Beginning in 1987, the National Genealogical Society began publishing a series of state guides in the organization’s magazine, the Quarterly. These guides were later issued as special publications. The latest version of the series contains revised guides, plus additional states not included in the previous releases. NGS Research in the States Series: Ohio was written by Diane VanSkiver Gagel.
“States love to boast of their unique aspects, but Ohio’s claim to fame is the antithesis of uniqueness. Indeed, Ohio’s most important quality has been its representative character, and probably no other state contained so broad a sampling of American types in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ohio was a salad bowl, no a melting pot.”
An interesting statement to open the book, but undoubtedly correct. Ohio was a “testbed” for western migration. New ideas, new politics, new methods for managing new territories, the land, and its settlers. With extensive river and Lake Erie access, Ohio was a natural gateway to the west. This guide reveals this critical history and perhaps a glimpse into why genealogy is important to so many Ohioans.
Like all the state guides, this one explorers the record types and resource locations of genealogical interest within Ohio. Gagel used a simple and straight forward organization of information. This guide well serves genealogists on all levels, from beginner to expert.
Gagel is a college professor and local records specialist for the Ohio Historical Society. She is also a photograph archivist, author of three book and multiple articles. Diane is also an Ohio native with roots in the area dating back to at least 1799. She knows Ohio.
Table of Contents
History and Settlement
- Early History
- Territorial
- Statehood
Archives, Libraries, and Societies
- Regional Archives
- Presidential Libraries
- State Archives
- Ohio Historical Society
- State Library
- National Archives — Great Lakes Region
- Other Libraries of Interest
- University Libraries
- Local Libraries
- Online Sources
- Library of Congress
Major Resources
- Aids to Research
- Atlases, Gazetteers, and Maps
- Biographical Sources
- Business Records
- Cemetery Records
- Censuses and Census Substitutes
- Court and Other Legal Records
- Directories
- Ethnic Records
- African American
- German
- Irish and Scots-Irish
- Native American
- Land Records
- Military and Veterans’ Records
- Colonial Wars
- American Revolution
- Indian Wars
- War of 1812
- Mexican War
- Civil War
- Spanish American War
- World War I
- World War II
- Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Homes
- Ohio Historical Society Military Collections
- Naturalization Records
- Newspapers
- Prison Records
- Religious Records
- School Records
- Tax Records
- Township Records
- Vital Records
- Adoption Records
- Birth and Death Records
- Marriage Records
- Divorce Records
- Women of Ohio
- Conclusion
These guides are an excellent resource for state by state research. Available guides, including NGS Research in the States Series: Ohio are available from Family Roots Publishing; Price: $15.79.