Ohio Before 1850 According to Morgan

Of the making of indexes there is no end, and a good thing too. Let's start at the beginning:

Richard P. Morgan of Willoughby, Ohio, maintains and adds to a list of more than 10,000 "books, pamphlets, and broadsides printed in Ohio, from the earliest in 1796 through 1850," known as the Morgan Bibliography of Ohio Imprints, and hosted on line by the "consortium of 86 Ohio college and university libraries, and the State Library of Ohio" known as OhioLINK.

Of course, the actual books, pamphlets, and broadsides are now scattered in libraries and archives all over. The bibliography lists them on line by title, by author, by subject, and shows their physical location. Also available is a growing every-name index of more than 130,000 names of "Ohio People, Businesses and Institutions."

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OK, you just went and searched for your favorite Ohio relative with an easily distinguishable name, didn't you? Well, fine, but don't neglect to locate and browse around in the full document where his or her name appears. This list is the most miscellaneous collection of stuff you can imagine, including many school catalogs and city directories, much of it having to do with matters beyond Ohio's boundaries, so be sure to learn the context as well as grabbing the name.

Another index containing more information on people in some publications is here -- I think it falls somewhere in between an index and a transcription. There's also a list of which titles are indexed. If you have problems finding people who were living, working, or schooling in Ohio prior to the first full-bore US census in 1850, these sites are a must-visit.

Hat tip to Cyndi's List.