Ohio Research Resources: Wayne County Public Library

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I have lots (and I mean LOTS!) of Ohio relatives and ancestors. One of the websites I've found very helpful in my own research is the Wayne County Public Library site. Local libraries offer a number of resources and Wayne County Public Library is no exception. 

Without a library card, from their database page you can access various free databases including:

• The Cleveland Necrology File containing local cemetery records and newspaper death notices for the following years: 1833, 1847-1848, 1850-1975
• Community History Archive of WCPL | Advantage Preservation including 26 different titles of Wayne County, Ohio newspapers covering the years 1836-2019. Newspapers were published in the communities of Creston, Dalton, Doylestown, Rittman, Shreve, West Salem, and Wooster.
• Digital Public Library of America, Historic digital collections from libraries, museums, and archives across Ohio and more.
• R. B. Hayes Ohio Obituary Index: This index covers obituaries, death notices, and probate notices from more than 60 partners across Ohio.
• Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center: Access to research databases, genealogy and local history information and more.

If you happen to live in Ohio, you can request a library card and unlock even more free resources (some available remotely, others are in-library only). In addition to the Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center they also have a Genealogy Portal with links to additional Ohio databases and resources, including Pioneer Families and other notable people/families. 

When considering additional places to expand your research reach, don't forget public libraries! You don't have to limit this to your local library. Check online for libraries in the areas you're researching for records availability. Some may offer collections online, others may not be digitized yet. But it's quick and easy to do a search to see if libraries in the areas where your ancestors lived might be an untapped resource for you.