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Genealogy Resources

Explore your family history with our online genealogy resources, free with your library card. No library card? No problem. Get one now.

We also invite you to expand your genealogy research at our Fairview Park Branch, where we maintain a collection of nearly 6,000 books, 100 journals and newsletters, and thousands of microforms.

Questions about accessing our digital collection and electronic resources? Ask us online.

QUICK LINKS

Explore your roots with Ancestry.com Library Edition

This premium genealogy resource includes billions of searchable census, immigration, military and court records, expert research tips and a variety of downloadable forms and charts and to help you fill in branches of your family tree. New records are added daily.

At-home access to Ancestry Library Edition will expire on December 31, 2021. In-branch access is available.

Pro tip: Has your genealogy research hit a roadblock? Ask the Ancestry.com community for help. Ancestry.com boasts a massive online community and more than 198,000 message boards where you can connect with fellow genealogists to share tips and strategies.

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Discover your family history with HeritageQuest

HeritageQuest offers free access to Ancestry.com's massive archive of records, census maps and a variety of tips and tricks to help get past research roadblocks. Other features include access to the Library of Congress Photo Collection (1840-2000), civil registration records and obituaries from all over the world, and wills and probate records.

With easy-to-use tools, and convenient in-library or remote access, it’s easy to see why HeritageQuest continues to be one of the most recommended resources by family history publications and genealogists.

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Forms

We recommend using these free downloadable forms to help keep your genealogy research and family tree well organized.

•Pedigree Chart
•Family Group Sheet
•Research Log

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

If you like Ancestry.com Library Edition and HeritageQuest, give these resources a try.

•America’s Obituaries & Death Notices
•Cleveland District Round Table — Find genealogical society activities in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties.
•Cleveland Memory Project — An online collection of digital photos, texts, oral histories, videos and other local history resources built by the Michael Schwartz Library at the Cleveland State University in collaboration with a host of community partners around Northeast Ohio.
•The Cleveland Necrology File and Cleveland News Index — The Cleveland Necrology File includes death notices from The Cleveland Plain Dealer (1850-1975), The Cleveland Herald (1833, 1847-1848, 1876, 1878-1879) and The Cleveland Press (1941-1975). The Cleveland News Index includes death notices and obituaries from The Cleveland Plain Dealer (1976-2014) and The Cleveland Press (1976-1982).
•Cleveland Public Library
•Cuyahoga County Archives
•Fold3 History & Genealogy Archives
•Historical Marriage License Index — Lists brides and grooms from 1810 to April 1998 through the Cuyahoga County Probate Court.
•Ohio Memory Online Scrapbook
•The Plain Dealer Obituaries
•Western Reserve Historical Society

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Memory Lab

Located at our South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Memory Lab is a unique "do-it-yourself" space where visitors can learn how to access, digitize and share old videos, audio recordings, photographs and slides. The Memory Lab is a tremendous resource for genealogists interested in digitizing their family history to share with relatives and friends. The South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch also offers an audio recording studio that's perfect for recording and sharing oral histories.

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RECOMMENDED WEBSITES

Continue your family history journey with these recommended websites.

•Castle Garden Records — Find information on 10 million immigrants who arrived from 1830 to 1892, the year Ellis Island opened.
•Cyndi's List — A smorgasbord of tutorials, message boards, social networking sites and other free stuff for genealogists.
•DNA Weekly — This site rates the top DNA kits on the market and provides in-depth information on how they work.
•Ellis Island Records — Search and view passenger lists of the 20 million immigrants who arrived here between 1892 and 1954.
•Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild — Offers transcribed lists of passengers arriving in the United States on more than 4,000 ships.
•FamilySearch — A mammoth genealogy site created and maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints.
•Linkpendium — The definitive directory to genealogical resources on the web.
•National Archives and Records Administration — Because the National Archives’ records come from every branch of the federal government, almost all Americans can find themselves, their ancestors or their community in the archives.
•One-Step Webpages by Steve Morse — Employ this search utility for dramatically improved results on more than 100 genealogy websites.
•Rootsweb — The oldest and largest free genealogical website contains searchable databases and maintains thousands of mailing lists, bulletin boards and surname lists.
•Ship Passenger Lists and Records Online — An inventory of passenger lists and records, including domestic and international arrivals and departures.United States passenger lists & records (arrivals international passenger lists.
•USGenWeb Project — A clearinghouse for local genealogical information such as transcribed (copied) marriage, obituary and tombstone information. Visitors may post questions and requests for assistance with like-minded researchers.
•vitalrec.com — Provides instructions for ordering vital records (birth, marriage, death, divorce) from every U.S. state.
•WorldGenWeb Project — The international counterpart to The US GenWeb Project.

Cuyahoga County - Public Library