedding in North Carolina, we stopped at several places in central lllinois as part of a family history search. One of those places was the public library in Beecher City (population 500). To my surprise, the library had several file folders, several inches thick, with a lot of information on a bunch of Dotys that lived in the Beecher City area. Quite a few Dotys are buried in a cemetery a few miles outside of town.

The librarian in Beecher City is a “Double Doty”, meaning she is a Doty and she married a Doty. Beecher City is one of three different places various contradictory family records say my great-grandfather was born. After photographing some of the Doty records at the library we left. I just couldn’t resist this bright orange trash can sitting next to the library. For some reason, it strikes me as humorous. It is not often you see your last name on a trash can.

I never thought I would pick a trach can as a favorite photo, but this one, in addition to the humor, is a remind of all the hours I spent trying to track down an elusive part of the family tree. This is my favorite photo for April 9.

Our first stop in central Illinois was the new Effingham County Courthouse. I looked at lists of dozens documents about the Dotys that lived in the area in the 1870s. I made lots of notes and ordered one marriage license. One of the people helping me at the courthouse is a Doty. He sent me to other places in the county with Doty information, including the librarian and library in Beecher City.

The old Effingham County Courthouse, built in 1871, is right across the street from the new one. It now houses a museum. I like the charm of these old courthouses so I took several pictures. This is my second favorite photo for this date.

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Series: Favorite Photos by Date – all about this series

Favorite Photo, April 6 – Bridget’s wedding