Midwest Genealogy Center Building

The Midwest Genealogy Center opened in June 2008. The largest free-standing public genealogy library in the United States boasts 52,000 square feet of resources for family history researchers. Last year, over 118,000 patrons visited this library.

events/southern-plantation-records-antebellum-south

Southern Plantation Records in the Antebellum South

Were your ancestors southerners? If so, you might find information about them in plantation records - even if they didn't live on a plantation. Discover what plantation records are all about and where to find them.

Order No. 11 and the Civil War

Independent researcher and historian Tom Rafiner will try to answer the question of what happened to the families during the War leading up to and after Order No. 11, where they went and who came back.

Juneteenth Celebration

In cooperation with Mid-American Afro-American Genealogy Interest Coalition, Midwest Genealogy Center presents Juneteenth in February. Speakers include Lyle Gibson, Bill Curtis, Preston Washington, and Angela McComas.

Genealogy Blogs

Order No. 11 and the Civil War

The primary focus of this class is the stories and histories of the families living in Bates, Cass, Jackson, and Vernon counties in Missouri in 1860. Researcher and author Tom Rafiner will address the question of what happened to the families during the Civil War, leading up to and subsequent to Order No. 11, where they went and who came back home. 

Pre-registration is requested for this class which will be held on Thursday, February 16, 2012.

Angela M.
Midwest Genealogy Center

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Where Does This Lady Come From?

Perhaps I am due to explain to the customers and visitors of the Midwest Genealogy Center (MGC), as well as my colleagues in all branches, where I come from. After hearing my accent, many visitors of MGC have wondered, and some have even "dared" to ask me where I am from. They thought that it wasn’t a Spanish accent, so maybe it was Russian. No, my accent is Slovak. I come from a small, but lovely country in Central Europe called Slovakia, or officially the Slovak Republic. In the Slovak language, it would be Slovensko or Slovenska republika.

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New Copiers - Scan and Print

Announcing new state-of-the-art copiers in the Midwest Genealogy Center! These new copiers still do your standard 8½ x 11 black & white copies for 10¢ a page and black & white 8½ x 14 for 10¢, but what we are really excited about--now, we have color capability—for 50¢ per page.

You may also scan a document to a flash drive (also known as "thumb" drive); these scans do not cost anything since you are not generating any paper. You may also print from your flash drive for the above prices. However, you can only print PDF, TIFF, or JPG files.

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Heritage Scrapbooking Class

The first monthly Heritage Scrapbooking class was a rousing success! We had 27 scrapbookers ranging from the absolute-never-scrapbooked-before beginner to the nearly-professional. From the comments received, it seems that everyone had a great time, and there are already several people signed up for next month’s class. 

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Telephone Books and City Directories

Most people toss their old telephone books in the recycle bin and never give them a second thought. To a genealogist, however, any city directory is a valuable resource in locating people. A telephone book, which is an alphabetical listing of residents, is a type of directory familiar to most people. A city directory can be used to locate an ancestor between census years. It may also list a spouse or other family members living in the same town. Some directories give a person’s occupation. City directories often have a section that lists residents by street.&nb

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