HeritageQuest Online includes U.S. Federal Census records from 1790–1930; Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files; more than 25,000 family and local histories; and PERSI™ (the PERiodical Source Index), a subject index covering more than 6,500 genealogy and local history periodicals written in English and French (Canada) since 1800. With a Hinsdale library card, you can search HeritageQuest from home.

Ancestry Library Edition consists of thousands of searchable databases. Among them are censuses; city, farm, and university directories; local and family histories; gazetteers; vital records; cemetery, church, court, immigration and naturalization, land, and military records; and more, from the U.S. and other countries. Some databases are indexes; others include images or text. Due to the producer's restrictions, Ancestry cannot be accessed remotely, but it's well worth a visit to the library.

Genealogists might find a relative—famous or not—in the Biography Resource Center from GaleNet. It contains more than 415,000 biographies on more than 325,000 people. Biographies are selected from hundreds of reference books and more than 270 magazines and journals from AdAgeGlobal to Writer . Search by name (50 Cent), criteria such as occupation and ethnic group (Hispanic American chemists) or keyword (“air force” and dakota). The reading level is geared to middle school–age and older—perfect for those last-minute assignments.

Students can use the genealogy databases to find information about historical figures. For example, Harriet Beecher Stowe and E.I. DuPont each figure prominently in their family histories in HeritageQuest, and it also contains history books such as the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois .

Reference librarians will be happy to demonstrate these databases for you or answer questions about them. Please visit the library or contact the reference desk by phone at (630) 986-1976 or by email at reference@hinsdale.lib.il.us