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Genealogy Collection

Founded on elements within Adolph Sutro's original collection, Sutro Library's genealogical and local history collection was formalized with the donation of the private library of Berkeley resident Henry Byron Phillips (5 Jun 1850 – 22 Nov 1924). Mr. Phillips, who was the president of the International Genealogical Federation, organized the International Congress of Genealogy held during the 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. The collection has since grown to include:

• 18,000 telephone and city directories
• 4,000 family histories
• Local histories
• Vital, tax, voting, and property records
• Military and business registries
• Periodicals from over seventy surname associations and historical and genealogical societies
• Daughters of the American Revolution publications
• Foreign language materials
• An extensive collection of guides, handbooks, surname and local history card files, indexes, dictionaries, finding aids, glossaries, and bibliographies for domestic and international research as well as historical and cultural reference material (publications related to history, travel, customs, costume, art, etc.)