Meyers Orts: Gazetteer of the German Empire

The gazetteer Meyers Geographical and Commercial Gazetteer of the German Empire (Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs) is the best place to locate place names when doing German research.

Compiled in 1912, this gazetteer includes all areas that belonged to the German Empire prior to World War I. You can find more than 210,000 place names in Meyers Orts.

Meyers Orts describes each town and the civil and religious jurisdictions it belongs to. This information should help you decide where to locate records for your ancestors. Each entry the gazetteer may include the following:

• Name of place 
• Place type 
• Name of state
• Government district 
• Population 
• Post Office and other Communications information 
• Railroad information 
• Courts 
• Consulate 
• Embassy 
• Churches 
• Schools 
• Institutes 
• Military 
• Financial 
• Business Institutions 
• Trades and Industries 
• Shipping Traffic 
• Local government services 
• Dependent Places

The Glenview Library has a physical copy of Meyers Orts in the Genealogy & Local History Room. You can also search the gazetteer online.

America Goes to War: WWI Draft Registration Cards

Join us this Sunday at 2 PM for a discussion of the Selective Service Act of 1917 at the Glenview History Center.

Twenty-four million men registered for the draft. Discover their stories and learn how you can find your WWI ancestors!

European Genealogy

Are you wondering how to get started researching in Europe? Join us Tuesday at 2 PM for our class on European Genealogy. We'll cover the basic process for researching ancestors in Europe and how to find European sources.

Register online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500.

Jackman Bear's 100th Birthday!

This Sunday, we're celebrating the Jackman Bear's 100th birthday. Entertainment and refreshments will be held in Jackman Park from 1:30-2:30.

Most of Glenview's residents attended the Bear Fountain's dedication on September 15, 1917. Edward Jackman originally commissioned the fountain to service the needs of horses, humans, and small animals.

You can learn more about Jackman Bear here and visit the library on Tuesday night to hear Glenview historian Beverly Dawson discuss what life was like in Glenview in 1917.

So You've Found Your German Town of Origin, Now What?

Join us this Saturday at 1 PM for a program on German research.

Finding your ancestor's town of origin can be exciting. Once this piece of information is found, you might be left wondering how to get records from the other side of the ocean. Teresa Steinkamp McMillin focuses on how to get records for German towns.

Highlights include:

• Verifying the location of the town 
• Strategies for identifying misspelled town names 
• Finding historical jurisdictions for that town 
• Finding records for that town 
• Useful aids for reading those records 
• Tips for hiring a professional genealogist in Germany

Register for the program online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500. Presented in partnership with the North Suburban Genealogical Society.