Tips for researchers:
Have a pencil and paper handy. Some libraries do not allow
bags or pens. You may be asked to check those items, but a pencil and a
few pieces of paper will always be allowed.
Always carry a magnifying glass or, one of the large sheet magnifiers.
When copying anything that may "bleed through," place face down on copier and put a sheet of red or black paper over it.
Copy title page of book and attach to pages copied - you will not forget where your source came from. You may wish to note date and library as well.
When viewing census records, read at least one page ahead of and one page behind the one where your folks are. Same goes for cemetery surveys - note who is in nearby plots. Copy the pages and take them home so you can see if any of the names match known relatives or friends.
Old newspapers have great tidbits about people who lived in the area. They give you time lines, as well as pointing to possible relatives.
Jeanette
Henderson,
Curator of the Museum has gathered family histories, films, books
on local and general genealogy and other things. There are
photo albums, business
ledgers, maps and many more valuable resources for area
researchers. There are film reader/printers, a copy
machine,
and several computers hooked up to printers and to the internet. 
One
may browse through donated family
histories. Many are indexed, some are not. Jeanette
and volunteers can pretty well tell you whom to contact about each
of them. Often they will know the family personally and can answer your
questions. Jeanette, her husband, and many of the volunteers grew up in
the area and have a
broad knowledge of its history and that of its people. See our books
index for the holdings of the libr
ary.The volunteers rock; they can show you how to: find information on the internet; use forms (available at the library); or do a history of your family, if you are new at genealogy.
Browse books on history of areas in which your family lived. It will help you understand why they lived in a certain area, or why they moved elsewhere. Histories will give you time lines of major happenings which may have impacted locals. They tell you the major industries, when the railroads and highways were built, and a number of other things that may give you a clue to find that elusive ancestor.
Perhaps you lost track of Great Grandfather John and can't find him anywhere. After reading a history of the area where you lost him, you find the railroad was being extended to the south for a hundred miles or so. You know he was working for the railroad, so now you have a good idea of where to look for him next.
There are Genealogy help books as well. "The Handy Book for Genealogist" tells when a county was formed, from what area it was subdivided and the information it maintains. Other books tell you about census records, have definitions you may need, or give you ideas of places to look for certain documents.
Browse through LDS CDs or log onto Ancestry.com or Heritage Quest. Both are paid subscriptions and have census records for every state in the US from 1790 through 1930, along with birth, marriage, and death records and published family histories. Ancestry.com and the LDS have family histories compiled by others. These must be taken with a very large "grain of salt." Many will be meticulously researched and documented, while others will not be. They may, however, serve as road maps for research.
Microfilm and readers
There are now 20 rolls of microfilm containing
local
newspapers which patrons of the library may view and copy. Some are:
a nearly complete set of Okaloosa News Journal 1930 thru mid 1956;
Okaloosa Messenger, 1930s and 40s; miscellaneous issues from
Milligan, Laurel Hill and Valparaiso.
Films may be ordered from the LDS. Check with
staff
members. Rental of these films are $5.50 and a list of ones available
may be seen at the library catalogue of LDS:
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp
Special offer from Allen Co. Library
-- largest genealogy repository in eastern US. Send copies of your work
for a bound copy.
Roll 2 Roll 3 Roll 4
Roll 5 Roll 6 Roll 7
Roll 8 Roll 9 Roll 10
Roll 11 Roll 12 Roll 13
Roll 14 Roll 15 Roll 16
Roll 17 Roll 18 Roll 19
Roll 20
Books:
Carole Griffin, maintains a list of the records that are available for research. Browse through this list before you come to the library. Then spend the day digging into them.
Tidbits:
Lost -- somewhere
on the road between Crestview and C.B. Ferdon's turpentine still a
walking stick belonging to G.W. Edge. Finder please return same to him
or leave it at The News-Journal office and receive a reasonable reward.
OKaloosa, 6-14-1918.
Cain Family of Crestview
The first building
in present day Crestview was the homestead of John Nathaniel Cain's
family. Wife Mariantha (Powell) and children lived from 1881 til 1919.
Jos. A. Cain told his family history to Mallie Martin for a newspaper
article in 1938. His siblings were: Sam, Jim, Joel, John, George,
Hillard, Alex, Martha, Nathaniel, Annie and Ellen.
Their neighbors were the Henry Harris family
and the Savage Plum Orchard. Later families were: Noys, Clark, Fountain and Richbourg. The first
church: Congregational Church, also first courthouse. First depot:
L&N box car; agent Percy King. HF Powell built the first house,
used as hotel.
Joseph was born July 27, 1871, wed Mary
Wilkinson, dau. of Fletcher Wilkinson.
His brother John W. died in August 20, 1940 at age
68. A cotton farmer in Northwest Okaloosa county; raised a large
family. His obit lists children, friends, pallbearers.
D.R. Moore Funeral Home made arrangements and burial was at Old
Bethel Cemetery. Rev. Ellisor of Methodist church
officiated.
Children from New York, Ohio and Florida attended.
Last Two Hangings
From Playground Daily News, June 19, 1970. Article tells of
the hanging of Putnam Ponsell and Jacob Benjamin Martin
murders of John F. Tuggle of Deerland July 4, 1921. A letter from
Ponsell to his mother is quoted heavily. Sheriff was FJ Steel.
It also tells of the Bob Blackwell hanging in
July of 1920. Blackwell killed Bud and Nancy Davis March 21, 1917. All
three men confessed their crimes and were hanged in public on the
Okaloosa court house grounds with huge crowds attending.
DR Moore made funeral arrangements in the
1930s and there are some of his records at the museum.
Send us queries, photos, anecdotes or other
items to post on our "bulletin board." Perhaps you will help someone or
get help.