Genealogy Department

Visitors searching or their roots orGenealogy @ EPL interested in studying the history of a particular town or locality in New England or one of the states along the Eastern seaboard will find the Library's Genealogy Department to be of valuable assistance. Located on the second floor in a gallery overlooking the Library's main reading room, the Genealogy Department is considered one of the best of its kind on Cape Cod. At its core is the Edgar Francis Waterman Memorial Genealogical Collection, donated to EPL in 1979.  The extensive collection is augmented by historic maps, newspapers and periodicals as well as free access to a wealth of online genealogy resources.

Hours & Contact Info
The EPL Genealogy Department is currently open:

  • Tuesdays 1:00 to 4:00 pm
  • Saturdays 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. 

A staff member is available to assist you during the Genealogy department hours or by advance appointment. For appointments, questions and inquiries, please contact Nancy Barr at eplgenealogy@eldredgelibrary.org or call the library at 508-945-5170.  Space is limited in the Genealogy section.

EPL Genealogy Collection:

New! Digital Local History Collection: EPL has recently launched an online collection of Chatham/Cape Cod history and genealogy resources, drawing from the Library's extensive archives, vertical files, reference and genealogy holdings, as well as local partners, such as the Chatham Historical Society, and digital resources in the public domain from many different sources. The first collections include historic Chatham maps, from pre-settlement to the 20th century, as well as local directories, cemetery records, genealogies of local families and narratives on local and maritime history. 

Inside EPL, the Genealogy department's collection includes more than 4,000 volumes:

  • Vital Records: County and town histories throughout New England and for towns and counties in all the eastern seaboard States states, including vital records to 1850 for 150+ Massachusetts towns, as well as historic Cape Cod maps, local newspapers and cemetery directories.
  • Family histories & genealogy manuscripts: Over 500 volumes of individual families, by surname, including many early Cape Cod families, as well as far beyond the peninsula. 
  • Genealogical research guides: Books, periodicals and newsletters from regional, state and national genealogy societies.
  • Immigration & emigration records: U.S./ international emigrant and passenger lists for a wide range of U.S. ports and countries of origin.
  • Military records: Registers of soldiers and sailors, pension indexes and other U.S. military recoreds since the Revolutionary War, including DAR indexes
  • Colonial lineage: Mayflower descendants (The Mayflower Society "Silver Books") & other early compendiums of colonial ancestry
  • Foreign lineage: International ancestral research guides, registers, and indices for researching foreign ancestry and heritage, including Canada, the Caribbean, Ireland, UK and Europe.

Online Genealogy Resources: Free & enhanced access at EPL

The EPL Digital Newspaper Collection offers a searchable online database of historic local newspapers, including Chatham Monitor issues dating back to 1871. This is a great resource for finding information on local ancestors, including birth, marriage and death announcements, social and business columns, school news, travel notes, legal notices, and community events.

Ancestry Library logoAncestry.com. Free access is available from within the Eldredge Public Library (when connected to EPL wifi) via this link to Ancestry Library Edition. Ancestry.com is an excellent resource for searching for genealogy records, providing one of the largest global online databases of records, including census, immigration, marriage, birth, death and other vital records from countries around the world. The vast database also includes resident directories, newspaper entries, and military records from the U.S. and beyond. 

FamilySearch.org. When at the Library (connected to EPL wifi), use this link to search the extensive FamilySearch database of genealogy records without creating a user account. The  Eldredge Public Library is an Affiliate Library so your search will include enhanced access to their digital collections. FamilySearch is a free, nonprofit online genealogy platform that offers access to extensive historical records, and educational resources to help people discover their family history, including >2 billion digital images and indexes of records like censuses, birth, marriage, and death records from all over the world. 

Family History Daily (learnfamilyhistory.com) offers a series of online courses and downloadable materials, including expert strategies for using online sites, such as Ancestry, organizing your research and breaking down brick walls of hard-to-find ancestral information. You'll also have access to worksheets, forms and other useful genealogy materials, including a Family History Workbook. Use this link and login: eplgenealogy@eldredgelibrary.org; Eldredg10! 

 

Other Useful (& FREE) Genealogy Websites

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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