Genealogy Information Found at T-SPL

Seneca County history and genealogy are featured in a collection of more than 1,000 books and periodicals. Microfilm records and indexes for local historical material are housed in the library. Genealogy databases and early newspapers are also available. Please continue browsing for a complete list of materials. 

Atlases, Plat Maps & Deeds

  • 1874 and 1896 Editions of the Seneca County Atlas are available with an every-name index in a separate notebook.
  • Original Land Entries of Seneca County, is a book which contains a list of the earliest settlers of our county and contains a name index.
  • Deed index of grantees and grantors. Original deeds are at the recorder’s office.

Military Information

  • Military rosters various wars, including the civil war, and world war I and II.

  • The index to the civil war roster of Seneca County (on microfilm.)

  • Hardesty’s History and Geographical Encyclopedia, which includes a list of Seneca County Civil War soldiers.

  • Seneca County Veterans Photo Memorial, which contains 8 ½ “ x  11” photos of many Seneca County Veterans, mostly from WWI and WWII. Soldiers are arranged by surname (A-Z)

  • Military Discharges (on microfilm) which is also at the Seneca County Recorder’s Office

  • Soldiers Relief Commission - 1884-1930 (on microfilm)

  • The Men and Women in the Armed Forces from Seneca County WWII (pictures)

  • The Seneca County War Chest - Report of the Treasurer

Cemetery & Church Information

  • Cemetery Inscriptions of Seneca County - 1987 - Includes name index, some dates are given, with locations of the cemetery.
  • Cemeteries on Microfilm- include Fountain, Liberty, and Pleasant Twp., Greenlawn, St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s
  • Directory of Seneca County Churches - lists what records are available for some Seneca County Churches (WPA 1930’s)
  • File drawer contains informational booklets from some churches.
  • Church information is also listed in some of the history books of Seneca County.

Church Records on Microfilm Include:

  • St. Nicholas – Frenchtown
  • Zion United Church of Christ – Fireside
  • Zion United Church of Christ 1861-19893
  • St. Wendelin Catholic Church, Fostoria 1886-1997
  • St. Peter Catholic Church, Alvada
  • St. Mary – Millersville
  • St. James Catholic Church – Kansas
  • St. John’s Evangelical Luthern Church  1843-1921
  • Old Trinity Episcopal Church – Tiffin 1891-1956
  • First Lutheran – Tiffin 1870-1956
  • Bascom United Methodist Church 1834-1983
  • Ebenezer United Methodist Church 1898-1942
  • Pleasant Ridge Church – Tiffin and Pleasant Twp.
  • Trinity United Church of Christ – 1906-1975, 1833-1951
  • St. Michael’s Catholic Church, - Marywood, Ohio
  • St. Patrick Catholic Church
  • St. Andrew Catholic Church
  • Bascom and Liberty Churches
  • St. Boniface – New Riegel
  • St. Steven Catholic Church
  • St. Mary – Tiffin – index to records 1831-1922
  • St. Joseph – Tiffin – index to records 1845-1939
  • Salem Reformed – Adams and Scipio Twp. – 1886-1903, 1868-1978, 1910
  • Reformed Church of Bascom (Zion) 1852-1889
  • Presbyterian Church of Melmore
  • First Presbyterian Church – Tiffin
  • Zion Lutheran Church- Jackson Twp.
  • Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church – Thompson and 
  • Adams Twp.
  • Shiloh Methodist – Liberty Twp.

School and Seneca County Community Information 

  • One Room Schoolhouses in Seneca County by Trish Valentine
  • Tiffin Woman’s Club - Golden Memories, 50 years of History
  • Public Schools in Tiffin  1927
  • Annual Report of the Board of Education of Tiffin - 1893 Annual Catalog, Tiffin Schools 1862 and 1863
  • Facts from the History of Tiffin Public Schools - 1927 - Dildine
  • 1856 - 1956 Centennial – Monroe St. School
  • Course of Study and Manual for the Tiffin Public Schools 1889-90
  • Historical Sketches of the Churches and Schools of Tiffin, Ohio
  • Illustrated Historical and Business Review of Seneca County, Ohio 1891-1892
  • Heidelberg College: In Service and In Faith by Philip B. Harner
  • Tiffin University (found in local histories and videorecording)
  • Seneca County  Bicentennial Sketches – Myron B. Barnes
  • The What, How, and Who of it - an Ohio Community -1856 - 1880 America (Smith)
  • Don't Call Us Orphans, Tiffin’s Little Italy, Our Heritage, The Extremists, Oddities and Underbelly, Drinkers and Winkers by Trish Valentine - Tiffin History

Census and City Directory Information

  • Seneca County Census - 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860,1870,1880,1900,1910,1920,1930 (on microfilm and Ancestry Plus)
  • Tiffin City Directories - 1859-2003 (Includes most, but not all years)
  • Fostoria City Directories - 1874- 2003  (Includes most, but not all years)
  • Farm Journal Rural Directories - 1916- 2000
  • New Riegel Yearbooks - 1968- 1969- 19791- 1972- 1973- 1975- 1976- 1977- 1981
  • Old Fort Yearbooks- 1953- 1955- 1958- 1965- 1974- 1975- 1977- 1978- 1980- 1982
  • Hopewell- Loudon Yearbooks- 1952- 1953 –1982- 1983- 1984
  • Columbian High School Yearbooks - 1917-2000 (Most Years)
  • Calvert High School Yearbooks - 1936-2000 (Most Years)

Booklets

  • One Hundred Years- A Pictorial Guide of Old Fort’s Early Years
  • Historic Monuments and Landmarks of Tiffin
  • 1822-1897 Tiffin’s Seventy-fifth Anniversary Souvenir
  • 1817-1967- Tiffin-Seneca Sesquicentennial
  • Second, Third and Fourth Annual Heritage Festival 1817-1981
  • Legend of St. Ursula- Golden Jubilee Year- Ursuline Convent
  • Ft. Seneca Sesquicentennial  1836-1986

Special Collections 

  • Tiffin Postcard Collection
  • Junior Home and Flat Rock Orphanages
  • Tiffin Centennial Books
  • History of the Tiffin Fire Department
  • Bicentennial Sketches-Myron Barnes
  • Life and speeches of William H. Gibson
  • Vertical File- includes pamphlets, articles
  • First Families of Seneca County applications
  • File with folders of those in First Families
  • File with information on other Seneca County families
  • Printed family books donated by families of Seneca County
  • “Seneca County Shelf”-a variety of reference books for Seneca County
  • Ohio Collection- general works
  • County Home Infirmary Records 1881-1966  and  Naturalization records 1852-1902
  • Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of Penance and Charity 1869-1942
  • Not with Silver or Gold by Sisters of the Precious Blood

Information on Tiffin Industries

  • American Standard, National Machinery, Diehl Wagon Works, Tiffin Glass, Belgian Glass, Webster, and other Tiffin industries

Newspapers and Obituaries

Newspapers 1832-2003  (on microfilm)

  • Seneca Advertiser and earliest Tiffin papers 1832-1907
  • Tiffin Weekly Tribune – May 1856-Dec. 1858
  • Tiffin Daily Tribune- May 1887-1932
  • Advertiser Tribune – 1933 to the present

German Newspapers

  • Die Tiffin Press 1891-1894
  • Seneca Adler 1848

County Newspapers

  • Bloomville Gazette 1928-1974
  • Greensprings Times 1891-1895
  • Greenspring Echo 1901-1921

Limited newspaper indexes to:

  • Obituaries- 1832- present
  • Marriage Announcements- (1832-1911)
  • Reunion Announcements (1880-1940)

**Until 1933 there were two newspapers in Tiffin. After 1933, the Advertiser-Tribune became the main paper.

Additional obituaries are also available online at the Ohio Obituary Index.