G'Day All,

I'm looking to substantiate something that I've heard regarding a historical event in Willisville IL and hope you someone on this board might be able to help me. I've heard, through family stories, about a fire in the early 1900's that may have destroyed the birth records for many of the residents of Willisville. The story goes on to say that there was an effort by the town to have it's residents basically re-register with the town clerk so that they could re-establish their birth records. By my estimation this event, if it really did happen, occured around 1915 or so. Does anyone have any information to substantiate this or perhaps provide me with some historical references or documentation that I can capture for my notes?

For the record it was my wife's grandfather, Alfonzo Leto (ultimately changed to Lato) and his parents Gaspore and Guiseppina Leto (nee Simonaro) that lived there with her brother Antonio Simonaro. Gaspore immigrated ~ 1903 and Guiseppina immigrated a year later with the children (Alfonzo, Rosa and Guiseppe) in tow.

Regards,
Dennis Dwyer
Clearwater, FL