Cameron Public Library has both in-print and online genealogical resources for you to
search your family history like a pro!
First, let’s discuss the digital resources available to you so you can search for relatives
from the comfort of your own home or while on a visit to your favorite library (Cameron
Library, of course!) To find our digital databases, visit our website at
www.cameronlibrary.org, then click on Research, then Genealogy.
Our first link takes you to an excellent resource called Missouri Digital Newspapers. This site is sponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri. You can search by keyword, date and location. I have had great success searching this site. I love the juicy tidbits of information you can learn about your ancestors from the newspapers. From this site you can print and/or download articles to aid in your family history.
Another genealogy-based database we have access to is FamilySearch.org. This is a
phenomenal resource for locating records of your family members that is free. The
Cameron Public Library is now a FamilySearch affiliate library which means that if you
search FamilySearch while in the library you have access to thousands more images of
records than what you have access to when you are at home.
A third digital database for genealogical research is Heritage Quest Online. This
includes digital records through Missouri Digital Heritage as well as other Missouri
institutions including the Missouri State Library and the Missouri State Archives. I
searched for one family member on this site and came up with a dozen records with his
name! It took me directly to the page in the record where he was mentioned. Talk about
easy searching!
What do we have to look at in print while you’re in the library? We have binders of
information about our town organized by subjects such as Cameron history, Cameron schools, Cameron society, and Cameron businesses. We have plat maps and atlases of the local counties. We have local histories and local family histories as well. We have yearbooks dating back to 1909 as well as telephone directories dating back to 1917! We have a microfilm reader with access to decades of local newspapers that haven’t been digitized yet. And of course, with your library card you can access our public computers and free wi-fi to search any of your favorite genealogical websites. Mine include AmericanAncestors.org and the National Archives and Records Administration. Which sites are your favorites? Now you can add to that list!