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Highland County:
temperance records, coffin books & community photographs

Explore temperance records, coffin books & community photographs, with source links and practical instructions for planning your research.

Addresses and access notes ↓

Highland County, Ohio: repository locations and selected major roadsUS 50US 62SR 138SR 124SR 731Hillsboro3GreenfieldN ↑≈ 5 miles
Selected repository locations for present-day orientation. Numbers match the research stops below. Select a marker to open its stop. Locations are approximate, not entrances or driving directions. Grouped numbers identify nearby repositories; use the address key for individual locations.

Explore local streets and repository locations ↗

Not sure where to begin? Build a free three-step research plan → Choose your question, period and records already checked.

Explore records coverage by year ↓

Community history groups and access notes · Additional collection references

Explore focused collection routes ↓

How to search and interpret selected collections ↓

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PLAN YOUR RESEARCH ROUTE

Match the stops to the repository

Several stops can lead to the same repository. Maps show selected verified locations, not every guide stop or every community represented in the records. Use each stop’s access instructions, including for online and out-of-county collections. Check access before traveling.

Other guide stops not shown on this map

These stops may be online collections, shared repositories or locations not yet confirmed for mapping. Follow the collection’s access instructions.

Map sources and limits

County outlines: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic boundaries . Selected major roads: 2024 TIGER/Line primary and secondary roads . Public repository addresses checked against the sources above, with approximate Census geocoder positions. Unmatched addresses and out-of-county repositories are listed in the key rather than assigned a guessed position. Markers identify contact locations, not collection coverage. Historical boundaries, township lines and current traffic conditions are not shown. Prepared November 3, 2026.

Sources checked October 23, 2026. Based on public institutional descriptions, not staff confirmation or an onsite visit. Confirm current access before traveling.

Bring one focused question.

Start with a name or place, approximate years, and the fact you want to establish. These are selected research starting points. A catalog, index, museum exhibit and original record provide different kinds of evidence.

STOP 01 / MICROFILM / WOMEN’S HISTORY

Hillsboro Public Library: newspapers and reform records

Look beyond obituaries to local organizations.

What you can find

Microfilm includes Highland Weekly News, Hillsboro and Greenfield titles, temperance minute books 1873–1882 and Hillsboro WCTU records 1875–1990.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Consult the title-by-title inventory before visiting. Items can be read or scanned at Hillsboro; call 937-393-3114 for reader assistance.

A question you can ask

Ask which reel covers the event date, and whether organization minutes mention the person.

Keep in mind

Indexing is incomplete. Hayes provides only a partial obituary index, and newspaper date runs have gaps.

STOP 02 / FUNERAL / CHURCH / COURT ABSTRACTS

Southern Ohio Genealogical Society

Try a coffin book when standard death records fall short.

What you can find

Its publication catalog includes McClure’s Sinking Spring coffin book, 1870–1886; Clouser Funeral Home records, 1902–1954; and Greenfield First Presbyterian membership, 1820–1910.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use the catalog to identify a title; contact SOGS414@gmail.com through the library’s local-resource listing to confirm availability.

A question you can ask

Ask whether the publication gives original record references and where those originals are held.

Keep in mind

The catalog is dated 2019–2020 despite its filename. Confirm current stock and prices; abstracts are not originals.

STOP 03 / PHOTOGRAPHS / INDUSTRY

Historical Society of Greenfield

Explore Greenfield’s people, businesses and Patterson automobile history.

What you can find

The society shares a rotating photographic scrapbook, local newspaper articles and interpretation of C. R. Patterson and Frederick Patterson.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Contact info@greenfieldhistoricalsociety.org or 937-981-7890. Travellers Rest normally opens Thursday afternoons, with winter closures and appointment options.

A question you can ask

Ask about original captions and material related to a named business or neighborhood.

Keep in mind

Online photographs are selections, not a complete catalog. The society requires permission to reuse its pictures.

STOP 04 / MUSEUM / PHOTOGRAPHS

Highland County Historical Society: Highland House

Put local households in their community setting.

What you can find

The society presents historic photographs, Hillsboro business history, military interpretation and a Lincoln School exhibit through Highland House and its website.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Begin with the online exhibits and confirm current museum or research access at 937-393-3392 before visiting 151 East Main Street, Hillsboro.

A question you can ask

Ask whether the exhibit topic has supporting photographs, documents or an accession record relevant to your research.

Keep in mind

A comprehensive archival inventory was not verified. Museum visiting hours do not automatically mean original material is available.

STOP 05 / LAND / DEED CHAINS

Highland County Recorder

Compare the people and properties on successive deeds.

What you can find

The county Recorder provides an official recorded-document search and a direct office contact for land-record questions.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use the Records Search link from the county page; contact recorder@co.highland.oh.us or 937-393-9954 for older volumes.

A question you can ask

Ask how to retrieve a historical grantor/grantee index entry and its deed image.

Keep in mind

Early online coverage was not established. Confirm the date range and copying cost before ordering.

STOP 06 / ESTATES / MARRIAGES

Highland County Probate Court

Follow a probate lead back to the court’s record.

What you can find

The court offers a probate record-search system and a route to request verified record information.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Start with the official search. For historical files beyond its coverage, contact the court at 105 North High Street, Hillsboro, using the county directory.

A question you can ask

Ask for the complete estate or marriage entry, associated volume/page and historical index availability.

Keep in mind

Historical coverage was not verified. The court warns that online information can lag and directs verified requests to the court.

Keep the evidence and the next step.

Save the repository, collection title, dates, box or volume and page, link, and what you searched. Follow an index entry to the full record. Keep uncertain identifications separate from established relationships.

Explore the Ohio county map and directory

Know a collection we should include or an access detail to correct? Email hello@brickwallprotocol.com. Please include an official collection link when available.

HIGHLAND COUNTY / SELECTED RECORDS COVERAGE

Which collections cover your years?

Use these dated holdings to choose a next search. This is a selection of cataloged collections, not a complete inventory of Highland County records.

A range is a lead, not a guarantee. Bars show the dates stated by the cited catalog or inventory. They do not establish uninterrupted coverage, complete reporting or online image access. Unmarked years mean not represented in this selection, not that records were destroyed. Indexes and abstracts still need to be followed to the underlying record.

Sources reviewed October 26, 2026. Blue shows cataloged holdings; rust identifies indexes or compiled publications where the source specifies them. Read the format label and access notes for each row.

microfilm

Agricultural Census 1850, 1860, 1870

Listed years: 1850, 1860, 1870.

Source, access and coverage limits

Ask the Ohio Genealogical Society library for this county and exact collection title, years and reel. Confirm current availability and copying arrangements before visiting. This is a library microfilm listing, not an online image collection.

Keep in mind: Inventory updated 2012, checked October 26, 2026. Bounds do not guarantee an unbroken run. The library has not reconfirmed these holdings; follow any index to the underlying record.

microfilm

Tax Lists 1806, 1807, 1809

Listed years: 1806, 1807, 1809.

Source, access and coverage limits

Ask the Ohio Genealogical Society library for this county and exact collection title, years and reel. Confirm current availability and copying arrangements before visiting. This is a library microfilm listing, not an online image collection.

Keep in mind: Inventory updated 2012, checked October 26, 2026. Bounds do not guarantee an unbroken run. The library has not reconfirmed these holdings; follow any index to the underlying record.

microfilm

Mortality Schedule 1850, 1860

Listed years: 1850, 1860.

Source, access and coverage limits

Ask the Ohio Genealogical Society library for this county and exact collection title, years and reel. Confirm current availability and copying arrangements before visiting. This is a library microfilm listing, not an online image collection.

Keep in mind: Inventory updated 2012, checked October 26, 2026. Bounds do not guarantee an unbroken run. The library has not reconfirmed these holdings; follow any index to the underlying record.

Confirm the historical jurisdiction as well as the date. A record may be held outside today’s county, and an inventory’s ending year does not mean recordkeeping stopped.

Check historical jurisdiction → · Find collections for my years →

FOLLOW THE COLLECTION

Additional collection references

Official catalog descriptions checked October 25, 2026. These notes identify research routes, not completed name-level searches.

Gist Settlement photographs and documents at Ohio History Connection

Ohio History Connection’s illustrated Gist Settlement article identifies collections SC 394 and VFM 6411 as sources of photographs and information about this Highland County community.

How to begin: Read the article for examples, then ask the Archives & Library about SC 394 and VFM 6411. Request catalog descriptions and item references for the family, building or photograph you want to examine.

What remains uncertain: The article is an entry point, not a complete finding aid or resident list. Full collection dates, digitization and access conditions should be confirmed with the repository.

COMMUNITY MEMORY

Community history groups and research leads

Local communities can help identify a place, photograph or possible source. These independently run groups are community leads, not catalogued archives or BWP partners. Keep the contributor, date, basis for an identification and original source together. Ask permission before republishing photographs or private contributions.

Facebook identities and visible access information checked October 25, 2026. Verification here concerns the group, not the accuracy of its members’ posts. No groups were joined and no messages were sent.

Highland County Ohio History & Genealogy

Private, discoverable Facebook group

A local history and genealogy community identified on Facebook. Use it as a starting point for a focused question about a surname, place or possible record source.

Access and rules: Facebook identifies this as a private, visible group. Membership approval is controlled by its administrators. Read the current rules before posting.

Verification limits: The group identity and visible access information were checked. Member contributions and specific holdings were not independently verified. Ask permission before reusing an image or private contribution.

Open Highland County Ohio History & Genealogy on Facebook

Follow a specific collection

Additional collection-level routes checked November 3, 2026. Confirm current access before visiting.

Temperance minutes and WCTU records

Microfilm inventory lists temperance minutes, 1873–1882, and Hillsboro WCTU records, 1875–1990.

How to access it

Use Hillsboro microfilm readers and scanners; call 937-393-3114 before visiting.

Evidence limit: These are organizational records, not a countywide membership census.

Hillsboro Gazette: preserve the missing years

Inventory lists Gazette runs 1879–1910, 1912–1915 and 1917–1924.

How to access it

Ask for newspaper film by title and date.

Evidence limit: The listed runs skip 1911 and 1916; an obituary index is not a complete newspaper index.

Early voters and selected tax lists

Catalog offers poll-book extracts for 1806–1816, 1818 and 1821; selected tax lists for 1863–1887 exclude Brush Creek and most of Paint Township.

How to access it

Ask SOGS414@gmail.com about the publication and current availability.

Evidence limit: The catalog is dated 2019–2020 despite its filename. Confirm current prices; extracts are not original complete registers.

Drug-store, coffin and personal-journal records

Published sources include Ayres Drug Store records, 1866–1898; McClure Coffin Book, 1870–1886; and Peter Setty journal, 1841–1886.

How to access it

Request the named publication through the society; compare extracts with any surviving original.

Evidence limit: A customer or diary entry does not by itself establish a family relationship.

Greenfield photographs with accession numbers

A 2012 preservation report inventories 800 photographs and includes a substantial illustrated catalog.

How to access it

Search the report for a subject or accession number, then ask the society to check the original and current viewing arrangements.

Evidence limit: The old grant report establishes the collection and catalog, not current online access or hours.

BEFORE YOU SEARCH

Understand the collection. Choose your next step.

Two selected collections, with practical ways to search and interpret the result. These are research suggestions, not findings about a particular person.

  1. Choose a source
  2. Check its limits
  3. Search and record
  4. Follow the next lead
Cataloged collection span

Temperance minute books

What it can tell you
Organization minutes can reveal participation in community activity. Mention in a meeting is not proof of a family relationship or lifelong belief.

Selected listed years: 1873–1882

Date overlap is a lead, not a guarantee of complete coverage.

How to search, request and interpret this collection

Coverage and gaps
Library-listed title span 1873–1882. No guarantee that every meeting or participant was recorded.

How to search
Browse dated meetings and officer lists. Search initials, married-name forms and associates as well as full names.

How to retrieve it
Ask Hillsboro Library for the Temperance minute books, 1873–1882, and the appropriate microfilm reel.

Practical access
Hillsboro Library lists onsite microfilm reading and scanning. Confirm reel availability and assistance before visiting.

If nothing turns up
Minutes may name only officers or speakers. A person’s absence does not prove nonmembership.

Read the collection source ↗

Source review: 2026-11-04; repository description checked, individual entries not inspected. Search and interpretation suggestions are BWP guidance.

Then try this

Compare a possible member with the separate WCTU records.

Follow this research route →

Match collections to your research years →

Cataloged collection span

Hillsboro WCTU records

What it can tell you
Women’s organization records can help trace civic networks and public roles beyond household records.

Selected listed years: 1875–1990

Date overlap is a lead, not a guarantee of complete coverage.

How to search, request and interpret this collection

Coverage and gaps
Library-listed collection span 1875–1990; individual volumes and gaps are not specified.

How to search
Inspect the series and date first; compare initials and “Mrs.” names with addresses, spouses and independent records.

How to retrieve it
Request the Hillsboro WCTU records, 1875–1990, by title from Hillsboro Library; ask which volumes cover your years.

Practical access
Listed among Hillsboro microfilm holdings for onsite reading or scanning; confirm availability before travel.

If nothing turns up
A broad collection span does not mean every annual roster survives. Avoid turning a name similarity into an identification.

Read the collection source ↗

Source review: 2026-11-04; repository description checked, individual entries not inspected. Search and interpretation suggestions are BWP guidance.

Then try this

Use earlier temperance minutes to investigate continuity in local participation.

Follow this research route →

Match collections to your research years →

HELP KEEP THIS GUIDE USEFUL

Know a collection we should include?

Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.

Suggest a correction or collection

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