GENEALOGY

Click on the titles below to access RPL’s digital resources. Click on the video to watch a short tutorial.

A service of the Illinois State Library and the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State

ANCESTRY LIBRARY (In-library access only)
Search U.S. Immigration records, birth records, marriage records, death records, and U.S. Census records to find ancestors. Includes Rockford City Directories from 1869-1960. To access these city directories from the Ancestry site, select Card Catalog under Search near the top of the screen. Then search by title for the U.S. City Directories. Then select the U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 from the search results. On the right side of the screen, under Browse this collection, use the state, city, and year filters to access the Rockford city directory of your choice.

NOTE(In-library access only)
The Ancestry Library includes Rockford City Directories from 1869-1960. To access these city directories from the Ancestry site, select Card Catalog under Search near the top of the screen. Then search by title for U.S. City Directories. Then select U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 from the search results. On the right side of the screen, under “Browse this collection”, use the state, city, and year filters to access the Rockford city directory of your choice.

Arcadia Publishing and History Press Collection
This Arcadia Publishing and History Press collection features titles focusing on the history of Illinois towns and significant events in the state’s past. This collection of Illinois literature is available through Inkie.Org, which provides a suite of resources to all Illinois libraries and citizens free of charge.

BLACK LIFE IN AMERICA
Black Life in America: Provided through NewsBank, Black Life in America archives the experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media. Covering the early 18th century to the early 21st, it covers an array of topics including slavery and flights to freedom, voting rights and voter suppression and disenfranchisement, among many others.

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE HISTORICAL ARCHIVE
Images and full text of historical international, national, regional, and local issues and events, such as major wars and military actions, emerging nations, prohibition, Chicago gangsters, the Great Depression, and Chicago as the center of the Progressive movement. Full text of death notices and obituaries.

HERITAGE HUB
Provided through NewsBank, HeritageHub includes over 300 years of historical newspapers, books, pamphlets, and government records. Search over 1,000 newspapers and find obituaries, birth and marriage notices, pension records, and more.

HERITAGE QUEST
Find ancestors using census records from 1790-1930, Revolutionary War files, Freedman’s Bank, and other resources.

HISPANIC LIFE IN AMERICA
Provided through NewsBank, Hispanic Life in America chronicles the experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media, 1704 to today. This primary source collection portrays centuries of Hispanic American history, culture, and daily life – as well as the ways the dominant culture has portrayed and perceived people of Hispanic descent.

MIDWAY VILLAGE MUSEUM
The Midway Village Museum Collections Department is pleased to provide online access to some of its most frequently requested photographs, postcards, and documents.

ROCKFORD HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS ARCHIVE
Digitized Rockford newspapers dating back to 1871. The database includes Daily Register, Daily Register-Gazette, Morning Star, Register Star, Register-Republic, Republic, Rockford Journal, Rockford Weekly Gazette, and Rockford Weekly Register-Gazette.