FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject Ohio Tasks-Societies
WikiProject Ohio 
Wiki Project Ohio Tasks - Societies
Description[edit | edit source]
The purpose of this task is to find the genealogical and historical societies located in a county and list their contact information, website, collections and databases for family history research.
New to the wiki?
- Call FamilySearch at 866-406-1830 in North America for live help.
- See Help to request individual mentoring or to join community discussions.
- See Editing Help – Online Video Demonstration.
- See Editing Articles – Online Class.
Questions about editing this project?
You may wish to print these instructions before you begin editing.
To Print:
- Go to the top right-hand corner of the page within the the white area.
- Locate the word Print or the icon of a printer.
- Print.
Instructions[edit | edit source]
1. Check the Assignment Chart below to choose a county to
2. Sign up on the Assignment Chart to accept the task. Sign-up instructions are posted with the Assignment Chart below.
3. Open a new Internet browser page and search the following websites:
- Cyndi's List
- Epodunk Browse appropriate county profile for historical societies
- Google Type in the search box "Genealogical Society [county name and state]" or "Historical Society [county name and state]"
- Google "[county name and state] genealogy blog" then scan the blog for mention of any societies for that county
- US GenWeb
- Cyndi's List
You are looking for county societies and information about them. See step
4. In conjunction with the Internet, for Internet addresses you may want to consult:
- Elizabeth Petty Bentley, Genealogy Address Book (Genealogical Publishing Company: Baltimore, Maryland, 2009) .
5. If you find county society information,
- You may add information to the county page by editing in rich text or wikitext.
- If you are new to the wiki, rich text may be easier for you to use.
- If you have questions about editing (such as rich text or wiktext), go to wiki help links under the heading Description.
6. If you do not find any societies, your task is complete.
7. Mark the Assignment Chart below to indicate you have finished the task.
5. Return to the FamilySearch Wiki Project Ohio. Click on your chosen county name in the Assignment Chart. This will take you to your county page.
6. Scroll to the heading Repositories.
7. Scroll to the section Societies within Repositories.
3. For each county society you find, add the following:
- Name of the society
- Address
- phone number
- email
4. If the society has a website, add the link to the name of the society. See the example below. If there is no website link, bold the name of the society.
4. Add one or two sentences that discuss the strengths and peculiarities of the databases or collections of the society. Be sure to include information regarding a periodical or newsletter for the society.
5.You may also wish to include the following:
- Rules for using the collection
- Copy policies
- Research help
- Cost of entrance
6. If you copy a link and add it to the county page, make sure the link works. Do not add any broken links.
7. Please cite at least one source for each item you add. See Mahoning County for examples. See also
- FamilySearch Wiki:Verifiable policy page
- Help:How to add citations instruction page
- FamilySearch Wiki:Source Citation Formats guidelines,
7. You do not need to add state level societies to county pages.
Heading Example[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Mahoning County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 9333
Youngstown, Ohio 44513-9333
E-mail: MCCOGS@zoominternet.net
The society has volunteers at the courthouse each Thursday 8am to 3pm; located in the Marriage Dept in the basement. Society members also volunteer at the Main Library Thursdays 1–4.
Mahoning Valley Historical Society
648 Wick Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44502-1289
Phone: 330–743-2589
mvhs@mahoninghistory.org
Genealogical collections: The MVHS Archival Library. Original probate and civil court records 1846–1900 for Mahoning County. Collection includes diaries, Bibles, photographs, fraktur, manuscripts, deeds, wills, maps, architectural and mechanical drawings, ledgers, county and local government records, and church records.
Complete Section Example[edit | edit source]
Resource Repositories[edit | edit source]
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Probate Court
Mahoning County Court House
120 Market Street
Youngstown, OH 44503
330-740-2310
MCProbate@mahoningcountyoh.gov
Genealogical Resources: County marrige records; Births and Deaths 1864–1908; Guardianship; Will and estates (Wills are on film–originals are at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.)
Mahoning County Recorder's Office
Mahoning County Court House
120 Market Street
Youngstown, OH 44503
330-740-2345
npalermo@mahoningcountyoh.gov
Genealogical Resources: Land and deeds; grave registrations; soldier's discharges after 1864.
Mark the envelope of your requests with Probate Office or Recorder's Office
Mahoning County Clerk of Courts
Mahoning County Court House
120 Market Street
Youngstown, OH 44503
330-740-2104
Original civil court files 1846–1900 are housed at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers (FHCs) are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources for family history research.
The main FHC for Mahoning County, Ohio is the Youngstown Ohio Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County
305 Wick Ave.
Youngstown, OH 44503
Phone: 330–744–8636
Genealogical resources: Newspaper film copies and indexes, directories, cemetery inscriptions database. This library is a FamilySearch Center where films can be ordered and viewed.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Other Repositories[edit | edit source]
Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor
151 W. Wood Street
Youngstown OH 44501–0533
Phone: 330–743-5934
Genealogical resources: Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Records, Court Dockets, Deeds, Newspapers
Societies[edit | edit source]
Mahoning County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 9333
Youngstown, Ohio 44513-9333
E-mail: MCCOGS@zoominternet.net
The society has volunteers at the courthouse each Thursday 8am to 3pm; located in the Marriage Dept in the basement. Society members also volunteer at the Main Library Thursdays 1–4.
Mahoning Valley Historical Society
648 Wick Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44502-1289
Phone: 330–743-2589
mvhs@mahoninghistory.org
Genealogical collections: The MVHS Archival Library. Original probate and civil court records 1846–1900 for Mahoning County. Collection includes diaries, Bibles, photographs, fraktur, manuscripts, deeds, wills, maps, architectural and mechanical drawings, ledgers, county and local government records, and church records.
Assignment Chart[edit | edit source]
If you are accepting this task:
- 1. Sign in to the wiki at the upper right-hand corner of this page. Use your FamilySearch account username and password.
- 2. Open the Assignment Chart for editing by clicking on the check mark in the box at the right opposite the Assignment Table heading.
- 3. Place your cursor in the box under the heading Name/Date Task Accepted and opposite your county of choice.
- 4. Type 4 tildes (~). This symbol is located on the upper left-hand part of your keyboard, next to the number 1. The ~~~~ is an electronic signature and will leave your user name and date when you signed.
- 5. Scroll nearly to the bottom of the page. Add a summary sentence in the Summary box saying something like, "Selected Adams County for adding societies".
- 6. Click on the box "Save Page".
- 7. You are now signed up to complete this task.
If you are completing this task:
- Follow the same instructions as accepting the task, except place your cursor in the correct county box under the heading Date Completed. Change your summary sentence to something like, "Completed Adams County for societies."