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 "Adults" group.
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Digital Lab
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Classes and Workshops, Digital Lab
About this event::
This year the Tompkins County Public Library's Digital Lab will host the Tompkins Area VITA - Free Tax Preparation Service.  This service is available to low-income residents of Tompkins and Cortland Counties, and is completely free as long as y...
This event is in the "Adults" group.
This event is in the "Teens" group.

Makerspace One-on-One

3:00pm - 4:00pm
Waitlist
Registration
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Makerspace
Age Group: Adults, Teens
Program Type: Classes and Workshops, Makerspace, One-on-One Appointments
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 0
About this event::
What do you want to make? Register for a one-on-one session in the makerspace with Library Assistant Josh to use our laser cutter, 3-D printer, or Cricut.  Sessions are one hour and a maximum of two people are allowed in the makerspace a...
This event is in the "Families" group.
This event is in the "Kids" group.
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Thaler/Howell Programming Room
Age Group: Families, Kids
Program Type: STEAM, Other
About this event::
TCPL invites families to a weekly LEGO build night! Buckets of LEGO will be provided for participants to borrow for their builds. Participants will also have the opportunity to display their creations in the Youth Services section for one week. ...
This event is in the "Teens" group.

Teen Creative Writing Workshop

5:30pm - 6:30pm
Online
Registration
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Schwarz Jacobson Meeting Room
Age Group: Teens
Program Type: Writing
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 0
About this event::
Love to write your own stories? Have ideas for your own characters and worlds, or an interest in writing fanfiction? Join Adrienne Raw for a Teen Creative Writing Workshop! Adrienne is a SUNY Cortland Assistant Professor of Professional Writing. She ...
This event is in the "Adults" group.

Makerspace Open Hours

5:30pm - 7:30pm
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Makerspace
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Arts & Crafts, Makerspace
About this event::
Drop-in open hours, no registration required. Come for a short tour, or stay and work on a project - we have lots of art supplies and ideas to get you making! Visit the Makerspace to use the laser cutter, 3-D printer, Cricut, or sewing/embroidery ...
This event is in the "Adults" group.

Technology Help One-on-One

12:00pm - 1:00pm
Waitlist
Registration
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Digital Lab
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Digital Lab, One-on-One Appointments, Technology Class
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 0
About this event::
Book a volunteer technology tutor for help with one of the following: - basic computer questions, such as using email, navigating the internet, or finding your files. - learning to navigate your ereader, phone or tablet. One topic on one dev...
This event is in the "Adults" group.

Technology Help One-on-One

1:00pm - 2:00pm
Full
Registration
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Digital Lab
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: Digital Lab, One-on-One Appointments, Technology Class
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 0
About this event::
Book a volunteer technology tutor for help with one of the following: - basic computer questions, such as using email, navigating the internet, or finding your files. - learning to navigate your ereader, phone or tablet. One topic on one dev...
This event is in the "Adults" group.
This event is in the "Teens" group.

3-D Printing One-on-One

4:00pm - 5:00pm
Waitlist
Registration
Library Branch: Tompkins County Public Library
Room: Makerspace
Age Group: Adults, Teens
Program Type: Makerspace, One-on-One Appointments, Technology Class
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 0
About this event::
Interested in 3-D printing and want to learn more?  Join volunteer George in TCPL’s makerspace for a tutorial session on how to get started!  Participants will learn the basics: how our 3-D printers work, how to acquire the files needed to ...