Research the people and places of Worthington-- and beyond!

Get started researching your family tree or house history with this selection of library resources in print and online as well as key community resources.

The library subscribes to some additional online databases on the topics of history and biography that may also be useful in your research.

  • Books on genealogy can be found in the reference or circulating book section with the call number 929, or by searching the keyword genealogy in the catalog. We also offer a number of online library databases that support research on family history.
  • The Worthington Memory website includes burial records for Walnut Grove Cemetery, Flint Cemetery and St. John's Episcopal Church Cemetery, including obituaries when available. Several online library databases are also helpful locating obituaries.
  • Books on Worthington history can be found in the 977.156 section of the reference and circulating books. You can also search the catalog for Worthington history or visit the Worthington Room at the Old Worthington Library to explore a range of Worthington history titles.
  • The library offers Worthington-area newspapers on microfilm, from 1812 to the present day, available in the Worthington Room at the Old Worthington Library. The Worthington Memory website includes indexed newspaper articles published in a selection of these newspapers.

22 online resources

African American Heritage

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)
African American Heritage offers historical and genealogical records for African Americans, including Marriage and Cohabitation Records, Registers of Slaves and Free(d) Persons of Color, Federal Census records and more. Black Genesis, a State-by-State Resource Guide for helping people trace African-American genealogy in the U.S., Canada and the West Indies is also available.

Ancestry Library Edition

Available only inside the library (Visit us!)

Begin your genealogical or local history research with Ancestry Library Edition from ProQuest and Ancestry.com. Ancestry Library Edition includes the digitized images of the U.S. Federal Census from 1790 forward, the American Genealogical Biographical Index, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, court and military records, slave narratives, reference sources and more.

Columbus Dispatch Historical and Current

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)
This database from NewsBank allows you to search Columbus Dispatch newspaper articles from yesterday's issue back to its founding in 1871. All stories appearing in the Dispatch are available from 1871-present and include images of the full pages of the newspaper with photos and ads. Search by word, section, byline, article type and date, among other elements.

Columbus Metropolitan Library - Local History & Genealogy

The genealogy collection housed on the third floor in the Genealogy, History and Travel Division of the Columbus Metropolitan Library is one of the largest collections of genealogical resources in the United States. Since 2007, the collection has grown to include the genealogy collections of the State Library of Ohio, the Palatines to America Society and the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society. The library's collection includes indexes and transcriptions of census, vital, military, court and other records, as well as state, county and local histories, family histories, surname files, maps and atlases and more.

FamilySearch

Available only inside the library (Visit us!)

FamilySearch provides searchable access to names as well as images of historical genealogical records. It includes birth, marriage, death, census, land and court records from more than 130 countries to help you discover and make family connections. Just click through and register to create a new account on FamilySearch, or log in to your existing FamilySearch account.

Find a Grave

Edited by volunteer contributors the world over, entries generally include birth and death dates, burial information and photos of grave markers.

Fold3

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)
Fold3 is a genealogy resource containing U.S. military records from the Revolutionary War through Vietnam, plus military activities in Afghanistan and Iraq.  It also provides records from several Canadian, British, Irish and Australian sources and nonmilitary records such as U.S. Census and Naturalization documents.  You can find draft registration cards, military pension lists, POW lists and Discharge Certificates.

Franklin County Auditor - Property search

Search by owner, address, parcel ID, map and more. Includes the year built (dates prior to 1920 may be inaccurate), as well as transfers of ownership, improvements made to the property and a recent photograph of the property. Be sure to click the “Transfers” link along the lefthand column, then click “Historical Parcel Sheets (PDF)” to see older transfers.

Franklin County Recorder - Official Records Search

Access documents recorded in the Franklin County Recorder’s Office. To search by a known owner, select “Search Index & Full Text (OCR).” Deeds provide the name of the grantor (seller) and grantee (buyer), date of transfer, lot number and physical description including boundaries and size. Index coverage began January 2, 1914 for deeds and January 2, 1970 for mortgages. You can also access the deed index books from 1804-1913.

Hayes Presidential Center Library Ohio Obituary Index

The Hayes Presidential Library Center offers a searchable index of obituaries from newspapers throughout Ohio, from the 1810s to the present day. More than 3.5 million records are indexed. There is no fee to use the index, but there is a nominal charge for copies of the obituaries.

HeritageHub

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)
A valuable resource for genealogical research, this NewsBank database, formerly known as America's Obituaries and Death Notices, provides obituaries and death notices from American newspapers from 1704 through the present. Search by name, date range or text such as residence, occupation, hobbies, family members or other personal information.

HeritageQuest Online

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)

HeritageQuest Online from ProQuest is a comprehensive collection of primary genealogical sources, local and family histories, research guides, census maps and more. Included are U.S. Federal Censuses, genealogy and local history directories, Revolutionary War records, Freedman's Bank Records and the Periodical Source Index (PERSI) Archive.

New York Times Historical Newspapers

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)
This resource offers comprehensive digital coverage of the New York Times back to 1851. It provides instant access to news about events such as the American Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and the turn of the millennium. Access headlines for important dates in history and search for editorial cartoons, obituaries, front pages and general articles.

Newspapers.com

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)
Provides online access to historical newspapers dating from the early 1700s into the 2000s. Contains full runs and portions of runs of well-known, regional and state titles to small local newspapers in the United States and other countries, including the Columbus Evening Dispatch, Daily Ohio Statesman and Delaware Gazette. Browse by country and U.S. state, newspaper title or date range, or search the full text.

Ohio History Connection

The Ohio History Connection houses a wealth of resources valuable to the genealogical researcher, including city directories, muster rolls, letters, death records, land records, military records and county and state records. For those beginning their research, the Ohio History Connection also offers genealogical workshops, in cooperation with the Columbus Metropolitan Library and the Franklin County Genealogical and Historical Society.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)
See what Worthington looked like in 1922. This site provides a searchable interface for historical maps of Ohio towns and cities from 1882 through 1962.

Social Security Death Index

Available only inside the library (Visit us!)
The Death Master File contains records of deceased persons from the Social Security Administration (SSA). The database offers basic information about people with Social Security numbers whose deaths were reported to the SSA.  Records are available beginning in 1937, though most are for those who died after 1962; records from the most recent three years are not available.

ThisWeek Community Newspapers

Worthington Libraries card & PIN required (No card? Apply online!)

NewsBank provides electronic access to a large back file of stories from the "ThisWeek" collection of weekly newspapers. In addition to coverage of the major suburban editions (Worthington, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Hilliard, etc.) NewsBank also archives stories from Delaware, Johnstown, Licking County and Marysville.

Worthington Historical Society

For researching Worthington history and genealogy, the Worthington Historical Society is an invaluable resource. Their collection includes an extensive photographic archive of people and buildings in Worthington, as well as family files including family Bibles and personal papers such as letters and diaries. They are open by appointment and, for research requests, can be reached by email or phone. Hours and contact details are posted on their homepage.

Worthington Memory

Originally created in 2002 to commemorate Worthington's bicentennial, Worthington Memory brings together tens of thousands of records spanning hundreds of years. The website includes digitized photographs and documents, historic artifacts, audio and video as well as an index of newspaper items from Worthington's current and historical newspapers and burial records from Worthington's three cemeteries.

Worthington News on Ohio Memory

The Worthington News from 1925 through 1963 is fully searchable and readable and includes a wealth of information about Worthington's people and places through decades of rapid growth