PPLD Regional History & Genealogy offers access to physical and online resources, free genealogy classes, and staff to help with your genealogical research. If you are just getting started, sign up for one of our virtual genealogy classes or review the class handouts listed below. PPLD Regional History & Genealogy also offers no-cost access to many genealogical databases, listed below. We encourage you to visit our physical location in the historic 1905 Carnegie Library building, located at Penrose Library, to view our genealogy reference collection and to receive help from our knowledgeable staff.
Genealogy Classes and Handouts
The handouts below accompany PPLD’s no-cost virtual genealogy classes. To register for a live class, visit our program calendar.
- Genealogy Basics
- Ancestry Basics
- Census Records
- FamilySearch Basics
- Google for Genealogy Research
- Military Records: A Beginner’s Guide
- Military Records: By Conflict
- PPLD Genealogy Resources
- Pre-1850s Research
- Researching African American Ancestors
- Researching El Paso County, CO
- Researching Female Ancestors
- Sharing Your Family History
- Top Free Genealogy Websites
- Vital Records
Genealogy Databases and Web Sources
Databases available at PPLD facilities
American Ancestors – Focuses on family history in the New England area with hundreds of databases of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This database is only available inside Library locations.
Ancestry Library Edition – This database is only available inside Library locations. Ancestry Library Edition brings the world’s most popular consumer online genealogy resources to the Library. It’s an unprecedented digital collection of individuals from North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and more.
Fold3 – Accessible at all Library locations. Features premier collections of original military records. These records include the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served in the military. Many of the records come from the U.S. National archives, The National Archives of the U.K., and other international records.
Databases available remotely (with library card that starts with a 4)
19th Century Newspapers – Provides access to approximately 1.8 million pages (over 28 million articles) of primary source newspaper content from the nineteenth century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S.
HeritageQuest – HeritageQuest is a comprehensive treasury of American and international genealogical records—rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, convenient research guides, interactive census maps, and more. With remote, at-home access and billions of records, it delivers an essential collection of genealogical and historical sources (with coverage dating back to the 1700s).
MyHeritage – Provides access to billions of historical documents from 48 countries, millions of historical photos, public records, indexes, and additional resources that span the past five centuries.
Newspaper Archive – The largest historical newspaper database online, containing tens of millions of newspaper pages from 1607 to present. Every newspaper is fully searchable by keyword and date, making it easy for you to quickly explore historical content.
FamilySearch – Accessible remotely without a library card. Discover your family history through the vast resources of the world’s largest genealogical library. Search the extensive FamilySearch records database, join their collaborative family tree, or learn more about genealogical research, locations, and records using the Research Wiki. PPLD is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. As an affiliate library, users have access to certain collections remotely, while other collections are available at all Library locations.
Genealogy Collection
While our online databases contain a wealth of genealogical information, PPLD’s physical collection, available at Regional History & Genealogy located at Penrose Library, includes many materials that have never been digitized or may not be available elsewhere. The genealogy collection contains extensive family history research materials, covering the entire United States from Colonial times to the present, including books and periodicals. Search the Library's catalog here, and limit your search to the Library location "Carnegie-Special Collections" for materials located in Regional History & Genealogy."
Need assistance? Contact us:
Contact Regional History & Genealogy
By Phone: (719) 531-6333, x7252
Book a Librarian