A second career Woman who hated history now historical resource

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Comfortably nested between the yellowing sheaves of Union County's ledgers is Elaine Rushing.

She's the one hunched over the giant pages of the historic record books in the county clerk's back vault, searching for lost marriage and birth dates.

"I hated history. In school, I thought it was stupidest thing because it's over and done with, and nothing you can do about it. So, here I am, buried in history," the Anna resident said.

But Rushing has seen enough history on her own.

Now, at age 86, she's happily toiling through her second career. She first retired in 1981 after 26 years as an administrative secretary at Southern Illinois Electric Co-op in Dongola.

"Everyone thinks I'm crazy because I'm still working," Rushing said. "Well, I love it. I love the people that come in here. It's a very interesting job and I know where just about everything is."

Organized clerk's office

Born and raised on a farm between Anna and Dongola, it should be no surprise that Rushing followed the county's solidly Democratic political disposition. In fact, it was her party allegiance that prompted her 14 years ago to volunteer to help newly elected County Clerk Bobby Toler organize his office.

"One of the first things Mr. Toler decided was to move all these records away from the window. What he did was a great thing because these records are precious," Rushing said.

In a matter of days, her volunteer status evolved into a full-time job. In fact, Rushing became the office's second secretary. Today, four deputy clerks work in the office. Rushing's duties are totally devoted to the county personal records.

"During our peak for genealogy, usually through the summer, people fill both rooms for months. People plan their vacations around their research," said Toler. "She's always been very loyal to me. We've had a lot of good compliments on her job."

Her years of work with the records collection has earned a singular reputation among historians and genealogists.

"Union County has the best records. I say that without hesitating. Nothing has been lost in a fire or a flood. It's well cared for and organized. This archive is superior to anything in Southern Illinois," Darrel Dexter says.

As a professional genealogist, Dexter probably has worked alongside Rushing more than anyone. He's recently completed his 20th book on local history, a transcription of Union County marriage records.

Masterful guidance

Another attribute is the archive's accessibility. With Rushing's masterful guidance, anyone can request to see a document and hold it in his hand, whether it's a marriage license from 1851 or 1951.

"People get so excited when they actually find what they were looking for," Rushing said.

She's stumbled onto a couple exciting discoveries of her own in the course of her work.

There is a whole genealogy to marriage license forms. The marriage licenses are the county's oldest records, beginning in 1818, the year Illinois became a state. The death records start in the early 1800s while the births start in 1878 and abruptly end about 1965, when the county's main obstetrician died and people stopped having their babies in Union County.

She quickly thumbs through her customized filing system to show that the earliest licenses are "mere slips of crumbling paper." They later were decorated with embellished calligraphy. As a researcher, she favors the marriage forms used beginning in 1878 because they feature "a complete picture of the family."