Local history and genealogy guide

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.

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

Access fully searchable and readable issues of The Gladiator, a weekly newspaper published in Worthington from 1887 to 1888 by Ezekiel Mettles.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.