Welcome to the Seneca County Genealogical Society
The Seneca County Genealogical Society is an active chapter of OGS, with many talented and knowledgeable members who volunteer to assist researchers at all levels. Our members cover a wide range of ages and interest from beginners to advanced, including students from the high school genealogy club, as well as older adults who have been doing genealogical research for a long time. We specialize in Seneca County, Ohio, research but we can also help with other research needs.
Our meetings are on the first Tuesday each month, except for July, August, and December, and you do not need to be a member to attend. All are welcome to join us to hear some great speakers! You can also read about upcoming SCGS events and see other genealogy-related announcements on our FACEBOOK page.
You can CONTACT US with your questions and comments but we have no staff for extensive research. We look forward to connecting with you and helping you with your genealogical journey!
Upcoming Events - (In Person Meetings)
free to the public, you need not be a member to attend
Meetings held in the Frost Kalnow Room
Tiffin Seneca Public Library
77 Jefferson St., Tiffin
6:30 p.m.
March 3, 2026
Dr. Roy Zinn will present
"The Civil War - Up Close and Personal."
Roy will give an overview of the War's border areas, specifically western Virginia. He will then relate specific experiences involving his own relatives whom he has researched extensively. It will be genealogically very personal rather than a discussion of battle tactics and generals.Program Details:
Date: March 3, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Tiffin-Seneca Public Library
Frost Kalnow Room 77 Jefferson Street, Tiffin
April 7, 2026- CHANGE OF DATE!!
Meeting changed to Thursday, April 9th.
“Seneca County. A Land of Immigrants”
The Tiffin Seneca Public Library’s Jessica Hoehn will give a program on April 9th at 6 PM connected to the celebration of the US 250th birthday – America 250. Jessica is the Library’s Genealogy and Local History Specialist and will discuss the various waves of immigrants - New Englanders, Mid-Atlantic settlers, English, Germans, Irish, Italians and more.
This is a perfect topic for one of our meetings, so we thought we would piggyback on to the Library’s program. Please come and support the America 250 and learn about Seneca County’s history
May 5 - tba
June 2, 2026
Annual social gathering - this year we will again have dinner at Fort Ball Pizza's buffet. All are welcome. 6 p.m.
June 25, 2026
Another America 250 presentation by Jessica Hoehn (see above). TSPL – 6 pm – “Revolutionary Veterans of Seneca County” . Jessica has been researching men who lived in Seneca County and who had fought in the Revolution, then moved to Ohio. When possible, she will find information on their history, their service and where they were buried. This is another event SCGS should support.
July-Aug - no meetings
Sept. 1. 2026
Mark Steinmetz
Then and Now – Comparing 1870’s with 2020’s through the 1874 Seneca County Atlas
Mark, author of the Seneca County Historical Society’s Facebook postings, has been a history sleuth for many years. Now he and his wife, Dorothy, have searched for the homes, farms and buildings which had engravings published in the 1874 Seneca County Atlas, trying to find them today, if they exist. His program will illustrate what he has discovered in his travels, along with information on how the atlases were created.
Also be aware of the year’s calendar of events for America 250- in Seneca County that is available online:
https://www.destinationsenecacounty.org/america250/
Dr. Roy Zinn will present
"The Civil War - Up Close and Personal."
Roy will give an overview of the War's border areas, specifically western Virginia. He will then relate specific experiences involving his own relatives whom he has researched extensively. It will be genealogically very personal rather than a discussion of battle tactics and generals.Program Details:
Date: March 3, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Tiffin-Seneca Public Library
Frost Kalnow Room 77 Jefferson Street, Tiffin
April 7, 2026- CHANGE OF DATE!!
Meeting changed to Thursday, April 9th.
“Seneca County. A Land of Immigrants”
The Tiffin Seneca Public Library’s Jessica Hoehn will give a program on April 9th at 6 PM connected to the celebration of the US 250th birthday – America 250. Jessica is the Library’s Genealogy and Local History Specialist and will discuss the various waves of immigrants - New Englanders, Mid-Atlantic settlers, English, Germans, Irish, Italians and more.
This is a perfect topic for one of our meetings, so we thought we would piggyback on to the Library’s program. Please come and support the America 250 and learn about Seneca County’s history
May 5 - tba
June 2, 2026
Annual social gathering - this year we will again have dinner at Fort Ball Pizza's buffet. All are welcome. 6 p.m.
June 25, 2026
Another America 250 presentation by Jessica Hoehn (see above). TSPL – 6 pm – “Revolutionary Veterans of Seneca County” . Jessica has been researching men who lived in Seneca County and who had fought in the Revolution, then moved to Ohio. When possible, she will find information on their history, their service and where they were buried. This is another event SCGS should support.
July-Aug - no meetings
Sept. 1. 2026
Mark Steinmetz
Then and Now – Comparing 1870’s with 2020’s through the 1874 Seneca County Atlas
Mark, author of the Seneca County Historical Society’s Facebook postings, has been a history sleuth for many years. Now he and his wife, Dorothy, have searched for the homes, farms and buildings which had engravings published in the 1874 Seneca County Atlas, trying to find them today, if they exist. His program will illustrate what he has discovered in his travels, along with information on how the atlases were created.
Also be aware of the year’s calendar of events for America 250- in Seneca County that is available online:
https://www.destinationsenecacounty.org/america250/
Past Meetings Information:
Feb 3, 2026
Seneca County Families Visit Luxembourg and Belgium
in May 2025
Steve Frank will present a program highlighting a group of Seneca County families who traveled to Luxembourg and Belgium in May 2025 to explore their ancestral roots.
During the presentation, Steve will share the experiences of Lenny Clouse (pictured) and their familie who traced their lineage from Pissange, Luxembourg and met Claus cousins in May 2025. They visited ancestral homes and locations in Pissange as well as Stockem and Hachy in Belgium.
Deb Brickner, the great-great-granddaughter of Nicholas Warnement, will also be featured. Deb visited the Warnement family homeplace in Vance, Belgium, and was part of a tour group in Luxembourg City for the 400-Year Jubilee of Our Lady of Consolation. During her visit, she traveled routes once taken by her great-great-grandfather, who obtained the statue of Our Lady of Consolation and brought it to Frenchtown. In 1875, the statue was processed from Frenchtown to Carey.
While in Luxembourg City, Deb attended a Pontifical Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral, celebrated by two Cardinals and more than a dozen Bishops. Over the course of eleven days, she toured numerous historic sites throughout Luxembourg, including multiple castles, and spent time in and around Bastogne, Belgium.
Throughout the presentation, Steve, Deb and Lenny will share newly uncovered information on the following families: Bouillon, Clouse, George, Kauffman, Tiell, Dell, Huss, Jenot, Goshe, Theis, Kin(n), Lucius, Frankart, and Warnement. The group’s research was greatly assisted by Nathalie Marchal, Steve’s distant Bouillon cousin from Vance, Belgium, who identified many of the ancestral home locations featured in the program.
Some of the tour group will be present to share their impressions and answer questions about the regions that contributed so many early settlers to Seneca County, Ohio.
Postscript - Over 100 people attended!
Program Details:
Date: February 3, 2026
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Tiffin-Seneca Public Library
Frost Kalnow Room
77 Jefferson Street, Tiffin
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Family History: Analyzing Data - Making Good Decisions
We will be showing an online video from a 2025 RootsTech program given by Serena Juhasz, Jaclyn Pruett, and
Dr. Joseph Stuart. "You're beginning your family history research and are amazed at how much information there is on your family. Or, conversely, frustrated that there is so little information. How do you proceed?
In this session, we will explore what to do with the data you have and to make smart decisions about interpreting sources, finding more information, and how to show your research process in your writing"
Sponsored by the BYU Family History Program
6:30 pm Tiffin Seneca Public Library, 77 Jefferson St., Tiffin OH
Frost Kalnow Room
As always, free and open to the public.
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025
Ohio Courthouse Records for Genealogical Use
Rhonda Casler
Following the "Getting Started" program, The Seneca County Genealogical Society will give another talk on genealogy basics. The Society is pleased to host professional genealogist and historian Rhonda Casler for a presentation on Ohio Courthouse Records for Genealogical Use on Nov. 4, 2025 at the Tiffin Seneca Public Library.
Rhonda will explore the wealth of genealogical information available in various courthouse offices, including Probate Court, Clerk of Courts, Recorder, Auditor, Engineer, Commissioners, Coroner, and Sheriff. Attendees will learn how to access and interpret these records to uncover their family history.
Rhonda Casler, owner of Buckeyeroots Genealogy Services, is an experienced genealogist with a background in history, archives, and libraries. She has worked extensively in historical research and genealogy education and serves as President of the Defiance County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.
Join us for this informative session and unlock new avenues in your family history research!
As always, free and open to the public.
6:30 pm Tiffin Seneca Public Library, 77 Jefferson St., Tiffin OH
Frost Kalnow Room
January 2, 2024:
Emily Rinaman
Seneca County Digital Library: 24/7 access to Seneca County's Historical Items
6:30 - Frost Kalnow Room, Tiffin Seneca Public Library
Emily will explain the current status of the Seneca County Digital Library -- starting with a brief overview of what it is, why it's useful and how they have been updating the website the last few years.
https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p15005coll27. This is a wonderful free site that all Seneca County researchers should be familiar with.
November 7, 2023 - 6:30 pm
Dr. Roy Zinn -
"The story of John Van Meter and Associated History of Ohio Country."
John Van Meter was a white child captured by Wyandots near the Ohio River ca. 1783 and received land in Eden Township when Seneca County was organized. Roy will give background on the Ohio Country prior to that time along with the story of John's life. He was first a Wyandot and then a Mohawk with his life being intertwined in the Native American history of this area through their removal starting in 1828 thru 1843. The Van Meter Reserve was in Eden Township, Seneca County as seen in this 1864 map (above).
Dr. Zinn is a retired veterinarian with interests ranging from the Seneca County Park District to the Civil War, Genealogy and the Seneca County Bicentennial.
Here is the link for the entire 1864 wall map of Seneca County OH
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4083s.la000673/?r=-0.347,0.072,1.363,0.79,0
The meeting will be at the Tiffin Seneca Public Library's Frost Kalnow Room at 6:30 pm. The public is welcome to this free event
BELOW: Click on photo to see link to program or handout:
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SENECA COUNTY
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