Emerson Adds $1 Million to $18M Goal for Genealogical Library

Emerson, a manufacturing and technology company based in St. Louis, will donate $1 million toward a genealogical library to be built in Chesterfield.

Monsanto, with offices in Chesterfield, donated $250,000 toward the same project in November.

The Center for Family History is a project of the St. Louis County Library Foundation. The capital campaign goal totals $18 million. The Foundation has reached more than two-thirds of its goal.

Foundation spokespersons said Emerson's funding would be used for a 350-seat auditorium.

“Emerson is committed to the development of the Center and the strong connection to history that it will foster,” said Pat Sly, Emerson’s executive vice president.

Monsanto's donation was to be matched dollar-for-dollar by a private donor, for a total of a half-million dollars. It was to be used to create a family garden at the new center.

"The Center is being built to house the exceptional genealogy collection of St. Louis County Library," according to Barbara Turkington, the Assistant Director for Advancement for St. Louis County Library. The collection has more than 80,000 items.

The facility is planned for 57,000 square feet in size. Sachs Properties provided six acres near the corner of Baxter and Wild Horse Creek Roads, just west of Chesterfield Mall.

“This grant from Emerson will go a long way in supporting the development of the Center," Turkington said.

St. Louis County Library's collection of genealogical resources includes over 100 rare Yizkor books memorializing destroyed Jewish communities in Europe, a list of Holocaust victims, the Julius K. Hunter African American Research Collection, and the St. Louis Genealogy Society collection.

The new family history center will incorporate a large auditorium and a smaller area for special events, weddings and family reunions. It will house a "Hall of Families" capturing the spirit and legend of companies and individuals throughout the Midwest.

There are plans to break ground on the Center in 2012.

The St. Louis County Library Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization, which generates and is funded exclusively by private gifts and donations. The Center for Family History is a project of the Foundation, entirely funded by private contributions. For more information about the Center for Family History or to view drawings of the building, please visit the St. Louis County Library Foundation website.