One of the frequent requests from library users is to use the microfilm of the local newspaper to search for information about ancestors. The staff receives numerous telephone inquiries as well.

An ongoing project undertaken by the Friends is to create a database of obituary information and to place that information on the library web site. This is a huge endeavor when you consider that we have over 100 years of newspapers. Volunteers plus all of the staff members have been taught the procedures for inputting data and scanning the newsprint.

Click on "Obituary Database" in the menu on the left for further information.

Following are some links that may be helpful for your genealogical research:

Good sources for ideas, guides and tutorials on how to get started:

FamilySearch's "How to Start Your Family History" at www.familysearch.org/eng/home/welcome/frameset_information.asp.

RootsWeb's "Guide to Tracing Family Trees" at www.rootsweb.com.

Other Genealogy Reference Websites:

• FamilySearch at www.familysearch.org.
• Ancestry.com: Full subscription to www.ancestry.com is available at the Charlevoix Public Library. Login at the library by going to the "Research Center" Databases page and clicking on the MeL database link. The ancestry library edition is the 2nd database listed. To access this database from anywhere other than the library, involves a fee.
• Cyndi's Genealogy Homepage, aka Cyndi's List at www.cyndislist.com.
• HeritageQuest (UMI-Library version) at www.heritagequest.com.
• USGenWeb Project at www.usgenweb.com.
• Vital Records Information at www.vitalrec.com.
• American Family Immigration History Center at www.ellisislandrecords.org.
• National Archives and Records Administration Genealogy page at www.archives.gov.
• Directory of Online Death Indexes & Records at www.deathindexes.com.
• Charlevoix County Michigan Genealogy and Reference at www.boynearea.com.