Discover Your Family History
Learn about your family’s history using resources at the library. Scroll down to find databases, websites and community resources that can be accessed from home. The information found in Ancestry is worth a trip to the library.
While you’re here, visit the Genealogy Center on the 2nd Floor where you’ll find yearbooks from Wheaton high schools dating back to 1909. Maps, newspapers and telephone books may also unlock information about your family.
Genealogy Help
We can help you get started using the library’s genealogy resources. Contact our Genealogy & Local History Specialist at genealogy@wheatonlibrary.org to set up an appointment.
Assistance is available on a walk-in basis in the Genealogy Center several times a month. Volunteers from the DuPage County Genealogical Society are available on the first Thursday of the month from 7:00-9:00 PM, and volunteers from the Wheaton-Perrin chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution are available on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month from 1:00-3:00 PM.
Meet our Genealogy and Local History Specialist who shares tips on building your family tree.
Upcoming Events
A representative from the DuPage County Genealogical Society is available in the Genealogy area to answer questions.
A representative from the Perrin-Wheaton chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is available in the Genealogy area to answer questions.
A representative from the DuPage County Genealogical Society is available in the Genealogy area to answer questions.
Print Resources
General genealogy guides can help you get started. These books can be checked out and are in the Genealogy Center, located on the 2nd Floor.
Books for in-library use are available in the Genealogy Center, located on the 2nd Floor.
- Mayflower Families
- The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
- Germans to America
- The Famine Immigrants
- The Pennsylvania Archives
These and other titles are part of our large collection of genealogy resources.
Back issues of dozens of genealogy newsletters and magazines are available in the Genealogy Center, located on the 2nd Floor.
- DuPage County Genealogical Society Review
- Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly
- New England Historical and Genealogical Register
- Family Tree Magazine (eMagazine available on Libby)
Genealogy Databases
Ancestry Library Edition
Premier genealogy resource with federal and state census records, military and immigration records, birth, death, and marriage records, and other reference sources such as high school yearbooks. In-library use only.
AtoZ Maps
Explore 145,000 maps of the world, continents, countries, and states. Browse antique and historical maps, climate and ecology maps, flags of the world, and glossaries. Play geography games.
Chicago News Collection
Search a wide variety of credible, vetted local and regional newspapers from throughout the Chicagoland area, including the Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald, Naperville Sun, and more.
Community Resources
DuPage County Genealogical Society
Provides education for genealogists and assists in preserving and making available local records of genealogical interest.
DuPage County Historical Museum
Dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of material culture documenting DuPage County.
DuPage County Historical Society
Promotes and preserves the history of DuPage County through publications, lectures, and cooperation with other county historical organizations.
Genealogy Websites
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
Provides interactive maps and timelines documenting all changes in U.S. county boundaries over time.
Births, Marriages, and Deaths for England and Wales
Provides access to transcriptions of birth, marriage and death records for England and Wales.
