10 Books to Help Begin Your Family History Journey

Mark you calendars! The Genealogy Fair at Main Library is Saturday, Oct. 4. Although four months and 29 days away (we aren’t counting…), we are really excited for this year’s offerings and hope you will join us.

If you’ve always been interested in learning more about your family tree, but haven’t known where to start, look no further. The Toledo Library is here to help you begin your journey into your ancestry.

The list below is just a small sample of some of the many resources at your disposal. The Local History and Genealogy Department, located at Main Library, has access to a variety of different resources that can lead to amazing discoveries about your ancestors, including historic editions of Toledo Blade, obituaries, and city directories. Through the Library’s website, under the Learn tab, you can explore FamilySearch (you will need to set up a free account to view records) and Ancestry Library Edition (may require a library card if accessing outside the library)—some of the largest databases of online genealogical records available anywhere.

Overwhelmed? Don’t be! The Local History Department has created a Family Tree Workbook that will walk you through the questions to ask, how to create an ancestral chart, and which databases and organizations help you begin your deep dive.

Now that you know where to begin, we encourage you to take the leap and begin your adventure into lives of those who came before you. We hope you make many wonderful and fascinating discoveries. And remember, if you ever get stuck, the Toledo Library is always here to help.