Can I get an obituary from 2000?

“I need a copy of an obituary that was in the Plain Dealer in 2000. Is there a way for me to get it?”

Most libraries with a genealogy or local history department have newspapers archived, and there’s often a index to help find exactly which issue to look in. Since our patron was looking for an obituary from the Plain Dealer, we checked Cleveland Public Library.

We searched the Cleveland News Index for the name of our patron’s family member and found the issue, section, and page that their obituary was on. We emailed this information to the Cleveland Public Library Center for Local and Global History, and they were able to email us a scanned copy of the obituary. If our patron had been looking for something older, the Plain Dealer also has an online archive containing all their issues from 1845-1991.

Different libraries have different newspapers. Here at Newton Falls, we keep old copies of the Bridge and bound editions of the Herald in our Local History Room. The Akron-Summit County Public Library has indexed issues of the Akron-Beacon Journal (though only obituaries, not articles, are indexed from 1940-1984). Reed Memorial Library has all of the Record Courier on microfilm. An index for the Tribune Chronicle obituaries can be found at http://www.wtcpl.org/index.php/obituary-index.html, and the Warren-Trumbull County Library Local History and Genealogy Center can assist with getting copies of the obituaries in question. The Genealogy and Local History Center at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County can access the Vindicator archives, though the pre-1920 indexes are incomplete which makes it more difficult to find information from that era. Finally, the McKinley Memorial Library has digitized local Niles newspapers, and they are available at http://mckinley.advantage-preservation.com/.

Of course, this is not a comprehensive list. Any patrons seeking an obituary (or any other information) are welcome to call the library and we will do our best to find it.

Where is Fzilas Located?

"I am working on tracing my family history.  It seems that each online source of information has different spellings for individual family members.  At EllisIsland.org, I found someone I think may be the person I am looking for.   He came into Ellis Island in the correct year and is approximately the correct age.  I don't recognize the name of the town that was listed on the ship's manifest.  I know the area other family members came from in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but I don't recognize the town of Fzilas.  Can you find where that is located."  The Newton Falls Public Library staff is always willing to get people started on their genealogy searches, and the library has many resources available for them. 

Using the search words "towns in Austria-Hungary" we located The AllGalicia Database.  This site covers vital and historical records from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire province of Galicia.  Fzilas was not listed, but it linked to JewishGen's community search.  We typed in the name of the town and narrowed our search by the pre-WWI country selection Austrian Empire.  Our search was successful.  We found that this town is now known as Puclice, Czech Republic; circa 1900 before WWI it was Pustlitz Bohemia, Austrian Empire.  He will now be able to compare this location with those of other family members to determine if this is the ancestor for which he is looking.

For those doing family trees and searches, a free version of Ancestry.com is available inside the library to our patrons. Patrons can access this by going to the library's homepage, clicking on Ohio Web Library, then choosing Resources, Genealogy, and Ancestry Online - In Library.  While we do not do genealogy, we are always willing to get people started by assisting them in finding sources of information in the library's collection and online.

Should I Turn My Heat Off or Lower the Thermostat?

“To conserve energy and save money, should I turn my heat off or just lower the thermostat when I leave for work?” Like everyone today, the Newton Falls Public Library staff can understand the economic need of conserving energy.

The appropriately named book, This Cold House: the simple science of energy efficiency by Colin Smith was the first place we looked. Smith suggests setting your thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature in the winter. “Heating costs are reduced by about 2% for every 1% F reduction in settings [p. 189].” Information about different heating systems, insulation, and basic equations to assist homeowners in determining possible savings are included. The use of ceiling fans to blow and circulate warmer air can make people feel more comfortable.

The library has two new books about home energy savings, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings by Jennifer Thorne Amann, Alex Wilson and Katie Ackerly and Save Energy Save Money: 201 do-it-yourself projects, tips, and ideas by Family Handyman. The Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings includes practical information about ways to reduce costs and offers additional ideas at their website www.consumerreports.org/energy. The site has numerous calculators for things such as determining the most economical insulation level for your home and how much money a programmable thermostat will save. The Family Handyman book addresses the misconception that lowering the thermostat requires more energy to reheat the house; when in fact the fuel saved by the dropping temperature is about equal to the amount used restoring it, so the time spent at the lower temperature is reducing your energy use. “Studies show you can cut cost by as much as 20 percent by lowering your thermostat 5 degrees F at night and 10 degrees during the day when no one is home [p.66].”

You can also conserve your energy and save money by visiting the library. With one stop, you can borrow books, audiobooks, movies, CDs, CD-Roms for your computer, magazines, newspapers, and access the Internet from the Wi-Fi computers. There are programs such as story times, craft programs, movie events, and book discussions. Travel back in time when you visit the Local History Room. Visiting the library is a great opportunity to share and learn more about your family, where they came from, and where they have lived. While a little dated, Oral History for the Local Historical Society by Willa K. Baum has excellent ideas on how to create an oral history, learning from older family members about their lives. Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood by Betsy J. Green is another interesting resource. In conjunction with Ms. Green’s book, the Haines directories and Sanborne Fire Insurance Maps (found in Ohio Web Library’s Genealogy section) will assist you in researching where your family has lived. If your family moved to Newton Falls during the growth of the steel mills, you might find it interesting to view the tools belonging to contractor Nicholas Risko. Mr. Risko built many of the homes for families who came during this era. A relative of the Longenberger family, Grandma Caroline Gamber [1836-1928], would be blushing to know that there is a display of her clothing, including undergarments, in the library’s Local History Room.

How do I find out about my family history?

“I’m related to the Longenberger family that lived in Newton Township and would like to find out more about them.” This is a perfect question as October is Family History Month, and the Newton Falls Public Library’s Local History Room is filled with items which individuals can use to learn more about their families. The library staff is working on the ongoing project of identifying local people in photographs donated by Alma and Peter Murri, owners of the Newton Falls Herald. Many genealogists find this collection very useful.

There are also numerous print resources available for use at the library. Some that a family researcher may want to consider are: Trumbull County, Ohio Bible and Family Records compiled and edited by Ruth Allen for the Trumbull County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society; 1880 Census Index of Trumbull County, Ohio compiled by Norman & Mary Lou (Keifer) Ulam; the indexes to the official rosters of Ohio soldiers in the war with Mexico [1846-1848] and the war with Spain [1898-1899]; and Trumbull County birth, marriage, death and census records.

For those looking for more contemporary information, the library has a collection of the Haines ... Criss-cross Directory: Youngstown, Ohio city and suburban and Newton Falls High School yearbooks. The earliest yearbook is from 1885 and has no photographs. The more extensive collection, which includes those with class pictures, begins with the 1916 edition. There are also some large pictures of graduating classes on the walls of the Local History Room
The Ohio Web Library has a Resources link from our homepage’s Library Databases [http://www.newtonfalls.org/]. There you will find excellent Genealogy sites including statewide genealogy sites, maps, military sites, and cemeteries. For those who came through Ellis Island and the Port of New York, www.EllisIsland.org allows you to search by passenger names. Using any of the popular online search engines one can find many other ancestry, genealogy, and family tree sites.

Visiting the library is a great opportunity to share and learn more about your family, where they came from, and where they have lived. While a little dated, Oral History for the Local Historical Society by Willa K. Baum has excellent ideas on how to create an oral history, learning from older family members about their lives. Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood by Betsy J. Green is another interesting resource. In conjunction with Ms. Green’s book, the Haines directories and Sanborne Fire Insurance Maps (found in Ohio Web Library’s Genealogy section) will assist you in researching where your family has lived. If your family moved to Newton Falls during the growth of the steel mills, you might find it interesting to view the tools belonging to contractor Nicholas Risko. Mr. Risko built many of the homes for families who came during this era. Back to the Longenberger Family, a relative of the family, Grandma Caroline Gamber [1836-1928], would be blushing to know that there is a display of her clothing including undergarments, in the library’s Local History Room.