Genealogy Group | Databases | 1940 U.S. Census |General Sites | lllinois & Chicago Resources | Immigration Records | Death & Cemetery Records | Obituary Index

Genealogy Group

Local genealogists share their tips on doing research. Meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 1 - 3 p.m. View the 2012 schedule. If you are unable to attend a meeting, check the IPGG blog for copies of handouts from the programs.

Databases

Ancestry Library Edition is a premier genealogy resource. Includes U.S. Census records, immigration files, plus much more. In library use only.

Chicago Tribune contains the full text of the Chicago Tribune from 1849 to present. Search all of the Tribune, choose the historical newspapers to search 1849-1987, or choose Chicago Tribune to search 1985 to present. Another option is to limit search to obituaries.

HeritageQuest Online is a genealogy and local history collection with access to the federal census 1790-1930, PERSI, Revolutionary War files, Freedman's Bank Records, and more.

1940 U.S. Census

On April 2, 2012, the National Archives will release the 1940 U.S. Census with free digitized images on its website. Access to the free images will also be available through the library’s in-house database Ancestry Library Edition, Ancestry.com (free access through 2013), and FamilySearch.org. Until FamilySearch.org and its partners complete the name index, researchers will need to search for individuals by their 1940 address. The address will identify the 1940 Enumeration District (ED). Steve Morse has created a 1940 Census ED Finder that allows you to search by the 1940 address, or to convert a 1930 Census ED to the 1940 ED.

General Sites

AfriGeneas
Census records, slave data, and other sources for those researching ancestors of African descent.

Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com has over 2,500 genealogical databases available. Some of the databases are free; others are part of Ancestry's subscription service. Many of the subscription databases are available at the library through Ancestry Library Edition.

Family Search
A genealogist's must! Free access to thousands of resources--including digitized records.

National Archives
Visit the National Archives' genealogy page for information about its census, naturalization, immigration, and military records.

Genuki: UK and Ireland Genealogy
Use Genuki to research your English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestors.

Linkpendium
Links to over nine million U.S. genealogical resources arranged by state and surname.

NCHS - Where to Write for Vital Records
Use the National Center for Health Statistics' free website to find out how to order vital records (birth, death, marriage).

JewishGen ShtetlSeeker
Search the database containing the names of all the localities of Central and Eastern Europe; plus localities of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Great resource for people researching Eastern European ancestors.

USGenWebProject
A great site for the "armchair" genealogist, the USGenWeb volunteer maintained websites offer genealogical resources at the county level such as historical societies, county marriage records and cemeteries.

Illinois & Chicagoland Resources

Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois
Check out great genealogy tips, links and a guide to regional genealogy library resources around the Chicago area.

Cook County Genealogy Online
Search for birth certificates (75 years or older), marriage licenses (50 years or older) and death certificates (20 years or older). Free registration required.

DuPage County (IL) Genealogical Society
Search a variety of genelogical databases for DuPage County.

Illinois State Archives Online Databases
Search across databases including statewide marriages, military records and land sales.

Linkpendium-Illinois Genealogy and Family History
Check out hundreds of Illinois and county-specific genealogical websites.

A Look at Cook
Indexes Cook County censuses from 1870-1930, including enumeration distritcts for the 1930 census. Also links to the Chicago Historical Society's Polk directories for 1928-1929 and 1909 and 1911 Chicago street name changes.

Newberry Library
Before you visit the Newberry, read about their genealogy resources and collection guides.

Immigration & Ship Passenger Records

AncestorsonBoard.com
The U.K. National Archives and findmypast.com have partnered to create a free index to 30 million outbound passenger lists from 1890-1960. You must pay to view the transcript and digital image of the passenger record.

Ancestry Library Edition
(In library use only) Explore Ancestry Library Edition’s “Immigration and Emigration Collection.” Useful databases in the collection include New York Passenger Lists, Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S. abd Passenger Ships and Images plus much more.

Die MAUS: Family History and Genealogical Society of Bremen--Bremen Passenger Lists
Search the 3,017 departure records from Bremen for 1920--1939--all other lists from Bremen were destroyed in WW II. The Bremen Lists also contain the names of many Slovak immigrants.

Library and Archives Canada
Explore the Canadian Archives' digitized passenger lists from 1865 to 1935. Lists are organized by port and date of arrival. These lists are also available through Ancestry Library Edition which allows you to search the lists by name.

CastleGarden.org
Search eleven million records of immigrants who passed through the U.S.’s first official immigration center from 1820 to 1892.

Danish Emigration Archives
Emigration records were compiled by the Copenhagen Police from 1869-1940 to combat scams perpetrated against emigrants. The database includes transcriptions of 394,000 records from 1869 to 1908.

Digital Resources Netherlands and Belgium
Select Passenger Lists from the left side menu for links to free websites of departure lists from the Netherlands and Belgium. The lists are divided into records up to 1736 and after 1736.

Ellis Island
View images of ship records to discover where your ancestors emigrated from, who they traveled with, and who was meeting them at their destination. For an easy one-page search form, also try searching the Ellis Island Database in one step.

FamilySearch.org
Scroll down the home page and click on “All Record Collections,” then scroll to “Collections” and select “Migration & Naturalization.” Check back frequently as new content is added regularly—some collections currently are images only; others are indexes to ship passenger and naturalization records.

Find Your Roots in Germany
Select “Passenger Lists” from the menu for a comprehensive guide to online and print sources, including the Bremen and Hamburg lists.

Finding U.S. Naturalization Records
The German Roots website provides an excellent guide to understanding and locating naturalization records.

German Roots
Click on “Emigration & Immigration Records” for a detailed list of ports and their records, tips on finding records offline as well as a wonderful introduction to NARA’s passenger lists holdings. The site has many helpful links for German genealogical sources.

Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
Search over 5,000 ship passenger lists by date, ship name, port of arrival and by surname.

National Archives
Visit NARA's genealogy page to discover what immigration records NARA owns including ship passenger lists and naturalization records.

Naturalization Records
A handy explanation of naturalization records and how to search for them.

Norway Heritage
Provides information on ships, passenger departure lists from 1825 to 1925, and passenger arrivals published in U.S. newspapers.

Olive Tree Genealogy
Search over 2, 500 transcribed ship passenger lists for free.

The Ships List
Locate passenger lists as well as information about steamship lines.

Death & Cemetery Records

Cass Cemetery
Search the Cass Cemetery records online.

Find a Grave
Search the non-famous database of over 16 million volunteer-transcribed records by surname or by cemetery. Entries include name, birth and death dates, and possibly a photo of the deceased. Icons indicate if someone has added notes or virtual flowers to the gravesite.

FuneralNet
Use this site to locate existing funeral homes and cemeteries. You may also find obituaries that a funeral home may have uploaded to the site.

Interment.net
Search records of 1,800 cemeteries worldwide by location or by burial record. Also has links to obituaries online.

Legacy
Search the last 30 days of obituaries taken from 800 U.S. newspapers for free.

ObitsArchive.com
Free indexes to U.S. newspaper obituaries. You can pay to view the full text of the obituary or inquire at the Ask Us Desk about borrowing microfilm of the newspaper containing the obituary.

Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records (USA)
Handy directory to websites with online death indexes.

RootsWeb Cemetery Records
Search over 900,000 cemetery records by surname only, or limit the surname search by first name and/or location.

RootsWeb Obituary Daily Times
Volunteers "adopt" a newspaper for which they index the published obituaries. To decipher the newspaper abbreviation used in the entry, click on "Back to the Obituary Times" link, and then click on "Publication List."

Obituary Index, 1972-2010

An index of obituaries for people (.pdf) who resided in Burr Ridge, Darien or Willowbrook. The index also includes obituaries of individuals whose funeral servies were held in Burr Ridge, Darien or Willowbrook. Gaps exist in the index due to missing issues. The index is updated throughout the year, but published annually online.

Contact the Ask Us Desk by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 630-887-8760 ext. 241 for assistance.