Ask A Librarian

Have a question? Get an answer by

  • Visiting any Fairfield County District Library location
  • Calling our Reference Department at 740-653-2745, ext. #167
  • Filling out the form below. Please note that this information is being sent unencrypted. If you have a private concern, please consider calling or visiting us.

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    Research Guidelines

    We will provide limited research, obituary look ups, and answers to genealogy questions. Please limit yourself to 3 events or tasks per request. We will answer these requests in the order in which they are received. Please allow up to 2 weeks for your request to be answered.

    Requests must be specific in nature. Identifying information (date and place of birth, spouse name, children, location, date of death) should be included with request, when appropriate. We must have a death date for all obituary requests. Copies of obituaries from the Lancaster Eagle Gazette can be emailed for no charge.

    Examples of acceptable requests:

    • Please locate James Smith, born 1813, Ohio in the 1910, 1920, 1930 census. He lived in Fairfield County, Ohio. Wife: Susanna, children: John, Peter, and Mary.
    • Please check for burial information for John Householder in the Lancaster, Ohio cemetery records. He is listed in the 1910 census but not the 1920.
    • Can you locate an obituary for Patrick Johnson who died September 22, 1913 in Sugar Grove, Ohio?

    Examples of requests which will not be researched:

    • Will you check your records for any mention of the John Smith family of Lancaster, Ohio?
    • Can you locate the parents of Sarah James b. 1838, Fairfield County?
    • My grandmother died in Lancaster, Ohio in the 1960s. Can you provide me with a copy of her obituary?

    Please submit mail requests to:

    Reference Department
    Fairfield County District Library
    219 N. Broad Street
    Lancaster, OH 43130

    Telephone requests are not recommended, but may be answered as time and staffing allow. Telephone inquiries also require two weeks for the request to be answered. Individuals inquiring by phone may be asked to submit their request by email or postal mail.

    The library reserves the right to discontinue or disregard requests from professional genealogists, fee-based researchers, or patrons who utilize these services excessively.