Genealogy Databases & Resources
Resources for Getting Started
Researching Your Family Tree
Take a short online course to gain the relevant skills for performing family research.
Databases for Genealogy Research
American Ancestors
Usable only within the library. Resource provided by the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS).
Ancestry.com - Library Edition
Usable only within the library. One of the premier genealogical databases for researching your ancestors in the USA and abroad. The library edition provides access to over 6 billion historical records including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records.
FamilySearch
Database provided by the largest non-profit Genealogy organization in the world. As an Affiliate Library the Central Library allows access to roughly a quarter of the 1.5 billion+ images that have been digitized by FamilySearch, with hundreds of thousands or records available for free outside of the library. Record access is available for both United States and International records.
FindMyPast Library Edition
FindMyPast is a global leader in family history records that provides access to billions of records from England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, including access to the Periodical Source Index (PERSI). The Library edition of FindMyPast provides access to the entire FindMyPast database, with the exception of the US and British Newspapers collection, Living Relatives Database, and Commemorative Memorial Scrolls.
Fold3
Collection of US history resources - includes US military records, photos, naturalization records and more.
Gateway to North America: People, Places, and Organizations of 19th-Century New York
From the New-York Historical Society, this database features over 1500 residential and business directories, organization records, urban guidebooks, and other sources rich in names and places that present a history of the people of New York City from the late eighteenth through the early twentieth century. New York was long the country’s focal point of industry, trade, commerce and immigration, and this collection features materials that track the city's inhabitants over time and place, where they lived, where they worked, and what they did. It also includes residential, trade, and occupational directories, membership lists for churches, professional groups, philanthropic and governmental institutions, ethnic organizations, and leisure clubs.
HeritageQuest
Genealogy research database with United States census information, historical books, and Revolutionary War Pension files.
Historic Map Works
Searchable library of historic maps and city directories from any rural areas. Overlay maps into Google Maps to view current and old geography.
Obituary Database Search
Library created searchable database offering an obituary index from two local newspapers: The Courier and The Montgomery County News. Currently the database covers 1911-1912 & 1978-2016 of the Courier and 1922 of the Montgomery County News. The database is updated weekly. To request a full obituary, complete our online Obituary Request Form.
PERSI
The PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) is a comprehensive index of articles and records in historical, genealogical, and ethnic publications. There are more than 2.7 million fully-searchable entries that allow you to discover new records and resources you may not have encountered elsewhere.
The Portal to Texas History
Contains collections across Texas from 1829 to present. Search the Conroe Courier & the Montgomery Chronicle as early as 1896.
Texas Digital Sanborn Maps
Created for fire insurance liability beginning in 1867, these maps show many buildings located in cities throughout Texas.