Ilsley holds a wealth of local history information that is available for researching. This collection includes: circulating and reference books, atlases, family histories, genealogies, periodicals, government imprints, and pamphlets.

One of the more comprehensive genealogical databases is AncestryLibrary.com. It is only available in the library. This is the place to start! Click here.

To view a short video about using AncestryLibrary.com, click here


Heritage Quest Online provides a collection of family and local histories as well as the complete U.S. Federal Census from 1790 - 1930. For "in-library" access click here. For "outside-library" access click here.

To view a short video about using Heritage Quest, click here


Newspapers

The library also holds a collection of newspapers on microfilm covering Middlebury and Addison County during the 19th and 20th Centuries.

  • Click here for a listing of the library's historical newspaper holdings.
  • The Vermont Newspaper Project provides a detailed listing of historic Vermont newspapers and what locations own them.
  • Click here for the Index to Vermont Newspapers organized by town.
  • Early editions of the Burlington Free Press and the Rutland Herald starting in 1836 have been digitized by the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project, and are available online through the Library of Congress Chronicling America website.   
  • The majority of the collection is kept in the locked Vermont Room. The microfilm reels and reader/printer are located in the reference room. Please see a staff member for assistance.
 

Other Resources

Following are some additional genealogy resources that can be accessed on the World Wide Web:

  • Cyndi's List.com : Links to 181,400 genealogy related pages.
  • Death Indexes : Organized by state; most links require fees for all or most records.
  • Ellis Island : Passenger lists, multiple searching options. Requires free registration.
  • Family Search : Mormons' genealogy web site.
  • RootsWeb.com : Commercial and related to Ancestry.com, but links users to message boards, volunteer projects and genealogy information submitted by other researchers. The USGENWEB project is part of this site. Queries can be posted and “look-ups” requested.
  • Genealogy : Allen County Public Library (Indiana) internationally known Genealogy Collection.
  • Latter-day Saints : The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints (Mormon) – Where do I begin?
  • National Archives : National Archives – Resources for Genealogists
  • Vermont Genealogy : Genealogical research at the Vermont Historical Society