The Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS) in Bellville and Richland Source have decided to work together in tracing family lineages in three community members who may have early Mansfield ties. The program has been designated “Pathways to the Past,” and the stories will be posted on Richland Source.
The volunteers exploring their family lineage with OGS are Jay Miller of DRM Productions, Connie Hanshaw of Richland Bank, and Tammy Smith of The Ohio State University at Mansfield.
“[The people in our families] shaped the future of Ohio. There are still people today that are shaping the future, and sometimes we find out that if we have a passion for something, we may find that same passion within our ancestors,” said Cheney.
Cheney also stated that this project will give the three volunteers a better sense of identity because they may find similar professions in their ancestors that reflect their passions.
The Richland County OGS library is located on Rt. 97 entering Bellville, just past the Der Dutchman Restaurant. The library contains up to 10,000 yearbooks from high schools and colleges, dated newspapers and magazines, and public records. However, no public records before the late 1800s can be found because birth and death certificates were not required at that time.
The library includes rows of books that are categorized by general books on Ohio, the Civil War, and continues to organize by individual counties. It also contains a computer lab, where internet access is available, and a microfilm room.
Although some information about ancestry can be found via the web, Education Chair Margaret Cheney compares information on ancestry on the web to an iceberg.
“Envision, if you would, that the tip of the iceberg is all of the information currently online. And then envision the rest of the iceberg that is underneath the water to be the information found in libraries like this one.”
The OGS will be hosting an annual conference on genealogy at Kalahari Resort from April 30 to May 3. If interested in exploring your genealogy, visit the OGS website or call 419 886-1903.
There are still people today that are shaping the future, and sometimes we find out that if we have a passion for something, we may find that same passion within our ancestors,” said Margaret Cheney.
