Ancestry

Ancestry produces what is often considered the preeminent genealogical database. In addition to fully indexed census records of all US census years, Ancestry contains thousands of other databases, including ship's records, banking records, vital statistics, and many, many more. 

NOTE:  According to Ancestry's licensing agreement, Ancestry is accessible from within the Lake Oswego Public Library building.  

To access:

1. From within the Lake Oswego Public Library building, visit Ancestry for LO


2. You may use the database without signing in (unless you already have a sign-in and would like to use it)


3. Enjoy unlimited access!

What is the difference between Ancestry.com and the Ancestry Library Edition?

Ancestry.com is designed for the individual so there is a lot of personalized functionality and there are personalized options available to individual subscribers that are not available on our institutional sites.

The following is a list of the major features and functionality that Ancestry.com subscribers have available that are not included in the institutional versions of Ancestry:

Family Trees Tab
This section of the site has many great ways to share and manage all the great information you find at Ancestry.com including the ability to upload photos, documents and add stories about ancestors into Personal and Public Member Trees.

Collaborate Tab
Browse or search millions of messages on thousands of surname, locality and topic-centric boards to connect and learn from long lost relatives and newfound friends. Use the Member Directory to search for other members of the Ancestry community who have common family history interests.

Store Tab
Buy your favorite Ancestry and other genealogical materials including Ancestry.com's The Source, Redbook, Printed Sources< and more!

Additionally, there are certain databases that are available on Ancestry.com, that are NOT available on Ancestry Library Edition (ALE):

■Family Trees
■Historical Newspaper Collection
■Family and Local History Collection
■Obituary Collection
■Periodical Source Index (PERSI)
■Filby's Passenger and Immigration Lists Index (PLI)
■Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI)
■Freedman's Bank Records