Library Connection
Library Resources
 Genealogy

The Genealogy and Local History Department can trace our ancestry back to 1953 when the Wooster-Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) indicated an interest in housing family histories and other resources of genealogical value in the Wooster Library. We started with one book case and have grown to more than 5,800 books and 3,601 reels of microfilm.

 

Our department is located on the upper level of the Main Library located at 220 W. Liberty St. in Wooster, Ohio 44691, near the elevator.  We have new hours, effective August 17, 2009.  They are as follows:

 

Monday and Tuesday 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Friday CLOSED
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (1st & 3rd ONLY)
Closed on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays

 

If you are unable to visit in person, you may write or email us. Send written requests to the following address:

 

Wayne County Public Library
Genealogy and Local History
PO Box 1349
Wooster, OH 44691
330-262-0916, ext. 7139

 

To contact the department by email:

dkitko@wcpl.info

 

When requesting information, please be specific with your request, and limit the requested items to no more than five. Include names of interest, approximate dates, and places the events may have taken place. Please refer to Department Services for a complete list of available services and costs. 

 

Due to budget cuts, the genealogy department staffs only one employee.  Please be patient when contacting the department.  Your request will be answered as quickly as possible.  If you have not heard from the department within 4 months, please do not hesitate to contact the department and find out the status of your request.

 

Our local resources include BibleRecords, Biographies, Business Files, Court Records, Family Histories, High School Yearbooks, Local Histories, Newspapers, Vital Records, and much more. 
 

 

 

 

The Genealogy and Local History Department can trace our ancestry back to 1953 when the Wooster-Wayne Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) indicated an interest in housing family histories and other resources of genealogical value in the Wooster Library. We started with one book case and have grown to more than 5,800 books and 3,601 reels of microfilm.

 

Our department is located on the upper level of the Main Library located at 220 W. Liberty St. in Wooster, Ohio 44691, near the elevator.  We have new hours, effective August 17, 2009.  They are as follows:

 

Monday and Tuesday 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Friday CLOSED
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (1st & 3rd ONLY)
Closed on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays

 

If you are unable to visit in person, you may write or email us. Send written requests to the following address:

 

Wayne County Public Library
Genealogy and Local History
PO Box 1349
Wooster, OH 44691
330-262-0916, ext. 7139

 

To contact the department by email:

dkitko@wcpl.info

 

When requesting information, please be specific with your request, and limit the requested items to no more than five. Include names of interest, approximate dates, and places the events may have taken place. Please refer to Department Services for a complete list of available services and costs. 

 

Due to budget cuts, the genealogy department staffs only one employee.  Please be patient when contacting the department.  Your request will be answered as quickly as possible.  If you have not heard from the department within 4 months, please do not hesitate to contact the department and find out the status of your request.

 

Our local resources include BibleRecords, Biographies, Business Files, Court Records, Family Histories, High School Yearbooks, Local Histories, Newspapers, Vital Records, and much more. 
 

 

 

 

 Genealogy News

12 Top Web Sites for Researching Irish Ancestors

Many records documenting the history of Ireland and her people were lost forever when fire swept through the Dublin Public Record Office in 1922. This disaster, following the destruction of the Record Tower in Dublin Castle in the early 18th century, and the destruction by government order of the 1861-1891 census returns, means that Irish researchers must face the loss of most 20th century Irish census records, along with civil, probate and parish records valuable for Irish family history research.

While there are a few notable records that survive that cover the majority of Ireland, including Griffith's Valuation and the 1901 Ireland census, the majority of Irish records available to genealogists cover smaller areas, including fragments of early censuses, and especially parish records. Despite these limitations, however, many sites offer valuable data for researching Irish ancestry in the form of extractions, transcriptions and digitized images. To get you started tracing your Irish ancestors I've highlighted 12 of my favorite Web Sites for Researching Irish Ancestors.

12 Top Web Sites for Researching Irish Ancestors originally appeared on About.com Genealogy on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 09:21:44.

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3/15/2010 5:21:44 AM

Good News for Roots Television Viewers

Hundreds of free genealogy and family history videos almost disappeared, perhaps forever, last week when Megan Smolenyak announced that Roots Television would be closing its virtual doors. Luckily, enthusiastic support for the site through emails, tweets, Facebook and messages, has convinced Megan that there is a demand for educational genealogical videos and that Roots Television meets a different need, and even audience, than network reality genealogy shows like Who Do You Think You Are? and Faces of America.

Thank you Megan for continuing to provide us all with such a rich genealogical resource. We're glad Roots Television decided to stick around!

Good News for Roots Television Viewers originally appeared on About.com Genealogy on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 12:07:39.

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3/9/2010 7:07:39 AM

Official Minnesota Marriage Index Online

A new free online index of Minnesota marriages from all 87 counties went online last month.The Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS) shows the bride and groom's name, the year of marriage, and the county that maintains the record. Marriage certificates can be ordered for a fee. A list of counties with their index dates is available here.

The Minnesota statewide marriage index is a great addition to other wonderful online Minnesota vital records collections and indexes, including the Minnesota Birth Certificates Index and Minnesota Death Certificates Index from the Minnesota Historical Society

Official Minnesota Marriage Index Online originally appeared on About.com Genealogy on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 11:03:56.

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3/9/2010 6:03:56 AM

Free Tony Burroughs Genealogy Webinar

World-renowned African-American genealogy expert Tony Burroughs is giving a free genealogy seminar for the Ancestry.com webinar series this coming Thursday, March 11, at 8:00 p.m. EST (GMT +5). In his free webinar, "Avoid Traps in African American Genealogy," expert Tony Burroughs will share his unique wisdom and experience to help you in your search for your Black roots. Visit Ancestry Webinars to learn more and to register.

Free Tony Burroughs Genealogy Webinar originally appeared on About.com Genealogy on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 17:07:36.

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3/8/2010 12:07:36 PM

Small Nuggets -The Death of Gold Prospector John S. Hodge

Source: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale UniversityFriday's Who Do You Think You Are? episode touched on a number of interesting research dilemmas - including what to do when you encounter conflicting information. In this case, the conflicting information was an obituary for the son of Sarah Jessica Parker's fourth great grandfather, John S. Hodge, which stated that he died en route to the California gold rush in 1849, while his son, John Eber Hodge, was apparently born in late 1850 or in 1851. How could John S. Hodge be the father of John Eber Hodge?

In this situation, the researchers kept digging. Following the "gold rush" trail brought out in the obituary, they discovered a John S. Hodge from Ohio listed in the 1850 census living in El Dorado, California. From there, I'm not sure of the research path they took, but I encountered a clue to John S. Hodge by searching for "John S. Hodge" and "gold" in Google Books. Read more...

Small Nuggets -The Death of Gold Prospector John S. Hodge originally appeared on About.com Genealogy on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 08:39:43.

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3/8/2010 3:39:43 AM