1. Research
  2. Local History & Genealogy

Local History & Genealogy at Main Library has resources to help you with your research. Please call (614) 645-2275 to learn more.

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Book an online appointment with a librarian for one-on-one help with genealogy, local history or house history questions. We can help you get started or answer in-depth questions.

Local History and Genealogy Tools

African American Heritage
Comprehensive mix of resources, records and tools geared to African American genealogy.
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America's Obituaries and Death Notices
A large collection of newspaper obituaries and death notices from around the country.
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Ancestry Library Edition
One of the largest collections of genealogical databases. NOW AVAILABLE REMOTELY
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Central Ohio Buildings
An index to articles, books and visuals about historic Columbus buildings.
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Chronicling America
Access to information about historic American newspapers.
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Columbus Dispatch Digital
Get full-text coverage of the Columbus Dispatch from 1871 to the present.
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Columbus News Index
An index of news articles of local interest from 1960-1997 and obituaries from 1931-1997.
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Columbus News Index - Obituary Search
An index to obituaries from central Ohio news publications, 1932-1997.
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Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites
A comprehensive, categorized list of links to genealogical research websites.
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Digital Public Library of America
Millions of primary source images, text and videos from across the United States.
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FamilySearch
Millions of records and free how-to resources from the Latter Day Saints.
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Find A Grave
One of the best sites for locating cemeteries and finding where our ancestors are buried.
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Fold3
Discover your family’s past through millions of military and genealogical records.
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Franklin County Gravestone Photos and Indexes
Central Ohio cemetery histories, burial indexes and gravestone photographs.
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HeritageQuest
Access more than 7.5 million pages of genealogical resources.
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National Archives & Records Administration's Genealogy Page
One of the largest collections of genealogy information in the U.S.
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Ohio Death Record Index Search
Index to Ohio death certificates, 1913-1944, 1954-1963.
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Ohio Genealogical Society
Ohio Genealogical Society maintains a collection of Ohio resources for research.
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Ohio History Central
Dynamic online encyclopedia about Ohio history.
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Ohio History Connection
The Ohio History Connection, formerly Ohio Historical Society, serves as our State Archives.
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Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records
A directory of U.S. online death indexes listed by state and county.
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Researching House History in Columbus
Get the tools you need to learn your home's history.
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Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
A searchable interface for locating historical maps of Ohio towns and cities.
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State Library of Ohio
Special census records, military rosters, and other documents related to the state of Ohio.
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USGenWeb Project
Links to genealogical websites for every state, including Ohio, and most U.S. counties.
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WorldGenWeb Project
Genealogical and historical records and resources from around the world.
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