Wiki help

Welcome to the Wayne County (OH) Wiki.

• If you are new to the Wayne County (OH) Wiki, please take a few moments and read over this page and the Main Page. Most of the information found on previous versions of the Genealogy and Local History Department's website is now available through the Wayne County (OH) Wiki.

What is Wayne County (OH) Wiki?

• The Wayne County (OH) Wiki is an online encyclopedia of Wayne County, Ohio. The quality and quantity of information on the Wiki is dependent on information entered onto Wiki by library staff, volunteers and community members.

Why the Wiki?

• In 2014, the Wayne County Public Library revisited webpage development. Several options were considered. Using the Wiki platform was suggested as the best means to collaborate with the greater genealogy and local history community to achieve the goals of the Genealogy and Local History Department of the Wayne County Public Library.
• It is the goal of the department to include a thorough and accurate history of Wayne County, Ohio on Wiki.

What kinds of information may be found on Wayne County (OH) Wiki?

• You may find photographs; school records; census records; birth, marriage and death; property records; maps; newspaper abstracts and images; biographies; family information; history of businesses, churches, schools, and organizations; directory listings, burials, military history, and much more. The Wiki is limited to what library staff, volunteers and community members have added.
• Users will find how to guides. Discussions may be found on vital records, census, court, property, ethnicity and immigration, and other topics of interest to local historians, genealogists, students, educators, and others.
• There is a list of department resources available through the Wayne County (OH) Wiki.

How is Wiki organized?

• Wiki is made up of many individuals pages. Each page includes links to other pages. When at least four topics are listed on each page, Wiki automatically adds a "Contents" box near the top of each page.
• Some pages include an "Infobox." This is found on the right side of the page and is set aside by a text box. Inside the "Infobox" is a summary of the key facts regarding the subject.
• The Business pages include current and/or historical information on Wayne County businesses.
• The Surname pages include such items as name meaning & origin, vital records, census records, court records, and property records.
• The Township pages include such items as coordinates, historical information on the township, maps, businesses, churches and schools.

Who submits information for the Wayne County (OH) Wiki?

• Anyone who desires to share information pertaining to Wayne County, Ohio on the Wayne County (OH) Wiki may apply to become a Wiki editor or contribute information for a Wiki editor to add to the pages.

How accurate is the information found on the Wayne County (OH) Wiki?

• The library strives to be as accurate as possible with the information staff add to the Wiki. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy of the information posted by Wiki Editors. Similar with other Internet resources, users need to use their own judgement when using the information.
• If the library notices a Wiki Editor abusing his or her privileges, the library reserves the right to cancel the Wiki Editor’s privileges.
• The Wayne County (OH) Wiki is designed to be self-governing. If users notice anything of concern posted on the Wayne County (OH) Wiki, please notify the department as soon as possible.

How do I find information on the Wayne County (OH) Wiki?

• Users may browse Wiki. In the left column of Wiki, there are some menu options. These include:
  • Beginning Genealogy: Basic guide to beginning genealogy
  • Wiki Help: Learn some tips for navigating through the Wayne County (OH) Wiki
  • Recent changes: See what has recently been modified or added on the Wiki
  • Genealogy, Local History, or Business Portal
  • Department Resources: browse through the topics to see which items the department may have on Wayne County, Ohio
  • Guides: browse through the topics to see what may be of interest
  • What links here: This tool is available for each Wiki page. This tool is similar to a "See Also" tool. Links to other pages related to the current page may be found here.

• User may browse the three Portals
  • The Genealogy Portal includes links to such records as birth, census, court, marriage, death, ethnicity, immigration and property. Many of these links start with a brief overview of the type of records. Some pages may include additional links to more information.
  • The Local History Portal discusses the overall history of Wayne County, Ohio. Such topics include buildings, cemeteries, churches, schools, military units, organizations and places of recreation. Some pages may include additional links to more information or to digitized images. The Local History Portal includes the library’s digital collection and historical atlases.
  • The Business Portal includes histories of many businesses located in Wayne County Ohio. These businesses may be defunct or currently in operation. A few directories have been digitized. Others will be added as time permits. The Business Portal includes links to programs and services offered through the Wayne County Public Library Adult Services Department.

• Users at any time may do a keyword search on the topic of interest. Enter the place, subject, record type, surname, or other keywords. Do not enter phrases that ask questions, etc. The Wiki search engine is not designed for this type of search. Such searches may be done through Google and Yahoo. Some search examples that may be done in the Wiki search box include:
  • Yoder
  • George
  • Birth
  • Maps
  • Plain Township
  • Wooster
  • Blacksmith
  • Manufacturing

• For many of the business entries, the SIC and NAICS codes are included. These may be searched using the Wiki search field.

• The default Boolean operator used in the Wayne County (OH) Wiki is “or”. For example, a search on Aaron Yoder will present results for all the words including Aaron and all words including Yoder.

• Users may include quotes to search two or more words together, such as “George Faber”. Users should use this option with caution because the results may be limited. The term must be searched exactly how it has been entered into the Wayne County (OH) Wiki.

• Because most of the information entered on the Wayne County (OH) Wiki is text-based, users may use the “Ctrl+F” command in the web browser to find a word on the page being viewed.

Why does my search term have zero hits?

• To aid our users, we are presently designing some cheat sheets. Here are some tips:
  • Surname pages have been created such as Yoder (surname).
  • Places are not abbreviated: Plain Township, Wayne County, Ohio.
  • See Occupations for a list of occupations commonly found in Wayne County, Ohio directories and the US Census Records.
  • Industry terminology has been included based on the NAICS available through the US Bureau of Labor.

Why does the link lead to an empty page or appear non-operational?

• Not all Wayne County (OH) Wiki pages have been populated.
  • Red links lead to future pages. There is no information on these pages, or in Wiki language, the pages have not been populated.
  • Blue links lead to already created pages. Staff, volunteer or a community member have created pages from the link and added some information about the specific topic. The amount of information does vary from page to page.

• Sometimes coding may be incorrect. This may lead to bad links.

• Websites do change periodically. At times, the URL in the link on Wiki is no longer a valid link.

• If you encounter a problem with one of the links, please contact the department.

Why do some pages appear inconsistent?

• Wiki is a learning process for staff. The vision for Wiki changes as staff become more familiar with Wiki. Staff members are in the process of attempting to have like pages in a consistent format.

• Wiki is a collaboration project. Although staff attempt to have some consistency among the various pages, Wiki editors come forth with varying degrees of knowledge. The library provides guidelines for Wiki editors; however, the library also permits some flexibility within the Wiki editors' pages.