Periodicals: the Family History Researcher’s Unbelievably Valuable Tools
Posted on August 18, 2025
by Heather H
Has your family research project hit a roadblock? Pro tip: look at periodicals! Believe it or not, journals, magazines, and local newsletters may provide the guidance you need to break through that roadblock and maybe even uncover an unexpected surprise.
NGS Magazine
Your Genealogy Today
New England Historic Genealogical Society
Family Tree Magazine
American Ancestors
Journals and magazines such as these can provide a variety of resources for family historians of all levels. Each of these magazines provide information on useful databases and organizational services, research strategies, and articles by genealogy experts to help advance your research. The New England Historical and Genealogical Society Register is the oldest genealogical journal within the United States. It has been published quarterly since 1847 and is an excellent resource to help with genealogical problems or to help identify origins of immigrants.
The Toledo Library has a wide variety of genealogical journals and magazines, including ones published by organizations and state genealogical societies. To explore all the magazines that may assist you in your research, click here to browse our collection or visit our Local History Department at Main Library.
The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
Northwest Ohio History
Michigan History
Indiana Magazine of History
State historical societies specialize in the history of their state and its residents, and can be useful for learning about people, events, or lifestyles during the time period of your ancestors. Each society also produces its own publications, in which they highlight certain events, people, or other historical topics. The Toledo Library has copies of such publications from all 50 states. The resources here highlight historical publications from states surrounding us, but click here to check our entire collection.
in Toledo
Towpaths
Tower News
You may be surprised by what you can find in local newsletters and magazines. While they may not be your primary go-to when conducting research, you may find something in them that you hadn’t expected. An unknown photograph of that camera-shy relative? A professional article about accomplishments or discoveries in their work? And how cool would it be to know their thoughts? You can — if they wrote an opinion piece about a topic or event within the magazine.
While local newsletters and magazines may not be the place to search for big-picture information, they are excellent resources to develop a better understanding of the person, the time they lived in, their professional life or hobbies, and the events that were impacting them at the time.
Toledo Marketing Report
Toledo Edison News
Illustrated Gazette
Toledo History Museum
The Tradition
Notre Dame Academy
Interested in learning more? Contact the Local History Department at 419.259.5233 to learn about the historical and genealogical periodicals we have in our collection, and be sure to join us on (Sa) Oct. 4 for the Genealogy Fair, where renowned genealogist and researcher Michael John Neill will be our main speaker, accompanied by presentations from local historians!
Did you like this blog post? Keep up to date with all of our posts by subscribing to the Library’s newsletters!
Keep your reading list updated with our book lists. Our staff love to read and they’ll give you the scoop on new tv-series inspired titles, hobbies, educational resources, pop culture, current events, and more!
Looking for more great titles? Get personalized recommendations from our librarians with this simple form.
