Genealogy Research

The Mount Prospect Public Library maintains a genealogy collection to assist you with family history research. This collection in the Harold Weary Genealogy Room includes books, periodicals, microfilm, microfiche, pamphlets, and online resources covering a variety of genealogical topics. It focuses primarily on the Village of Mount Prospect and the immediate northwest suburban area of Chicago but other parts of Illinois and the United States are also represented.

Click Here to view our Genealogy Databases

Genealogy is well-represented on the Web.  Listed below are links to some of the most well-respected and useful resources currently available.

General Resources

  • Castle Garden Database (Hosted by the Battery Conservancy in New York)This database offers access to records of immigrants who entered the country through New York between 1830 and 1892.
  • Cyndi’s List This is a list of more than 260,000 links to genealogical websites arranged by subject categories.
  • Ellis Island Records This database offers access to records of immigrants who entered through Ellis Island in New York between 1892 and 1924.
  • Family Search (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) This website is prepared by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).It includes general genealogical search information, a family tree database, and a catalog to books and microfilmed records owned by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
  • Rootsweb This is the oldest and largest free genealogy website that offers general research guides, specialized search engines and databases, message boards, mailing lists, and family trees.
  • US GenWeb Project This is a free website run by volunteers working to provide free genealogy websites in every county and state in the United States. Each county page offers unique resources and information for researchers interested in that area.

Local Resources

Mount Prospect

Mount Prospect Historical Society
Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society
Illinois Digital Archives This website hosted by the Illinois State Library offers images and descriptions of historical items in libraries and museums across the state of Illinois.  Mount Prospect’s history is represented by three collections. The items included in these collections are primarily from the collections of the Mount Prospect Historical Society and the Mount Prospect Public Library.

Chicago

Chicago Genealogical Society
National Archives – Great Lakes Region
Newberry Library

Cook County

Cook County Clerk’s Office
Cook County Genealogy Online

Illinois Resources

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library » Located in Springfield, this facility includes historical print and nonprint materials related to Abraham Lincoln’s life and to Illinois history in general.
Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) » A division of the Illinois State Archives, this organization offers access to county records. These records are housed in seven locations throughout the state.
Illinois State Archives
Illinois State Genealogical Society
Illinois State Library

National Resources

Allen County Public Library— Genealogy Center
National Archives and Records Administration
National Genealogical Society

Ethnic Resources

GENUKI – UK+Ireland Genealogy
German Genealogy Home Page
Hispanic Genealogical Society
JewishGen (Jewish Genealogy)
Polish Genealogical Society of America

Research Guides

These guides were prepared by the MPPL genealogy staff.

A Genealogy Pathfinder A journey through your family history
Genealogical Periodicals at MPPL An alphabetical list of the magazines and newsletters in the genealogy collection of the Mount Prospect Public Library
Grow Your Family Tree Online Selected genealogy websites
Harold Weary Genealogy Room
Microfiche Available at MPPL Genealogical research microfiche in the Mount Prospect Public Library
Norwegian-American Genealogy Materials in the Mount Prospect Public Library
Polish Genealogical Resources in MPPL
A Touch of the Green Resources for Irish genealogical research in the Mount Prospect Public Library