Genealogy Resources

Messenger Public Library can help you with your genealogy project. Explore our library-based genealogy resources, or broaden your research by engaging with public resources and other established parts of the genealogy community.

Library Databases

Offers unparalleled coverage of the United States and United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada, Europe, Australia, and other areas of the world. Database is available only while in the library. Use a public computer or log in from your laptop while at the library.

Find obituaries, birth and wedding announcements, family photos and more. Features news sources including the Beacon News, Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald, Kane County Chronicle and others. Available remotely 24/7 on any device.

Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 - today. HeritageHub helps you easily identify relatives, uncover new information and potentially unknown family members. Includes deep coverage from all 50 states, hard-to-find content from the mid 1900’s, and original obituary images. Access is available 24/7.

One of the largest online data collections for family historians, this database can access the US Census from 1790 through 1940; more than 26,000 family and local history books; Revolutionary War pension files; the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) to 2.1 million-plus articles in genealogy and history periodicals; Freeman’s Bank records of former slaves and petitions to Congress back to 1789; maps; helpful research guides; and more. Use this database from home or in the library.

Provides information about many of the most popular hobbies, crafts, and recreation activities today including genealogy, collecting, and scrapbooking. Find full issues of genealogy magazines such as Family Chronicle, OGS Quarterly, and Internet Genealogy. Use this database from home or in the library.

Database of library holdings from all over the world, including genealogy resources like historic newspapers, photographs, church histories and records, town histories, directories, handbooks, slavery/antislavery materials, oral histories, diaries and journals, family Bibles, archives, and microfilmed local history collections. To access records, place an InterLibrary Loan (ILL) and have Messenger Public Library borrow the book, microfilm, or copy of an article. Check out and return materials at Messenger Public Library. The library does not have a microfilm reader/printer. Use this database from home or in the library.

Library Streaming Resources

On your television, computer, or mobile device, watch seasons of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s Finding Your Roots on Hoopla. Stream the Great Courses on genealogy via Hoopla and Kanopy.  You will need to use your Messenger Public Library card or to obtain a temporary Digital Card .

Library Catalog Resources

Via our catalog, the Messenger Public Library gives you access to many titles that can help you with your search. Browse MPL’s growing local history collection to learn more about the beginnings of the Messenger Public Library and the Village of North Aurora. Check with the Adult Services Department or search our catalog to find specific titles, such as the following:

Szabados, Stephen

This book is a compilation of the three part series, Beginning Genealogy, that describes the major resources used in genealogy research, includes useful hints beyond the basics, and covers both internet and archival research efforts.

FW Publications

Points the way toward the best research tools and practices to trace your family's history and includes tips on locating, collecting, and preserving photos, letters, diaries, church and government records, and other documentation, plus fun articles about creating scrapbooks, organizing family reunions, and vacation ideas that combine history with leisure.

Schultz, Janice Lindgren

This book outlines how to get started, research techniques, interviewing tips, and effective use of the library and internet. Ideal for beginners.

Peterson-Maass, Marsha

This short book is a quick reference guide to accredited methods, research strategies, US record groups, and more.

Breland, Claudia C

Gives an introduction to genealogical resources often not available online, with examples of records that can be found online also included. Target audience: those new to family history research.

Public Resources

Broaden your research using these often free, extensive resources that are available with an internet connection.

Free website that preserves records found in cemeteries throughout the world using modern technology to capture images of headstones with GPS locations.

Whether your ancestors arrived in New York before, during, or after the Castle Garden era, you can now search for them in free FamilySearch record collections.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides resource free of charge to everyone, regardless of tradition, culture, or religious affiliation. Search comprehensive online databases:  Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, Pedigree Resource File, Vital Records Index.

Describes genealogical resources held by FamilySearch.org, the Family History Library, and selected FamilySearch Centers. Materials include books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications that exist online and in libraries and centers worldwide. Search by surname, author, subject, or place.

Free resource to find the graves of ancestors. Create virtual memorials; add 'virtual flowers,' photos, and a note to a loved one's grave by creating a free account.

  • GenWeb Projects

GenWeb projects consist of volunteers working together to provide free genealogy websites for research in every US county, every US state, and worldwide.

A global network of online obituaries that provides timely news of death and allows users to pay respect and celebrate life. ObitFinder® searches obituaries from more than 1500 national & international newspapers, dating as early as February 2001.

A free and open community-driven collection of tools – including message boards, mailing lists, genealogy websites, and family trees – used to host and share genealogical information. RootsWeb has been largely built by its users and is hosted by Ancestry.com as a favor to the community.

Presents tools for finding immigration records, census records, vital records, and for dealing with calendars, maps, foreign alphabets, and numerous other applications. Some of these tools fetch data from other websites but do so in more versatile ways than the search tools provided on those websites.

Provides a searchable database of the fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company housed in the collections of the Geography and Map Division. The online checklist is based upon the Library's 1981 publication, Fire Insurance Maps in the Library of Congress, is continually updated to reflect new acquisitions, and includes entries from all 50 states plus Canada, Mexico, Cuba sugar warehouses and US whiskey warehouses. The online checklist also contains links to existing digital images from the collection and is updated as new images are added.

The Cook County Clerk’s office is the official record keeper for births, marriages, civil unions, and deaths that occur in Chicago and suburban Cook County.

The Kane County Genealogy site, hosted by the Kane County Clerk’s office, contains birth records starting in 1855, death records from 1866, and marriage records starting in 1836.

United States birth certificates, death records, marriage licenses, and divorce decrees. Indicates years for which records are available and fees. Related links to foreign vital records and adoption resources.

Genealogy Community

Expand research opportunities by connecting with the genealogy community. Explore large genealogy collections, find local history or genealogy societies in the area, or seek out professional genealogy services.

Large Genealogy Collections

Local History and Genealogy Societies

Fee-Based Genealogy Services

 



Online Resources

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