326 Belle Street, Alton, IL
Phone: 618-462-0651
Fax: 618-462-0665

Genealogy

The Hayner Public Library District provides a variety of genealogy related services to support your research efforts. We have information from various states in addition to Illinois, and other countries, too.  A wonderful resource of the Hayner Library District for genealogy research is our digitized newspaper collection. The database is keyword searchable and you can print the articles you need. There is a fifteen cent per page charge for printing. The Hayner Public Library District provides the Alton Telegraph dating as far back as 1836. We also have Newspaper Archive.com to aid you with your research in other parts of the country.

When you visit us, you can also use our computer research databases. We offer Ancestry® Library Edition, HeritageQuest OnlineTM, and Digital Sanborn® Maps.  These computer databases open up a whole world of research possibilities.  With our Family Tree Maker CDs you can research immigration lists, marriage records, death records and so much more.

Quarterly Genealogy Round Tables are held at the downtown location. Subjects and dates are published in our library newsletter, or you can call us.  We invite topical speakers to share their knowledge with us.

If you wish, you may schedule a one on one session with a member of the Hayner Library Genealogy/Local History Department Staff, call us at 618-462-0677 to set up an appointment. There is no charge for this service.  We will be happy to meet with you to help you along with your research or get you started.

If you are out-of-town, we also offer a lookup service. A simple query is $5.00 per name researched. You must request your lookup in writing to the Hayner Public Library, 401 State Street, Alton, Illinois 62002. When you send your letter of request, include a business-size, stamped, self-addressed envelope and your payment check made out to Hayner Public Library. Please include your email address so we can contact you with any questions about your query. Include enough information so we can do a thorough search for you.  Please do not send original documents -copies will be fine.  If you have questions about our services, you can call us at 618-462-0677 or send questions to our email address at genealogy@haynerlibrary.org

For a broad overview of our historic Illinois Room collection, see the Illinois Room section.

We appreciate the donation of your family history resources when you are finished with them. They can help someone else discover their family origin in the future. Plan a visit to come in and browse our wonderful, historic collection. Contact us to discuss your donation.

Some special features of our genealogy collection in the Illinois Room include:

Census Materials

  • Madison County Illinois Federal census Indexes for 1820 through 1930
  • Madison County Illinois State census indexes for 1845, and 1855
  • Illinois Census Returns for 1810, 1818, 1820
  • Census materials from other Illinois counties and other states.
  • Census databases

Databases

  • ANCESTRY® LIBRARY EDITION
  • HERITAGEQUEST ONLINETM
  • FAMILY TREE MAKER – PLUS MANY CDs
  • SANBORN® FIRE INSURANCE MAPS
  • CIVIL WAR CD-ROM (a compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies)

Microfilm

  • Illinois Census for various counties, but primarily Madison County starting 1820 to 1930.
  • American State Papers: Land Grants & Claims (index located in Illinois Room)
  • Selected Records of the War Department relating to the Confederate Prisoners of War, 1861-1865

Military Records

  • Adjutant General of the State of Illinois: Annual Report 1863-1872
  • Alton Military Prison records
  • Pension records from various eras
  • Civil War CD-ROM (a compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies)

Newspapers

  • Digitized Alton newspapers from 1836

Vital Records

  • Alton newspaper listing births, deaths, marriages, probate, etc.
  • Most Madison County cemetery inventories plus others
  • Marriage records
  • Madison County Naturalizations and Intentions 1816-1900
  • Madison County Marriage Index 1813-1882

…and many more items to assist you with your genealogical and historical research. Visit us and see where your family history research takes you.

WEB LINKS

Click on the links below to find out more about genealogy.

Contact Us

The Hayner Public Library District
Genealogy/Local History Department
401 State Street
Alton, IL 62002-6137

618-462-0677
genealogy@haynerlibrary.org