Ohio Network Of American History Research Centers

The Ohio Network of American History Research Centers was established in 1970 by The Ohio Historical Society as repositories for County records that are destined to be destroyed. However, many counties, like Holmes County, choose to keep their records at the county level. The following repositories, and the counties they serve, is from a map provided by Mr Miller, and compiled by Marilyn Kirn for the Summit County Genealogical Society's Newsletter.

  1. Archival Services
    Polsky Building
    Archives please see subject: University of Akron Archives
    225 S Main St
    Akron OH 44325-1702
    phone: 330-972-7670
    Ashland, Coshocton, Holmes, Portage, Richland, Stark,
    Summit, Tuscarawas, Wayne Counties

  2. Center for Archival Collections
    Jerome Library
    Bowling Green State University
    Bowling Green OH 43403-0175
    phone: 419-372-2411
    Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin,
    Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky,
    Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, Wyandot Counties.

  3. Archives and Rare Books Department
    Blegen Library - 8th Floor
    University Libraries
    University of Cincinnati
    Cincinnati OH 45221-0113
    phone: 513-556-1959
    Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton,
    Highland, Warren Counties.

  4. Archives/Library Division
    Ohio Historical Society
    1982 Velma Ave
    Columbus OH 43211-2497
    phone: 614-297-2510
    Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Knox, Licking,
    Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway, Union Counties.

  5. Ohio University
    Alden Library
    Special Collecions
    Athens OH 45701-2978
    phone: 614-593-2712
    Athens, Belmont, Gallia, Guernsey, Hocking, Jackson,
    Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry,
    Pike, Ross, Scioto, Vinton, Washington Counties

  6. Western Reserve Historical Society
    108825 East Blvd
    Cleveland OH 44106-1788
    phone: 216-721-5727 ext 267
    Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina
    Counties.

  7. Archives and Special Collections
    Paul Laurence Dunbar Library
    Wright State University
    Dayton OH 45435-0001
    phone: 513-873-2092
    Auglaize, Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Logan, Mercer,
    Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby Counties

  8. OHS Archives/Library
    Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor
    151 W Wood St
    P O Box 533
    Youngstown OH 44501-0533
    phone: 216-743-5934
    Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Mahoning,
    Trumbull Counties

    9. Alphabetical list of Ohio Counties with their respective
    Research Center Number:
    Adams - 3 Guernsey - 5 Morrow - 4
    Allen - 2 Hamilton - 3 Muskingum - 5
    Ashland - 1 Hancock - 2 Noble - 5
    Ashtabula - 6 Hardin - 2 Ottawa - 2
    Athens - 5 Harrison - 8 Paulding - 2
    Auglaize - 7 Henry - 2 Perry - 5
    Belmont - 5 Highland - 3 Pickaway - 4
    Brown - 3 Hocking - 5 Pike - 5
    Butler - 3 Holmes - 1 Portage - 1
    Carroll - 8 Huron - 2 Preble - 7
    Champaign - 7 Jackson - 5 Putnam - 2
    Clark - 7 Jefferson - 8 Richland - 1
    Clermont - 3 Knox - 4 Ross - 5
    Clinton - 3 Lake - 6 Sandusky - 2
    Columbiana - 8 Lawrence - 5 Scioto - 5
    Coshocton - 1 Licking - 4 Seneca - 2
    Crawford - 2 Logan - 7 Shelby - 7
    Cuyahoga - 6 Lorain - 6 Stark - 1
    Darke - 7 Lucas - 2 Summit - 1
    Defiance - 2 Madison - 4 Trumbull - 8
    Deleware - 4 Mahoning - 8 Tuscarawas - 1
    Erie - 2 Marion - 4 Union - 4
    Fairfield - 4 Medina - 6 Van Wert - 2
    Fayette - 4 Meigs - 5 Vinton - 5
    Franklin - 4 Mercer - 7 Warren - 3
    Fulton - 2 Miami - 7 Washington - 5
    Gallia - 5 Monroe - 5 Wayne - 1
    Geauga - 6 Montgomery - 7 Williams - 2
    Greene - 7 Morgan - 5 Wood - 2
    Wyandot - 2

    AKRON UNIVERSITY ARCHIVAL SERVICES

    The University of Akron's Archival Services collects materials
    (such as correspondence, photographs, and newspapers) which have
    lasting historical or other research interest and which relate
    primarily to The University of Akron, to a nine-county region in
    northeastern Ohio, or to American psychology.

    The Archives includes three major divisions:

    1. The Archives contains historical materials by and about The University of Akron and its predecessor, Buchtel College, dating back to its founding in 1870. Patrons frequently consult the back files of the "Tel-Buch", "The Buchtelite", and the "General Bulletin". A copy of each University of Akron thesis and dissertation is available for use in the Archives.

    2. The "American History Research Center" (AHRC) collects historical records (such as personal papers and records of local governments, businesses, labor unions, and civic organizations) relating to a nine-county area consisting of Summit, Stark, Ashland, Coshocton, Holmes, Portage, Richland, Tuscarawas, and Wayne Counties. Among the AHRC collections are ones pertaining to the rubber industry and lighter-than-air flight.

    3. NOTE: please see the end of this article for a listing of Summit County records at the U of A Archives. For addresses of Ohio's "American History Research Centers" and the counties they serve please see subject: Ohio Network Research Centers.

    4. Archives of the History of American Psychology (AHAP) preserves materials relevant to the history of American psychology. These include documents, apparatus, photographs, tests, phonotapes, films, and books. There is a special collection of 3,500 films originally photographed for research in child development. Scholars who use the holdings come from all over the United States and points as distant as Australia.

    Other collections - Several organizations (including the B-26 Marauder Historical Society, the 9th AirForce Association, the Canal Society of Ohio, and the Lighter-Than-Air-Society) have deposited materials in Archival Services, even thought they do not fit precisely into these three collecting areas. The Summit County Historical Society's large collection of photographs and other documents is available for use in the Archives. In addition, music publisher Sylvia Smith has deposited materials (mostly correspondence, recordings, and scores) in the repository. If you think that any of these materials might be of use to you, please visit Archival Services, Room LL 10 at the Polsky Building, or call (330) 972-7670. Most of the items in the Archives cannot be located through ZipLINK, the Library's online catalog.

    Because of the nature of the archival materials, they do not circulate and must be used in the Archives area during its normal business hours (8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday)

    The following is a 'thumbnail' sketch of Records, for Summit
    County, that can be found at Akron University's Archives. Marilyn
    Kovatch compiled this list and it was published in the Ohio
    Genealogical Society's quarterly 'THE REPORT', Volume 32, Number 3,
    pg 129-132, (1992).

    BE ADVISED:
    The material at this facility can ONLY be researched by
    a personal visit. The staff cannot honor mail requests for
    information or for copies.

    Probate Court: (records microfilmed by LDS Church in 1972)
    Birth index 1869-1908
    Death index 1870-1908
    Birth records 1866-1908
    Death records 1870-1908
    Administration dockets 1846-1888
    Index to estates 1840-1944
    Index to guardianships 1840-1929
    Index to administrations, 1 vol. no dates
    Record of Wills 1840-1887
    Marriage Records 1840-1943
    Marriage record application book C 1861-1865
    Guardianship docket 1840-1876
    Guardianship appointments 1881-1885
    Probate Court Journal 1852-1886

    Board of County Commissioners:
    Indigent Soldier Burial Records 188_-1896
    Infirmary/County Home Journal 1913-1943
    Surplus Revenue Fund Journal 1837-1857

    Board of Railroad Appraisers:
    Railroad Appraisement record 1891-1910
    Common Pleas Court, Civil Division:
    Appearance Docket 1840-1852
    Federal Census Schedule 1880
    Journal 1840-1852
    Plaintiff Index 1840-1870

    Justice of the Peace:
    Civil Docket, Green Twp 1839-1841
    Civil Docket, Northampton Twp 1907-1936
    Civil Docket, Springfield Twp 1909-1912
    Civil Docket, Tallmadge Twp 1875-1932
    Criminal Docket, Tallmadge Twp 1878-1932

    Probate Court:
    Complete Record 1840-1927
    Feeble Minded & Epilepsy record 1904-1910
    Guardian Record 1840-1850
    1853-1874
    Guardian Record of Accounts 1896-1901
    Inventory & Sale bill record 1883-1903
    Inventory & Appraisement record 1933-1937
    Journal 1852-1925
    Lunacy record 1875-1922
    Marriage Record 1840-1865
    Naturalization records 1859-1906
    Petition record 1852-1921
    Will records 1840-1967

    Supreme Court:
    Minutes 1842-1851
    Record 1842-1846

    County Auditor:
    Annual financial statement 1864- ---
    Misc Records (militia, soldiers & sailors) 1857-1889
    Scrapbook of tax rates 1874-1969
    Soldiers Relief cash book 1896-1903
    Soldiers Relief Disbursement List 1902-1903
    Soldiers Relief Record 1887-1888
    Transfer Record 1840-1871
    1876-1931

    County Coroner:
    Record of Coroner's Inquests 1882-1922

    County Engineer:
    Road records, proceedings 1838-1892

    County Home:
    Admissions, discharges, misc records 1880-1968

    County Sheriff:
    Correspondence 1923-1933

    County Treasurer:
    Inheritance tax settlement 1928-1945
    Return of delinquent taxes 1928
    Tax duplicates 1846-1900

    Soldiers' Relief Commission:
    Relief Record minute book 1892-1955

    Akron City:
    Mayor's Court Civil Docket 1887-1892
    Mayor's Court Criminal Docket 1883-1911
    Mayor's Court Criminal Docket 1922-1923
    Criminal Docket Calendar 1893-1911
    Intoxication Docket 1891-1919
    State Criminal Docket 1884-1911
    Vagrancy Docket 1886-1897
    Municipal Court Calendar 1920-1940
    Municipal Court Civil Docket 1920-1931
    Justice of the Peace, Civil Docket 1904-1919
    Justice of the Peace, Criminal Docket 1912-1916
    Police Court Calendar, Criminal Docket 1912-1919

    Coventry Township:
    Civil Docket 1862-1920
    Criminal Docket 1864-1923

    Portage Township:
    Civil Docket 1882-1917
    Board of Trustees Minutes 1856-1901

    Kenmore Municipality:
    Justice of the Peace Civil & Criminal Docket 1920-1929

    Middlebury Municipality:
    Council Minutes/Ordinances 1838-1872