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Genealogy   Tags: family_history, genealogy  

A guide to genealogy resources at Omaha Public Library and links to genealogy elsewhere.
Last Updated: May 17, 2013 URL: http://guides.omahalibrary.org/genealogy Print Guide RSS UpdatesEmail AlertsShareThis

General genealogy Print Page
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Trial of Omaha World Herald database!

 

Omaha Public Library is currently offering a public trial of the newly digitized Omaha World Herald, from 1885 up to 1983 (from 1983 you have access to the electronic version through our NewsBank database). Try it out and see what you think! If you are trying it from home, you will be prompted to enter your library card number for access.

 

Databases @ OPL

  • Ancestry Library Edition  
      
    The Ancestry Library is one of the best collections of family history research guidance, finding aids, and digitized historical images on the Internet, including the US and Canadian censuses. Library Edition includes international records. In-library use only.
  • HeritageQuest Online
    Research materials for tracing family history and American culture, including census images, family and local histories, the PERSI index to genealogical periodicals, Revolutionary War pension file images, the US Serial Set, and Freedman's Bank records.
  • Free Databases on Ancestry.com
    A list of all the databases at Ancestry that you can access free from home WITHOUT a subscription (though note that you can access ALL of Ancestry's databases from inside any Omaha Public Library branch).
 

Government documents

Omaha Public Library has been a federal depository library since 1880, so it has an extensive collection of government documents of all kinds at the main library. A list of some of the resources most useful to genealogists can be found on our website. Other documents not listed can be found in restricted areas on the second floor of the main library (request materials from staff), and include such things as USGS topographical maps and reports and records of different Nebraska institutions dating back to the 1800s.

Government Documents

 

Enjoy @ OPL!

Cover Art
Jamestown People to 1800 - Martha W. McCartney
Call Number: GENREF 929.3755425 McCartne 2012
ISBN: 9780806318721
Publication Date: 2012-08-01
A detailed look at the people associated with Jamestown from its founding in 1607 to 1800. Based on government records and private archives, it provides historical biographies of several distinct groups of people.

Cover Art
Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research - Michael J. Leclerc
Call Number: 929.374 Genealog 2012
ISBN: 9780880822602
Publication Date: 2012
Now in its fifth edition, this handbook is an indispensable resource for anyone doing research in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
More than just a how-to book, it is a location guide to public records, repositories, librar­ies, and genealogical societies throughout New England.

Cover Art
Searching for Scotch-Irish Roots in Scottish Records, 1600-1750 - David Dobson
Call Number: GENREF 929.109411 Dobson 2007
ISBN: 9780806353173
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
The aim of this groundbreaking book is to identify source material in Scottish libraries and archives that could enable people of Scotch-Irish (Scots-Irish) ancestry (i.e., the Ulster Scots) to locate their Scottish roots.

 

Genealogy at OPL

Genealogy Room
Genealogy Room
The Genealogy Room houses over 8,000 genealogy reference books. While there is an emphasis on Nebraska and Iowa, the collection is of national scope, and includes some international references as well. New materials are constantly being added. The genealogy collection includes vital records indices, cemetery indices and transcriptions, census indices, family genealogies, county and town histories, and countless other useful sources. For library holdings, check the OPL online catalog.

 

Microfilm Reader
Microfilm Room
The Omaha Public Library's microfilm room houses both dozens of historical local newspapers on microfilm and over 7,000 reels of census microfilm, as well as marriage records for Douglas County (1856-2005) and a few other Nebraska counties, church and cemetery records, and some other historic records. The library owns the entire federal census through 1860, and its long-range goal is to acquire all reels for all released US federal censuses (currently up to 1940). OPL already owns the entire census and Soundex for Nebraska through 1930, and the entire census through 1930 for 17 other states: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. In addition, it is well on its way to completing other states.

 

3rd Floor Reference Research Assistance
Omaha Public Library staff are ready to assist researchers at all times. For details about the reference assistance we provide for researchers unable to visit in person, see Local Research.

 

      
     

    Genealogy links

    • Cyndi's List
      Extensive, searchable index to genealogy sites on the Internet, subdivided into categories
    • FamilySearch.org
      Enormous collection of online genealogy resources from the Church of Latter-Day Saints, including how-to guides, indices, digitized images, and user-submitted family trees
    • Local History and Genealogy at the Library of Congress
      Genealogy and history resources at the Library of Congress
    • National Archives
      How-to articles about conducting genealogical research, information about records retained by the National Archives, and finding aids for federal records. Knowing how a person interacted with the government is key to a successful search
    • RootsWeb.com
      Portal to a wide variety of free, user-submitted data and other genealogical resources of all kinds
    • Genealogy Trails History Groups
      Network of free genealogy and history websites similar to Rootsweb, covering all states of the US and offering transcribed data and other research information
    • USGenWeb Project
      Free genealogy websites covering all states of the United States
    • WorldGenWeb Project
      Portal to genealogical resources for countries around the world, managed by a non-profit, volunteer based organization dedicated to providing free access to genealogical and historical records
    • GenForum
      Online genealogy message boards for surnames and locations
    • 52 Weeks To Better Genealogy | GeneaBloggers
      Genealogy blogs
    • Find A Grave
      Millions of tombstone transcriptions provided by volunteers
    • Online County and Town Histories
      Very convenient list of links to digitized county and town histories found on the internet, organized by state and county
    • Obituary Times
      Index to obituaries around the country.
    • Black Book Online
      Portal site providing easy access to many kinds of free public records.
    • Research Forms
      Keep yourself organized with these forms you can print off.
    • Family History Forms
      Nice set of printable pedigree charts, family group sheets, research logs, and other forms to keep organized with.
     

    Genealogy CDs available for viewing at W. Dale Clark Library

    OPL has a collection of genealogy CDs donated by the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society and available for viewing at a a dedicated computer in the third-floor genealogy room at W. Dale Clark Library. The list of available CDs can be viewed here or requested at the third-floor reference desk.

     

    In the news

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    Deal of the day

    In honor of Memorial Day on May 27, and in remembrance of all who died while serving our country, findmypast.com will offer its collection of U.S. and international military records for free in the days leading up to the national observance.

     

      Local events

     

    The Source

    The Source

    The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy, by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, has been referred to as "the genealogist's bible," and for good reason. It offers detailed, comprehensive, and well-indexed information about almost every kind of record researchers of American genealogy might ever need to consult. Ancestry, its publisher, has digitized the most recent edition (2006) and made it available free online.

     

    Other guides

    Check out these related subject guides!

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