We have a large collection of genealogy materials that will assist you in researching your family history.  Some of these include:

• Belleville and East St. Louis Card Files
  The Card File indexes are one of the most-used resources in the genealogy section of the library.  These card files include indexes for:
• WPA Index to Belleville Newspapes, 1840-1940
• Belleville Newspaper Obituary Index, 1941-present
• East St. Louis Newspaper Obituaries, beginning in the 1860s
• St. Clair County Burials
• Select East St. Louis Funeral Home Records (Burke & Sedlack Funeral Homes)
• Surname Files - Names alphabetically filed for research done by members of SCCGS
• Newspapers on Microfilm
  The Genealogy section of the library has a great collection of newspapers dating back to the 1840s on microfilm.  A list of just a few of these include:
• Belleville Weekly/Daily Advocate, 1840-1958
• Belleville News-Democrat, 1901-present
• East St. Louis Journal, 1889-1976
• We also have a collection of Belleville German Newspapers on microfilm as well as newspapers from other towns in Southern Illinois, such as Freeburg, Lebanon, and Du Quoin.
• Vital Records
  Birth, Marriage, and Death Records are popular items among genealogists.  Copies of registers and indexes for these vital records can be viewed on microfilm here at the library.  Some of these include:
• St. Clair County Death Registers, 1870-1943
• St. Clair County Marriage Registers, 1846-1919
• St. Clair County Marriage Index, 1763-1905
• St. Clair County Birth Index, 1874-1914
• Church Records
  Church Records can be a great source of information for such things as Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials.  They can compliment or fill in for a missing vital record.  The SCCGS has microfilmed records from some of the Methodist and Baptist churches in the area and all available parish registers from the entire Catholic Diocese of Belleville.  These microfilm are housed here at the library.
• Estates and Wills
  The Genealogy section of the library is also home to a significant collection of St. Clair County Probated Wills, Non-Probated Wills, and Probated Estates on microfilm.  This collection grows every year through the work of the SCCGS.
• Census Records
  Federal and State census records are available on microfilm for St. Clair and adjacent counties.  These span from 1840-1930.  We also have printed census indexes for St. Clair county through 1870 and for many other Illinois counties as well.
• Military Records
  Military records are also a popular request for many researchers.  Included in our microfilm collection are Civil War Muster Rolls and WWI Draft Registration Cards for St. Clair County.  Books on military records, pension files, and Adjutant General reports are available for the Revolutionary War through the Civil War.
• Print Resources
  In addition to our microfilm collection, we have many resources in print form.  Some of these include:
• Beginning Genealogy Books
• Cemetery, Church, and County Histories
• Family Histories
• Belleville City Directories, beginning in 1860
• Passenger and Immigration Indexes
• Birth, Death, and Marriage indexes for St. Clair and surrounding counties
• DAR Lineage Books
• Maps and Plat Books
• Past Yearbooks from some of the local High Schools
• Past Quarterlies from the St. Clair County Genealogical Society and other societies in Southern Illinois
• Resources and indexes for Eastern, Southern, and neighboring states such as Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky
• Genealogy help books on locating resouces in other countries such as Germany, Ireland, and Canada

Click here to download a finding aid for some of our genealogy resources.