Local History & Genealogy

Local History & Genealogy

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Digital Materials

From books, to maps, and everything in between, you can find a variety of digitized materials from our local history collection. Partial funding for digitization was made possible through a grant from the Park Foundation to encourage sustainability through remote access of library materials.

You can also access HeritageQuest Online from our library computers to search census records, books, and documents for information about your ancestors. Want to search HeritageQuest from home? Log into your account, click on the Online Databases tab, and then select "Genealogy & Family Research" to see links for HeritageQuest and New York Heritage. 

We can provide limited research on topics of local history or interest where the information sought is unique to the collection of the library. The Tompkins County Research Service is available to individuals and/or organizations for whom it is impossible to visit the library in person.


For additional resources, visit the following websites:

The History Center in Tompkins County

Names In Stone Cemetery Maps

New York Heritage Digital Collections

Library of Congress New York State Guide
The Library of Congress web guide contains a variety of materials specifically relating to New York State, including manuscripts, documents, photos, books and maps. This site also provides links to websites such as:

The U.S. GenWeb Project
Genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States.

Cayuga Heights History Project

 

Upcoming Events

This event is in the "Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers" group

Early Fall Baby & Toddler Storytime

10:30am–11:00am
Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Offsite Event
Library Branch: Off Site
Age Group: Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Program Type: Storytimes
About this event::

Caregivers and their children are invited to join Cassie at the park next to the Henry St. John Building at 301 S. Geneva St. for music, rhymes, movement and books.

This event is in the "Adults" group

Makerspace Open Hours

3:30pm–5:30pm
Adults
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Makerspace
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Makerspace
About this event::

Drop-in for Open Hours - registration is not required.

This event is in the "Kids" group

Fall Fun Yoga Series

4:00pm–4:45pm
Kids
Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Kids
Program Type: Classes and Workshops
Registration Required
About this event::

Children are welcome to join us as we welcome autumn in a yoga series that flows with the seasons!

This event is in the "Adults" group

Slow Flow Yoga

4:00pm–5:00pm
Adults
Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: BorgWarner Full
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Classes and Workshops, Health & Wellness
Registration Required
About this event::

This is an all-levels Slow Flow style yoga class, adaptable for people with different levels of fitness (it does involve sitting on a mat and standing up from the floor).

This event is in the "Families" group
This event is in the "Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers" group

Family Storytime

11:00am–11:30am
Families, Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Families, Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Program Type: Storytimes
About this event::

Children of all ages and their caregivers are invited to celebrate reading and build their early literacy skills at Family Storytime. We meet each Saturday for stories, songs and hands-on fun.

 

 

This event is in the "Teens" group
Registration Required
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Digital Lab
Age Group: Teens
Program Type: Classes and Workshops
Registration Required
About this event::

Free Tutoring and College Application Mentorship with Project Level the Field 

This event is in the "Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers" group
This event is in the "Kids" group

Autumn Art for Kids

2:00pm–4:00pm
Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers, Kids
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers, Kids
Program Type: Arts & Crafts
About this event::

Let your imagination soar with local artist and teacher, Stiller Zusman.  This is a drop-in program and well-suited for children ages 3-6 and their families. 

This event is in the "Kids" group
Registration Required
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: BorgWarner West
Age Group: Kids
Program Type: Classes and Workshops, Health & Wellness, Other
Registration Required
About this event::

Ballet & Books is a national, non-profit organization that provides children ages 3-9 with an opportunity to improve their literacy skills through a combination of dance instruction and literacy-focused mentorship with high school and college-