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(Further details in Publications)
The following is from The Bryan Times,
Aug 17, 2004, page 4.
[Use our "LINK"
page to access his web site]
Library
Lock-In Shows off Van Gundy Room Resources
The WCGS
met at the Bryan Library for a tour of the Paul Van Gundy Ohioana Room and
research session. Assisted by members of the WCGS and library staff, 23
individuals took advantage of the after hours admission to the library.
Beginning at 4pm the members were allowed to work until 8pm. WCGS provided
dinner for the evening.
The Paul Van Gundy Ohioana Room holds the library's local history/genealogy
collection as well as WCGS's library. Jane Kelly, the library's local
history coordinator described what is of interest to those researching local and
family history. The book collection is divided in the several sections:
Ohio counties, general genealogical reference, William's County material, Ohio
history, family genealogies, Ohio military, and other states.
Featured books are the complete set of indexed cemetery
transcriptions and the county histories by Goodspeed (1882), Shinn (1903),
Bowersox (1920) and Williams County Historical Societyıs 1978 and 1980
publications.
The library also houses a microfilm collection of Williams
County census 1830-1920 (minus 1890), print census indexes for Ohio 1820-1880,
census records for Ohio counties Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding; Indiana
counties DeKalb and Steuben and Michigan counties Branch, Hillsdale and Lenawee.
A large portion of the microfilm collection is area newspapers. The library has
copies of the Bryan Democrat (1863-1948), Bryan Press (1872-49), Bryan Times
(1949-current), Montpelier Leader Enterprise (1880-1993), Edon Commercial
(1912-1939), Edgerton Earth (1909-1987), Tri-State Alliance (1879-1974) and
West Unity Reporter (1880-1920).
The library has print copy of an index to newspaper
obituaries beginning in the 1880ıs running through 1975. They are working on
updating this index.
Additional microfilm items include marriage records, miscellaneous probate,
deed, county civil and criminal records. Researchers looking for the
complete records should visit the Williams County Records Center on 107 West
Butler Street in Bryan.
The library has a microfilm reader donated by WCGS and a reader and printer
purchased from the combined funds of the library, Wms. Co. Historical Society,
and WCGS. The library houses a photographic archive of historical Williams
County landmarks. These are available to copy or reproduce.
WCGS ancestor card file and index of First Families ancestors
are located in the library, along with our collection of five generation charts.
The VanGundy Room patrons also have computer and internet access for
genealogical research. The library subscribes to Ancestry which allows those who
use this computer access to all of Ancestry.com's databases (excluding census
records). WCGS has helped the library purchase, CDs on Colonial,
Mayflower and early settlers of New England. Other CDs include records on German
Immigrants, New York and Pennsylvania families. Both Ohio and Indiana vital
records are on CDs as well as the U.S. Mortality Index (1850-1880).
Materials are non-circulating. Copies are available at a nominal fee.
Contact Jane Kelly at
419-636-6734 if you have any questions about the library collection.
Visit
the library's website at
http://www.williamsco.lib.oh.us
and search their on-line catalog for specific titles
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