Skip to content
Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Ada Public Library

Ada, Ohio

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Ada.

Explore the Archive Institution Website
14Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1859 to 2015Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

211,942Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Ada, Ohio.

Explore the past of Ada, Ohio through newspapers as well as yearbooks and annuals in the Ada Public Library's digital archive. Its fourteen titles include material from 1859 to 2015.

You can open the archive using the link below.
Partner image, not an archive preview
 Explore the Archive

Opens in a new tab.

  • Selected titles

    The collection from Ada Public Library includes “First United Methodist Church - Record Book” and “University Herald”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • Different views of the past

    A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue. Yearbooks and annuals bring together the people and activities their editors chose to remember, offering a view of life within a particular year.

Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse fourteen titles and 211,942 digitized pages, with material from 1859 to 2015. This collection is shared through Ada Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.

First United Methodist Church - Record Book

2,292 pages from 1859 to 1972

Hardin County - County Record

15,582 pages from 1867 to 1893

Hardin County - Probate Court - Birth Records

1,248 pages from 1867 to 1906

Hardin County - Probate Court - Death Records

1,424 pages from 1868 to 1906

Hardin County - Probate Court - Will Records

3,914 pages from 1901 to 1908

Hardin County - Town And Country League Minutes

140 pages in 1914

Herald

2,134 pages from 2000 to 2001

High School Year Books

22,982 pages from 1913 to 2015

Public Library Board Of Trustees

1,376 pages in 1936

The Ada Commercial

32 pages from 1877 to 1878

The Ada Herald

124,754 pages from 1916 to 2012

The Ada Record

18,492 pages from 1873 to 1984

The Commencement News

8 pages in 1884

University Herald

17,564 pages from 1885 to 1916

Explore the Archive (opens in a new tab)

Opens in a new tab.

About the Archive

About The Ada History Archives

The Ada Herald offers a rich collection of local historical documents. The key publications and their date ranges are as follows:

Ada Public Library photo 2

About the Library

About The Ada Public Library

The mission of the Ada Library is to stimulate scholarship and advance knowledge by providing access to all varieties of materials and to work alongside our neighbors and within our greater community to support our mutual growth and prosperity.

Ada Public Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of The Ada Public Library

The Ada Public Library had its beginning with a few books placed in the restroom of the old town hall for the country women to read while waiting there. In the fall of 1916 the Ada Clubs formed their federation. One of the first official acts was the appointment of a library board, leading to the formation of the Ada Public Library at the restroom on June 1, 1917. Mrs. Cora Anspach was the first librarian, serving without pay until September 1919. The library has moved several times. In 1917 it was on the second floor of the Brewer block. In March of 1919 it moved to Highland Avenue. The town was canvassed by board members to obtain books and money. Local talent concerts, club donations and finally subscriptions by individuals were used to finance the young library. In January 1936, the local school board offered to take over the responsibility for the library. At the annual meeting of the Federation of Women’s Clubs, the property was legally turned over to the school board on June 18, 1936. In 1943 the Friends of the Ada Public Library Association was formed. On March 30, 1953, the new $74,000 structure on North Main Street was opened; the current location was furnished by gifts from the community. Then in 1965 Mrs. AvanellStambaugh generously provided funds to build an addition. In 1991 a total renovation project was unveiled to the Ada community, and this building now serves as the current facility.

Partner Story

The Friends Of The Library:

Friends of the Ada Public Library is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the Library in our community. Friends help promote the library, develop activities, present special programs, and encourage reading and library use. Friends meet only a couple of times a year to discuss and plan upcoming library functions. Attending meetings is encouraged to share ideas, volunteer for programs, and keep up-to-date on library activities. To join Friends of the Ada Public Library, please call 419-634-5246 or stop by the library for a membership form.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Look beyond a familiar name

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Ada. The digital archive shared by the Ada Public Library offers a place to begin. When exploring a yearbook or annual, consider clubs, activities, captions, and the surrounding pages as well as individual names. These details can offer glimpses of everyday life and help you place a person within the school or community of their time.

Where the available dates overlap, use a name, activity, or organization in a yearbook or annual as a starting point for a newspaper search. Compare the details carefully; a similar name is a lead to investigate, not an identification by itself.

Keep the title, date, page or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help you connect a local story to its evidence and explain what remains uncertain.

Review collection titles

Ada Public Library photo 3

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Ada Public Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
Read article
Back to top