Naperville Illinois Family History Center

Center Contacts and Hours
Location and Map:


 * 1320 Ridgeland Rd Naperville, IL 60563
 * The Center is located just north of the intersection of Ogden Avenue and Naper Blvd, immediately north of the McDonald's.
 * As you face the building, the Center entrance is on the left hand side of the building and around back.
 * There are also signs posted at the front doors that will direct you to our entrance. When you reach the Center entrance, ring the door bell and then pull on the door.
 * Location Map

Phone: 630-505-0233

E-mail: [mailto:il_naperville@ldsmail.net il_naperville@ldsmail.net]

Center Director:


 * Naperville Family History Center Facebook Page this a public page.  You do not need a Facebook account to view it.

Open Hours:


 * Tuesday   12pm - 6 pm
 * Wednesday 9 am - 9 pm
 * Thursday    12pm - 6 pm
 * Friday       10 am -  4 pm
 * Saturday    9 am - 1 pm

During times of winter weather conditions, please call to insure we are open. The answering machine message will be updated with weather related closing information

Closed for 2016 Semi-Annual General Conferences: Saturday, April 2 & Saturday, October 1

2016 Holiday Closings:

Thanksgiving - Wednesday, November 23; Thursday, November 24. The center will be open regular hours on Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26.

Christmas - Saturday, December 24 through Monday, January 2.

Collections

 * CatalogThis center has the ability to recieve any of the films and fiche available through the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * The extended microfilm collection includes all the Chicago Catholic Church records and other Cook County Illinois records.
 * Files describing the Short-term films and Extended Loan Films and Microfiche can be found on the Films &amp; Fiche at the Naperville Family History Center website
 * FHC Portal This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions. These websites include:
 * Access//Newspaper Archive - World's largest online newspaper archive, Features billions of articles from historical newspapers around the U. S. and the world. Full page and fully searchable
 * Alexander Street Press – American Civil War – Research database, letters, diaries, photos and posters, 60 collections of audio tracks, videos, images, and playlists in humanities, Literature, Music, Women's History, Black History, Psychological Counseling and Therapy, Social and Cultural History, Drama, Theater, Film and performing Arts, Religion, Sociology
 * Ancestry Family History Library Edition – U. S. federal and state census records, vital records, passenger lists, Canadian census, church, and vital records, UK census records, birth, marriage and death indexes, and other international records.
 * Find My Past Institution edition: BMD indexes for England and Wales, parish registers, death duty registers, passport applications, passenger lists leaving UK, 1841 through 1911 censuses, and military records.
 * 19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archives – This database provides images from 49 national and regional English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish newspapers from 1800 to 1900.
 * Fold 3 (previous known as Footnote) – Resources cover colonial to mid-1900s US records. Includes some census records, vital records, photos, city directories, newspapers, town records, naturalizations, Revolutionary War records and Civil war and later military indexes, World War II "Old man's Draft" Cards, War of 1812 Pension Files, Mexican War Service Records, World War I Officer Experience Reports, Confederate Casualty Reports.
 * Paper Trail – Index to Mormon and Oregon Trail Diaries
 * World Vital Records – Worldwide records including immigration, some U.S., Canadian and U.K. censuses, vital records, parish and land records, family histories, directories, court probate records, digitized books and newspapers, Irish wills and censuses, German Hungarian land census, Scottish death records, England and Wales BMD.
 * ArkivDigital Online ArkivDigital is the largest private provider of Swedish Church Records and other historical records online! All images are newly photographed color images of the original documents.
 * Legacy Stories Put the leaves on your family tree by giving voice to your ancestors. LegacyStories.Org is a social network for all things heritage. Provides a secure platform to upload stories and photos and add recorded narration. The resulting pictures, stories, and narration can be linked as source records on FamilySearch Family Tree.
 * Create your Who Do You Think You Are? Story, for free Brought to you by Find My Past Create your own unique Who Do You Think You Are? Experience. Discover what shaped the lives of your family and watch your story unfold.
 * Historic Map Works Library Edition Historic Map Works™ Library Edition is one of the most extensive digital map collections available, with over 470,000 high-resolution, full color historic and antique maps. The core of the collection consists of cadastral (property and land ownership) maps illustrating the geographic and development history of the United States and also includes illustrations, city directories, and more. This unique content allows genealogists, historians, and academic researchers to track the "residential genealogy" of families and locations.
 * MyHeritage Library Edition features over 5 billion primary historical records from the United States, Europe, and other regions, with coverage starting from the 16th century. Often accompanied by true document images, these records illuminate historical realities across a wide variety of regions.
 * Puzzilla.org Premium services For use with Family Search.org Family Tree Descendants Viewer lets you see hundreds of descendant of your ancestors from an aerial view using compact symbols to reveal patterns of incomplete research. You can pick up where prior research left off. Click on a pedigree ancestor and Puzzilla will show you their descendants, revealing holes where research might uncover spouses, children, and generations of relatives waiting for you to find them.
 * ProQuest Obituary Listings is a premier resource for genealogical and historical research. You can use the collection to search obituaries and death notices from prominent newspapers, such as The New York Times (dating back to 1851).

Hardware and Equipment

 * 7 computers with printers
 * 9 Microfilm readers including 2 with high magnification lenses
 * 2 microfiche readers
 * Microfilm/microfiche copier that can print a hard copy or save a digital image to your portal drive

Staff Research Specialties
Wednesdays Noon to 3 pm Ask for Judy for help with Prussian research

1st and 3rd Wednesday evenings: Uschi is fluent in German

1st and 3rd Thursday afternoons Noon to 3 pm; Ask for Ola for help with Polish records, fluent in Polish and Russian, some Latin

2nd and 4th Thursday afternoons Noon to 3 pm: Ask for Pat for help with Irish and Danish research. Ask for Dave for help with Midwestern States, Tenn., New England and Civil War records. He has genealogical working knowledge of French, German, Spanish, Old German script

Thursday afternoons 3 to 6 pm: Poland, Germany, New England, Midwest; Chicago Roman Catholic church records; passenger list records; can translate Polish, Russian, Latin; Ask for Jerry

Friday mornings 10 am to 1 pm: West Prussia, Norway, Chicago Ask for Janet

Friday afternoons 1 to 4 pm: Migration within the the US, Civil War records, Ask for Jan

Links
Dupage County (IL) Genealogical Society Link

Fox Valley Genealogical Society: Link

Wheaton, IL Public Library Genealogy and Local History: Link

Family Search Affiliate Libraries

Plainfield Public Library: Link

Indian Prairie Library:Link

Fountaindale Public Library Link

LaGrange Park Public Library Link

Batavia Public Library link

Volunteer at the Center
Additional volunteers are always needed and welcome. The first and foremost quality you will need to volunteer at the Naperville Family History Center is a desire to help other people to research their family history. You do not need any particualr expertise in doing family history research; serving at the Family History Center is a great way to learn how. You also do not need to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Volunteers typically serve a 3 hour shift at least twice a month. If you would like more information about becoming one of our volunteers, contact Center Director.