Center for Archival Collections

Property & Real Estate Research Resources

First Steps Select a piece of property Go to the County Recorder's Office to get the legal description of the property Using Deed Records, compile a list of the owners. Remember to record the dates! Remember to get all the previous owners. For Wood County properties, use the Geographical Index
Where to Research the History of Your Property
Local Archives, Library & Historical Society County Courthouse Municipal Offices Corporate & Institutional Records	Private Collections Internet Resources Center for Archival Collections
Local Archives, Library & Historical Society
Secondary Sources City & County Histories Corporate Histories Pictorial Collections Postcards Photographs Prints Maps Historical Atlases Fire Insurance Maps (Sanborn)	Other Sources City Directories/Gazetteers Newspapers Builders and Trade Catalogs Architectural Drawings Manuscript Collections Oral Histories Tax Duplicates Deed Indexes Cemetery Records
Census Records The CAC holds Population Schedules for all of Ohio (1820-1930) and Agriculture and Manufacturing Schedules for northwest Ohio counties for 1870-1880. Population Schedules may list all members of the household, their ages, occupations, relationships, and place of birth; Agriculture and Manufacturing Schedules give information about crops grown and products made. Population Agriculture Manufacturing

County Courthouse

Auditor's Office/Board of Equalization

Recorder

Clerk of Courts

Probate Court

Engineer

Commissioners

Municipal Offices

Buildings & Inspections

Engineering Office

Water Works

Clerk's Office

Corporate and Institutional Records

Churches

Companies

Private Collections

Internet Resources

Center for Archival Collections

The Center for Archival Collections holds many of the public records and books described above. To request these items, consult the following:

University Libraries online catalog lists books, pamphlets, newspapers, and manuscripts held by the CAC.
Guide to Local Government Records lists all county, township, and municipal records held by the CAC, whether in original or microfilm format.
The Ohio Obituary Index locates the date and newspaper for obituaries of landowners.
The Guide to Newspaper Holdings lists titles and dates of all newspapers held by the CAC.
Research strategies. Suggestions for organizing your research. What to look for and how to look for it.