Genealogy & Local History Research Help
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
1st & 3rd Friday of each month
September through May

The Local History Room at RHPL provides basic research materials for the beginning genealogist with an emphasis on Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township.

Unique materials in the RHPL collection include an Obituary File, Picture File, Oral History Tapes, Yearbooks, and an historic postcard collection. The postcard collection has been digitized and is a part of Greater Rochester History Online.

The library owns microfilm copies the U.S. census for Michigan for the years 1820-1930. Area residents may obtain other U.S. and Canadian census records through the inter-library loan process for genealogical research. RHPL also owns the Oakland County birth, death, and marriage records for the years from 1867-1920.

Many genealogy resources are available on the Internet. RHPL's list of Genealogy Resources is a good place to start.