Genealogy & History

Databases

Ancestry Library Edition (In-Library Use Only)
Ancestry Library Edition provides easy access to more than 4,000 genealogy databases with a single search. Coverage focuses primarily on the United States and the United Kingdom, although other areas are covered. Databases include the complete U.S. Census & Index (1790-1930), vital, church, court, and immigration records. The Map Center contains more than 1,000 historical maps. Other notable collections include Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books; Social Security Death Index (updated monthly); WWI Draft Registration Cards; Federal Slave Narratives; and a strong Civil War collection. Databases are updated continuously as new information becomes available.

Cleveland Necrology File
The Cleveland Necrology File contains local cemetery records and newspaper death notices for the following years: 1833, 1847-1848, 1850-1975. A more complete description of the file's contents can be found in the about section of the database. For necrology information after 1975, please use the Cleveland News Index.

HeritageQuest Online
HeritageQuest features the U. S. Census, 1790-1930 (1850-60 Slave Census Schedules not included), The Periodical Source Index (PERSI), A digitized collection of more than 25,000 family and local history books, Records from the Revolutionary War Era Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files and Freedman's Bank Records (1865-1874).

Ohio History Connection Databases
This collection of searchable databases (many of which were created under the Ohio Vital Information for Libraries Center, a grant-funded project of OHS supported by the State Library of Ohio and OPLIN) includes: Online Documents, Online Research Tools, Online Services, and On-location Services.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Ohio
A treasure trove of information, detailed maps at building level for more than 400 Ohio communities from 1868 to the 1960s. Negotiating the site may require some practice. Try the 1024 x 768 pixel size.Use a city and street name or city and building's name where possible to search in keyword or limit your search by date.



Genealogy Websites

Genealogy of the United Kingdom and Ireland
     Resources from primary historical documents

Princeton Public Library Genealogy 101
    Learn how to organize your information, find and add records, with links to many sources & sites

Rootsweb
    The original genealogy site

US Gen Web Project
     Provides free websites for genealogical research in the United States

USCIS Genealogy Program
    United States Citizenship and Immigration Services - with Immigration Commission Reports

FamilySearch
    A free website run by the Church of Latter-Day Saints that contains millions of historical genealogical records from around the world

Burton Memory Project
    Local history containing photographs, documents, and letters that chronicle the people of Burton

Cleveland Memory Project
    Cleveland history containing photographs, documents and letters that chronicle the people of Cleveland

Fold3
    Historical military records, many of them free without the membership

Cyndi's List
    Collection of genealogical websites

Ellis Island
    Ellis Island/Port of New York free passenger searches

Find a Grave
     Searcheable database of over 100 million cemetery records, free membership

Castle Garden
    America's first immigration center in New York, contains searcheable records from 1830 - 1892, before Ellis Island opened

Rutherford B. Hayes Ohio Obituary Index
    An index to 2,750,000 obituaries, death & marriage notices & other sources from Ohio from the 1810s to the present day

    

History Websites

American Journeys
    More than 18,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration, from the sagas of Vikings in Canada in AD1000 to the diaries of mountain men in the Rockies 800 years later

American Memory at the Library of Congress
    American Memory provides access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience

Annenberg Learner
    A division of the Annenberg Foundation, the Learner's mission is to advance excellent teaching in American schools through the development and distribution of multimedia resources for teaching and learning. Many programs are also intended for students in the classroom and viewers at home

Early Manuscripts at Oxford University
    Access to digital facsimiles of over 80 early manuscripts now in institutions associated with the University of Oxford, scanned directly from the originals

Have Fun with History
    An online resource full of American History streaming videos, activities, links and resources