Ohio Archives and Libraries

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Beginning Research

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Record Types

Adoption Bible Records Cemeteries Census Church Records Colonial Records Correctional Institutions Court Records Crime and Punishment Records Directories Divorce Records Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Land & Property Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Online Collections Periodicals Probate Records Schools and Education Records Substitute Records Substitute Records Taxation Vital Records Voter Records

Ohio Background

Biography Further Reading Gazetteers History Law & Legislation Maps Migration

Cultural Groups

African Americans Indigenous Peoples Cultural Groups Swedish American

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Find a FamilySearch center

United States Ohio Archives and Libraries

These repositories preserve sources, maintain indexes, and provide services to help genealogists document their ancestors who lived in Ohio.

Wiki Articles on Major Repositories in Ohio

Ohio History Connection · Ohio Genealogical Society · State Library of Ohio · Dayton Metro Library · Ohio University Alden Library · Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County · Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County · Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center · Toledo‑Lucas County Public Library · Western Reserve Historical Society · National Archives Great Lakes Region (Chicago) · Allen County Public Library · Newberry Library

Online Records of Ohio

Links to online databases and indexes that may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records. Ohio History Connection in Columbus Statewide Repositories Ohio History Connection 800 E. 17th Avenue Columbus, OH 43211 Telephone: 614-297-2510 Fax: 614-297-2546 E-mail: reference@ohiohistory.org Internet: Ohio History Connection Archives/Library Internet: Ohio Memory: a collaborative project of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio The Archives Division of the State History Connection of Ohio serves as the state archives and primarily collects manuscript records of the state, including government, land, and military records. Also has biographies, genealogies, and vital records. Andrea D. Lentz, and Sara S. Fuller, eds., A Guide to Manuscripts at the Ohio Historical Society (Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Historical Society, 1972). Digital version At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Film 1320571 Item 3; Book 977.1 A3ohs. Suzanne Wolfe Mettle, et al., comps. Genealogical Researcher's Manual with Special References for Using the Ohio Historical Society Library (Columbus, Ohio: Franklin County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society, 1981). At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Book 977.1 D27g.

Ohio Genealogical Society

611 State Route 97 West
Bellville OH 44813-8813
Telephone: (419) 886-1903
Fax: 419-886-0092
E-mail: ogs@ogs.org
Internet: Ohio Genealogical Society

They have the best collection of family folders in Ohio. They also have county record guides, biographies, genealogies and some unique indexes to various Ohio records.

State Library of Ohio

274 East First Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
Telephone: 614-644-7061
Fax: 614-644-7004
E-mail: refhelp@library.ohio.gov
Internet: State Library of Ohio
Internet: Ohio Memory: a collaborative project of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio

This collection contains good records of Ohio, and of states like Pennsylvania, New York, and the states of New England which all contributed early immigrants to Ohio.

The State Library of Ohio's genealogy collection is now housed at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. SLO still has the State of Ohio Government Documents Collection which may have genealogical content.

• Petta Khouw, and Ohio State Library, County by County in Ohio Genealogy (Columbus, Ohio: The State Library, 1978). Digital version. At various repositories (WorldCat; FHL Fiche 6046719; Book 977.1 D23o

Regional Repositories

OH Network of Amer Hist Res Centers

Ohio Network of American History Research Centers These regional history centers collect Ohio records such as newspapers, printed materials, and local government records:

• Ohio History Connection see above
• University of Akron Libraries
• University of Cincinnati Libraries see below
• Western Reserve Historical Society see below
• Wright State University Library see below
• Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor

An inventory of each center's holdings is: Ohio Historical Society, Abstract of Ohio County Inventory, 1803-1977. Columbus, OH: OHS, 1977. At various repositories (WorldCat).

Bowling Green State University Jerome Library

Bowling Green State Univ Jerome Libr

Bowling Green State University Jerome Library
Center for Archival Collections
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0001
Telephone: 419-372-2411
E-mail: archive@bgsu.edu
Internet: Center for Archival Collections
Internet: Historical Collections of the Great Lakes

Has manuscripts, the Historical Collection of the Great Lakes, Rare Books and Special Collections, and local records of nineteen counties in northwest Ohio.

Dayton Metro Library

Dayton Metro Library Main Branch

Main Branch
215 E. Third Street
Dayton, OH 45402
Telephone: 937-463-BOOK
E-mail: E-mail reference question form
Internet: Dayton Metro Library

The Dayton Room  has one of Ohio's best genealogical collections including books, periodicals, indexes, genealogies, and biographies.

Erie Lackawanna Hist Soc Archives

Erie Lackawanna Historical Society Archives
Cleveland State University
1860 East 22nd St, Rhodes Tower, RM 321A
Cleveland Ohio 44115-2214
Telephone: 216-687-2449, or 216-687-2520
E-mail: l.duchez@csuohio.eduCleveland
Internet: Erie Lackawanna Historical Society

History of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, Erie Railroad, Erie Lackawanna Railway and related lines. No employee records.

Ohio University Alden Library

Ohio University Alden Library in Athens

Ohio University, Archives and Special Collections
Athens, OH 45701-2978
Telephone: 740-593-2699
Fax: 740-593-2708
Internet: Archives and Special Collections
Internet: Alden Library

Their excellent manuscript collection includes church records, and business records. They also have county histories, biographies, and newspapers. It is like a second state archives.

Pub Libr of Cincinnati & Hamilton Co

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Public Libr of Cincinnati & Hamilton County

800 Vine Street
Cincinnati, OH, 45202
Telephone: 513-369-6900
E-mail: Ask a reference question form
Internet: Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

A top genealogy and local history collection of early Ohio sources. This includes the Inland Rivers Library  of the Ohio River and its tributaries (riverboat traffic between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Louisville, Kentucky) in Special Collections.

Pub Libr of Youngstown & Mahoning Co

Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County
305 Wick Ave.
Youngstown, OH 44503
Telephone: 330-744-8636
Reference Fax: 330-744-3355
E-mail: E-mail reference question form
Internet: Genealogy and Local History

They have a good solid genealogy collection with oral histories, state and county histories, biographies, and genealogies. Youngstown was a portal for immigrants from Pennsylvania and New England entering Ohio.

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

R B Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont

Spiegel Grove
Fremont, OH 43420-2796
Telephone: 800-998-7737, ext. 231
Fax: 419-332-4952
E-mail: bhill@rbhayes.org
Internet: Hayes Research Library

President Hayes' personal collection is strong on Ohio history, as well as Sandusky River and Great Lakes history, U.S. history and Black studies. The Hayes family history including many manuscripts are kept here.

Obitrary index Search index marriage notices, death notices and obituaries.

Toledo‑Lucas County Public Library

Toledo-Lucas County Public Library

Main Library
325 Michigan Street
Toledo, Ohio 43604
Telephone: genealogy 419-259-5233, or general 419-259-5200
Email: Contact us e-mail form
Internet: Local History and Genealogy

This is the place to come if you are looking for early Ohio settlers who entered Ohio via the Great Lakes and Toledo. They have Great Lakes traffic records.

University of Cincinnati Blegen Library

University of Cincinnati Blegen Library

Archives and Rare Books Library
P.O. Box 210113
2602 McMicken Circle
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0113
Telephone: 513-556-1959
Fax: 513-556-2113
E-mail: archives@ucmail.uc.edu
Internet: University of Cincinnati Archives Department

Cincinnati births and deaths 1865-1912, morgue records 1887-1930, German-Americana, urban studies, and the Ohio Network Collection.

Western Reserve Historical Society

10825 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106-1788
Telephone: 216-721-5722 x1509
Fax: 216-721-0645
E-mail: reference@wrhs.org
Internet: Family History and Genealogical Research

The Western Reserve was a large part of Ohio at first intended for settlement by Connecticut Revolutionary War refugees. The Research Library at the Western Reserve Historical Society History Center  is the premier repository for Cleveland, Ohio and the Connecticut Western Reserve  history material. This important collection includes original land records, as well as many genealogies, biographies, histories, and Bibles from Pennsylvania and New England. Includes over 20 million manuscripts for genealogical research and northeast Ohio history. They have the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Shaker materials. Other important collections include the American Civil War, and the automotive industry.

• Kermit J. Pike, A Guide to the Manuscripts and Archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland, Ohio: Western Reserve Historical Society, 1972). At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Book 977.1 A3p.
  
• Western Reserve Historical Society. History Library. Card Catalog to the Manuscripts Collection in the Library of the Western Reserve Historical Society (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974). At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Films 934566-69; 934617-18.

Wright State University Dunbar Library

Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton, OH 45435-0001
Telephone: 937-775-2092
Fax: 937-775-4109
E-mail: archives@www.libraries.wright.edu
Internet: Genealogy

Books, maps, census records, and other research materials for the eleven counties including churches, labor unions, businesses, social and welfare agencies, women's organizations, papers of private individuals and public officials, photos, published and unpublished family histories.

Ethnic and Religious Repositories

American Jewish Archives

Amererican Jewish Archives Marcus Center in Cincinnati

101 Clifton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45220
Telephone: 513-2211875
Fax 513-221-7812
Internet: Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

212 East Eighth Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Telephone: 513-621-2086
E-mail: Contact us
Internet: Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archive

Archives of Ohio United Methodists

Methodist Archives at Ohio Wesleyan University Beeghly Library in Delaware, Ohio

Ohio Wesleyan University Beeghly Library
43 Rowland Ave
Delaware, OH 43015
Telephone: 740-368-3285
E-mail: aoum@owu.edu
Internet: Archives of Ohio United Methodism

Irish American Archives Society

Collection at the Western Reserve Historical Society above.
Internet: Irish American Archives Society.

Mennonite Historical Collections

Bluffton University Mussellman Library
280 W College Ave
Bluffton, OH 45817
Telephone: 419-358-3251
Internet: Mennonite Historical Collections

Nat'l Underground Railroad Freedom Cntr

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Nat'l Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati

50 East Freedom Way
Cincinnati OH 45202-3913
Telephone: 513-333-7654
E-mail: OH_freedomcenter@ldsmail.net.
Internet: Genealogy at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is more a museum (few original manuscripts) than an archives. However, it has a Family History Center for ordering microfilms, and Ancestry.com access on the Internet.

Palatines to America German Gen Center

Palatines to America German Genealogy Society Resource Center
PO Box 141260
Columbus, Ohio 43214
Telephone: 614-267-4700
E-mail: Contact us e-mail form
Internet: Palatines to America German Genealogy Society

They have an extensive collection of German immigrant ancestor files. Their book collection is at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

Shakers

See the Western Reserve Historical Society above.

National Archives at Chicago, Illinois

Outside of Ohio Repositories

National Archives at Chicago

7358 S. Pulaski Rd.
Chicago, IL 60629-5898
Phone: (773)948-9001
Fax: (773)948-9050
E-mail: chicago.archives@nara.gov
Internet: http://www.archives.gov/chicago/

Includes federal censuses 1790–1930; selected military service indexes, pension indexes, passenger lists, and naturalizations. Free computers for Ancestry, Heritage Quest, or Fold3. Federal agency, civil, and criminal court records of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana

Allen County Public Library

900 Library Plaza
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
Telephone: 260-421-1225
E-mail: genealogy@acpl.info
Internet: Genealogy Center ACPL

This is the second-largest genealogy collection in the United States and the largest genealogy collection in a public library. Its holdings include more than 350,000 printed volumes and 513,000 items on microfilm and microfiche. It has a premier genealogical periodical collection, local histories, genealogies, databases, military, censuses, directories, passenger lists, ethnic sources, and Canadians. They have a great Ohio collection.

Newberry Library

Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois

60 West Waltron Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Telephone: 312-255-3512
Email: reference@newberry.org.

A large Chicago repository with genealogies, local histories, censuses, military, land, indexes, vital records, court, and tax records many from Ohio, the Mississippi Valley, eastern seaboard, Canada, and the British Isles.

Guides

• David R. Larson, ed., Guide to Manuscript Collections and Institutional Records in Ohio, ((S.l.) : Society of Ohio Archivists, 1974). At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Book 977.1 A34s.
• Paul D. Yon, Guide to Ohio County and Municipal Records for Urban Research. (Columbus, Ohio : Ohio Historical Society, 1973). At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Fiche 6051197; Book 977.1 A3.
• Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums, Directory of Museums, Historical Societies, and Associated Organizations in Ohio (Granville, Ohio : Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums, 1981). At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Book 977.1 C4.

Almost every county in Ohio has a branch of the OGS that actively collects, preserves, and publishes local records. There are many other societies in Ohio proactive in promoting research.

To find other repositories of Ohio records, see also:

• United States Archives and Libraries
• Ohio Societies.