Find In-depth Resources Available on the Web and at Santa Clara County Library Via Our Genealogy Resources portal

Subscription Databases and E-books

• Ancestry Library
  a comprehensive online source of information for conducting genealogical and local history research. Included in Ancestry are the digitized images of the U.S. Federal Census from 1790 forward, the US and UK Census Images and Indexes, Social Security Death Index (SSDI), Ancestry World Tree and much more. Note: This database is available for use within the library only.
• Dictionary of American Family Names
  Contains more than 70,000 of the most commonly occurring surnames in the United States, giving their comparative frequencies, linguistic and historical explanations, selected associated forenames, and occasional genealogical notes.
• Heritage Quest Online
  A unique, growing collection of research materials for tracing family history and American culture. Included are ProQuest's Genealogy & Local History Collection, Complete U.S. Federal Census from 1790-1930, PERSI™ - The Periodical Source Index, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files and more
• New York Times (1851-2008)
  A unique full-image archive that brings you the entire historical run of The New York Times since 1851. This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time.
• OverDrive Digital Media Catalog
  Find genealogy titles in our downloadable audiobook and eBooks collection available through OverDrive. Suggested searches: Near the top of the page under the "Quick Search" category type Genealogy as a general keyword search.
• Oxford Reference Online
  In Oxford Reference Online you will find a wealth of facts, figures, definitions, and translations from 170+ Oxford reference titles, including The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History and The Oxford Dictionary of Local and Family History.
• San Jose Mercury News Historical Archive (1886-1922)
  Find full-text articles on local news, issues, events, people and much more from archived issues of San Jose Mercury News.
• San Jose Mercury News (1985 - Current)
  Find full-text articles on local news, issues, events, people and much more from 1985 to current. Updated daily, the San Jose Mercury News includes obituaries, editorials, announcements, sports, real estate and other sections.
• San Jose Mercury News (ProQuest Digital Microfilm) (2009 - 3 months ago)
  An alternative version of the San Jose Mercury News providing a digital page view presented in the original layout from 2009 to present. Browse by date and page number and print full pages including graphics, advertisement and other features.
• WorldCat
  A unique database that shows the holdings of books, videos, audio, maps and other materials held by libraries in California and the world. Depending on lending institution, many of the items listed may be requested via Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Websites Selected by Librarians

• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
  Over 50,100 links that have been categorized and cross-referenced in over 120 categories.  Includes the Social Security Death Index, RootsWeb, and World Connect Project. This is a great place to begin your genealogy search.
  
• WorldGenWeb Project
  Volunteer genealogical organization dedicated to the free access of genealogical information by anyone in the world. The project is divided into 15 world regions; then individual countries are divided by provinces, states, or counties.  This includes USGenWeb Project, California USGenWeb Project, and Santa Clara County GenWeb Project.
• FamilySearch
  The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints has put its extensive family history database online. There is access to the Ancestral File, the International Genealogical Index, and the Family History Catalog. Visit this site to find and share family history information.
• Vital Records Information - United States
  This site contains information about where to write for birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates from each state, territory, and county of the United States.

Local Genealogy Libraries

• Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society
  Includes information about the society and a surname index to their files on early settlers of Santa Clara County.
• Santa Clara Family History Center
  Operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a branch of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• California Room Database
  Index to historical information on San Jose, Santa Clara County, and California located in the San Jose Public Library’s California Room.
• Sutro Library
  Branch of the California State Library with a large genealogy and family history resource collection. Its catalog is included in the California State Library Catalog
• National Archives & Records Administration (Pacific Region)
  Provides historical government records and resources.

Information collected by the U.S. Census from individuals becomes available to the public after 72 years. Some information is currently only available on microfilm.

Many vital records (Birth/Marriage/Divorce/Death) and local government censuses have been microfilmed, and might be available at the local vital records office or through the LDS Church.