Located on the second floor of the main library, the genealogy collection contains over 4,400 books and thousands of microfilm reels. It concentrates on Elgin and Kane County, Illinois, but also contains materials relating to twenty-five other states, mostly east of the Mississippi River, and five European countries.
Digital Preservation
On the second floor of the Main Library you can digitize your VHS, VHS-C, Mini-DV, Hi-8, 8mm/super 8mm film, Audio Cassette tapes, Kodak slides, negatives, photographs, and documents. Staff will teach you how to use all the equipment, just make sure to bring a USB drive/external hard drive. Walk-ins welcome! To digitize vinyl records, make an appointment in the Digital Media Lab. Make your reservation by email or by calling 847-695-7577.
Recommended Links
Kane County Genealogical Society
Crackerbarrel (Elgin History Museum's newsletter)
The Crackerbarrel is the Elgin History Museum's bimonthly member newsletter. It has a calendar of upcoming events, articles of historical interest, and updates on Museum projects and collections.
USGenWeb
The best one-stop source for genealogy information on the state and county levels.
Cyndi's List
The most comprehensive list of genealogy links on the World Wide Web. Covers all family history subjects.
Gail Borden Library card required
Newspaper Index
The Elgin Newspaper and Vital Record’s Index is a searchable database of articles from the Courier News and Daily Herald for articles concerning Elgin. Try a keyword search for a name, place, or subject.
Newspapers & Records Online
The Gail Borden Public Library is digitizing our community's historic newspapers. View the online archive of available content, 1850-1905. The full set of digitized newspapers, including current printings, are available in the library only.
Chicago Tribune 1847-1999The Elgin, Illinois Death Records have been available on microfilm since 1995. Funding from the Elgin Genealogical Society and permission from the Elgin Heritage Commission has allowed this valuable resource to be digitized.
One-on-One Assistance
The Gail Borden Public Library employs a full time librarian who can help with your research needs. Email them to make an appointment. jmcadams@gailborden.info
The Elgin Genealogical Society Volunteers are happy to assist you with your next genealogy research project. For more information, you can email the Elgin Genealogical Society at elgingenealogy@gmail.com.