Local Resources
There are a number of local organizations and individuals (besides the library and its staff) that can be quite useful to those interested in genealogy and local history research.
Genealogy Researchers
Vital & County Records
Maps & Land Ownership
Local History
- Perry County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society: A very active organization that provides research assistance, indexes to vital records and obituaries, and many other products and services. For research that requires resources outside of the local history and genealogy collection at the library, please contact Sue Saylor, a Chapter member and very capable private researcher. (Top)
- Perry County Probate Court: This division of the Perry County Courthouse provides indexes to early birth and death records (approximately 1867 through 1908) as well as actual marriage records from 1818 to the present.
Contact for more details: 740-342-1493 or pcpro@perrycountycourt.com
- Perry County Health Department: Provides access to birth and death records from approximately 1909 to the present.
- Perry County Court of Common Pleas: Repository of records pertaining to naturalizations, divorces, foreclosures, and criminal cases.
Contact for more details: 740-342-1022
- Perry County Archives: A repository of newspapers from the county as well as a collection of records from various county offices are located in the archives. The building that houses the archives is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. These hours change rather frequently and can be inconsistent.
Contact for more details: 740-342-5549 (Top)
- Perry County Recorder's Office: Source of information related to land transfers, oil and mineral rights, and military records. This office also provides access to various maps of the county.
Contact for more details: 740-342-2494
- Perry County Auditor's Office: Keeper of tax records for the county and information concerning land ownership.
- Perry County Engineer's Office: An asset in the preparation and interpretation of maps.
Contact for more details: 740-342-2191 (Top)
- Digital Shoebox Collection: An excellent source of digitized historical photos and images from Perry County and the surrounding region. This now includes the recordings of the Perry County Memories: Oral History Project.
- Little Cities of Black Diamonds: An organization that seeks to promote the history and culture of southern Perry County, while at the same time, helping to bring tourism and attention to the area. LCBD is an excellent resource for inquries concerning coal mining in the county as well as various town and village histories.
- New Straitsville Library: Resource for information related to the town of New Straitsville and southern Perry County. This library is a separate entity from the Perry County District Library.
- Perry County Historical Society: The society owns and operates an historic home in Somerset, OH as a museum, gift shop, and community center. Hours of operation are quite limited.
Contact for more details: 740-743-1374 or 740-659-2405.
- The MacGahan American-Bulgarian Foundation of New Lexington: An organization devoted to preserving and celebrating the memory of one of Perry County's most famous native sons, Januarius MacGahan, a war correspondent and "liberator of Bulgaria". The foundation maintains a collection of books and other materials related to Bulgaria and MacGahan on the lower level of the New Lexington Library. The foundation also organizes an annual MacGahan festival in New Lexington. (Top)
- Knox County Black History Digital Archives: This new online resource promises to become the largest, completely digitized collection of photographs, documents, and other artifacts relating to the African-American esperience in rural Ohio.