FamilySearch.org’s Research Wiki is the Number One GoTo Tool for Genealogists

Did you know Crawford County Ohio was formed out of Delaware County on 12 February 1820? This helpful information is available by searching on Crawford County Ohio USA on Family Search’s Research Wiki. This wiki is my first stop in researching any genealogical project, especially for the United States.

Accessing Family Search

The Family Search Research Wiki does not require logging into their website. You will need to login though in order to search any collections listed on the wiki page. If you don’t already have a familysearch.org account, you can create a free account by clicking the signin link in the top right-hand corner, and then click the Create a Free Account button.

Beginning Dates for Vital Records

In addition to when county’s were created and what county they were created from, most of the US State County pages include a Records Date Chart. It shows when various types of records, including vital records, began to be collected by the local government of the county. I’ve found this to be invaluable in my research. It tells me whether I should bother looking for a vital record at all.

Crawford County History and Related Collections

On this page, there are Boundary Change information, record loss information, links to external resources, and links to collections related to Crawford County. For example, on the Crawford County Ohio page, under the heading: Church Records, there is a link to the Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records, 1796-2004 where I found marriage records for many of my aunts, uncles, and direct ancestors who were all married at St. Joseph Church in Crestline which is part of the Toledo Diocese.

Name That Source!

Because this is a wiki, each historical item on the page is backed up by the source for where the information came from. And the sources are listed under the Reference heading near the bottom of the page. So you can do further research to confirm the information of the page, if needed.

So whether you are looking for Military records, Civil War documents, Vital Records, or Church records, The Family Search Research Wiki is the first stop on your path for your family’s history!