Local History

 START with these databases:

• America’s Obituaries and Death Notices
Collection of newspaper obituaries and death notices from the United States.
•  Chicago Tribune, Historical Edition
Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue. This collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.
• Illinois Digital Archive
St. Charles, Kane County and Illinois local history documents, maps and photos.
• Local Newspaper Index
The Newspaper Index is a selective index of articles published in the Kane County Chronicle and the St. Charles Republican newspapers from 1986 to the present. The full text of these articles is available at the Library in print, online or microfilm.
• Sanborn Maps, Illinois
Sanborn maps are large-scale plans of a city or town from 1867-1970. The maps list street blocks and building numbers in use at the time the map was made and previous numbers.

Additional databases to search:

• America's Newspapers
Full-text articles from more than 600 U.S. newspapers.
• Ancestry Library Edition
(Only available from within the Library)
With over 1.2 billion records, AncestryPlus is one of the most comprehensive online databases of genealogical and local history research available. (Guided Tour)
• Chicago Sun Times
Coverage of the full-text paper from 1986 to Current.
• Chicago Tribune
Coverage of the full-text paper from 1985 to Current.
• Daily Herald
Full-text coverage from 1995 to Current.
• Genealogy Bank
Thousands of historical newspapers, documents and books covering the entire United States. Includes a searchable Social Security Death Index. New content is added monthly.
• HeritageQuest Online
Includes genealogies, local histories, primary source materials and genealogical and local history serials. An ongoing project, this database continues to grow and includes materials from all 50 states, Canada and the British Isles. (Guided Tour)
• Historical Statistics of the US
Online edition of the recently updated five volume print compendium of historical statistics. Contains over 37,000 data series, on wide-ranging topics. Users may create customized tables and spreadsheets.
• Illinois Newspapers
Search local and state news sources including: Chicago Sun-Times (1986-Current), Courier-News (1/1/97-Current), Daily Herald (1/1/95-Current), the Kane County Chronicle (12/9/05-Current), and the St. Charles Republican (01/18/2009-Current).
• Kane County Chronicle
Full-text coverage beginning in December 2005 to Current.