Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
Welcome to the Warren County Genealogical Society
This site was created to aid researchers in finding their ancestors in Warren County, Ohio. We invite you to become a member of our society.
Our 40th Anniversary Membership Special!
Through the end of the year, you can join or renew for a special price of $15 and that gets you TWO years! We have consolidated our membership levels and now one size fits all for singles and families! Please visit our Join or Renew page to take advantage of this great deal that is good through the end of the year.
What's New
Remember Our Virtual Cemetery?
Anybody remember our Virtual Cemetery? Although it is only TEMPORARY (and I don't know for how long), IT'S BACK ONLINE! WooHoo! Yippeee! Have fun and enjoy it while we can access it!
http://sites.rootsweb.com/~ohwarren/Cemetery/burial.htm
Our New Website!
We are thrilled to present our NEW website! Our old website served us well for a good number of years and we are appreciative and thankful to the many people who put so much of their time and energy into making it such a great site. But with the rapid advancement in the world of technology also comes the need for a website that is more responsive to the users, easier to update for those of us working on this end, and lastly, more stable and secure for our content.
At the bottom of the page is the "Search this site..." box. This will allow you to search the entire new website and associated searchable documents. It appears on all pages for easy access.
For those who would like to access our online databases and indices, please visit our EasyNav page. The buttons on that page will connect you to information on our new site once that page has been added or if not, to our old site so you can still access the information there. The old site is also searchable by using the "Search this site powered by FreeFind" box at the bottom lower left of the Home page.
Let us know how we are doing! The "Contact Us" button at the top of the page will give you a variety of ways to reach us. We encourage and welcome your feedback and questions while we undertake the monumental task of moving all the information from the old website to the new.
For more website updates, please visit What's New with the Website, a page that will keep you posted on additions, corrections, and more!
House Histories
Did you know that we can help with your House History? Sometimes referred to as a House Genealogy, it can be very interesting to know more about the building, land, and who may have lived there. LegacyTree Genealogists posted a great article entitled "How I Traced the Genealogy of a House." Linda Eckert is heading up a special team of researchers with knowledge of the different records needed to do this. If you are interested in having a House History done, or would like to help with this type of research, check out our Projects page! There is a Contact Form at the bottom of that page to get in touch.
Warren County Historical Society
Did you know that as a current member of the Warren County Genealogical Society you can enjoy FREE admission to the Research Library (located in Harmon Hall) of the Warren County Historical Society? We are so pleased to have this relationship with them and encourage you to check out their website and events. The Warren County Historical Society is located at 105 South Broadway, Lebanon, Ohio 45036.
Research Requests can be made here: https://www.wchsmuseum.org/research.html
*Effective August 26, due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, masks are once again required for all visitors to WCHS properties, except those under the age of two. This is for the safety of guests, volunteers and staff.
Upcoming Events
All events are currently being held virtually using Zoom. We hope to include in-person events soon.
Quaker Heritage Scenic Byway
Many of us have Quaker roots. Have you checked out the Quaker Heritage Scenic Byway yet? Visit their website to find out more and be sure to check out the link on that page to the map (it is in the Related Links box). Twenty-five pages of maps and details of what you will see along the way. Incredible!
Since the fall of 2018, the Alleen Stephenson Digital Newspaper Project has provided free online public access to digital images of the Lebanon Western Star from 1807 through 1922 on the Ohio Memory Project. These digital images were created from original copies of the newspaper located at the Ohio History Center in Columbus.
The online collection can be found by clicking the blue button with the title "Western Star ONLINE!" at the top of this section. A smaller version of the same button is a permanent link located directly above the menu on all pages.
The Alleen Stephenson Digital Newspaper Project is sponsored and maintained by the Warren County Genealogical Society. Using digitization and OCR technology, it provides free public access to nearly 27,000 page of this historical newspaper. There are some issues missing, but the entire collection on hand is browsable and searchable by titles, names, or dates.
This project is dedicated to the remarkable Alleen Stephenson and was made possible through the generosity of Alleen's son and daughter-in-law, J. Todd and Rebecca Stephenson. For more than 60 years, Alleen wrote a much-loved column about the Kings Mills community that celebrated and preserved many aspects of the County's history.
The Western Star is Ohio's oldest weekly newspaper that started with the first issue on February 13, 1807, and ended with the last publication on January 17, 2013. This newspaper covered mainly Lebanon and southern Warren County. The first publisher was John McLean (March 11, 1785 - April 4, 1861), who was an American attorney, a political activist who served in the United States Congress, and a justice of the Ohio and the U.S. Supreme Courts. He started his legal career in Cincinnati and moved to Lebanon, Ohio, to open a law practice and dedicate his time to opening and running a weekly newspaper.
Recently, we were given a few complete issues of the Western Star publication. These are a GREAT addition to our collection of Warren County information. We would like to expand this collection. If anyone has some editions that have been saved and are no longer of use to you, please consider donating them to us. We are interested in issues from any time period. These can be dropped off or sent to us at the WCGS Resource Library, 406 Justice Drive, Lebanon, Ohio 45036.
We would also welcome donations of old Warren County telephone books or city directories.
About WCGS
The Warren County Genealogical Society (WCGS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to build and promote interest in collecting and preserving genealogical records. We are here to assist you in finding your ancestors and relatives and have many resources available to help you with your research. WCGS is a Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.