The Ohio Genealogical Society - Archive Tour

I live in the best place in the world.

My house is only about seven miles from the

Ohio Genealogical Society headquarters;

one of the largest genealogy societies 

in the United States.

It's beginnings go back to the year 1959, 

and my parents were among the first to attend the meetings at

Dr. David Massa's home.

Since my parents never, ever left me with anyone,

I'm sure I was at a few of those meetings, too.

Our own Richland County chapter meets in the building monthly.

This past week, our very own, much-appreciated Director,

Tom Neel, was our speaker.

He took us on a "behind the scenes" tour of 

the Archival Room.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I have been in this room.

But again, Tom showed us things I never knew were in there.

It was another opportunity to learn!

The above photo is of a German newspaper that existed in 1892.

There were two newspapers in Mansfield.

Think how many obituaries, marriage announcements, etc.

are in there; just waiting for someone who is able to read them

in German!

These photos showing brown paper packages tied up with string

are the Bibles that people donate.

 Some of these Bibles are huge!

I was particularly interested in the very old book on the

History of the Mission of the United Brethren.

I grew up hearing this story in my Ohio History classes in school

The United Brethren Church, also known as Moravians, 

 had sent missionaries to convert the Native Americans.

Unfortunately, it led to a very sad time in Ohio's history;

the converted Native Americans were massacred in a town

southeast of where I live -- Gnadenhutten.

You may read the story here:  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnadenhutten_massacre

Tom also showed us this book containing 

Oaths of County Officers.

I never thought to even look for a book like this.

If you were looking to join a lineage society,

think how valuable it would be to connect your family member

using a tool like this.

These dates were from very early 

Richland County - 1814 and beyond.

This book had me drooling.

It is an original copy of

The Wyandott Mission at Upper Sandusky Ohio.

Reverend Finley wrote those book 

about his experience in the mission.

And, in the back of the book,

he has written about and interviewed several Natives.

If you look carefully below, 

he writes about how "Brother Between the Logs" has gone to rest.

The following photos show why I would have no business

ever working in a library or archives.

Because, I would want to keep everything.

Absolutely everything.

A monument company in Cleveland 

donated its entire collection to OGS.

This is what it looked like when it arrived.

I love the gravestone sketches below.

This monument company made many of the statues

that were torn down in recent months

because of their association with the Confederacy.

So, when was the last time you visited your own 

local genealogy society?

When was the last time you attended a meeting,

and heard an excellent speaker?

Have you recently made a road trip across town,

or across the state, to visit the library and archives 

that may house the information you need

to further your research?

Even if you don't have ancestors that resided in the area you live in,

there are always opportunities to further your own learning.

OGS has a tremendous collection that goes beyond Ohio's borders.

Every state that touches Ohio 

has books and materials that may help you.

There are materials on the shelves 

from all parts of the United States.

My advice:  Join your local society.

Join your state society.

Go to learn.

Leave ready to research and help others.

The Faithful Two

Last Monday evening I had the opportunity to see the love of genealogy in action.

I also saw the dedication of an Ohio Genealogical Society trustee in action.

I happened to be talking with Sunda Peters at OGS on Monday afternoon, and she had mentioned how they are trying to help a struggling county genealogical society stay afloat.  She was driving to their meeting that very evening.  It was cold, it would be dark and a bit rainy, so I volunteered to go along with her.  Cheryl Abernathy would be meeting her there.

Sunda is past President of the Ohio Genealogical Society.
Cheryl is a trustee on the board.

Sunda picked me up, and we laughed and talked all the way to Mt. Vernon, Ohio.  We located the building and walked in to wait on Cheryl.

This is the beautiful big older home where the society meets.

Dick and Jim were already there and welcomed us right in.

Jim is on the right, and is the President and the Treasurer.  Dick is on the left, and proudly showed us their collection.  Each month, Jim draws up an agenda for their meeting.  They are the only two who attend.

I want you to look at the faces of Sunda and Cheryl as they listen intently to the problems these two men face in keeping the society alive.

Some of those problems include:
1.  Having an historical society and a genealogy room in the public library that appeals to people more than the tiny space they have.
2.  An out-of-state membership.
3.  An aging local membership, many of whom are in nursing homes or the cemetery.

Take a careful look at Ohio in 1810.  We had just become a state seven years earlier.  The red arrow points to where I now live in Richland County.  The parent county is Knox County, right where I was Monday evening.

It's an old county.  And, an important one.

Dick proudly showed me a photo album that had been left in a motel that ended up with them.  I thought of Maureen Taylor as I looked through the pages.  Here's a few for you to look at, too.

Look how thick it is!

Who are these people?  They were left behind in a motel, and no one seemed to notice.

Well, Dick noticed.  He turned the back of each photo over and noticed there were names on a few of them.  So, he traced them.

I learned many things that evening.  As we left to drive home in the rain, I felt profound respect for Dick and Jim and their efforts to keep a small, but important piece of Ohio's history alive.

I saw the relief on their faces as Sunda and Cheryl leaned in to listen to their concerns.  I don't know that I have seen a better example of officers, past and present, than what I did that evening.  A "tiger team" that will include other trustees will be assembled by Cheryl to meet again and help these men out.

And, once again, Peggy had another opportunity to learn.

Every Opportunity Counts

I consider myself to be one of the most fortunate people alive.

I was recently asked about my background, my education, etc.  I took a deep breath and gave my answer.

Other than high school, I have no formal education.  But, I certainly am educated.  Let me tell you why.

The opportunity to go to college was not there for me.  Being the baby of the family is not easy, for I didn't have a line of people encouraging me in that direction.  All of my sisters are educated, with nursing degrees and x-ray technician backgrounds.

But, I am not.  I was generally told college was for smart people.  And, I believed that.

So, I educated myself.

I worked at Bierce Library at the University of Akron for a number of years.  I could have taken classes for college credit for free.  But, I didn't.  I did take one class on how to play the harmonica from a man who used to play with Freddie and the Fendercats.  Now, I don't have the breath to even play the harmonica.

All I ever wanted to be was a wife and mother, and I really didn't think that would ever happen, either.  But, it did.  And, soon I was "stuck at home" with four children under five years old.

This is when I did my greatest amount of learning.  While the kids were napping, I was reading and studying.  I was expanding my musical talent, learning how to go beyond piano and organ and saxophone (from high school).  I acquired six-string and twelve-string guitars, a banjo, autoharp, recorders, and anything else I could get my hands and taught myself.

As the kids grew, we spent hours at the library.  Each were allowed to check out ten books - forty books each week!  Kerry and I would immerse ourselves in the history and reference section.

Our kids began to realize how books could open up the world to them at a very early age.

When my kids were in junior/senior high school, I was asked to be the Family History Director at our local ward.  At this time, I hadn't taken the time to learn to do the things the easy way (microfiche, microfilm).  I had always gone to the actual areas with my parents.

Long story short...that assignment led me to where I am today.  I have traveled the United States and spoken to the world.  

So, when asked about my background, let me give some advice:

1.  Always, always take advantage of every opportunity for learning that comes your way.  There are so many to choose from.  They range from conferences, webinars, and classes to local gatherings at the public libraries, local genealogy societies, and even public television.  Learning about the 1918 influenza epidemic helped me to realize how difficult it was for my grandmother and her sister to lose seven babies between them.  It enhanced the writings in my mother's journal, who happened to live through it and remembered it as a five-year old.

2.  Learn to recognize the opportunity in front of you.  It may come in a casual conversation with someone of advanced age, a class being held, a book at a book sale.  

3.  Make the time to learn.  If you wait for the time to come, you may be waiting a long time.  Set aside the time for your own education.

4.  Some opportunities are free - some may cost money.  We were a single-income family, so I had to be judicial in what I spent money on for myself.  It might mean only one trip per year with my sisters to do research.  It might mean borrowing a book from the library instead of buying it.  One of the best ways is looking through what I already had in my own home.

5.  Conferences and institutes are tremendous, if you can afford them and the travel involved.  I have been fortunate to attend many conferences, but had to sit back on many more.  With modern technology, I can attend some of the streamed sessions.  

The Family History Library is hosting a wonderful United States Research Seminar in August.  I would love to be attending it.  But, I can't.  However, there are at least twenty classes being streamed!  Take a look at it here .  I have registered for as many as I can.

6.  I am an Accredited Genealogist, and have been for the past fifteen years.  I made a choice between becoming Accredited, or going through the Board for Certification of Genealogists.  I chose the first, as it hones you in on a specific area.

I did not need to do this professionally.  But, I wanted to.  Some of my friends and colleagues were proud of my accomplishment, and let me know that.  But, I'm still the same Peggy as before.

My oldest child had left on a mission, and I had three more in various stages of junior/senior high school.  Acquiring this Accreditation was one of the hardest things I had ever done.  I thought I was good, but it polished me.  I am so grateful that I set that as a goal, and that I reached it.

There are many genealogy colleagues who are neither Accredited or Board Certified.  But, they are good.  Very, very good.  Neither of these are needed to do professional research or speaking at different venues.  But, perhaps it helps when the post-nomials are noted, for it shows you have gone a little further.

7.  I learn from my peers.  I have attended classes when I have sat in awe at the tremendous amount of information being shared.  I have learned things I didn't know that I didn't know.

I have also attended classes where the only thing I learned was how not to teach a class.  I am not saying that to insult the presenter.  I have known several whose brains are so full of knowledge that I am coveting them.  But, they didn't quite know how to convey that knowledge to others.  As they spoke, I took note of the attendees around me.  Again, I learned how not to teach.

8.  I am always in research mode.  Always.  When we travel, I am reading.  When we were waiting for children at piano lessons, swim meets, tennis matches, etc., we always had a book.  (We watched our parents do the same thing.)  We never go anywhere without a book to read or a journal to write in.  

9.  I have found that by helping another person, or preparing a new lecture - I learn more than anyone else.  I believe it's called *homework*.  

10.  Belonging to your local or state genealogy society benefits you in so many ways.  I am fortunate to live just a few moments away from the Ohio Genealogical Society.  I have blogged about it several times, and those are tagged in the right column of this blog.

One thing they have begun doing is having a series of summer learning sessions - for free!!!  Please check out what has already been offered, and what is yet to come:  http://www.ogsblog.org/2016/03/2016-summer-learning-sessions.html?spref=tw

If I follow the example of my parents, my in-laws, and Mr. Kerry, my learning will never come to an end.  In today's world, there is no reason to remain uninformed on a subject.  

We choose those things that are the most important to us.  For me, it has been lifelong learning.

So, don't be discouraged if you're not able to go to all of the events you would like to.  Instead, be grateful for the things you may have right in front of you.  Kerry's father counseled his children:

Always keep your mind active and learning.

AND, from one of my previous posts

When you're green, you're still growing.

When you're ripe, you're almost rotten.

STAY GREEN!

Treasures at the Ohio Genealogical Society

 I have been spending quite a bit of time at the Ohio Genealogical Society lately.  It's a treasure that is actually just down the road from me -- about seven minutes away.

After it's humble beginnings at someone's home, it moved to two other properties before building its new home.  The dedication of this beautiful building was six years ago.  It is conveniently located off of a major interstate.

I have done some posts about OGS before, but this time I just want to show you some photos I took there yesterday.  It was a perfect way to spend a hot, humid, Ohio afternoon.

This is the interior of this beautiful library.  There are rows and rows of books about Ohio, and about the states touching Ohio.

This is the obituary collection that I wrote about.
Al and Julia Hoffman spent nearly two years digitizing these for FamilySearch.  

These are the vertical files containing a bounty of information on families.

A closeup of some of those vertical family files.

This file contains unpublished manuscripts about the counties and localities in Ohio.

The computer room is phenomenal, with the capability of scanning microfilm and downloading it to a flash drive.

They have a marvelous collection of both city and rural directories.
I wrote about these in an earlier post.  You can read it here.

This is only a portion of their yearbook collection.

This file contains family charts that people have sent in to add to the collection.
I made sure Mr. Kerry's family is well represented.

They even have a lending library!  These books are duplicates of those on the shelves.

Newspapers dating back to the mid-1800's are stored in a temperature-controlled archive room.

All of these beautiful volumes contain naturalization records that the state didn't want, or perhaps didn't have room for.

Here are a couple of pages from some original tax records.
These are also stored in the archive room.

The ORIGINAL 1880 census for the state of Ohio!
Yes, I said the original.
I was able to look at one of the volumes, and was amazed at the clarity of the writing.
It's interesting that I could read it so well, but if I were looking at it on microfilm, it might be faded out.

This is the manuscript collection.
Many times, when someone dies, the family members will donate their papers to a facility like OGS.
They are housed in archive-safe boxes.

These are collections waiting to be sorted through and placed in the archive room.

I tried real hard to rotate this, but it kept converting back.
It's just one snippet of one of the many German newspapers that are housed in the archive room.
There aren't many around that can read the old German, so they aren't looked at very often.

These are just a few of the treasures from OGS.  I will include a few more photos later.

Hope you enjoy!