Library Information


Online Catalog


Electronic Resources


Library Websites

Genealogy Research

Our Collection

The Library's genealogy collection includes primarily basic and reference works. Many other titles are available through interlibrary loan. Also, numerous genealogy resources are available via the Internet, including Ancestry Library and Heritage Quest.

Please note our collection's call number for genealogy: 929.1

Classes and Individual Instruction

The Library also offers a variety of genealogy classes throughout the year. Check the events calendar for specific dates/times and to register.

Reference librarian/genealogy specialist Carol Bartlett will meet briefly one-on-one with patrons to help get them started with their family history research. Call the Library at (847) 438-3433 to make an appointment.

Following are some recommended resources on the Internet and in our collection, as well as useful local addresses for genealogy researchers.

Online Databases

America's GenealogyBank

Quickly find your ancestors in over four centuries of rare documents and records. Search thousands of historical newspapers, books, pamphlets and genealogies. Includes the complete American State Papers, U.S. Serial Set, Social Security Death Index and more than 23 million obituaries.

Ancestry Library (In-Library Access Only)

Provides access to over a billion names in hundreds of databases, including records from the complete U.S. Federal Census (1790-1930); military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists and more.

Footnote (In-Library Access Only)

In partnership with The National Archives and Records Administration, the Pennsylvania Archives, FamilySearch, the Allen County Public Library, the Center for Research Libraries, and local archives in Goffstown, NH, South Boston, VA, Harris County, TX and others, this online resource provides a wealth of searchable original documents for genealogists. It is also a social networking site where genealogists can come together to share their discoveries and insights.

Heritage Quest

Provides access to thousands of family and history books, the complete U.S. Federal Census (1790-1930), PERSI (The Periodical Source Index), Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, Freedman's Bank Records, and more. Digitized images are fully searchable and printable.

Websites

Books

Videos

Software

Local Genealogical Societies

Lake County Genealogical Society
1170 N. Midlothian Rd.
Mundelein, IL 60090

Computer Assisted Genealogy

Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois
"A Software Group for Amateur Genealogists"

Local LDS Family History Centers

Family History Centers are branches of the Family History Library of the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. The main library's holdings can be accessed through indexes available at the branches, and microfilm borrowed for a small fee.

Note: These are not mailing addresses. Because of limited staff, Family History Centers cannot respond to mail inquiries.

Illinois State Archives

Illinois State Archives
Norton Building
Capitol Complex
Springfield, IL 62756
217-782-4682

Regional National Archives

National Archives-Great Lake Region
7358 South Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629
312-581-7816

The Chicago facility has extensive microfilm holdings of value for genealogy research, among them:

Federal population censuses for all States, 1790-1930; some military service and pension records, and bounty land warrant applications; selected passenger arrival records and indexes for vessels arriving at New York and other U.S. ports; a naturalization index covering parts of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin; Indian census rolls for Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Local Libraries with Genealogy Collections

The Newberry Library
60 West Walton Street
Chicago, IL 69610
312-943-9090

The Newberry Library is a privately funded research library with a special strength in genealogy. Its collections are open to the public, although they are non-circulating and are not available through interlibrary loan; however, services are available to genealogists through the mail as well as in person.