Genealogy
Premium Tools
Genealogy database with census, birth, marriage, death records and more.
Must use at a CADL Library
Capital Area District Library's Local History Online digital collections. Contains photographs, vintage postcards, school yearbooks, documents, and more.
Family history resource including more than 6 billion historical records from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and other regions. Includes the full USA federal census (1790-1940); census of England and Wales (1841-1901); U.S. World War II Army Enlistment as well as records of Union and Confederate Civil War soldiers. Over 2 billion family trees.
Request a Lansing-Area Obituary
To request an obituary for the greater Lansing area, please read and complete this form, and mail it to Capital Area District Libraries with your payment. Staff will conduct a search and contact you with any results.
Other Resources
Cyndi’s List
A categorized and cross-referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet.
Ellis Island On-line
Access to immigration records from Ellis Island New York.
Family Search
Access to the genealogical resources gathered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Learn How to Get Started Using FamilySearch
Library of Michigan Genealogy Resources
Information about the Library of Michigan's extensive genealogy resources.
Michigan County Histories and Atlases
Searchable county histories and atlases published before 1923.
Rootsweb
A free genealogy community to help people research their family history.
Sanborn Map Collection
A searchable digital archive of pre 1900 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps brought to you by the Library of Congress.
USGenWeb
Genealogy websites in every county and every state of the United States.
Additional Genealogy Resources
These additional resources are recommended by CADL staff.
Events for History Buffs
Reminisce--Patriotism (Adults)
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022 2:00pm - 3:00pm Aurelius*Virtual Michigan Tales--The SS Badger (Teens & Adults)
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022 6:00pm - 7:00pmConnecting Communities through Story-An Oral History Workshop (All ages)
Saturday Jun 25, 2022 11:00am - 12:30pm Downtown Lansing In partnership with the Red Cedar Writing Project, this family-oriented workshop will present the basics of collecting oral histories: developing questions, interviewing and recording. Learn about other oral history collections as well, including CADL's local history collection.?? Read MoreReminisce--Library Collections (Adults)
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022 2:00pm - 3:00pm Aurelius*Virtual Michigan Tales--Michigan Ballot Initiatives (Teens & Adults)
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022 6:00pm - 7:00pmMore Like These