Genealogy

These resources are great jumping-off points for new or seasoned genealogists. Read our Genealogy guide for more tips on how to do genealogy research.

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Ancestry Library Edition In-library only

This is the library version of Ancestry.com. It allows you to search billions of genealogy records from the U.S. and around the world in a single search. Intro to Ancestry.com from ProQuest

Chicago Tribune

Full text from 1985 to the present. Includes obituaries.

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Chicago Tribune 1849–1999 (Proquest Historical Newspapers)

This digitized, full text version of the newspaper includes photographs, ads and obituaries from 1849–1999.

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Des Plaines Memory

An online collection of photographs, postcards, letters and more all detailing Des Plaines' rich history. A great tool for doing historical and genealogical research.

FamilySearch.org - DPPL is now an affiliate library! In-library only

As an affiliate library, DPPL is able to offer access to FamilySearch’s two billion digitized records plus about 400 million original records not available to the public outside the library. These digital records include images and names indexes. Users must create an account to use this database. FamilySearch

Fold3

Convenient access to US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served. Historical documents like the National Archives Holocaust Records are also included. A useful tool for historians, genealogists, researchers, military enthusiasts, veterans and their families and teachers. Intro to Fold3 from ProQuest

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Heritage Hub

HeritageHub provides access to hundreds of years of obituaries and death notices from thousands of newspapers across the United States. This one-of-a-kind collection helps patrons and family historians uncover new family members and understand family relationships on a deeper level than ever before.

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HeritageQuest Online

Explore local histories, mine census data and search thousands of other records to find your ancestors and build your family tree. Intro to HeritageQuest from ProQuest

MyHeritage Library Edition

Includes birth, death and marriage records; the complete U.S. and U.K. censuses; immigration, military and tombstone records; and nearly 5 billion family tree profiles. More than 14 billion historical ​records from all over the world.

NewspaperArchive

Find historical newspaper articles from 1607 - present, births, deaths, and more. Search billions of records by location or newspaper title to help you find exactly who or what you are looking for. Includes a large collection of Illinois newspapers, including the Daily Herald.

Newspapers.com - Library Edition

Historical newspapers archive from the 1700's - 2000's - 4,000+ news titles from the U.S. and around the world. For researchers, historians, genealogists, teachers and students. Intro to Newspapers.com from ProQuest

U.S. Major Dailies

Access to major U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. The content is available by 8am each day and provides archives stretching as far back as 1985.

Digital Copies of Local Newspapers

The following local newspapers are available upon request. Contact 847 376-2841 or ReferenceServicesDesk@dppl.org.

Des Plaines Day

1968; 1969. (Incomplete.)

Des Plaines Journal

1964-1974; 1976-2020.

Des Plaines Suburban Times

1914; 1917-1926; 1929; 1933-1937; 1939-1941; 1944-1952; 1954-2001.

OBITUARIES IN THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

1849 to 1999 – Chicago Tribune (ProQuest Historical Newspapers)

1993 – 2000 – Chicago Tribune microfilm in house

2000 - present – Chicago Tribune (1985– present)