Genealogy @ the Algonquin Area Public Library

Ancestry: Library Edition
Search census records (1790-1930) and passenger manifests from New York and other major ports previously available only on microfilm, such as Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. A great starting place for new genealogists.

Chicago Area Newspapers
Search the Chicago Tribune (1985-), the Chicago Sun-Times (1986-), the Daily Herald (1995-), and the Algonquin Countryside (1995-)! Includes articles, columns, obituaries, death notices.

Chicago Tribune Historical Archive
Search full-image articles, classifieds, marriage notices, and much more from 1849-1985! Great for all kinds of research needs.

Heritage Quest
Search census records, family and local history books, genealogy periodicals, and Revolutionary War Era Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Applications. See tips for searching HQ for books and periodicals (powerpoint presentation in HTML format) for more information.

WorldCat Catalog
Search libraries across the country for genealogical books, microfilm, and records.

Additional genealogy web sites.

Genealogy Workshops

Join us for our popular genealogy workshops. Past topics have included researching immigration records, military records, death records, census records, and locating obituaries. Handouts from these programs are available. Check our program calendar for upcoming topics.

Local History & Genealogy

Algonquin Area Obituary Index
This database indexes all obituaries appearing in the Northwest Herald and Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Countryside from January 1, 2005 - Present. Selected obituaries mentioning Algonquin or Lake in the Hills from the Daily Herald and Elgin Courier News are also included.

Digital Past
This collection features books and pamphlets, photographs, and maps related to the history of Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and McHenry County. Each book includes a text transcription and is fully searchable by keyword. All featured titles are held in the possession of the Algonquin Area Public Library.

Guide to Our Collection [pdf]
Resources for beginning genealogists, as well as information about our local history collection.

Request an obituary
Use this form to request obituaries appearing in Algonquin area newspapers.