GENEALOGY RESOURCES – HERE ARE SOME SITES THAT YOU MIGHT FIND HELPFUL IN YOUR SEARCH FOR YOUR ISLAND ROOTS
Beatty Family Website – Michael Beatty has a website that is a one-stop genealogical bonanza for people looking for family connections. It is an archive of the genealogical history of Kelleys Island. He has pictures, census information, family trees, birth, death and marriage info – actually, you could spend an entire day just exploring the options available.
Kelleys Island Historical Association – Pretty self-explanatory!
Kelleys Island Faces from the Past on Facebook – Another great place to see photos, or post questions!
Kelleys Island Cemetery Index – You can search for burials (only those with monuments at the time of the survey will show up). Please keep in mind that some monuments have long since disappeared. It is, however, a useful tool to find relatives names. It was accurate as of 1983, no additions to the list since then. the village of Kelleys Island maintains a file on burials in the Island cemetery.
Find-a-Grave – Wish you had a picture of your great-great’s cemetery monument? This is the place to post your request. Dedicated volunteers scour cemeteries to gather pictures. Or you can volunteer to take pictures in your area. Discover the BEST way to do a tombstone rubbing.
Erie County Probate Court – 323 Columbus Avenue (in the Courthouse), downtown Sandusky Ohio
The State of Ohio did not require birth and death records be recorded as Civil Records until December 20, 1908. Prior to that, recording of these documents was ‘encouraged,’ which is why locating some are so very difficult. Court records include birth and death records from 1867-1908. After 1908 these records are housed at the Erie County Health Dept. Probate court also has marriages, wills and probate estate records from 1838 as well as guardianships and some miscellaneous records.
Sandusky Library – Downstairs is a great genealogy section. Sandusky Papers are on microfilm back to the 1830’s. They also have a great inventory of historical items online.
Early Property Maps for Erie County – Those big tax maps showing who owned what are now in PDF form and can be viewed online, 1920-1986 series is complete.
The Firelands Genealogical Society and is adding Erie County to their group as the Erie County chapter is inactive now. It is now dedicated to furthering quality genealogical and family history research in Huron and Erie Counties. Formerly the Huron Co. Genealogical Society. The Erie Co OGS is Facebook page is still active Erie County Ohio History & Genealogy and this is the Firelands page.
R B Hayes Museum and Library – Click on Ohio Obituary Index to search for death notices that appeared in NW Ohio newspapers.
Cleveland Public Library – http://cpl.org/research-learning/genealogy/
Click on Necrology Files – if an obituary appeared in the Cleveland papers, it should be found here.
Newspaper Archive – This site has converted over to a subscription database, but is quite comprehensive.
New York Passenger Lists 1820-1891 – A good place to start in searching Immigration Records
Ohio Memory – Since 2008 the Ohio Historical Society has digitized over 400,000 newspapers. Also a great place to do a general search for pictures, articles, publications, etc.
Ancestry.com – The first genealogy website. While there is a subscription fee, there is also a free trial period.
Family Search – The Family History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints houses a huge collection of genealogical records that include names of more than 3 billion deceased people. It’s the largest collection of its kind in the world. What is really good about this site is that it is F R E E, although they are some links to fee-based locations for some document copies. Pretty much everything you can get on Ancestry is here, except some images.
Soldiers & Sailors database – From the National Park Service
Google Books – Google has digitized loads of old books. Put your relative’s name in quotes (to limit the search) and see what comes up. How cool to read a book online that can only be found in a library in California!
Archive.org – An alternative to Google Books. Old books digitized and ready to read.
National Archives – Check more than 50 million historical records from Civil War battles to family immigration files.
Ohio Veterans Home – OVH Cemetery – Search names and get locations and pictures of monuments at the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky.
Homestead records – Federal Land Patents offer researchers a source of information on the initial transfer of land titles from the Federal government to individuals. In addition to verifying title transfer, this information will allow the researcher to associate an individual (Patentee, Assignee, Warrantee, Widow, or Heir) with a specific location (Legal Land Description) and time (Issue Date). There is a variety of Land Patents on the site, including Cash Entry, Homestead and Military Warrant patents.
Old Photographs – Almost every State has collected old and historic photos. This site has a compilation of many of these sites and their addresses.
Genealogy Gophers – Search only genealogy books for your family names.
Got a question about the Islands? When I do, I go to: http://www.ilakeerie.com/.
This site contains all the links you didn’t know you needed including lake conditions, fishing reports, web cams, boating, history, environment, travel, videos, and a forum.
Kelleys Island Audubon Club – Stop in to one of the monthly potlucks with speakers (generally the 3rd Thursday at 6 pm). Be sure to visit the island for Nest with the Birds in May, the Butterfly Festival/Treasure Island day and Feathers and Foliage in September. Scattered through the year are bird and owl banding events.
Port Clinton News Radio (online) – The area’s first internet radio station. News, music, event information, weather, sports and special talk shows will keep you up to date. The radio station that plays while you are doing your computer work. How cool!