Research Tools

Unlock the story of your family through census data, vital records, directories, photos, and more. Available for in-library use only. 

Access to US military records, including the stories, photos and documents of the men and women who served. Contains millions of records from world-class archives.

Explore your family history with the premier collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for in-depth genealogical research from 1704 - today.

HeritageQuest provides access to thousands of local and family histories, the complete U.S. Federal Census, Revolutionary War Pension & Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, Freedman's Bank Records, city directories, and more.

Full-text local news in the Illinois Times, with coverage from 2003 to the present.

Online access to 4,000+ historical newspapers from the early 1700s into the 2000s. Includes thousands of well-known, regional and state titles to small local newspapers in the United States and other countries.

Full-text local news in The State Journal-Register, with coverage from 1831 to the present.