Chicagoancestors.org

ChicagoAncestors.org is an ongoing project of the Genealogy and Local History Section of the Newberry Library, an independent research library in Chicago. The project tagline is "Discover the Past by Address." The site helps genealogists and local historians discover and share information about people, places and events in Chicago history by searching geographically.

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

Functions are available to:


 * Browse
 * 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

The data which is plotted on the ChicagoAncestors map is organized into collections and categories.

Collections are made up of data 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 Projectat the School of Law at Northwestern University. Information submitted by individual ChicagoAncestors members is placed in the User Contributions 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 parentheses.


 * 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

New collections and updates are announced on the ChicagoAncestors.org What's New page.

Questions and requests for further information can be submitted using the site's Contactfeature or through the Contact a Librarian page on the Newberry's website.