Tazewell County clerk unveils AI search that makes 19th-century handwritten records searchable

The Tazewell County clerk announced at a press conference that the county’s Clerk and Recorder of Deeds office has integrated an AI handwriting-recognition search into its public archives, making handwritten county board minutes and historic military discharge records searchable for the first time.

The enhancement cost $46,832 and was paid from the clerk’s office modernization funds, the clerk said. The search feature has been live on the county website for about a week and can be accessed free from home, libraries or schools through the county’s county board minutes and military discharge archives pages.

Why it matters: The clerk cited a 2021 example in which a highway department employee found an 1833 right-of-way entry in the handwritten minutes that led Ameren to pick up the cost of relocating 25 telephone poles, saving Tazewell County taxpayers about $250,000. "That just shows you by having this historical information available for the public to review, there is an opportunity...to be saving the taxpayers on expenses they would have had to pay otherwise," the clerk said.

The vendor behind the work, ArcaSearch, described the technology as advanced handwriting recognition that converts cursive into searchable text. "We are turning cryptic cursive into searchable text," said Steve Fears of ArcaSearch. "We aren't just looking at the old ink. We are giving a voice back to the people of the nineteenth century."

Scope and accuracy: The clerk said the county completed digitization of military discharge records in 2023 and county board minutes in 2024. The AI enhancement was contracted with ArcaSearch in October and applied to the first 100 years of records; the clerk said the system is currently performing at about 95% accuracy and that accuracy should improve as more material is processed.

Storage and privacy: The clerk clarified that the vendor hosts the indexed files at its data center in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and that the project does not add storage demands to local data-center infrastructure. On access limits for military discharges, the clerk said state law changed around 2020 to align with national standards: records are sealed to immediate family only for the first 55 years, then become part of the public historic archive. For records still sealed, the online system shows a blank screen and directs users to contact the recorder of deeds office for verification.

Process and preservation: The clerk emphasized that the digitized archive remains an image of the original page and that AI only reads and indexes the handwritten text; the county is not altering or 'fixing' the scanned pages. A county staff speaker added that searchable digitization reduces handling of fragile volumes and helps preserve bindings and pages.

Cost and maintenance: The clerk said the $46,832 expense was a one-time modernization purchase and has been paid; he stated he does not anticipate recurring AI maintenance fees. "This is a one-time thing. It's done. It's installed, ready to run," he said.

How to use it: The clerk directed users to the Clerk’s website under county board minutes archives and military discharge archives, where the digitized pages and the searchable index are linked. He encouraged genealogists, historians, students and the public to try searches online.

Next steps: The office offered a demonstration and b-roll of the original bound book and the online interface and invited attendees to view examples. The clerk closed by encouraging citizens to explore the site and see what historic records they can find.