Businesses

Business records are one of the least used resources for genealogists. Information about business may be found in many ways. Histories of businesses may be found through newspapers, directories, local histories, biographical collections, and old photographs. In addition, business directories, local vending licenses, estate settlements, annual reports, business history publications, account books and journals, Common Pleas court records, and maps may include useful information pertaining to businesses. Other genealogical resources such as census records and agricultural and manufacturing schedules, obituaries, and family histories, should not be ignored.

Many early Americans (17th and 18th centuries) focused on farming and agriculture as their principal means of survival. However, between 10 and 20 percent of the population engaged in non-farming activities. These activities may include but are not limited to grocers and dry goods, blacksmiths, silversmiths, entrepreneurs, salesmen, teachers, tavern owners, mill workers, canal men, railroad men, coachmen, clerks, clergymen, doctors, lawyers, judges, etc. It was common for many individuals to serve as an apprentice or indentured servant. Individuals would be bound to one person for a given period of time in payment for some services. There were two basic types of indentures: (1) to learn a trade and (2) pay for passage to America. Those who were apprenticed to learn a trade may have started as young as 8 years old. If the family was having a difficult time to make ends meet, young boys would become an apprentice to learn a trade, normally until they turned 21. Young girls would be indentured to learn “housewifery.” Former prisoners from England and individuals who could not afford the passage to America would often become indentured for a number of years as to have away across the ocean.

Often, storekeepers would keep account books. Many times, these account books note family relationships and individuals involved with the transactions and delivery of goods. Schoolmasters would often keep records on their students. Sometimes these are considered school records. However, early schools were privately run and the teachers were paid by the students’ families. In this sense, they could be considered business records.

Insurance records may be useful for many genealogists. Insurance companies grew in popularity in the mid-1800s. Information on applications normally included lifestyle, health, age, residence, and relatives (beneficiaries). Many times, insurance companies would need to contact heirs when large sums of money were due. Files of these searches may prove very beneficial for family historians. No insurance records may be found in our local collection.

Credit reporting agencies are other less common resources for genealogists. By the early 1850s, R. G. Dun and Company (a.k.a. Dun and Bradstreet) send semiannual credit reports about business people in their areas to the New York Office. These records are available in the Baker Library at Harvard University and comprise 2,580 volumes arrange by county (The Source, p. 343). Individuals would need to visit the library in person or hire a researcher to have the records searched. The librarians do not provide this service. Clergy

The late 18th and 19th centuries saw an increasing number of professionals. Where records may be found on these individuals depends on the profession or trade. Information on clergy is most commonly found with the archives of the church denomination. Church archives may be found through a search on the Internet. For Catholic records, it will be necessary to know the diocese. Information on clergy may also be found through local history books and biographical dictionaries.

On our department’s web site, there is some information pertaining to ministers ordained to perform marriages in Wayne County, Ohio. They are listed under the subheading “Ministers” and are categorized by denomination. Lawyers, Judges, Attorneys

The prominence of lawyers, judges, and doctors lends itself to the publication of many directories and biographical sketch books on individuals practicing such professions. For Wayne County, OH lawyers and judges, many are included in the following books:

• Within the Bounds of the Law: Bench and Bar of Wayne County, Ohio 1812-2000 by Betty K. Schuler.
• History of the Lawyers of Wayne County, Ohio, from 1812 to 1900 by Ben Douglass.
• Directory of Wayne County, OH Attorneys 1836-1964 compiled by Harry McClarran.
• Attorneys of Wayne County, OH (notebook including newspaper clippings on various attorneys and judges of Wayne Co, OH).

These materials are shelved under “Ohio-Wayne-Bio.” Other biographical sketches may be found in Ben Douglass’ History of Wayne County, Ohio; Commemorative Biographical Record of Wayne County, Ohio, by Beers & Co.; Bowen’s History of Wayne County, Ohio; and the biography notebooks. Listings of those individuals practicing law in some form may be found through directories and early newspapers. Doctors

Records on individuals in the medical profession have been kept in some form since the late 19th century by the American Medical Association. In book form, Physicians in Wayne County 1896-1985 includes copies of select certificates from the “Board of Medical Registration and Examination, State of Ohio.” In the front of the book, there is an alphabetical listing of the physicians who were recorded in the Wayne County Courthouse. Another list includes of those doctors known to have practiced in Wayne County, OH but who were not recorded in the court records. For those physicians who were recorded in Wayne County, OH from 1896 to 1984, there is a chronological list giving the physicians name, medical school attended by individual, location of school, and the date of registration. In the OGS publication “Ohio Records of Pioneer Families,” volume XLIX, number 2, page 88 there is a register of physicians of Wayne County, OH in 1896. This listing was originally found in the Ohio University Library, Athens, OH.

In CD-ROM format, we have a copy of the Directory of Deceased American Physicians 1804-1929. On our website, we have a list of Physicians in Wayne County, OH 1886 and 1901. These lists are found under “online materials.”

There are a couple other resources in the department that may assist with researching medical records. They include the following books:

• House Calls and Hitching Posts: Stories from Dr. Elton Lehman’s Career Among the Amish by Elton Lehman.
• Stories of Medicine in Athens County, Ohio by Gary E. Cordingley.
• A Medical Miscellany for Genealogists by Dr. Jeanette L. Jerger (call number R 929.103 J476m).
• “Send Us a Lady Physician” Women Doctors in America 1835-1920 (call number R 610.922 Send).

One other resource to mention is our notebook on Healthcare Facilities. This includes many articles pertaining to the healthcare facilities in Wayne County, OH. Organizations include the Beeson & Wooster Clinic, Hospice, Kinney-Smith Hospital, Old Wooster Hospital, County Poor House/Wayne County Infirmary, and Wooster Community Hospital. There is a separate section on the Women’s Auxiliary at the Wooster Community Hospital.

Wayne County, OH Business Resources

The department has several resources for tracing the history and location of businesses. The most common resources would include the city and rural directories. Most of the directories include a name index and a listing of residents by street address. Places of employment are given for many of the residents. Under businesses, names of individuals holding key positions are included. Such positions may include owners, general managers, presidents, vice-presidents, secretary, treasurer, etc. Advertisements of various companies may be found in the directories, high school and college yearbooks, and newspapers.

There is a complete list of business resources included on our department’s website under “Department Resources.” The list includes both the lateral files and publications. The Business Letterhead notebooks include those letterheads found in the Wayne County, OH Probate Court files, dating from 1812 to 1935. The various notebooks on businesses are not complete. More information is added to these on a regular basis. The 19th Century Wayne County, OH Businesses is divided into two sections: 1812-1849 and 1850-1899. The majority of the businesses listed prior to 1850 come from court records where individuals make application to merchandise or for tavern license. The businesses 1850 forward are primarily advertisements found in Wayne County, OH newspapers. There is no index and the businesses are not listed in alphabetical order. The 20th Century Wayne County, OH Businesses notebook is divided by decades. The majority of the information comes from newspaper articles. There is no index, and the entries are not in alphabetical order. In addition, the department has four notebooks including articles on various businesses. These are in alphabetical order, and a table of contents has been started.

When there is too much information to file in the lateral files or in notebooks, the department begins a new notebook just on a particular topic. The department has the following notebooks in addition to the ones mentioned earlier:

• Banks and Post Offices: Each bank has its own divider. Banks include (1) Citizens National; (2) Commercial Bank and Trust; (3) First Federal Savings and Loan Association; (4) First National Bank of Orrville; (5) Peoples Federal Savings & Loan Association; (6) Wayne Building & Loan Company; (7) Wayne County National Bank; (8) Wayne Savings & Loan Company. There is a publication titled, Wildcat Banks and Broken Banks of the Wayne County Frontier that was just published in 2008. This book includes information and illustrations from early banks in Wayne County, OH.

• Mills: There is a list of mills included in the notebook as well as a map showing many of the early mills. The mills are in alphabetical order by name.

• OARDC/American Red Cross/Boy’s Village: This notebook includes newspaper articles on each of the organizations listed in the title. There is no index or table of contents at this time.

• Parks/YMCA: This notebook includes newspaper articles on the parks in Wayne County, OH and on the YMCA. There is not index or table of contents.

Between 1954 and 1973, the Wayne County National Bank published a monthly newsletter called Wayne Topics. Individuals were often highlighted as well as various businesses in the area. It is a bound 2 volume set. It is not indexed.

There are many scrapbooks on the Wayne County Public Library. These scrapbooks are kept in the manager’s office in the glass cabinets. Other papers regarding the library are located in the same place and are not organized. Other items regarding library history include the following:

• Financial Records 1904-1926
• Acquisition Records
• Accession Books 1938-1943
• WCPL Library Fund and Appropriation Ledger and Cash Journal January 1963-June 1964
• Librarian’s Yearly Reports 1910-1948
• Borrowers Register 1923-19770
• Circulation Statistics 1957-1961
• Newspaper articles 1897-1943
• Publicity 1939-1950
• Several notebooks on the Friends of the Library

Most of the department’s business resources are works-in-progress. There are many other businesses throughout the history of Wayne County, OH that we have no compiled records. As we find articles or other documents pertaining to various local businesses, we add these to the notebooks. If there are numerous pages for one particular business, we add the information to the department’s lateral files.

Resources

Ohio-Wayne-Business

• 19th Century Wayne County, OH Businesses (not indexed; divided in 2 sections 1812-1849 and 1850-1899
• 20th Century Wayne County, OH Businesses (not indexed; divided in 2 sections)
• Banks, Post Office (not indexed; organized by bank name; post office section separate)
• Healthcare Facilities (not indexed; organized by name of healthcare facility)
• 5 binders on various articles about Wayne County, OH businesses (table of contents)
• 4 binders of Business Letterheads from 1812-1935 (no index; alphabetical order by company name)
• Mills (not indexed)
• OARDC, Red Cross, Boys Village (not indexed)
• Parks, YMCA (not indexed)
• 19th Century Wayne County, OH Photographers (not indexed; in alphabetical order by name of photographer)

Other Resources: Non-Wayne County Specific

Title of Book	Call Number
Turn-of-the-Century Farm Tools and Implements: Peter Henderson & Co.	R 631.3 Turn
The American Gas Station	R 629.286 Witzel
The Story of the Airship	R 629.15 Al53s
The Directory of North American Railroads, Associations, Societies, Archives, Libraries, Museums and Their Collections	R 385.025 H198d
Legacy of One-Room Schools	R 370.9771 G919L
The Cemetery Directory, volumes I & II	R 363.75 C332d
The National Yellow Book of Funeral Directors	R 393.9025 N213y
Makers of Coaches, Carriages and Wagons in North America 1865-1866	R 388.341 C222m
Taverns and Drinking in Early America	R 394.13 Salinger