User:Gfrere/Sandbox

ChicagoAncestors.org is an on-going project of the Genealogy and Local History Section of the Newberry Library, an independent research library in Chicago. The project is intended to help genealogists and local historians discover and share information about people, places and events in Chicago history.

Free registration provides full access to the site and allows you to contribute stories, photos, tags and comments.

Functions are available to:


 * Browse the collections
 * Search by address, intersection or keyword
 * Add family information, historical research, queries and photographs to the site
 * Tag information of interest
 * Submit comments
 * Contact other users with similar interests

Collections are made up of large amounts of information coming from a single source about a specific topic. For example,the Homicide in Chicago collection is a compilation of links to the Chicago Historical Homicide Project at the School ofLaw at Northwestern University. Information submitted by individual ChicagoAncestors members is placed in the UserContributions collection.

Each collection or user contribution is also placed into one of the following categories. Examples of the type of data that might be included in a category are also provided in parenthasis.


 * Arts, Entertainment &amp; Sports (theaters, arenas, clubs, etc.)
 * Buildings &amp; Structures (houses, skyscrapers, bridges, etc.)
 * Crime (homicides)
 * Education (libraries, schools, museums, etc.)
 * Geographic Areas (community areas, wards, etc.)
 * Groups &amp; Organizations (clubs and fraternal organizations)
 * Historical Events (events such as the Eastland disaster, Century of Progress, etc.)
 * Individuals &amp; Families (you and your family, as well as famous individuals and families)
 * Photographs &amp; Images (photographs, drawings, maps, etc.)
 * Public Spaces (parks, cemeteries, plazas, etc.)
 * Religious Institutions (churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, etc.)
 * Transportation (railroads, harbors, airports, etc.)

The Tools page provides links to additional information on topics such as:


 * Architecture and Building History
 * Cook County Vital Records
 * Fire Insurance Maps
 * Honorary Street Names
 * Researching Pre-Fire Chicago
 * Address Conversion Tools
 * Street name changes
 * Chicago City Directories
 * Links to other helpful websites
 * Links to other historical and current maps