Find Your Ancestors in GALILEO

Interested in learning about your ancestors? Ever wondered if you might have a famous (or infamous) person in your family tree?

The upcoming holidays may be the perfect opportunity to do a little family research. Asking family members about great grandparents and great-great grandparents and other family members they remember is a great place to start. With that information and some research, you can work your way back through time finding ancestors along the way. GALILEO offers several great genealogy and local history resources that can help as well.

Public libraries in Georgia offer several genealogy resources through GALILEO to help you research your family. Since all Georgia citizens have access to GALILEO through their public library, every person in Georgia has these genealogy resources at his or her fingertips.

First, get your GALILEO password from your public library or log in through your PINES account, and you will be able to access HeritageQuest Online from home. HeritageQuest Online includes census records, local histories, family histories, and more.

You will need to go to the library to be able to search Ancestry Library Edition, which includes military, immigration, census, court, birth, marriage, and death records as well as maps, images, obituaries, and much more. (This database is only available in the library due to licensing restrictions from the vendor.)

The Digital Library of Georgia includes over a million digital items on Georgia’s history and culture, including digitized books, photographs, newspapers, maps (including the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps), and more.

Find additional resources in the Genealogy and Georgia History and Culture sections of GALILEO.

Check with your local public library to see what additional genealogy and local history resources they may offer.

Image from Vanishing Georgia, a collection of the Digital Library of Georgia