Research Resources

The Legal Genealogist, created by Judy G. Russell, is a genealogy blog that explains the legal concepts, records, and terminology that are essential to family history research. Articles cover topics such as court records, land records, probate, citizenship, military records, DNA, copyright, evidence, and research methodology, helping genealogists better understand the legal context in which historical records were created.

Lincoln City Libraries offers a wide variety of genealogy resources, including published indexes, cemetery records, college yearbooks, local histories, biographical works, and other specialized research materials. Researchers will find resources such as Alba-Brown Mortuary Records (1921–1965), Alphabetical Index of Rural Residents and Family Members as Listed in the Atlas of Lancaster County, Nebraska (1921), Cemeteries in Lancaster County, Nebraska (8 volumes), College Yearbooks (Cornhusker, Coyote, Golden Cord, Plainsman, Sombrero, and others), Golden Weddings of Nebraskans (1930–1970), Guide to the Ghosts of Lincoln, The Hickman-Enterprise Index (1901–1903), An Index to the Early Marriage Records of Lancaster County (1866–1906), An Index to Selected Information from the Lincoln Evening News (1903–1905), Index for the Plat Book of Lancaster County (1903), Lincoln City Guide (1937), Pen and Sunlight Sketches of Lincoln (1892), Perkey's Nebraska Place Names, Portrait and Biographical Album of Lancaster County, Nebraska (1888), Sunday Journal and Star Issues Historical Index for Lincoln Centennial (1970), Who's Who in Lincoln (1928), Who's Who in Nebraska (1940 and 1976), and Wyuka Cemetery: A Driving & Walking Tour by Ed Zimmer.

The Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors preserves books by and about Nebraska authors, including local histories, along with unpublished manuscripts, correspondence, biographical and career files, photographs, audio and video recordings, original artwork, and other memorabilia documenting the lives and creative work of Nebraska writers. These collections provide valuable historical and biographical context for researchers interested in Nebraska people, communities, and history.

The Local History Center at Bennett Martin Public Library features materials with a focus on Nebraska history, and Lincoln in particular. Genealogists will find Lincoln City Directories on microfilm dating back to 1873, often called the "annual census" because they help track individuals between federal census years through addresses, occupations, and other valuable information. The Local History Center also provides access to digitized Lincoln Public Schools yearbooks, offering photographs, student activities, and other details that help bring family history to life.

Lincoln City Libraries provides access to online genealogy resources that can help you research your family history. Ancestry Library Edition, available for on-site use at the library, includes billions of census, vital, military, immigration, and other historical records. MyHeritage Library Edition provides access to historical records, newspapers, and family trees from around the world. ArchiveGrid helps researchers locate archival collections, family papers, photographs, church records, manuscripts, and other unique historical materials held by libraries, museums, and archives worldwide.

Lincoln City Libraries maintains several unique research collections at Bennett Martin Public Library. The Vertical File Collection contains more than 1,300 subject files of newspaper clippings and other materials, primarily from Lincoln newspapers dating from the 1930s through the 1990s. Researchers can also access a special collection of newspaper clippings related to Air Force Base Lincoln. Those interested in the Charles Starkweather case will find two additional specialized collections: the Starkweather-Fugate Press Clippings (1958–1973) on microfilm and the Starkweather Clippings Box, an indexed collection of photocopied newspaper articles from Lincoln, Omaha, and other sources.

Historic Preservation is a City of Lincoln resource for researching the history of homes and historic properties in Lincoln and Lancaster County. Researchers will find links to historic property surveys, historic building permit cards, interactive maps, National Register and local landmark information, and other resources for documenting the history of a property.

This animated map illustrates lawful permanent immigration to the United States from 1820 through 2013. Created by Metrocosm using data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, each dot represents 10,000 immigrants, showing how immigration patterns and countries of origin changed over nearly two centuries.

The National Library of Scotland provides free access to more than 400,000 high-resolution historical maps of the United Kingdom and beyond. Researchers can search by place, compare historical and modern maps using interactive overlays, and view Ordnance Survey maps, town plans, county maps, military maps, estate maps, and other historical cartographic collections dating from the 16th century to the present.

Maps of U.S. provides interactive maps showing the formation of U.S. states and changes to county boundaries from 1617 to the present. The site also includes historical maps, state atlases, county maps, and links to additional map collections. It is a valuable resource for identifying historical jurisdictions, changing political boundaries, and the locations where ancestral records may have been created.