Research Services
The Genealogy and Local History Department is open to the public. Facial masks are recommended regardless of vaccination status.
At times, our volume of requests is quite heavy. We do answer queries by the level of difficulty and in the order they are received regardless of whether submitted by telephone, email, or mail. Please be patient. If you have not heard from us within one month, please feel free to check on our progress. Thank you for your understanding.
Please do not send duplicate requests by telephone, email or mail to our department or staff members in the department.
Guidelines for Ordering Photocopied/Scanned Documents
- Please provide your full name and complete mailing address with each order.
- We ask that you limit each order for photocopied or scanned documents to no more than five items and submit only one order per month.
- If you would like your documents sent through email, please specify if you have a preference for pdf or jpg files.
- Try to be as specific as possible in your order, including sources you have already consulted and briefly describe what information you already have.
Mail requests
Please do not send a "laundry list" of items for staff to research. Send a detailed request with no more than 5 questions. Include names, dates and places when known. Include your mailing address with the request. If you prefer items to be scanned and emailed to you, please let us know. If so, include your email address, either typed or legibly handwritten.
Email requests
When sending requests by email, please include your complete mailing address. We can scan and send up to 5 images through email. For more than 5 documents, staff may choose to mail the information.
Please do not send duplicate requests to our department or staff members in the department. Please wait 4 weeks before sending another request or checking on the status of a current request.
The email address is genealogy@wcpl.info
Phone requests
We accept simple requests by phone. Simple requests include but are not limited to lookups in the following Wayne Co, OH books:
- Marriage abstracts 1812-1898
- Birth abstracts 1867-1908
- Probate Court index 1812-1934
- 1850 and 1880 census abstracts
- City and county directories
For more detailed requests, please correspond with our department by mail or email. This helps the staff research the correct information.
The phone number to the department is 330-262-0916, ext. 4670.
Examples
- Here are some examples of poorly written requests.
- Here are some examples of better engineered requests.