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Family History & Genealogy

Guides

About this Guide

The library has tools and resources available to help you build your family tree and gain a better understanding of your family’s place in history.

This guide outlines databases that are accessible through the library, identifies local history resources and some additional resources outside of the library. If you are new to genealogy research, ask us for assistance. You can also visit this helpful guide from the National Genealogical Society.

Databases

  • Ancestry Library Edition: Genealogical and historical information from census, military, church, vital, court, land and probate records, passenger lists and more. In-library use only.
  • HeritageQuest: A comprehensive treasury of American genealogical sources—rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, and finding aids, with coverage dating back to the 1700s. Use your PPL library card to access this database from home.
  • Fold3 Library Edition by Ancestry: Convenient access to U.S. military records, including the stories, photos, and documents of the men and women who served. Use your PPL library card to access this database from home.
  • ProQuest Historical Newspapers: U.S. Major Dailies (1849 – 2019): Search for obituaries from major newspapers. Historical full-text coverage from Chicago Tribune (1849 – 1998), Los Angeles Times (1881 – 1999), The New York Times with Index (1851 – 2019), The Wall Street Journal (1889 – 2011), and The Washington Post (1877 – 2006). Use your PPL library card to access this database from home.
  • Papers of Princeton: The Papers of Princeton is an online searchable database of full text digitized images from area publications including Town Topics, Princeton Herald, Princeton Recollector, The Daily Princetonian, Princeton University Weekly Bulletin, Local Express, and Nassau Literary Review, plus early issues of Princeton Packet (under its earlier names) and The Woman’s Newspaper of Princeton. Please check the database for current coverage. No library card required.

Program Recordings

Princeton Public Library: recorded webinars hosted by the Princeton Public Library on topics related to genealogy.

New Jersey State Library: recorded webinars from Regina Fitzpatrick, Genealogy Librarian at the New Jersey State Library.

US National Archives: playlists from the National Archives, including “Know Your Records” guides and annual Genealogy Series.

Resources

The library has many resources focused on the history of Princeton; the list below highlights those that will help genealogists researching family members who may have lived in the area. Visit our Princeton Local History guide for additional resources, including maps with property ownership details and more.

Local Newspapers

Newspapers can be a goldmine of details, including obituaries, announcements of marriages or births, social or school news, photographs and more.

City and Telephone Directories

City directories and telephone directories (or phone books) can provide address and household information for your family members and details about local businesses. For access to physical directories, please ask for assistance at the second floor Information Desk.

  • Princeton Directories and Polk’s Princeton Directories. For complete holdings, click here and select on Availability by Location on the right hand side of the screen. Additionally, the library has City Directories of the United States, Princeton including the years 1901-1935, on three reels of microfilm. Some years are also available in the HeritageQuest database via the “City Directories” heading, which can be accessed in the library or from home with a library card.
  • Princeton Community Phone Book. Years held: 1961, 1963-1989, 1997-2001, 2003.
  • Yellow Book Princeton. Years held: 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2014-2015, 2015-2016.
  • Princeton and Suburban Trenton, including Trenton Phone Book. Years held: 1979, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016.
  • Criss-Cross Directories. For complete holdings, click here and select on Availability by Location on the right hand side of the screen.

Yearbooks

The library has a small but growing collection of “The Prince” yearbooks from Princeton High School. For complete holdings, click here and select on Availability by Location on the right hand side of the screen.

Digitizing

The library has technology you can use to help preserve your family’s history, including a scanner and a microfilm machine/slide reader. 

Use the scanner to create free digital copies of photos, letters, and other documents. Find multiple options for saving your scans, including to USB drive, Dropbox, or Google Drive, or send them directly to email.  

Use the microfilm machine to view and create free digital copies of 35 mm slides. Save images to a USB drive.

You can find additional information and guidance on preserving and digitizing your records via these helpful guides from the Library of Congress and the US National Archives.

More Local Resources

The resources below may have additional records to help you piece together the history of your Princeton relatives. You can also use these as examples of types of organizations to look for outside of the Princeton area.

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