Published Thursday, April 2, 2020

Good news everyone! You can now access Ancestry.com from home! Proquest has generously opened access to our Ancestry Library Edition subscription for Edwardsville Public Library cardholders until April 30. Normally, this resource is only accessible on library computers or on library Wi-Fi. You can find Ancestry on the “Resources” tab on the library’s website at www.edwardsvillelibrary.org. Please ask library staff if you’d like any more tips for using this wonderful database. We’re happy to assist you.

To access Ancestry from home, go to the "Resources" tab on our website and select Ancestry. Type in your last name and library barcode number to login.

Let’s do a quick search! Click ‘Begin Searching’ to access birth, marriage, death, census, immigration, military records and more.

Type in the name and any pertinent information you have for the person you’re searching for and hit search.

Once you complete your search, it will provide a list of results. On the left, you will be able to limit what kinds of records you would like to search. Limit to marriage, death, census, family trees, and much more!

You can also select how broad you want your search to be for the information you have provided. Drag the bar by first, last name, and location to broaden or narrow your search.

Sometimes it helps to leave information broad. For example, your family name has had several different spellings. In this case, it may be best to leave your search broad.

Select a record to find more information. Each record will have a source citation at the bottom as well.