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

  • 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.
  • USGenWeb 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

Chicago

Cook County

Illinois Resources

National Resources

Ethnic Resources

Research Guides

These guides were prepared by the MPPL genealogy staff.