Temporary Stoppage

Over the last few weeks the amount of readership for this blog has decreased dramatically. To me this is a indication that I am not reaching the audience with interesting and helpful information. The amount of time I spend researching the daily blogs does not warrant the readership. Thank you for your support in the past.

In a few days I will make a final decision.

Upcoming week

I will be in upstate New York during the upcoming week so I am spending the weekend writing this weeks blogs ahead of time. Have a great weekend and I will continue my overviews on Monday.

Allen County Public Library- Ft Wayne IN

If you have not made the trip to the Allen County Public Library in Ft Wayne, IN you have missed out on one of the largest genealogical libraries in the country. It is well worth the trip. They have just redone it in the last year and have all there resources available in the racks. Here is a link to a tour of the library.

http://www.genealogycenter.info/video/

Have a great weekend.

Columbiana Co, OH- Civil War Commision

Many counties have records on a local basis for their soldiers that participated in the war. Be certain to check with the courthouse in the county of Columbiana Co. for these records. They are often in the probate court and tend to be records that are often overlooked for information.

Have a great day.

Columbiana County- Newspaper Abstracts

Here is another interesting item concerning Columbiana Co.

Newspaper Abstracts From the Villages of Columbiana and East Lewistown, Ohio.
"The Independent Register" April 1, 1870 -1897
"The Columbiana Independent" September 1, 1898 - 1902
"Columbiana True Press" March 14, 1877 - July 31, 1878
"New Moon" East Lewistown 1891
By
DeWayne McCarty
 
 For the past 3 1/2 years we have abstracted and typed all genealogical articles verbatim
from the above newspapers. These papers were published by weekly. The book is soft bound
with a laminated cover. It contain 656 total pages, of which 108 pages are the 3 column
Full Name Index. This information covers Columbiana Village and surrounding towns. (i.e.,
East Fairfield, Mosk (Middelton), Rogers, Elkton, Waterford, Oakville (Signal), Salem,
Leetonia, Washingtonville, Canfield, Steam Town (Woodworth), North Lima , East Palestine,
East Liverpool, Franklin Square, Palmyra, New Springfield, Elk Run, Elkton, Goshen
Township, Alliance, Hum Town, etc.). It also includes the "DISASTER (The sinking of
the Steamer Scioto with Five Hundred Excursionists) , on the Ohio River. " The format
is in chronological date order for each paper.
 
 Book Description:
 1.25" x 8.5" x 11", Weight is 3.25 #, 658 pages. (108 pages of which is
the Full name Index [i.e.; Surname, Given Name] ). The font in the articles is 10 point
Times New Roman. The font in the index is 12 point Times New Roman.
 Soft bound with laminated cover.
 
 Price: $46.00
Postage & Handling: $4.50
 
 Please send orders to D. McCarty, 47 Village Court, Columbiana, OH 44408.
 
 For information, send an E mail to "clarks70@sbcglobal.net". Please insert
"Newspaper Abstracts" in the subject line.


Have a great day.

Columbiana County- Obits

I thought this link would be of information for folks doing research in Columbiana Co. This was on a recent newsgroup that I get.

Salem, Columbiana Co, OH has a public library, and they offer some Obits
online.

http://www.salem.lib.oh.us

When you open up this website you will scroll down, all the way to the
BOTTOM of the page, and you will see in the left hand corner a notice,
saying the Obituary Index.  Click on that.  The type in your surname and
make a search and all the obits for that surname will come back.

Now, make some notes as to the names you want, and the DATE the obit
appeared in the NEWSPAPER, because you can order a free pdf file sent to you
of the entire obit.  For that you will first click on the deceased name, and
then a file comes up with all the relavent info from the obit, then at the
bottom of that page it states you can order an email sent to you of the
actual obit from the newspaper,, then click on that.  A form will them come
up and you fill in the deceased surname, first name, and the DATE the obit
appeared in the paper, then your name, and your email address.  They will
then email to you a pdf file of the obit.

To read a pdf file you will need Adobe Reader, and you probably already have
it, but if not, that can be downloaded for free from the internet.  I do not
have that exact link to give you, but if you look enough you will find it,
or someone else may post that link for everyone.



Thank you and have a great day.

Columbiana County- Cemetery Records

The majority cemetery inscriptions in the county of Columbiana have been copied by the local chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Understand that this is a very early county and over time stones have gone missing for a variety of reasons. The copies of these records is also located at the library in Lisbon.

When planning to visit the graveyard be sure to check for a care taker of the records for the cemetery you are looking for your ancestor. They often provide valuable clues to your families ancestry.

Good luck in your family search.

Library Visit

It amazes me the difference in the collections of one library to the next. Yesterday I was at the Toledo Public Library and I am always amazed how it changes and evolves from one visit to the next. The library is one that I first started doing my research in when I was thirteen and continues to be one of my favorites. A observation that came to me yesterday when I was there the amount of people doing their genealogy. It would be neat if they would have a sign in area that you could also list the names you are searching. Have often thought that I could be sitting right next to the solution to my genealogical problem.

The second observation was how wonderful it is to be able to trace a surname on line. Yesterday I went through probably fifty books with out finding anything. It also never stops surprising me on how many books do not have indexes. Many of the older publications lack the proper index.

Be sure to get out and support your local library.

Break

I will be traveling to the library today to conduct some research. Should hopefully be able to post the results next Saturday. Have a wonderful weekend.

Northeast Ohio events

Here are some events coming up that should be of interest to people doing research in Northeast Ohio.

Saturday 9 February 2008 9:00 am -12:30 pm  Norm Henke will
encourage and share tips for your "Computer Tune-up Day!" at the regular
meeting of NEOCAG. During Second Session, Jan Shergalis will present
"Photographing Your Extended Family for Genealogy Part One: Great Group
Portraits" for photographing at family reunions and other events.
       NEOCAG meets at St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church, 435 SOM Center
Road, Mayfield, OH.  Guests are always welcome.  A $1.00 fee covers per
capita charge.
Cynthia Turk
440-951-0914
http://neocag.net

"The Search is On: Alternative Internet Search Engines, Searching Tips, and Free
Genealogy Websites using Your Library Card" is the featured program presented by
Sandee Ruth at the meeting of the Lorain County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
on Monday, February 11, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the North Ridgeville Public Library, 35700
Bainbridge Road, North Ridgeville. 

Sandee Ruth is the computer room coordinator of the Lorain Public Library and the
president of the Lorain County Computer User's Group. Her program will review  alternative
Search Engines and offer some tips for more effective Internet searching.  Sandee will
highlight the many free websites available on the library websites for genealogical
research.

Social time is 6:30 pm; the program and meeting begin at 7:00 pm.  The public is invited
to attend this free program. 

For information about the Lorain County Chapter of OGS, contact Jean at atmmom1@aol.com or
Margaret at margcheney@aol.com.

Jean Copeland
VP, LCC-OGS

Make time to support your local genealogical chapters.  Have a great weekend.

Columbiana County- Land Records

Land records in Columbiana began being documented prior to the county even being formed in 1798. These records tend to be a often overlooked part of most peoples genealogical research. Land records provide actual documentation of a time period when a person moved into a county, relatives that live close to that person and approximate times when the person died. This truly is part of the detective work we hear about in genealogy.

Land records can vary in length and information. In my own personnel research I have seen many mentions of relationships identified in these documents not only with children, but also brothers, sisters, parents, aunts and uncles.

Be certain when researching your families land records. It is hard work and takes some getting use to, but pays off in big dividends. Have a wonderful day.

Columbiana County- Wills

The research necessary to locate a will for a dead ancestor is well worth the search. Key to the search is to identify the persons date of death and use that as the starting point. Typically the will if written will be filed within six months after the persons death.

The wills in Columbiana County are located at the Probate Court. After searching I was unable to come up with a time period that the records were filed and indexed. Be certain to obtain a copy of the document when you send or visit the courthouse. Names and comments provide valuable clues when doing ones search. Maiden names for daughters are often only found in her parents Wills. Executors are often relatives and can be traced later for more clues.

Tomorrow I will be talking about naturalization records. Have a great day.

Columbiana County Death Records

Death records are important to confirm facts about our ancestors and their relationships. Records in Columbiana county are at the courthouse in Lisbon.

The County Clerk records include those deaths in the county from 1867 to present. All certified records can be obtained at these two locations. Be sure to have the date narrowed down to the day or at least the year. Please be patient with the these folks as it takes time to retrieve the records.

Remember the information in a death records is only as good as the person giving the information. Be sure to confirm the information with other source records. Many times maiden names of mothers, spelling and place of birth have errors. Be certain to confirm this information.

I will be discussing the wills in Columbiana County. Have a great day.

Columibiana County Marriage Records

The county of Columbiana started recording marriage records in 1803. This is a very early period of time as compared to many other counties. The records are located at the courthouse in Lisbon.

During my own research I have traced my ancestors through this county and I was amazed that they had marriage records as such a early date. All of the records are indexed and many of them have also been published. Be sure to pay special attention on marriage records to who the trustees that are listed. They often provide valuable clues to family relationships that are often overlooked when to doing your genealogy. Be sure to make copies of this document, because some of the names don't always stick out as clues immediately. In my family a person listed on a marriage record as a witness later was traced to be the maiden name of the mother once I traced the family back into Virginia.

Tomorrow I will be going over the death records of the county. Thank you again for your support and please send any questions or ideas you might have.

Sunday News

Off to church I go. I will continue to cover Columbiana Co. in the AM. Have a great Sunday.

Genealogy Groups

I hope that this site is providing valuable information for those folks that are readers. Now is the time to be attending your local genealogy group meetings. These are excellent places to learn new skills for future search and networking with people that can help you with your family search.

This take some time to attend these meetings in your area. The time spent will be well worth your time.

Thanks again for your support. Please let me know if there are any specific topics that you would like to see covered. Spread the word on the blog.

African American Research- Sandusky Library

Here is a great program for those that are doing African American Research.

Author, teacher, and genealogist Tony Burroughs says researching your family tree can lead to amazing finds - the secret to success is asking many questions. Mr. Burroughs, author of Black Roots: A Beginner's Guide to Tracing The African American Family Tree, will present a daylong workshop on methods and resources for African-American genealogy research on Saturday, February 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Library Program Room, Terrace Level. A book signing will be held after the workshop.

Mr. Burroughs has appeared as an expert in the PBS series "Ancestors" and "African American Lives with Henry Louis Gates" and in the Discovery Channel documentary "The Real Family of Jesus." In addition to his writing, appearances, and service in genealogical organizations, Mr. Burroughs teaches genealogy at Chicago State University. A one hour lunch is on your own. Registration is required. To register, call 419-625-3834 and press 0 to speak with a switchboard operator (9-5, Monday-Friday) or press Option 6 to leave a message.

Have a great day in snowy Northeast Ohio.