American Genealogical Biographical Index - AGBI

In May of 2007, Richard Black, director of the Godfrey Memorial Library, announced that Fremont Rider's American Genealogical Biographical Index (AGBI) would be made available for free at LDS Family History Centers. This collection, which spans over 100,000 pages and 200 printed volumes, is one of the most important printed genealogical sources in the United States. Also known as "Rider's Index," It is an every-name index (excluding authors and witnesses) to over 800 printed genealogies and other compiled sources.

Historically, circulation of AGBI has been limited to a few hundred libraries, but the new partnership between Godfrey and FamilySearch will circulate this important collection to over 4500 brick-and-mortar locations worldwide.

Each entry of AGBI has the following parts:


 * Surname
 * First names
 * Birth year
 * State of residence
 * Biographical data
 * Citation

All sources cited within AGBI are housed at Godfrey Memorial Library. Patrons can access these cited sources by making an AGBI search request. Submitted names are searched and photocopies of the pages on which they appear are made by the library's staff or volunteers. The AGBI Order Form is available at the library's web site. To make a request by email, send your request to library@godfrey.org and include the words "AGBI Request" in the subject line.