Local History & Genealogy

I would like to draw your attention to a new donation that I recently processed that has some great information for people searching for their ancestors. The collection is titled “Archinal Papers,” and it is available for viewing in The Roots Cellar, currently open Thursdays from 9-5.

People who are members of St. John’s German Evangelical Church will possibly find photos of their parents and grandparents in the church registers that were donated with the collection. Anyone researching the names Archinal, Scarr, Thomas, Kirschner, Olinger, and Umberger will find a wealth of research notes and family trees, some which have been published in family histories, also located with the collection materials.

You can view the finding aid for this collection (including a folder list) here: ArchinalPapersFindingAid

Or visit the Local History & Genealogy collections page of our website: https://www.doverlibrary.org/local-history-genealogy/local-history-collections/

Stop in on Thursdays to view this most recent addition to our growing collection!

Happy Hunting,

-Claire Kandle, Local History & Genealogy Librarian

I want to thank everyone who used the genealogy databases during our free trial and gave us feedback. Out of the four sites we tried, two were clear winners, and I am happy to announce that we will provide access to these great resources for the next year! So without further ado, let me tell you a little bit about our new research gems and how you can use them.

#1: Fold3 is a military database created by Ancestry.com. A subscription to Ancestry alone will give you access to some military records, but compared to Fold3, it’s a drop in the bucket. Fold3 has 60,000 pages of unique resources that contain 440 million records dating from the American Revolution to present conflicts. Here are just a few record collection examples that are unique to Fold3 : WWII diaries (2 million + records), Revolutionary War Service Records (2 million +), and War of 1812 Pension Files (1 million +). If you want to browse a list of all titles that are unique to Fold3 that the library can now provide access to, you can find it here. The site also has awesome personalizing and collaborative properties. You can create a personal user account (FOR FREE) to build memorial pages to your own veteran ancestors or living relatives, you can annotate images found in the database and leave comments on others’ memorial pages, and you can share it all via Facebook, Twitter, email, and even link to your Ancestry tree if you have one. So of course, we always have to add the caveat, if anyone can add anything to the pages, be careful about trusting the information if it stands alone. It’s about as reliable as Wikipedia (which can be a good source of information – it just depends). ALWAYS corroborate results with other sources whenever possible. There are many ways to search and browse, and Fold3 offers really helpful tips if you find yourself overwhelmed by the information. I plan to spend some time searching for my relatives here, so be on the lookout for a Fold3 intro class before our next genealogy lock-in this summer!

#2: NewspaperARCHIVE is my favorite new database. I spend quite a bit of time fielding obituary requests, and NewspaperARCHIVE has made my life so much easier! My success does depend on the number of issues digitized; not every day of every year for the Dover Daily Reporter can be found here. I can see at a glance if the date I am looking for will appear by using the “browse by location” feature. I can tell you within a few clicks that the database has only 2 issues for 1917: March 21, and April 6. The intuitiveness and efficiency of the filters is really what makes this database great. You can narrow at the front end of your search, or do a very general name search and narrow afterwards. Both options are quick and easy; I can usually find out whether or not I will have to go to the microfilm (a much slower searching experience, as some of you know!) within 30 seconds. And when I find what I’m looking for, I can easily create a PDF of the whole page, or zoom in on the article I want and clip the section to print.

Want to try it for yourself? Here is how you can access the databases:

There are two places you can find the databases on our website. First, if you click on “Research” from the menu bar across the top of our homepage, you will be sent to a list of all research databases provided by the library. You can also hover over “Local History & Genealogy” (it’s just to the right of “Research” in the menu bar) and select “Collections & Resources”, then scroll down to “Research Databases”. If you are here at the library, all you need to do is click on the image and you will be redirected to the site. If you are at home (oh yeah, you can browse these databases in your jammies!) you will be promted to sign in with your library barcode and pin. If you don’t know your pin, call the library at (330)343-6123 and we can help you.

Need more help?

I can meet with you one-on-one if you would like to set up an appointment, or you can stop in the Roots Cellar on Thursdays from 9-5 and explore the resources on our brand new research computer, courtesy of The Reeves Foundation!

Happy hunting,

-Claire Kandle, Local History & Genealogy Librarian

This month I would like to draw your attention to a collection that I recently processed and made available in The Roots Cellar: Subject Files. These are articles, pamphlets, and booklets that contain information relevant to the history of Tuscarawas County. Some of these came to me from an old vertical file maintained for years in a filing cabinet in the director’s office, others I added while searching for obituary requests or old photos in our microfilm collection. I found one such treasure in the February 25, 1965 issue of The Daily Reporter while looking for information on St. Joseph’s football team for a patron. This issue contains a plethora of Dover history. In the 27 pages of this file (searchable in our catalog by the title: “Take a good look: and see the wonderful community in which you live – Dover”) one can find things like a list of Dover Mayors, what Christian Deardorff and Jesse Slingluff paid for the 2+ acres in 1806 ($4622.00), information on the Tuscarawas County Children’s Home, pictures of our library (current building and the previous house), an article on Jeremiah Reeves, a photo of the plane that crashed in the middle of Walnut Street in 1943 (killing Addie Wendling, Edward Early, and Edward Early, Jr., his 12-year-old son), The Little Theatre, Dover Historical Society, the Basketeers, and yes, there is a picture of the 1946 St. Joseph football team. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of topics found in this issue of The Daily Reporter; let me just say that if you are conducting research on any aspect of Dover history, there is a good chance this file holds some valuable information.

Check the local history section of our website for a complete list of subject files, and drop by The Roots Cellar on Thursdays to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of Dover.

Since October is Archives month in Ohio, I thought it would be a perfect time to introduce a new feature of my local history blog: “From the Cellar.” About once a month I will choose an item or collection from The Roots Cellar in the basement of Dover Public Library to highlight in the post. Today I am excited to talk about a special donation we received from Phyllis Van Horn, and it takes us back to the very beginning of the place we call Dover.

Many Doverites might be able to tell you that Christian Deardorff was one of the co-founders of Dover, but know little beyond that basic fact. Did  you know his house was the site of the first store in Dover, and the site of the first township election? Did you know he was the first postmaster?

Thanks to the dedicated research of Walter and Phyllis Van Horn, all Doverites can now visit Dover Public Library to easily learn more about the man who carved Dover out of the wilderness. In one carefully constructed notebook one can find photos of Christian Deardorff and his family, copies of plat maps and handwritten land deeds, excerpts from different published histories including “The Portrait and Biographical Record of Tuscarawas County, Ohio – 1895” and W.W. Scott’s “Reminiscences of Dover,” prints and sketches of early Dover, transcribed and photocopied newspaper articles, Census and vital records, obituaries, copies of all of Deardorff’s land patents, tax lists, issues of the Dover Historical Society newsletter featuring articles about Christian Deardorff, and a copy of Margaret Deardorff’s will.

Walter and Phyllis spent years compiling this information from repositories around the state, and they generously donated the result to our local history archives here at Dover Public Library. As we bring Archives month to a close, I want to give Phyllis and her late husband a big H/T for being a champion of archives. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Doverites don’t have to work nearly as hard to learn more about their town fathers.

The featured collection is on display in The Roots Cellar at Dover Public Library and can be viewed Wednesdays and Thursdays 1-4 and 5-8.

To learn more about Archives month in Ohio, visit http://www.ohioarchivists.org/archives_month/
And don’t forget our digital record! Look here for digitized photos and collections from around the state:  http://www.ohiomemory.org/

-Claire Kandle, Local History & Genealogy Librarian

Join us in front of the library tomorrow at 2:00 as we unveil Dover Public Library’s brand new historical marker from Ohio History Connection (To learn more about Ohio’s historical marker program, visit www.remarkableohio.org). The marker will commemorate the fact that we have been a part of the community of Dover for over 100 years. I will present a brief history of the library at the ceremony, which is taking place on the 61st anniversary of the dedication of the building cornerstone. Color slides of the cornerstone ceremony from September 26, 1954 will be on display in the community room during the reception.

History buffs: if you are interested in the finer details of the library’s history, come explore our archival collection, “Dover Public Library: A History.” You can see the original color slides, a collection of prints drawn by cartoonist James Harrison Donahey for the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 1931, a recipe file created by librarian Eliza J. Justice,  and copies of a library history, draft and final, written by Corita Syler and placed in the library cornerstone. There is also a chronological collection of newspaper articles about Dover Public Library, and a special library issue of The Daily Reporter published September 17, 1955. The finding aid for this collection is online, and the materials are located in The Roots Cellar.

A final note: This library wouldn’t have survived without the support of the people of Dover, and it stands today as a symbol of Dover’s love for its community. So come out and show your support as we celebrate the Dover Public Library and look forward to the next 100 years!                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

– Claire Kandle, local history & genealogy librarian

Next Saturday Dover Public Library will host an introductory course in Genealogy. For those of you who want to learn the best ways to trace your family history, I strongly recommend it. But if you are unable to attend, I would like to draw your attention to some new circulating materials we have in The Roots Cellar that will help you as you search the past.

It’s true, most items in The Roots Cellar are for library use only. But we do have a collection of periodicals that circulate just like regular magazines: they can be checked out for 1 week with up to 2 renewals. One I would like to draw your attention to is Family Tree Magazine. The May/June 2015 issue features helpful articles such as “8 hidden clues to ID old photos,” “10 ways to connect with distant cousins,” and “Complete guide to old tax records.”

Another title available for circulation is “Ohio History,” the journal of Ohio History Connection (formerly Ohio Historical Society). Here history buffs can read scholarly articles on topics such as leftist activism at John Carroll University in the late 1960’s (“Peace be with you” by Michael Daniel Goodnough in the 2015 issue) or how Columbus, Ohio was a leader in implementing a water system that serves as a basis for models used today all over the world (“Water in the shaping of Columbus, Ohio, 1812-1912” by Mansel G. Blackford in the same issue).

We also have current issues of the following, all available to read in the comfort of your own home:

National Genealogical Society Quarterly

NGS Magazine

Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly

Ohio Genealogy News

Tuscarawas Pioneer Footprints (Tuscarawas County Genealogical Society newsletter)

Echoes (Ohio History Connection: this publication gives dates and descriptions of Ohio history programs throughout the state, as well as a feature story in Ohio history)

So if you want to bone up on current topics in local history and genealogy, stop into The Roots Cellar the next time you visit Dover Public Library and take a little history home with you.

The Roots Cellar is open Mondays from 12:30-4 and 5-8, Wednesdays 1-4 and 5-8, and Saturdays by appointment.