It’s like digging through your grandma’s attic, without the dust.
Don’t worry. We’re not in her attic, but we can help you discover your family tree and connect you to your roots in a number of different ways.
- Get started on your search from the comfort of your home
- Then dig through online and physical archives at the Library
- Talk to an expert who walks into the past with different families every day
Ancestry.com
Discover your unique family history with billions of free records from around the world, including census and vital records, immigration and passport records, plus periodicals, books and photos. You can also send documents home from the library for your own records. Available in-library only beginning January 4, 2022.
Heritage Quest
Start your ancestry search online from the comfort of your own home with digital collections of U.S. census data, bank records, Revolutionary War records and more.
American Ancestors
Research genealogy using the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s collection of civic and church records, newspapers, military and court records, tax and voter lists, diaries, published genealogies and more. Available only at Central Library.
The Sacramento Room
Access
extensive local archives including books, periodicals, maps, ephemera, postcards and photographs, as well as online access to many digital archives of local history. Located at
Central Library.
Genealogist Collection
A select group of reference books, periodicals, and other materials to support your family history research. Located at
Central Library.
Genealogy Virtual Programs
Join us for free monthly genealogy lectures on a variety of topics that will help you with your family history research. Presented by knowledgeable and qualified speakers, topics include census and vital records, newspaper research, important genealogy websites, and DNA testing, to name a few.
Here are the upcoming genealogy presentations (on Zoom) through December, 2022. They are all on Saturdays, 1 to 2:30 p.m.:
March 26:
Breathe Life into Your Genealogy with the Power of Story, with speaker Bill Cole
April 23:
Splitsville: Divorce Records and the Hidden Gold Within, with speaker Stephanie K. West
May 21:
Confirming Cherokee Ancestry, with speaker Nicka Sewell-Smith
June 25:
Researching LGBT Relatives, with speaker Janice Sellers
July 23:
Finding Missing Ancestors in Institutional Records, Part 1: Hospitals, Sanitariums, and Asylums, with speaker Madeline Yanov
August 27:
Re-Branded Lives: Tracking Name Changes, with speaker Kathryn Marshall, PhD
September 24:
Finding Missing Ancestors in Institutional Records, Part 2: Poor Houses, Orphanages and Prisons, with speaker Madeline Yanov
October 22:
Millions of Members: Finding Your Ancestor in Fraternal Organization Records, with speaker Melinda Kashuba, PhD
November 19:
Obituaries: The Dead Said, with speaker Glenda Gardner Lloyd
December 17:
In the News: Finding Tales of Your Ancestors in Newspapers, with speaker Lisa Gorrell
View past genealogy presentations on our
YouTube channel.