Genealogies - Local Histories - Census - Genealogical Source Material
Military Records - Electronic Resources - Periodicals - Collection Descriptions
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The Newberry has over 17,000 published genealogies. The collection's coverage of colonial America and New England is particularly strong. Many rare titles covering gentry and noble families of the British Isles are also included.
The local history collection includes county, city, town, church, and other local histories from all regions of the United States, as well as from Canada and the British Isles. The Newberry holds a comprehensive collection of New England town histories, as well as a strong collection of county histories from the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states. The collection of local histories from the British Isles is also noteworthy.
Subscriptions to Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest Online allow on-line searching of all the federal censuses. The Newberry’s federal census microfilm holdings are complete for the entire country 1790-1850, and for all Midwestern states through 1880. The 1870 holdings are complete for all southern and border states, while the 1860 and 1880 holdings for many of these states are also complete. With the exception of a few out-of-state counties, Illinois is the only state for which the Newberry has any twentieth century federal census microfilm (1900 - 1930). The Library holds census indexes for all states through 1850 with indexes for most states in 1860. State census holdings include 1855 and 1865 Illinois, 1905 Wisconsin, and substantial but incomplete New York census for 1855, 1875, 1905, and 1925. Canadian census holdings are complete for Quebec 1831-1891 and for Ontario 1851-1871.
Published indexes, abstracts or transcriptions of pre-twentieth century records of birth, death, and marriage, as well as probate, deed, court, tax, and cemetery records form an important segment of the Newberry's genealogy collection. These materials are primarily from the area of the Mississippi Valley to the Eastern Seaboard, as well as from Canada and the British Isles.
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The Newberry collects roster and pension reference works covering the colonial wars through the Civil War. Some materials on the Spanish American War and World War One are also available. The Newberry's collection of Civil War unit histories is one of the country's best.
The Library has subscriptions to several databases of interest to genealogists. Among them are Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest On-line, IrishOrigins.com, New England Ancestors and Footnote. These databases are only accessible from within the library.
The Library has complete runs of many state and county historical and genealogical publications, as well as important regional and national journals such as The New England Genealogical and Historical Register, The American Genealogist, and The National Genealogical Society Quarterly. The Newberry also holds British journals of local and regional history and genealogy. Article subjects from U.S. and Canadian journals are indexed in the Periodical Source Index (PERSI), available online from within the library.
The Library is developing an ongoing series of pathfinders covering Newberry collection highlights for selected genealogical research topics. Peggy Sinko's Guide to Local and Family History at the Newberry Library was published in 1987 and provides a good summary of the collections up to the time of publication; however, researchers should realize that much has been added since then.