We would like to invite you to visit The POORHOUSE STORY website (a clearinghouse for information about 19th century American poorhouses)at http://www.poorhousestory.com Thanks to many of the Ohio "listers" who volunteered to do the transcribing, we have a New Year gift. We just published the WPA Inventory of Poorhouse records for ROSS County. For history fans and genealogy buffs alike ... we think you will enjoy these. Be sure to check the list of Infirmary Directors at the bottom of the inventory. (Lots of folks have written to us after we published some of the other counties to say they found ancestors there!) Here is a description: --------------------------- During the 1930's and 1940's the Work Projects Administration (WPA) began the process of inventorying County Archives of Ohio. Their work was cut short when funding elapsed prior to World War II, but several volumes were published. The Columbiana County edition states: "The inventories produced by the Historical Records Survey Program attempt to do more than give merely a list of records--they attempt further to sketch in the historical background of the county or other unit of government, and to describe precisely and in detail the organization and functions of the government agencies whose records they list. The county, town, and other local inventories will, when completed, constitute an encyclopedia of local government as well as bibliography of local archives." ... While these records may no longer be stored in the vault, it is proof that they did exist at the time the book was compiled. It may take some digging, but chances are good that the records can be found. The WPA Inventories were never totally completed for all counties in Ohio. ... They are unavailable today except in most major Ohio libraries, where a complete set will usually be found. page 60 OHIO GENEALOGICAL GUIDE 6th Edition by Carol Willsey Bell, C.G. --------------------------------- Note: Of the 27 counties whose WPA Inventories included Infirmary (poorhouse)records ... we have now posted the excerpts from 9 of them and are working on the others. We have posted: ASHLAND COLUMBIANA FAYETTE HANCOCK LUCAS MONTGOMERY PIKE ROSS STARK If you have recently visited the site, you may need to click on REFRESH when you get to relevant pages in order to see the NEW material. If you are new to the site, DIRECTIONS: At the homepage (linked above) click on POORHOUSES BY STATE, then OTHER STATES, then OHIO on the table of states. The WPA Inventories' link is at the top. Hope you enjoy! Linda Crannell (aka=The Poorhouse Lady)