Aurora Historical Society
20 E Downer Pl | Aurora, IL 60506 www.aurorahistory.net
The Aurora Historical Society gives the past a future by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and presenting the rich, diverse history of Aurora and the surrounding area
Aurora Regional Fire Museum
53 N Broadway | Aurora IL 60505 www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/
ARFM preserves the history of the Aurora Fire Department and fire service in our region through their collections and exhibits while educating visitors about fire safety and prevention.
G A R Museum
23 E Downer Pl | Aurora, IL 60505 www aurora-il org/372/Grand-Army-of-the-Republic
Their mission is to preserve, showcase and interpret the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, Post 20, and its artifacts. To celebrate the history of GAR, Post 20 through exhibits and programs.
Kane County Genealogical Society
320 E North St | Elburn, IL 60119 www kcgsillinois org
KCGS is a non-profit, volunteer organization working to gather and preserve regional historical records and serve as an educational resource for those interested in genealogy
Join our experts during the second full week of the month for one-on-one help with your family history questions!
O C A L H I S T O
10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Santori Library
1-3 p.m. West Branch
7-8:30 p.m. Eola Road Branch genealogyhelp@aurorapubliclibrary.org
264-4122 101 S. River St. Aurora,
aurorapubliclibrary.org/local-history
L
Y GET IN TOUCH
OTHER RESOURCES FOR GENEALOGY & LOCAL HISTORY SERVICES Mondays
Tuesdays
Thursdays
(630)
IL 60506
G E N E A L O G Y &
R
Genealogy walk-in assistance
LOCAL HISTORY
AURORA PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT
EMMA & ROBERT WEGMAN
LOCAL HISTORY ROOM
The Aurora Public Library District collects, preserves, and makes accessible materials of enduring value related to the City of Aurora, Illinois. The APLD Local History Collection supports research and education for the public whose work relies on primary source materials, including rare books, photographs, newspapers, media, digital files, and archival records.
All are welcome to use the Local History Room. Please see a staff member to gain access.
RESOURCES COLLECTIONS
APLD Indexes
Aurora Address Conversion
Beacon Obituary Index
Cemetery Index
G.A.R. Post #20 Deaths
Kane County Marriage Licenses
St Nicholas Marriages
War Veterans and Burials
Ancestry
Search billions of genealogy documents, including census, military, immigration, birth, and death records. In-library use only
Beacon News Collection
Current and archived issues from 1997 to today Archival issues prior to 1997 are available on microfilm.
Chicago Community Collection
Search over 250 Chicago-area local newspapers.
Chicago Tribune - Historical
This collection includes digital reproductions of articles between 1849 and 1987, providing access to every page from every available issue
HeritageHub
U.S. obituaries and death notices from 1704 to today.
Hispanic Life in America
The experience and impact of Hispanic Americans as recorded by the news media from 1704 to today
AllavailableremotelywithyourAPLDcardunlessotherwisenoted.
NEWSPAPERS
This collection includes several local papers on microfilm, with The Beacon-News making up most of the collection from 1846 to today
DIRECTORIES
The City of Aurora directories contain residential and business listings from 1858 to today (with some gaps). Beginning in 1895, the directories include street listings which allows users to look up information by address. These collection also includes some Kane County directories.
YEARBOOKS
This collection includes yearbooks from various Aurora area colleges, high schools, and junior high schools. Our most complete collections are from East (1913 – 2015) and West Aurora High Schools (1901-2015)
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
The Wilkinson Family Collection is our largest archival collection, including over 1,800 photographs, more than 1,000 documents, and a variety of personal realia. We also have a variety of several smaller archival collections.
MISCELLANEOUS
The Local History Room houses select collections of reference books, subject files of newspaper clippings, photographs, audio/video materials, a local author collection, atlases and plat books, and other microfilmed materials.
