NEW: County Atlas Family/Person Name Index Search
The NSHS library has a collection of over 500 county atlases or plat books. The approximate time period of these atlases and plat books is 1885 to the present. Of these estimated 500 atlases/plat books, 147 have been microfilmed (Nebraska Plat Books on Microfilm). These are mainly from 1885 to 1947, though not every county has an atlas for every year. We are always interested in donated copies to add to our collection for volumes not already here.A database (Nebraska Atlases/Plat Books) has been developed to give an accurate account of our holdings and to help researchers in verifying the existence of atlases/plat books for their years of interest. The researcher may input a county and will be given a listing of all the years we have coverage for that county.
County Atlas Directories The following information is given for most entries:
- the year
- the title of the atlas/plat book
- the name of the publisher
- a film column that will be marked with an X if it is on microfilm and if it is, the next column will give the roll number
- an original column that will be marked with an X if we have an original copy of the atlas/plat book (some atlases/plat books will be in original format and microfilm, some only on microfilm and others only in the original format)
- the original call number. The original call number is mainly for the use of the NSHS staff in determining location.
** NEW ** A database (County Atlas Name Index) has been compiled that allows researchers to locate name references within the various Nebraska county atlases that are on microfilm (see Nebraska Plat Books on Microfilm). The researcher may input a Family/Person Name, County, and/or Year of Publication and will be given a listing of all the matching name index entries.
If you entered... The search results would include... Family/Person Name: Stolley
County: Hall
Year of Publication: 1904All references to the last name "Stolley" in any "Hall" County Atlases with a publication year of "1904". Note that only one field is required for a search, if you don't know the County and/or Year of Publication leave those fields blank.
County Atlas Name Index Search The following information is given for each entry:
- Name
- County
- Year of Publication
- Page
- Notes (Township/Range and/or other Page Description)
- Microfilm Reel Number
Research for Hire from NSHS
The original atlases/plat books are not available for interlibrary loan. If an atlas/plat book is listed as being on microfilm, you can have your local library borrow the relevant film roll(s) through our interlibrary loan program.
If the atlas/plat book you wish to use is not available on interlibrary loan and you are unable to visit our facility to do research, you may write to our Reference Department and request a search of these atlases/plat books. The fee for this service is $10.00 per search (one name searched in one atlas/plat book) for Nebraska residents and members of the Nebraska State Historical Society, and $20.00 per search for non-residents who are not members of NSHS.
To request a search, send the appropriate fee, along with the name of the individual, county where he/she lived and, if possible, the township or address, as well as the directory year you wish searched, to Reference Department, Nebraska State Historical Society, P.O. Box 82554, Lincoln, NE 68501. Include your mailing address with your request.
REMINDER: The original atlases/plat books may not always have a name index, so a request without a township or at least an address may not be able to be completed. A limit of three separate searches may be sent at one time, but the fee accompanying the request for three searches must total three times the fee for a single search.
We will accept personal checks, money orders, MasterCard or Visa (send the following information: type of card, name as shown on card, card number, and expiration date).
Do Not Send Credit Card Information Via Email.
For general questions about our atlas/plat book holdings, you may email us at afaling@nebraskahistory.org. Email requests are routed through our regular mail system and are answered within two weeks. We will not accept requests for specific searches via email.
Nebraska State Historical Society Library/Archives
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 82554
Lincoln, NE 68501
Reference Room: 1500 "R" Street
Lincoln, NE 68508
Phone: 402-471-4751
FAX: 402-471-8922
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