Genealogy Programs
We offer Genealogy programs ranging in content throughout the year. Check our calendar for the next Genealogy Program dates.
Genealogy Research Help
Researching your family history?
Whether you’ve just started, or would like help overcoming obstacles, schedule an appointment with a librarian who will provide a one-hour, one-on-one session to guide you in your research. Batavia Public Library card required, limited to one session per month. Contact the Adult Reference Desk, 630-879-1393, ext. 200, for details.
FamilySearch Affiliate Library
Batavia Public Library is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. Patrons are able to view restricted film images (that cannot be viewed from home) at the library. You will need to sign in to your FamilySearch.org account or create a free account and search for the restricted images.
Genealogy Databases
Ancestry Library Edition
Billions of genealogy documents, including census, military, probate, immigration, birth, and death records. Only available in the library.
HeritageHub
HeritageQuest
Genealogical data in census records, other government sources, books, and PERSI (Periodicals Source Index).
Census Data
Census microfilm is available for Kane County for 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940.
Federal and state censuses for the United States for 1790-1950 can be accessed online at the Library through the Library’s reference databases HeritageQuest and Ancestry Library Edition. Patrons with a Batavia Public Library card can access HeritageQuest from their home computers.
Old Newspapers on Microfilm
Searching for ancestors who lived in Batavia? Explore the Kane County Chronicle, the Batavia Herald from 1893-1976, the Batavia Chronicle from 1976-1990, the Kane County Chronicle from 1990-2014, the Aurora Beacon News from 1848-1917, and the Batavia Republican from 1990-2000 all on microfilm.
Helpful Websites
Genealogy Websites
Allen County Public Library, Fred J. Reynolds Historical Genealogy Department. Describes types of sources available in one of the largest genealogy departments in the United States: family histories, census records, passenger lists, military records, Native American records, African-American records, sources for various states and countries.
Illinois State Archives Genealogical resources include records for state and federal censuses, births, marriages, deaths, probate, land sales, military service, veterans, and related records.
Internet Archive Provides digital access to books which include books related to genealogy and local history. The digitized books are also available to people with print disabilities.
National Archives and Records Administration
Genealogical holdings of the NARA in Washington, D.C., include microfilmed federal censuses, military service records, immigrant and passenger arrivals, and other records for biography, genealogy, American Indians, and Black Studies.
National Archives and Records Administration The facility for the Great Lakes Region contains retired records from federal courts and agencies in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Newberry Library, Genealogy Collections
Overview of the genealogy collection, suggestions about search strategies, lists of biographical dictionaries, and links to online genealogy sites.
ChicagoAncestors.org is a project of the Genealogy and Local History section of the Newberry Library. The project is intended to help genealogists and local historians discover and share historical information about Chicago.
Gustafson Research Center, Batavia Depot Museum. Collections for Batavia genealogy include over 800 family histories in a biographical file, marriage indexes for 1840-1900, indexed probate records and circuit court records for 1860-1960, census microfilm for 1840-1920, indexed scrapbooks containing obituaries, and other records for 1900-1995, city and telephone directories, and related materials.
Vital Records
Illinois
How to obtain birth, death, and marriage records in Illinois.
Kane County
Find birth, death, and marriage records that took place in Kane County, Illinois.
United States
How to obtain birth, death, marriage, and divorce records from agencies in states and counties. Indicates years for which records are available and fees. Related links to foreign vital records and adoption resources.
Immigration
Ellis Island
During the years of Ellis Island immigration from 1892-1924, there were more than twenty million individual stories that would eventually be shared with family and friends.
Cemetery Research
Billion Graves
A free website that preserves records found in cemeteries throughout the world. They use modern technology to capture images of headstones with their GPS locations so users worldwide can access those records anywhere.
Find a Grave
A free resource to find the graves of ancestors. Create virtual memorials, add ‘virtual flowers’, photos, and a note to a loved one’s grave by creating a free account