Mid-Continent Public Library Midwest Genealogy Center

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Contact Information
E-mail: [mailto:ge@mcpl.lib.mo.us ge@mcpl.lib.mo.us]

Address:


 * 3440 S. Lee's Summit Road
 * Independence, MO 64055-1923

Telephone: 816-252-7228

Hours: Mon - Thurs 9-9; Fri 9-6; Sat 9-5; Sun 1-5


 * Holiday closings

Directions and maps

Internet sites and databases:


 * Midwest Genealogy Center Internet Site
 * MCPL Catalog Online
 * MGC Genealogy Databases
 * MGC History Databases

Collection Description
Significant holdings include all federal censuses 1790-1930 and many indexes, federal land sales in Missouri 1818-1903, the Draper Manuscript Collection, Kentucky tax records, Missouri State Penitentiary Records 1836-1931, papers of the St. Louis fur trade, Records of Antebellum Southern Plantations, indexes and Compiled Service Records of MO Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers, Civil War Union and Confederate unit histories, selected passenger arrival lists, Native American sources, partial state vital records for AL, AR, CA, GA, IL, IN, KY, OR, TX, WA, Massachusetts original town records, the Independence Examiner, and Kansas City Star and Times, American Biographical Archives, Black Biographical Dictionaries, UMI Genealogy and Local History Series, and the United States Serial Set.

The Midwest Genealogy Center, a branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library, opened in 2008 with 52,000 square feet on two floors. The collection covers the entire United States and includes over 80,000 family history books, 100,000 local history items, 565,000 microfilms and microfiches, and 7,000 maps. The center also has an extensive newspaper clipping file and thousands of family name files. Their collection has been built up with donations from the Daughters of the American Revolution, Independence Library's Missouri county histories, American Family Records Association (AFRA), Missouri State Genealogical Association, Heart of America Genealogical Society, Gann Family Association, and a former Family History Center. The Midwest Genealogy Center averages about 200 patrons a day.

Tips

 * Schedule an appointment with at genealogy expert at 816-252-7228 or e-mail [mailto:ge_ref@mcpl.lib.mo.us ge_ref@mcpl.lib.mo.us].
 * Groups are welcome, but please give advance notice.

Substitute Repositories
If you cannot visit or find a record at the, a similar record may be available at one of the following.

Overlapping Collections


 * Mid-Continent Public Libary parent library system of the Midwest Genealogy Center, Jackson County, Missouri.
 * MCPL branches - 30 branches in Jackson, Clay, and Platte counties, Missouri.

Similar Collections


 * St. Louis County Library, a Missouri collection including the St. Louis Genealogical Society, and the National Genealogical Society, online databases, federal censuses, African American records, &amp; access to LDS microfilms.
 * Allen County Public Library (Indiana) has a premier genealogical periodical collection, genealogies, local histories, databases, military, censuses, directories, passenger lists, American Indians, African Americans, Canadians.
 * Newberry Library a large Chicago repository with genealogies, local histories, censuses, military, land, indexes, vital records, court, and tax records mostly from the Mississippi Valley, eastern seaboard, Canada, &amp; British Isles.
 * Family History Library, Salt Lake City, 450 computers, 3,400 databases, 3.1 million microforms, 4,500 periodicals, 310,000 books of worldwide family and local histories, civil, church, immigration, ethnic, military, Mormon records.

Neighboring Collections


 * Missouri Historical Society has regional history sources, St. Louis, Missouri, the Mississippi and Missouri Valleys, the Louisiana Purchase, American West: indexes, guides, catalogs, photos, genealogy workshops.
 * State Historical Society of Missouri census, maps, newspapers, online tools, oral history, photos, manuscripts.
 * Missouri State Archives in Springfield has court, land, military, death records, federal censuses, county and municipal records, photos, penitetiary, and manuscript records. Death records have been digitized and indexed.
 * Missouri State Genealogical Association has donated their books the the Midwest Genealogy Center.
 * Jackson County Historical Society title abstracts, diaries, letters, 2000 books, business ledgers, census, city directories, court, election, tax, vital records, plat maps, newspapers, periodicals, photos, subject indexes.
 * United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, federal court records.
 * Jackson County Courthouse, 16th Circuit Court local civil, criminal, and probate records.
 * St. Louis Public Library obituaries, passenger lists, family histories, and HeritageQuest online.
 * National Archives, Kansas City Branch federal censuses 1790–1930; selected military service indexes, pension indexes, passenger lists, and naturalizations. Free computers for Ancestry, Heritage Quest, or Footnote.
 * NARA National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, government and military personnel records starting 1917.