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Ohio Societies and Archives

Genealogists are generally positive and energetic, and most are ready to share their findings or research experience with anyone they can help. There are hundreds of genealogical societies at the grass-roots level. Knowledge of the genealogical community will place you in the midst of much activity, increase your productivity, and alert you to the importance of research standards and etiquette.

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Alabama Archives

It is wise to acquaint yourself with any repository which you might visit by writing to the appropriate archive or library in advance. Every repository has published materials that introduce its collections and research policy. State archives and historical agencies also have Internet sites that provide the same information. Some even have downloadable databases for some or parts of their collections.

• Archives and Special Collections, Wright State University Library, Dayton, OH 45435-0001
  Serves Region 7-west central Ohio.
• Columbus Metropolitan Library, Genealogy Division, 96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215. 614-645-2ASK (2275)
  The Genealogy Division holds microfilm; printed, typescript, and manuscript collections, including family and local histories; atlases; cemetery records; city directories; military records; censuses and census indexes; and transcribed records provided by the Ohio chapters of the DAR.
• Center for Archival Collections, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403-0175
  Serves Region 2-northwest Ohio.
• Archives and Special Collections Alden Library, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701-2978
  Serves Region 5-southeast Ohio.
• Bierce Library, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-1750
  Serves Region 1-east central Ohio
• Ohio Network of American History Research Centers
  Established in 1970 to aid in the collection, preservation, and accessibility of research materials related to Ohio history, the network is composed of seven institutions -Ohio's two largest historical societies and five state universities. A central feature of the network is the division of the entire state into seven distinct geographical areas for research. Each center collects county records for its area.
• Blegen Library, University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 45221-0113
  Serves Region 3-southwest Ohio.

Ohio Historical & Genealogical Societies

Because family history research relies greatly upon records found at the county level, many local societies represent counties. Organizations also form around shared interests. Ethnic or religious origins account for many groups, such as the Polish Genealogical Society of America and P.O.I.N.T. (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together). Societies also form around common locales of origin for members’ ancestors; hence, the Palatines to America and Germans from Russia societies. To locate these and other societies, consult Juliana Szucs Smith’s The Ancestry Family Historian’s Address Book. It lists addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and Internet addresses of thousands of organizations throughout the United States.

For almost every state there is a state genealogical society, a state genealogical council, or both. In addition to their own work, state-level groups sometimes help coordinate the efforts of local societies within the state. Their publications, newsletters and quarterlies, supplement those produced by the local societies.

• Ohio Genealogical Society, 713 South Main Street, Mansfield OH 44907-1644
  Membership includes a quarterly, The Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly, and the bimonthly OGS Genealogy News. The society has annual meetings, one hundred county chapters, the Families of Ohio lineage society, and publishes various items of genealogical and historical interest. This library contains over 26,000 volumes, family vertical files, Bible records, ancestors cards, manuscript files, census microfilm, and a broad variety of other valuable resources for research in Ohio. A response to a written request for general and specific information is answered promptly, cordially, and very thoroughly.
• Ohio Historical Society, Archives-Library Division 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211; Telephone: 614-297-2300; The society's library collections document the history of Ohio and its people, including 125,000 books and pamphlets and 40,000 reels of newspaper microfilm and 20,000 volumes of original newspapers. The newspaper collection is one of the nation's largest. Their audiovisual collections are outstanding, including nearly 7,500 photographs of locomotives and railroad subjects in the G. Hayes Coleman series. Major works on the settlement and government of Northwest Territory are in the rare books division.  The society houses (at the above address) the State Archives of Ohio, with more than 30,000 cubic feet of state and local government records. The society also serves the central Ohio counties as part of the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers.
• Western Reserve Historical Society 10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44106. Telephone: (216) 721-5722 ; Its extensive manuscript collection (published guide available by mail) is supplemented by an equally extensive microfilm collection of federal census returns and the National Archives Revolutionary War Pension records. The society serves as the network center for its area and charges a per-day fee for nonmembers.
• Ohio Department of Health, [Order Online] [ Birth Records from 1908, Death Records From 1908 ]
  Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 118 , Columbus, OH 43216-0118 ; Phone: (614) 466-2531, EMAIL
  For birth and death records prior to Dec. 20, 1908, contact the Probate Court of the county where the birth occurred. For birth and death records from Dec. 20, 1908, through Dec. 31, 1944, contact The Ohio Historical Society at 1-800-653-6446 or 614-297-2510
• Florida Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, PO Box 56433 , Jacksonville, Florida  32241-6433
  holds an annual meeting on the third weekend in February in different areas of Florida. Write for information. E-mail: jsfinley@home.com
• Southern Ohio Genealogical Society PO Box 414 Hillsboro, OH 45133 meets at the Southern State Community College, Central Campus, Hillsboro, OH at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday each month except January and February
• Western Reserve Historical Society Library and Archives
  10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio, 44106; 216-721-5722 x 224, FAX 216-721-5702.
• Ohio Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
• National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
• Ohio Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
• National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
• Florida Chapter, OGS, PO Box 466, Melrose, FL 32666-0466 ; Florida Chapter, OGS holds an annual meeting on the third weekend in February in different areas of Florida. Write for information., E-mail: betdaclwho@aol.com

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