Local History & Genealogy

Ida Public Library’s Local History & Genealogy collection is the best place to start your Boone County and Belvidere genealogy and local history research.

Planning Your Visit:

Visitors are welcome to come and use the local history and obituary collection, however not all materials are available without staff assistance.  If you are traveling from a long distance or need research help, it is advised that you call ahead for a local history appointment.

Contact: 815-544-3838
Localhistory@idapubliclibrary.org

Research Requests:

If you cannot visit the library, our staff is willing to assist you with your local history and genealogy research questions. You can contact us by mail, phone, or completing this Find Your Past form.

Donations:

We are always looking for donations of records relating to Boone County history and families. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Local History staff.

Our Collection Includes:
Boone County Resources
  • Access to Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest.com
  • Boone County Research Files
  • Cemetery Indexes
  • Church Records
  • City Directories
  • Limited Deed and Mortgage info on microfilm
  • Family history books
  • High School yearbooks
  • Local history and genealogy reference books
  • Military records
  • Local Newspapers, 1849-1977 on newspapers.com accessible in the library (1977-2022 on microfilm)
  • Obituary collection
  • Vital records  (on microfilm)
Available Yearbooks
Due to copyright regulations, only yearbooks from 1912 to 1926 are available online. However, the library has yearbooks from 1926-current years available for use in the library. An ID will need to be provided at the circulation desk when requesting a yearbook and the yearbooks may not leave the library. Please call the library or email Local History for more information.
Many more resources are available, so please contact us for more information.