Illinois. State Archives Division

The Division of Archives and Index, the predecessor of the Illinois State Archives, was established in 1873. However, it failed to develop as an archival unit and concerned itself primarily with the care of current records. In 1921 the Secretary of State established an Archives Division within the State Library for the purpose of properly caring for official state records that have permanent historical, legal, or administrative value (L. 1921, p. 837). The State Records Act of 1957 made the Illinois State Archives an independent division, designated the Secretary of State as State Archivist, created the State Records Commission, and provided for the improvement of records management practices in state departments and agencies (L. 1957, p. 1687).

From the description of Records management surveys, 1956-1957. (Illinois State Archive). WorldCat record id: 36034507

Margaret Cross Norton was born in Rockford, Illinois, on July 7, 1891, and from an early age was exposed to professional recordkeeping. Her mother had been assistant county treasurer for Winnebago County, and her father held the position of deputy county clerk.

Norton earned degrees in history from the University of Chicago. She received a B.L.S. from the New York Library School and took a position as a cataloger at the Vassar College Library, which she held from 1915 to 1918. She pursued graduate study at the University of Chicago during the summers. She held a couple of other positions before accepting the appointment as head of the Illinois State Archives. Norton served as the first superintendent of the Illinois State Archives, then a division of the Illinois State Library, from April 1, 1922 through April 15, 1957.

Norton met Cassius Stiles, head of the Iowa State Archives. Stiles had organized the Archives by provenance with help from histories he had written of Iowas state agencies. This combined with Norton's previous experiences to verify for her the legal and administrative value of government records and the importance of their arrangement by source. She began her History of State Departments, Illinois Government, Including Bibliographies of Laws on Subjects Impinging Upon Governmental Functions of Present State Departments.

The fire of 1934 that destroyed the State Arsenal Building and many of the records of the Adjutant General provided the impetus for Norton to successfully lobby the legislature for a secure Archives Building. $500,000 was appropriated in 1935, and was supplemented by $320,00 from the WPA. The building, collections, and programs of the State Archives Division were considered models and as a consequence visitors from across the country as well as the world came to Springfield to study them.

From the description of Margaret Cross Norton working papers (Illinois state Archives), 1924-1958. (Illinois State Archive). WorldCat record id: 36062263