History & Genealogy

Explore resources, records, and tools designed for the unique challenges of African American family history research.

Trace your family history using historical records including census data, vital records, directories, photos, and more.

• Access to Ancestry Library Edition is available exclusively by visiting a library location.
• The Library Edition of Ancestry does not include all the features available for purchase by individual home users.

Focused on Bellbrook’s pioneer history & general county news, browse archived clippings from the Bellbrook Moon Newspaper and Scrapbooks to assist with local history research.

Locate over 130 cemeteries in Greene County, Ohio. This map shows the approximate locations of all known cemeteries, including many that are no longer in active use.

Find historical information about politics, society, and local events in these original newspaper articles from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Find historical information about politics, society, and local events in these original newspaper articles from Dayton, Ohio.

Browse or search a text version of articles published in the Dayton Daily News from October 11, 1989 to current.

Browse or search full-color PDF images of the entire issue of the Dayton Daily News from September 28, 2018 to current issue.

Bring the stories of America's veterans to life with historical U.S. military records, photos, and personal documents.

Search historical birth records from Greene County, Ohio.

Find historical U.S. Federal census records for Greene County, Ohio.

Search historical death records from Greene County, Ohio.

See photos and documents that illustrate the history of our library system.

HathiTrust is a not-for-profit collaborative of academic and research libraries preserving over 18 million digitized items in their Digital Library. 

Search for obituaries and death notices from thousands of newspapers across the United States from 1704 to current. 

Search census records, books, serials, and other historical records to trace your family history.

Search and read 18th and 19th century historical newspapers.

Explore images of various towns, cultures, ethnic groups, and architecture.

Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.

Search hundreds of years of historical newspapers from North America, the United Kingdom, and other select countries dating back to the 17th century.

Search an inventory of surnames from the Application for Admission to the Ohio Soldiers & Sailors Orphans Home (OSSO)—later renamed The Ohio Veteran’s Children’s Home (OVCH)—in Xenia, Ohio.

View detailed maps of Ohio cities drawn between 1882 and 1962. Locate buildings and neighborhoods. Study the the impact of growth and new developments.

A collection of photos taken after the 1974 Tornado with information on the location and people and structures affected.

Discover a new topic or subject with intelligent and serious introductions written by authors who are experts in their field.

Listen to oral history recordings from Greene County residents about their lives and experiences, both in and outside the county.

Browse historical documents from the oldest women's club in Ohio and one of the oldest women's literary clubs in the United States.

Listen to recordings of nationally-known speakers as well as stories about local news and events from the archives of WYSO, the public radio station owned and operated by Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Browse or search a text version of articles published in the Xenia Daily Gazette from 2013 to current.