The archives, libraries, and societies listed below have collections or services to assist researchers.

• Ohio Historical Society

Ohio Historical Center
1982 Velma Avenue
Columbus, OH 43211-2497
Telephone: 614-297-2510
Fax: 614-297-2546

A useful guide to this collection is:

Lentz, Andrea D., ed. A Guide to Manuscripts at the Ohio Historical Society. Columbus: The Ohio Historical Society, 1972. (FHL book 977.1 A3ohs.)

A description of sources at the Society is also included in:

Mettle, Suzanne Wolfe, et al., comps. Genealogical Researcher's Manual with Special References for Using the Ohio Historical Society Library. Columbus: Franklin County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society, 1981. (FHL book 977.1 D27g.)

• National Archives—Great Lakes Region

7358 S. Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60629
Telephone: 312-581-7816
Fax: 312-353-1294

For information about their holdings, see:

Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Archives: A Guide to National Archives Field Branches. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1988. (FHL book 973 A3sz.)

• Ohio Genealogical Society

34 Sturges Avenue
P.O. Box 2625
Mansfield, OH 44906-0625
Telephone: 419-522-9077
Fax: 419-522-0224

Almost every county in Ohio has a branch of the OGS that actively collects, preserves, and publishes local records.

• State Library of Ohio

Genealogical Section
65 South Front Street Rm 308
Columbus, OH 43215-4163
Telephone: 614-644-6966
Fax: 614-728-2789

A guide to the collection is:

County by County in Ohio Genealogy. Columbus: The State Library, 1978. (FHL book 977.1 D23o; fiche 6046719.)

• Western Reserve Historical Society

10825 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106-1788
Telephone: 216-721-5722
Fax: 216-721-0645

A guide to the holdings is:

Pike, Kermit J. A Guide to the Manuscripts and Archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society. Cleveland: The Western Reserve Historical Society, 1972. (FHL book 977.1 A3p.)

Also see:

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. (FHL films 934566-69; 934617-18.)

• Bowling Green State University

Center for Archival Collections
Jerome Library
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0175
Telephone: 419-372-2411
Fax: 419-372-0155

• Ohio University

Archives and Special Collections
Alden Library
Athens, OH 45701-2978
Telephone: 614-593-2710
Fax: 614-593-0138

• University of Cincinnati

Archives Department
Blegen Library
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0113
Telephone: 513-556-1959
Fax: 513-556-2113

• Wright State University

Special Collections and Archives
Paul Laurence Dunbar Library
Dayton, OH 45435-0001
Telephone: 937-775-2092
Fax: 937-775-4109

• Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor

Archives-Library
P.O. Box 533
151 West Wood St.
Youngstown, OH 44501
Telephone: 330-743-5934
Fax: 330-743-2999

This archive is a center for the Ohio Historical Society.

• The Ohio Network of American History Research Centers collects Ohio records such as newspapers, printed materials, and most local government records. Each regional center collects materials from specific counties and maintains an inventory of each county's records. An inventory of each center's holdings as of 1977 is in:
  

Ohio Historical Society. Abstract of Ohio County Records Inventory, 1803-1977. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Historical Society, 1977. (Not available at the Family History Library.)

The network includes the following institutions: Bowling Green State University, Ohio Historical Society, Ohio University, University of Akron, University of Cincinnati, Western Reserve Historical Society, Wright State University, and Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor.

Historical Records Survey

inventories

You may also learn about research sources in:

Larson, David R., ed. Guide to Manuscript Collections and Institutional Records in Ohio. N.p.: Society of Ohio Archivists, 1974. (FHL book 977.1 A34s.)

Yon, Paul D. Guide to Ohio County and Municipal Records for Urban Research. Columbus: Ohio Historical Society, 1973. (FHL book 977.1 A3y; fiche 6051197.)

Directory of Museums, Historical Societies, and Associated Organizations in Ohio. 17th ed. Granville, Ohio: Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums, 1981. (FHL book 977.1 C4di 1981-82.)

Computer Networks and Bulletin Boards

Computers with modems are important tools for obtaining information from selected archives and libraries. In a way, computer networks themselves serve as a library. The Internet, certain computer bulletin boards, and commercial on-line services help family history researchers:

• Locate other researchers
• Post queries
• Send and receive E-mail
• Search large databases
• Search computer libraries
• Join in computer chat and lecture sessions
  

You can find computerized research tips and information about ancestors from Ohio in a variety of sources at local, state, national, and international levels. The list of sources is growing rapidly. Most of the information is available at no cost.

Addresses on the Internet change frequently. As of April 1997, the following sites are important gateways linking you to many more network and bulletin board sites:

• USGenWeb

http://www.usgenweb.com/
A cooperative effort by many volunteers to list genealogical databases, libraries, bulletin boards, and other resources available on the Internet for each county, state, and country.

• Roots-L

http://www.rootsweb.com/roots-l/usa/
A useful list of sites and resources. Includes a large, regularly updated research coordination list.

For further details about using computer networks, bulletin boards, and news groups for family history research, see the United States Research Outline (30972), 2nd ed., "Archives and Libraries" section.

FamilySearch™

The Family History Library and some Family History Centers have computers with FamilySearch™. FamilySearch is a collection of computer files containing several million names. FamilySearch is a good place to begin your research. Some of the records come from compiled sources; some have been automated from original sources.

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