For $5.00 (OGS members) or $20.00 (non-members) PREPAID per request, the Ohio Genealogical Society staff and its volunteers will perform limited copy/research service in the OGS Library for those who cannot personally visit the facility. The service fee includes the first 10 photocopies (20 cents each in the library) and the return postage.

Participants may request copies by filling out the Copy Service Request Form and mailing it (accompanied by a personal check or money order) to Copy Service, Ohio Genealogical Society, 611 State Route 97 W, Bellville OH 44813-8813.

OGS Staff and Volunteers can do limited general research in the holdings of the OGS Library ONLY. Our collection emphasis is Ohio. Inquiries should include a subject or the name of an individual, the type of event (marriage, census, need to find parents, etc.), a location in Ohio (city or county), and a time period (estimated date of event or approximate B/M/D date of individual). We are also limited by what records exist in Ohio. (For example, the OGS Library does not have all Ohio newspapers, does not have all Ohio courthouse records, and does not hold post-1908 birth records or post-1953 death records.)

Some examples of common inquiries:

  • Patron locates ancestral name in the OGS Bible Records record group in Search Database and requires a photocopy.
  • Patron locates ancestor in one of the lineage society record groups in Search Database (First Families of Ohio, Settlers and Builders of Ohio, Century Families of Ohio, Society of Civil War Families of Ohio) and needs proof documents copied for their ancestor.
  • Patron notices their ancestral surname in one of the Library Special Collections (ancestor charts, family group sheets, obituaries, surname files, manuscripts) and would like us to check an identified collection/file for a particular ancestor.
  • Patron wants our holdings for a particular Ohio county checked for information on their ancestor.
  • Patron finds a book or two in our online library catalog and would like these titles checked for information on their ancestral name.
  • Patron may not have personal access to popular computer databases and would like us to obtain copies of census, marriage, or vital records for a particular Ohio ancestor.
  • Patron may require proof of service for their Ohio military veteran from published rosters and online military databases.
  • Patron may desire a quality copy of an article found in Genealogy Resources>Periodicals>Search Periodical Article Titles (or any periodical in the OGS online library catalog).
  • Patron may simply need advice as to where to look next to find the parents of an Ohio ancestor.
  • Patron may need a photograph copied from our Ohio Photograph Collection or other archival holdings.
  • The Ohio Genealogical Society provides photocopies for the personal educational use of patrons. Most titles are under copyright and patrons should uphold any federal mandates in their use of material copied at our facility.

OGS will respond to PREPAID copy requests within sixty (60) days via postal mail. Special requests for emailed scans will be reviewed on an individual basis because of the extra time/work involved in this process, equipment requirements, and file size limitations of our email provider.

Unfortunately, OGS cannot respond to all unpaid inquiries that come in to the library. Replies and brochures are sent if time becomes available.