History, Biography & Genealogy Databases

Ancestry.com Library Edition
Use this genealogy and family history database to search for census records, birth and death records, marriage records, passenger lists and more. This database can only be used while in the library. 

Connecticut Digital Collections

Hartford Courant Historical – 1764-1922
Search the earliest years of the Courant for articles and images that relate Connecticut and national history.

Heritage Quest
Search U.S. federal censuses, family and local histories, and primary-source documents such as tax lists, city directories, and probate records. Materials date back to the 1700s.

History Reference Center 

Free Internet Links You Might Want to Try:

Cyndi’s List of Sites
A categorized & cross-referenced index to genealogical resources on the Internet.

Ellis Island Records
Ships’ registers from 1892-1924.

Family Search
Access to the Mormon Church’s vast database with step-by-step research guidance on searching for your ancestors.

Roots Web
This site contains extensive interactive guides and numerous research tools for tracing family histories.

American Memory
American Memory is a gateway to source material relating to the history and culture of the United States.

Best of History
The Best of History website contains links to over 800 history-oriented online resources in a wide range of categories.

Connecticut History Illustrated
Connecticut History Illustrated brings together the Connecticut history-related digital resources of libraries, archives, museums, galleries, historical societies and other cultural heritage institutions in Connecticut. It contains material as varied as the history of the state, from documents to images, from maps to audio and video covering the entire spectrum of work, play, and life in Connecticut.

History Place
Independently published site devoted to "a fact-based, common sense approach in the presentation of the history of humanity."

Smithsonian Institute 
Interesting and diverse history and culture links at the Smithsonian Institute’s website.

Biographies from Infoplease.com
Find biographies by category or name.

Biography.com
More than 25,000 biographies from the A&E TV Network

USA.gov
Learn more about your ancestors from government records: national and state archives, the census, immigration and naturalization records, passenger ship arrivals, vital documents, land records, veterans gravesite locators, prison records, and much more.

Dead or Alive
"Ever wanted to know if a famous person was dead or alive? This site will help you find your answer. Famous (and semi-famous) people from various walks of life - entertainment, politics, sports, music, law, ... and others" ... are listed.