The Avon Lake Public Library has a rich and varied local history and genealogy collection that includes books, manuscripts, photographs, school and community newspapers, scrapbooks, yearbooks, maps, family histories, realia, video and sound recordings. The collection dates from the late 1800s to the present.
If you have an item of local historical interest that you would like to lend or donate to the Library, please contact us or submit it digitally here.
Note: Items in the collection do not circulate. Duplicate copies may be available for checkout in the circulating collection.
Learn how to get started on your family history research by clicking on the link below.
Discover Your Past Genealogy Programs
Join us as we explore a variety of genealogical research topics led by professional genealogists. Via Zoom.
Databases
Ancestry Library Edition
Bringing together billions of historical records, millions of family trees, and millions of enthusiastic family researchers. Search through about 10,000 terabytes of data, including records detailing births, marriages, deaths, military service, immigration and much more. You must use a Library computer to access this database.
Find My Past
Trace your ancestry and build a family tree by researching extensive birth records, census data, obituaries and more
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps*
Large-scale street plans, including building outlines, property boundaries, and building use; produced by the Sanborn Map Company from 1867 to the present.
African American Heritage
A comprehensive mix of genealogical information resources, records, and tools specifically pertaining to African Americans. Search essential historical records including, Federal Census, Marriage and Cohabitation Records, Registers of Slaves Free(d) Persons of Color, and more
Fold3*
Features premier collections of original military records. Includes the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served in the military.
Cyndi's List
Your FREE genealogy starting point online for more than 23 years! More than 336,000 categorized and cross referenced links for family history! Cyndi's List is intended to be the starting point for your genealogical research online.
Heritage Quest*
a comprehensive treasury of American genealogical sources—rich in unique primary sources, local and family histories, and finding aids.
Family Search
Comprehensive genealogy site from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ALPL is a FamilySearch Affiliate Library. Access to digital genealogical collections that are otherwise not available outside the library are available on public computers. Non-affiliate records are available from home and on WiFi.
Western Reserve Historical Society Library/Archives Genealogical Center
Access to the Society’s catalog and many online indexes and files.
*Database access is funded by OPLIN’s Ohio Web Library for all Ohio residents, while some resources are provided by Avon Lake Public Library for our cardholders and visitors. All of these resources will work on computers inside our Library, but you will need a library card to access them from home or elsewhere.
Local History
Avon Lake Historical Society
Our mission as a community organization is to encourage the preservation and celebration of artifacts, historic sites, and structures in Avon Lake. We endeavor to serve and engage the citizenship through accessible education programs involving the life, history, and heritage of Avon Lake.
Biblioboard
A freely searchable online collection of digital photos, texts, oral histories, videos and other local history resources, built by the Michael Schwartz Library at the Cleveland State University in collaboration with a host of community partners around Northeast Ohio.
Cleveland Memory Project
A freely searchable online collection of digital photos, texts, oral histories, videos and other local history resources, built by the Michael Schwartz Library at the Cleveland State University in collaboration with a host of community partners around Northeast Ohio.
Ohio Memory Project
More than 75,000 primary source documents in Ohio history. A collaborative program of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio.
ALPL Local History Collection
Located at and archived by Avon Lake Public Library, the collection includes both original materials and reproductions in a variety of formats including, but not limited to, books, manuscripts, photographs, postcards and correspondence, newspapers and periodicals, and more!