Daughters of the American Revolution

We keep old issues of the Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine in the Lundberg Collection. Most of our issues date from the '60s and '70s but we do have some dating back to 1929!

These issues have valuable service information about Revolutionary War soldiers and histories from the Colonial Era. They also contain genealogical sources submitted by DAR members which include Bible records, grave transcriptions, wills, and general family histories.

Spratts from Maine by Gertrude Lundberg

Local genealogist, Gertrude Lundberg notably published several collections of cemetery records but she also wrote family histories. In Spratts from Maine written in 1968, Lundberg chronicles the Spratt family.

Mercy Ward Spratt, 1803-1879

The history begins with the story of George Spratt from Wexford County, Ireland who emigrated to America around 1760 and follows various family lines until 1968. Photographs and transcriptions of original documents complement the family trees.

In addition to basic familial facts, Lundberg includes relevant social history and interesting anecdotes about the family. She adds traditions and family lore to the story: George Spratt supposedly survived a shipwreck on his way to America. There is also an early history of Maine and an account of the towns of China and Palermo where the Spratt family settled. Lundberg includes maps and diagrams of the family's properties and the surrounding areas.

This is a very nice example of how to write and research a succinct, well-documented but still interesting family history.

New England Women

For Women's History Month, read about some exemplary 19th century women from New England.

Sketches of Representative Women of New England edited by Julia Ward Howe and published in 1904 features biographies of prominent New England women.

These women were philanthropists, writers, doctors, lawyers, and teachers. The sketches describe the roles these women played in society and highlight their many achievements. Of interest to the genealogist, the entries also detail family histories including the names of parents, spouses and children. They also contain important dates, addresses, and occasionally photographs.

The women highlighted here feature a variety of accomplishments and come from relatively diverse backgrounds. Fascinating reading for those interested in women's history!

Mayflower Descendants

Do you have Mayflower ancestors? The General Society of Mayflower Descendants can help you find them. The Society was founded in 1897 and strives to publish authoritative genealogical information about the Pilgrims and their descendants.

The Genealogy & Local History Room contains a few publications from the Society of Mayflower Descendants including the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Illinois. We have three editions in the Lundberg Collection: 1925, 1947, and 1962.

These volumes list members of the Society living in Illinois and includes their genealogies back to passengers on the Mayflower.

The books also include histories of the pilgrims and information about the Illinois chapter of the Society of Mayflower Descendants.

Northfield Permits to Bury

The Lundberg Collection contains many unique items including much of Gertrude Lundberg's own research. Ms. Lundberg was interested in the history of the Glenview area and in the genealogy of many of its founding families. She was especially enthusiastic about documenting local cemetery records.

Ms. Lundberg made a record of Burial Permits for Northfield Township which can be found with many of her other projects in the Lundberg Archives Box 1. Northfield Township established their burial permit system on March 14, 1903. The records were kept with the township clerk until July 2, 1916 when Cook County began issuing their own burial permits.

These permits contain information about people who died in Northfield Township but not everyone listed in these records was buried in the area. You can search through Ms. Lundberg's transcriptions of the permits or you can search for early Glenview family burial records online with Glenview Family Trees.

Illinois at Vicksburg

The Battle of Vicksburg began on May 18, 1863 and culminated with Vicksburg surrendering on July 4. Ulysses S. Grant's military campaign was one of the major successes of the Civil War. In 1906, The Vicksburg Military Park dedicated a memorial to the service of Illinois volunteers who participated in that campaign.

The Lundberg Collection contains the book Illinois at Vicksburg which was printed to commemorate the dedication of the Illinois State Memorial at Vicksburg.

Illinois at Vicksburg describes Grant's campaign in detail and the aftermath of the siege. The volume also contains information about each Illinois regiment that served at Vicksburg. Each entry includes the regiment's history, its role in the battle and a roster of soldiers.

It's an interesting resource for anyone with Illinois ancestors who fought in the Civil War!

The Pennsylvania Archives

The Genealogy & Local History Room has an extensive Illinois genealogy collection but we have interesting resources for other states too. For example, we have eight volumes from the Pennsylvania Archives.

The Pennsylvania Archives is a multi-volume collection of letters, documents, and records pertaining to the colony and early state of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Legislature decided to publish these records in 1835. There are 138 volumes in the entire reference set. Glenview has eight volumes from the second series.

The most useful volume in this series is Volume II: Pennsylvania Marriage Licenses Prior to 1790. The editors explain colonial marriage laws and lists about forty years worth of marriages registered with the colony.

Volume II also contains foreign protestants naturalized in Pennsylvania, 1740-1773; officers and soldiers, 1744-1764; and ship registers, 1762-1776 (unfortunately, this only lists the ship name, the date of entry, and the ship master's name). There are some miscellaneous colonial documents and papers within this volume too.                                                      

The other volumes we own include:

• Vol I - Minutes of the Board of War March 14, 1777 - August 7, 1777
• Documents relating to military campaigns; also includes navy muster rolls, militia members, and British prisoner lists 
• Vol III - Persons Who Took Oath of Allegiance to the State 1776 - 1794, 
• Lists of men who supported the Revolution and papers relating to the war 
• Vol IV - Papers of the Whiskey Insurrection of Western Pennsylvania 1794 
• Vol V - Papers Relating to Colonies on the Delaware 1614 - 1682 
• Early colonial records and letters; also includes lists of early settlers
• Vol VI - Papers Relating to French Occupation of Western Pennsylvania 
• French colonial records
• Vol VII - Papers Relating to Provincial Affairs - 1682-1750 
• Letters between early colonial officials and documents pertaining to Swedish and Dutch settlements
• Vol XVIII - Documents Relating to the Connecticut Settlement in Wyoming Valley
• Includes lists of early land owners in the Wyoming Valley

This is an important series if you're researching colonial Pennsylvania ancestors!

Chicago: The Wonder City

We have many books about the history of Chicago in the Genealogy & Local History Room but one of our more unique histories is Chicago: The Wonder City.

Written and published in 1893 by Eugen Seeger, this book highlights the city's achievements and promotes the Columbian Exhibition. Unlike some of our other Chicago histories, this book does not focus on biographies of wealthy Chicagoans but instead examines the city's rapid rise and it's place in United States history. There is a detailed section on the Chicago Fire, anarchists' plots and politics, and Seeger discusses Chicago's cultural life as well.

There are some great photos and illustrations of the city's architecture and some nice bits of historical trivia. A genealogist may be interested in Seeger's description of the waves of immigration to the city and how each ethnic group has contributed to the success of Chicago.

Overall, it's a great snapshot of Chicago in 1893.

Searching for early American colonists

During the Thanksgiving holiday season, we often think about the first colonists in America.

Searching for your early colonial ancestors can be tough though. There are few online resources or digitized records for colonial genealogy research but here are a few books from our collection that can help with your search:

• The Original Lists of Persons of Quality, 1600-1700 by John Camden Hotten (online resource)
• Passenger and Immigration Lists Bibliography, 1538-1900 by William P. Filby 
• A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May 1692, on the Basis of Farmer’s Register by James Savage 
• New England Marriages Prior to 1700 by Clarence Almon Torrey
• Dutch Colonists in the Americas, 1615-1815 by David Dobson
• A List of Emigrants from England to America, 1718-1759 by Jack Kaminkow

These are only a few resources in our collection. We have early vital records, passenger lists, and local histories for specific colonies too. We also have records on Mayflower and Jamestown ancestors.

And don't forget to look in the Lundberg periodical collection. Many early records and town histories are transcribed by local historical and genealogical societies and published in their journals and newsletters.

The History and Achievements of the Fort Sheridan Officers' Training Camps

Veterans Day may have passed but the Genealogy & Local History collection has great resources to honor veterans year round.

One interesting book in the Lundberg Collection is about nearby Fort Sheridan: The History and Achievements of the Fort Sheridan Officers' Training Camps published in 1920 by the Fort Sheridan Association.

The book is an excellent resource for learning about how the army prepared its soldiers during World War I. It's also a neat bit of area history and should definitely be consulted if you're researching WWI ancestors who may have been stationed at Fort Sheridan.




The History and Achievements of Fort Sheridan details how the soldiers prepared for war, gives the full schedule of each week of training camp, describes how the men entertained themselves, and what some officers accomplished during the war.

It's also incredibly well illustrated with photographs of the soldiers during training and also goofing off.

There is a very nice (and sadly very long) section of photos and short biographies of all of the men from Fort Sheridan who died while fighting in WWI.

The book also includes a full roster of every man who trained at Fort Sheridan during World War I. I found two men from Glenview in the ranks:

A.W. Burnham

Alvin G. Gyllenhaal

Teddy Roosevelt visits the troops at Fort Sheridan

The Lundberg Collection includes many interesting military histories particularly from the Civil War. The collection even houses military rosters, records and pensions from states across the country. Drop by the Genealogy & Local History Room to research the veterans in your family!

Oldest Book in Lundberg Collection

This Army Register from 1815 is the oldest material in our collection. It is on the shelf with other army rregisters in the Lundberg Collection in the library's Genealogy & Local History Room..

This 14 page pamphlet listing names, rank, date of appointment, brevet and former commissions, and remarks for general staff, corps of engineers regiment of light artillery, corps of artillery, and first through eighth regiments infantry.

A photocopy was made by Mrs. Lundberg years ago. The original booklet is in an archival sleeve to keep it safe. Mrs. Lundberg attached a note that says, "Please do not remove these originals - use duplicates found xeroxed, same folder."

Kentucky Ancestors

If you have Kentucky ancestors, you might enjoy reading Kentucky Ancestors.

An Online Table of Contents tells you what is in every issue..

If a certain article appeals to you, you can read it online at the Kentucky Ancestors Archives...or borrow it through Interlibrary Loan...or see if it is in one of our Lundberg Collection copies of Kentucky Ancestors in the Genealogy & Local History Room.

Encyclopedia of German-American Genealogical Research

The Glenview Public Library owns a Reference copy of this wonderful book, call number R929.30942 SMI GENEALOGY

The Encyclopedia of German-American Genealogical Research, published by Clearfield, is still the best book available on German-American genealogy.

The emphasis is on research in America, with special focus on immigration records, German ethnic religious bodies in America, and manuscript and published source materials, both in America and Germany.

One of the most important parts of the book is the section on the "Locations of German-Speaking Congregations in the United States, 1906," based on a federal religious census of the time. This census gives considerable data on a number of the larger German-speaking denominations, enabling the genealogical researcher to establish the county in which German congregations were located.

The encyclopedia provides American researchers with background material on German customs, sociological stratification, governmental organization, and ethnographic considerations having a bearing on immigrant ancestors.

It also contains a section on genealogy in Germany, with emphasis on land records, state vital records, court records, census records, municipal records, and church records. There is a detailed breakdown of the sovereign territories of Germany and a history of the organization of the Holy Roman Empire.

Moreover, there is a section on language and names and one on heraldry, with a final section on German published sources.

The Lundberg Collection

We are proud of the Lundberg Collection, a special collection of more than 300 books, periodicals, original genealogies, local histories and microfilms donated to the library by Mrs. Gertrude Lundberg and her family, who were professional genealogists.

Her books are kept in a locked case. In order to use them, patrons need to leave a library card or ID with the librarian.

Mrs. Lundberg developed her own classification system in order to arrange her books and magazines for maximum usefulness to genealogists.

The Lundberg Genealogy Periodicals, shelved on the south-east wall of the Reference Room, are arranged according to this classification system, which is based on migration patterns.

There is an un-cataloged part of the Collection, for which you need to ask the Reference Librarian / Genealogy Specialist.

Mrs. Lundberg also donated her original genealogical research on specific families, and owned some published genealogies about them. If you are researching these lineages, you may ask to see them by filling out a Locked Case Form and leaving your I.D. at the Reference Desk.

To see a list of titles and call numbers in the Lundberg Collection, click on the link below. You can also search the GPL catalog under subject heading "Lundberg Collection," as well as by author, title, or keyword of specific books.