HOW TO GET STARTED ON YOUR FAMILY HISTORY AT THE HAYES
PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
2009 Classes Sponsored by the Keller Family & Friends in Memory of Marlo Snyder Keller
First - Talk to family - Start charts with self - Record all sources
Talk with older relatives; look for family records, such as Bibles, diaries, letters, and
newspaper clippings; collect and record old family traditions and stories - consider using
a tape or video recorder to preserve the memories of the older generation. Use ancestor
charts and family group sheets to record information. Enter into computer program, if
possible. Hayes recommends Roots Magic and copies are available in the Museum
Store.
Now - Check sources at the Hayes Presidential Center
Computerized catalog of books on the web – go to maurice.bgsu.edu or our web site
www.rbhayes.org and look under the Library – check for family names. Also check
www.worldcat.org for entire country/world’s books.
Obits on the Web -www.rbhayes.org/index
Over 1 million names from Ohio newspapers from the 1810's to the present, with over
half being from Northwest Ohio counties. Also includes indexing of some marriage
notices, biographical files, probate cases, and other miscellaneous sources
County books and atlases on shelves and on microfilm (for out of state)
Look for biographical narratives, cemetery records, published vital statistics, etc.
Census records
HPC has Ohio census records on microfilm from 1790 to 1930, all of which are indexed
either in books or online. The rest of the country is available on the web via
heritagequestonline.com, a genealogical service available at the Library or at home if you
are a $45 member of the Hayes Presidential Center. AncestryLibraryEdition.com is
another online genealogical service at Hayes which offers the census for the whole
country on the web. Ancestry.com is the personal genealogical service which can be
subscribed to – at least $200 a year. Between HeritageQuest and Ancestry, there are
indexes to all the US censuses.
Military and church records
Military reference books and microfilm
Large collection of Sandusky county church records on microfilm, including records of all
the Catholic Churches in the county.
Microfilmed records
 Sandusky County records, such as births, deaths, marriages
 Hundreds of Ohio city directories plus thousands of county histories for other states, such as
PA, NY, IN, MI, CA & IL
 Extensive collection of newspapers from this area and Ohio.
If you can’t find it at Hayes, we can refer you to the next place to search, such as courthouses,
state archives, and other libraries.
Check your local public library for a variety of “how-to” books for genealogy that you can check
out. Some titles available via Clevnet:
Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo, .A genealogist's guide to discovering your immigrant and ethnic
ancestors : how to find and record your unique heritage
Melnyk, Marcia Yannizze, The weekend genealogist : timesaving techniques for effective research
Hinckley, Kathleen W. Locating lost family members & friends : modern genealogical
research techniques for locating the people of your past and present
Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo, Organizing your family history search : efficient & effective ways to
gather and protect your genealogical research
Colwell, Stella. Tracing your family history
Best, Laura. Genealogy for the first time : research your family history
Hayes Presidential Center web site: www.rbhayes.org
 look under “Rutherford B. Hayes” tab for genealogy of the Hayes and Webb families.
 for online catalog of books see maurice.bgsu.edu
 for obituaries on the web – www.rbhayes.org/index
Family Search Program
LDS (Mormon) Church – millions of names giving births, christening, and marriage
information the whole world. Online – www.familysearch.org . Can also download free genealogy
program, Personal Ancestral File, off the web site. New web site http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/ - offers Ohio death certificates from 1908-1953 and
Toledo Diocese Catholic Church records.
Genealogy classes at Hayes Presidential Center, (usually run 9:30-11:30 am) Beginning
Genealogy class alternates with Computers and Genealogy Class. Also have a class on
RootsMagic sporadically. Call for registration – 419-332-2081; Free
Important addresses for genealogical web sites:
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www.cyndislist.com - lists over 250,000 genealogical web sites, divided by subject
www.usgenweb.com – genealogical web sites, divided by state, then county
www.rootsmagic.com - good genealogy program, free download demo – Roots Magic
http://beginninggenealogy.googlepages.com/ - An online tutorial for beginning genealogists
from the Genealogy Center at Fort Wayne’s Allen County Public Library
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/getstart.html
http://home.tampabay.rr.com/centans/genguide.html - an online beginner’s guide to
genealogy
http://genealogy.about.com/- lots of interesting articles about genealogy in general.
Hours: 9 –5 Monday - Saturday
Copies $.25 each - photocopies, microfilm copies, computer printouts; members $.10 each.
Becky Hill
Head Librarian
1/2008