Genealogy & Local Info

REMOTE ACCESS TO MOST DATABASES IS LIMITED TO ARLINGTON HEIGHTS RESIDENT CARDHOLDERS


A

A to Z Maps Online

Thousands of detailed international maps (countries, regions, states, etc.), as well as topographic maps, climate maps, and more.


Access Newspaper Archive

Historical access to scanned pages from hundreds of newspapers. Coverage varies by paper. Includes the Daily Herald, 1901-present. [Note: Newspapers.com and Access Newspaper Archive both cover different sets of newspapers, with some overlap.]


American Ancestors

Extensive genealogical searching for census, vital and military records. From the New England Historic Genealogical Society. 

NOTE 6/22/20: Full remote access will be available to cardholders while the library building has limited public access.

Non-cardholders outside the library still have limited access to some records here.


Ancestry Library Edition

Family history data, census information, immigration, etc.

Database accessible only from within the library.

Video Tutorial    

ArkivDigital

Source for Swedish genealogy. Contains millions of historical documents, including church records, court records and estate inventories. | Login Tips

Database accessible only from within the library.

Arlington Day (January 1966 to June 1970)

Local daily newspaper Covers January 1966 to June 1970.


B

Black Freedom Struggle in the United States

Historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more from specific time periods in U.S. history marked by the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom.


C

Chicago Community Coverage (Newsbank)

Updated--Now with more full-image and historical content. From Newsbank. Extensive full-text for many Chicago-area newspapers, including some with full-image titles. Includes full-image content from the Daily Herald. Learn how to create a search alert here.


Video Tutorial    

Chicago Daily News Historical Archive (1875-1978)

NEW: Provides historical access to full-page issues of the Chicago Daily News, one of the city's main newspapers from 1875-1978.


Video Tutorial    

Chicago Sun-Times Historical + Current (with full-image current issues)

NEW: Provides historical access to full-image issues of the Chicago Sun/Chicago Daily Times/Chicago Sun-Times (1929-1985), full-text Sun-Times articles 1986-present and full-image Sun-Times issues 2018-present.


Video Tutorial    

Chicago Tribune (via ProQuest)--Search

Search the complete text of The Chicago Tribune from 1849-present, including full-image content from 1849-2011 and online-only articles. Browsable text-only issues of the Tribune 1985-present are available here. Learn how to create a search alert here.

Note: Learn more here about Chicago Tribune obituary & death notice coverage in HeritageHub vs ProQuest.


Chicago Tribune--Digital Edition

Provides full-image access to the daily edition of the Chicago Tribune, current plus previous months. 72-hour access (requires a free Chicago Tribune account) or 24-hour anonymous access. NOTE: 72-hour access is currently not working properly. Please use 24-hour anonymous access.


ChicagoTribune.com

Full website access for one of Chicago's major daily newspapers. Includes news, opinion, sports and suburban news (including the Arlington Heights Post). 72-hour access (requires a free Chicago Tribune account) or 24-hour anonymous access. (After selecting 72-hour access, you can go directly to ChicagoTribune.com for future sessions until access expires).


D

Daily Herald (via Newsbank)--Full Image

NEW:  Full-image (full-page) version of the Daily Herald, 2/22/21- . Learn how to create a search alert here.

Note about the timing of same-day full-text Daily Herald articles.

UPDATE 7/22/24: Current issues of the full-image Daily Herald are now available.


Daily Herald (via Newsbank)--Text only

Articles from 2/23/1995-present. For historical articles (1901-present) search the Arlington Heights listings in the Access Newspaper Archive. Learn how to create a search alert here.

Note about the timing of same-day full text Daily Herald articles.


Daily Herald (via Proquest)--Text only

Articles from 2/23/1997-present. For historical articles (1901-present) search the Arlington Heights listings in the Access Newspaper Archive. Learn how to create a search alert here.

Note about the timing of same-day full text Daily Herald articles.


Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)

Collection of millions of scanned historic images, documents and media from libraries, museums and universities across the country.


Video Tutorial    

F

FamilySearch

Large genealogy database maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Anyone may use FamilySearch from home, etc., but additional content is available only when used inside the library. NOTE: Requires creation of a free personal profile. Some full records/images are only available via local Family History Center. More details here.


Video Tutorial    

FindMyPast

Access to over 2 billion records from the U.K., Ireland and the British Commonwealth, including census records, military collections, and immigration & naturalization records. NOTE: The PERSI (Periodical Source Index) database is now only available directly from the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center site.

Database accessible only from within the library.

Video Tutorial    

Fold3

Historical documents and personal histories from the National Archives and other institutions. Includes the Fold3 Holocaust Archives.


Video Tutorial    

H

HeritageHub

Obituaries & Death Notices from 1704-.from over 7,000 sources.

Note: Learn more here about Chicago Tribune obituary & death notice coverage in HeritageHub vs ProQuest.


Video Tutorial    

HeritageQuest

Census records, family/local histories, Revolutionary War pension & land applications, city directories and more.


Video Tutorial    

M

My China Roots

NEW: Source for genealogical research on the Chinese diaspora. Collections cover Mainland China, Southeast Asia, North America, and the Caribbean. 


MyHeritage Online

Immigration lists, census records, vital records, parish/land records, news articles, etc.


N

Newspapers.com

Historical access to scanned pages from hundreds of newspapers. Coverage varies by paper. [Note: Newspapers.com and Access Newspaper Archive both cover different sets of newspapers, with some overlap.]


Video Tutorial    

P

PERSI (Periodical Source Index)

The premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals, produced by the staff of The Genealogy Center of the Allen County (Indiana) Public Library. Provides more than 3 million citations to readily-available periodical sources.


Proquest Recent Newspapers: Chicago Tribune

Full-page scans of recent Chicago Tribune issues (2008-4 days ago).


S

Sanborn Maps (Library of Congress)

Searchable database of the fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company housed in the collections of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress.


U

U.S. National Archives

Preserves US historical documents and manages federal records. Of use to genealogists, historians and legal researchers.


Video Tutorial    

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