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Genealogy Resources
See below for a variety of reliable genealogy resources. Questions? Contact us at info@mgpl.org or 847-929-5101.
Census records 1790-1930, family/local histories, PERSI article index, Revolutionary War applications.
Chicago Tribune Historical Archive
Searchable obituaries and death notices (1860-1984) and images of Tribune front pages (1900-1984).
A portal of genealogical website links.
Build an interactive family tree of your ancestry, going back far into the past. Invite others to collaborate online and fill in the missing details. Create an easy to use record of your family to pass on to future generations. Download a copy of this record to your own computer for backup and archiving.
Offers access to genealogical records from around the world, along with genealogy courses, a genealogy wiki, and family tree information.
Find the graves of ancestors. Memorials generally include birth, death and burial information and may include pictures, biographies, family information and more.
GenForum Genealogy Message Boards
GenForum is the largest genealogy message board site that lets you share your success stories, swap research tips, and find others who are researching the same family lines as you.
The oldest and largest free online community focuses on genealogy and family research.
A project of the Genealogy and Local History section of the Newberry Library, this project is intended to help genealogists and local historians discover and share historical information about Chicago.
Chicago History Museum Research Center
Although not aimed at genealogy and family history, the Chicago History Museum does have a large collection of local history materials that can be useful to genealogists and family historians, such as city directories, newspapers and photographs.
Since 1967, this not-for-profit educational organization is devoted to collecting, preserving and perpetuating the records of our ancestors.
Cook County Vital Records Offices
The Genealogy Unit of the Cook County Clerk's Bureau of Vital Records provides non-certified versions of birth, death and marriage records for the purpose of genealogical research. Searchable records can be found online for Chicago and Cook County dating back to 1872.
The online version of the Encyclopedia of Chicago contains over 1,700 entries covering all aspects of Chicago and the surrounding area.
Collecting genealogy and local history materials since 1887, the staff at the Genealogy and Local History desk can help you explore the Newberry’s rich collections of family histories; local histories; censuses, probate, deed, court, tax, and cemetery records; military rosters; periodicals; genealogical guides; and reference works.
North Suburban Genealogical Society
Founded in 1975, this non-profit organization is based at the Winnetka Public Library and holds monthly meetings at the Northbrook Public Library.
Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society
Founded in 1977, this non-profit organization focuses on history and genealogy in Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights and the surrounding suburbs. Their major purposes are to promote the study of genealogy and history, conduct programs and workshops, encourage preservation of private and public records, and assist members in the study of family history.
Wilmette Family History Center
A branch of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the Wilmette Family History Center is staffed by volunteers and open to the public free of charge. Patrons are able to view films that are at the center including a large collection of Chicago and Cook County films; to use our computers to access subscription sites like Ancestry.com and Fold3.com; and to ask our volunteers for help using the Family History Center's resources.
Created in 2000, as a repository for the digital collections of the Illinois State Library as well as other libraries and cultural institutions in the State of Illinois, this collection contains photographs, slides, glass negatives, oral histories, manuscripts and letters, Illinois government documents, Federal government documents, postcards, posters, videos, newspapers, maps and more.
The Illinois State Archives serves by law as the depository of public records of Illinois state and local governmental agencies which possess permanent administrative, legal, or historical research value.
Illinois State Archives Databases
A collection of online searchable databases maintained by the Illinois State Archives.
Illinois State Genealogical Society
The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) was formed in 1968 as a not-for-profit, nonsectarian, educational organization to stimulate an interest in the people who contributed to the establishment and development of the State of Illinois, to seek, preserve, and make available data pertaining to individuals, families, and groups who lived in Illinois and to events which took place in Illinois, to inform people of the value of, and need for, preserving family and local history for posterity and to encourage the formation of local genealogical societies and to coordinate and disseminate information.
Illinois State Historical Society
Founded in 1899 to support the Illinois State Historical Library and to foster awareness, understanding, research, preservation, and recognition of history in Illinois. The links page contains an extensive list of genealogical and historical society websites.
National Archives and Records Administration - Great Lakes
The local branch of the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) holds records from Federal agencies, bureaus and courts for the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Allen County (IN) Public Library’s Genealogy Center
One of the largest genealogy collections located in Ft. Wayne, Indiana with a collection of over 300,000 books and more than 500,000 rolls of microfilm.
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
As one of the most inclusive genealogical societies in the country, the DAR is dedicated to promoting patriotism and preserving American history. A collection of databases that provide access to the many materials amassed by the DAR since its founding in 1890 is called the Genealogy Research System (GRS).
More than 22 million passengers and members of ships' crews entered the United States through Ellis Island and the Port of New York between 1892 and 1924. Now you can search these millions of records for information on individual Ellis Island passengers.
The largest library in the world and the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, it serves as the research arm of Congress, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections. For genealogists and family historians, the Local History & Genealogy Reading Room provides tips to help you begin using the Library of Congress holdings.
National Archives & Records Administration (NARA)
As the nation's record keeper, the National Archives & Records Administration collects documents and materials so important for legal or historic in nature that they must be kept forever. The Resources for Genealogists page explains what NARA can offer.
New England Historic Genealogical Society
The first genealogical society established in the United States, NEHGS was founded in 1845. NEHGS collects, preserves, and interprets materials to document and make accessible the histories of families in America.
U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (General Land Office Records)
Live access to Federal land conveyance records for Public Land States of over five million title records issues between 1820 and the present.
A volunteer project of collecting and providing free genealogy websites by every state and every county in the United States.
The Consolidated Jewish Surname Index, a gateway to information about 699,084 surnames in 42 different databases totaling more than 7.3 million records.
Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International
A resource for Czech, Slovak, Moravian, Bohemian, Rusyn, and German-Bohemian genealogy.
A research tool developed by the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that provides guides to genealogy research in the countries of the world, both current and extinct.
Foundation for East European Family History Studies
The website for this organization (formerly, the Federation of East European Family History Societies) is great place to begin researching ancestors ranging from Russia in the east to Switzerland in the west.
GENUKI: UK & Ireland Genealogy
A portal of genealogical links relevant to researching the countries of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
German Genealogy Resources on the Internet
This site, dedicated to researching Americans’ most common ancestry group, excels in how-tos but also serves as a portal to passenger lists, German directories, vital records and more.
A free, easy-to-use website featuring thousands of databases, research tools and other resources to help those with Jewish ancestry.
Get your Canadian census records right here, with searchable 1871, 1881 and 1891 enumerations, plus others you can browse. Military and border-entry records have been added to this site’s collections, which also include land and vital records.
This free collection of the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses, Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1837), soldiers’ wills (1914-1917), the Calendars of Wills and Administrations (1858-1922) and 19th century census survivals (1821-1851. In the works are Valuation Office House and Field Books (1848-1860).
National Archives of the United Kingdom
Start with the how-to guides here, then delve into the Discovery online catalog. No luck? Try Access to Archives, where you can check more than 400 other record offices and repositories. A new online collection of historical criminal records from England and Wales is also worth a look for black-sheep kin.
Polish Genealogical Society of America
This organization, located in Chicago, attempts to help members in doing their genealogical research for ancestors within the borders of the old Commonwealth of Poland.
With its getting-started guide, maps, helpful links and back issues of the Gen Dobry! e-zine, this website will jumpstart your quest for relatives not only from present-day Poland but all of what was historically part of the Polish Commonwealth.
A portal of websites to assist with researching Swedish genealogy.
Now available in English, this successor to the Genlias collection of civil registration records is worth digging into for its 86.5 million records—your key to tracing ancestors in the Netherlands.
A non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to identifying genealogical and historical records and resources for countries throughout the world.
Local History
The Library's local history collection includes newspapers, yearbooks, oral histories, and other artifacts available for in-library use. Learn more.