Genealogy Resources

Dale M. Bruning Local and Family History Collection

Dale M. Bruning

1927-2011

            Dale loved history, especially the history of Pemberville and its citizens.  He provided many valuable contributions to the local and family history collection.  As a veteran of WWII he agreed to interview fellow veterans for a DVD series sponsored by the Northwest Ohio Library District. These DVDs are available at the library and on-line.

           To view the entire collection of DVD’s Click here Ohio Memories.org  He helped to collect and digitize local photographs and manuscripts for the Ohio Historical Society which are also displayed on-line at Ohio Memories.org.  Dale read many rolls of microfilm to complete an obituary index for inclusion in the Rutherford B. Hayes on-line obituary index. As he scanned for obituaries he added hundreds of articles to the notebooks he created about fires, floods, businesses and other topics which are housed in the local and family history collection.  Dale could speak and read German and was always available to help researchers with translation, the geography of Germany, and family surname relationships.  Dale left an indelible mark at the Pemberville Public Library.

  The Collection

            The Dale M. Bruning Local and Family History collection specializes in materials which encompass Freedom, Troy, and Webster Townships in Wood County, Ohio.  However, the entire state is represented with research sources.  The supporting sources in the collection are continually expanding.  In the collection are many manuscript genealogies of local families unavailable anywhere else.  In addition, there is a growing collection of German genealogy resources.

Some of the Research Sources Available

• Pemberville Leader  1887-1980

            The newspaper is on microfilm.  There is also microfilm of limited issues of the Gospel Banner (1896), Pemberville Independent (1877-1881) and the Pemberville Press (1896).  Obituaries can be found online at Rutherford B. Hayes Obituary Index.  There are over 3 million obituaries from many Ohio counties on this site.  Inputting these obituaries is an ongoing project, so check back often to see if any more have been added.

• Genealogies of local families (many unpublished)
• Wood County, Ohio source records
• Photographs (see also Ohio Memories.org)
• Local church records on microfilm
• Information on veterans from colonial wars through WWI
• Scattered Ohio county source records
• Ohio histories
• Ohio land records
• Germany International Genealogical Index
• German and Pennsylvania German sources at Palam.org

          Indexing the obituaries from the Pemberville Leader is an ongoing project made possible by volunteers Eleanor Rolf and Victor Schuerman. The holdings for the Leader begin February 25, 1884 and run through August 13, 1980. This current online index runs through 1940. Also included are a few issues of the Gospel Banner (1896), Pemberville Independent (1877-1881), and the Pemberville Press. (1896) This index includes the name of the deceased, date of newspaper obituary, page number, column number and occasional remarks.

Leader Obituries Index

     General research sources
     Pemberville Leader 1887-1980
     Wood County, Ohio, source records
     Local church records
     Many military sources including DAR,
     Roster of Ohio Soldiers 1861-1866 and index and Official Roster of Ohio soldiers,  sailors,       and marines 1917-18
     Scattered Ohio county source records
     Ohio history
     Social Security Death Master File
     Ohio Land Records (CD ROM)
     German and American Phone Books (CD ROM)
     Germany International Genealogical Index
     Pennsylvania German sources
     MUCH MORE!

Laura Jane Zepernick King, AssistantDirector and Local and Family Historian

            Mrs. King has been a genealogist for 35 years.  She earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education degrees at Bowling Green State University and a Master of Library Science from Kent State University.

            If you would like to send a query concerning your ancestors who lived in Freedom, Troy, or Webster Townships or have a question about the local and family history collection, please send an Email to:  liblady1@yahoo.com and place Family History in the Subject line.