Local History Materials:
ROCHESTER & OLMSTED COUNTY
- ARCHITECTURE, BIOGRAPHY, HISTORY
- ASSOCIATIONS, BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT
- CEMETERIES, CHURCHES, EDUCATION, HOSPITALS
- CITY DIRECTORIES, MAPS, PERIODICALS
- ROCHESTER NEWSPAPER MICROFILM & MISC. MICROFILM
REQUEST AN OBITUARY FROM ROCHESTER NEWSPAPERS
INTERLIBRARY LOAN REQUESTS FOR ROCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY PATRONS
Genealogy & Local History Resources
Databases & Online resources
- ANCESTRY PLUS LIBRARY EDITION (in-library use only)

Provides access to 4,000 genealogy-related databases, including vital records indexes, passenger and immigration lists, city directories and military service indexes. U.S. Federal census images from 1790-1930 are available to view, with indexing provided.
- HERITAGEQUEST
Over 25,000 family and local history books can be viewed online, and are searchable by every word in the text. Persi, the periodical source index, gives a subject index to over 6,500 genealogy & local history periodicals. Complete US census images from 1790-1930 can be browsed, or searched by name for selected years. Revolutionary War pension file documents can also be viewed.
- AMERICAN ANCESTORS (in-library use only)
Search genealogy databases primarily focused on ancestors from the New England states (1600s-1800s). Provides access to articles from the NEHGS Register, the preeminent journal for compiled genealogies of New England families. Find information on the first European immigrants with an online version of "The Great Migration Begins 1620-1633". Vital records, tax lists, church records, military records, etc. are also available for searching.
- POST BULLETIN ARCHIVES 1989- (in-library use only)
- OLMSTED HISTORY CENTER
Rochester newspaper indexes for 1859-1912, 1971-1991 and personals index for 1984-2006. Search indexes for obituaries, weddings, probate records, census information, military history of persons in Olmsted County.
Recommended Internet Resources
Genealogy Publications Collection
REGIONS
- Germany
- Great Britain & Ireland
- Scandinavia
- Other European Countries
- Canada
- U.S. Midwest States
- U.S. Eastern States
- U.S. Southern States
GENEALOGY GUIDES
- Basic Handbooks
- Government Records
- Immigration & Passenger Lists
- Internet & Computer Use
- Military Records
- Research Methods, Organization & Writing
GENEALOGY PERIODICALS
List of Library owned periodicals