Rochester Public Library

Rochester (NY) Public Library’s Local History & Genealogy Division holds the largest single collection of materials about the history of Rochester and surrounding areas. Our 500+ cubic feet of special collections includes more than 10,000 photographs and postcards, 3,000 maps, 2,000 school yearbooks, 350 scrapbooks, a trade catalog collection representing more than 200 local businesses, a variety of ephemera and pamphlet collections, a curated newspaper clippings collection, microfilm of local newspapers dating back to the early 1800s, and city and suburban directories from 1827 to the present, as well as a wealth of genealogy books, indexes, journals, databases, and other family history resources. Highlights include original issues of Frederick Douglass’ anti-slavery newspaper, The North Star, records of the Rochester Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, and personal papers of luminaries such as Susan B. Anthony and Nathaniel Rochester. Many of these materials have been digitized and are available through the library’s website.