Pathfinder for Dayton History

The Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library contains a wealth of material for studying Dayton's past. Many of the sources are only available in our Dayton Collection, a research collection housed at the Main Library. Dayton Collection items are considered reference material and are for use in the library only. However, there are many basic Dayton history sources which are widely held throughout the system and which may be checked out. To locate books in the library on a Dayton topic, use the online catalog to do a subject, title, author or keyword search.

Indexes to Newspapers and Magazines

Premium Reference Databases such as Electric Library, Archives USA, Ancestry.com, Ohio Historical Society. Electronic indexes to articles in newspapers, magazines, books and other sources.

Readers Guide to Periodical Literature. Paper index for older articles.

Dayton Daily News Archives (Active Dayton). Another premium reference database for full text searching of newspaper articles from 1990 - present.

NIX. An online index to articles from the Dayton Daily News, the Journal Herald and Dayton Magazine from 1985 - present.

Index Dayton Newspaper Clipping File. Indexes microfiche of articles from Dayton papers prior to 1985.

Dayton Journal Index
Gen-R
O71.77173
DJ
Remember the Ladies:
A Bibliography on Women in Montgomery County History
R386
305.409

Local History Files

Ask the East Reference Desk at the Main Library for information from these sources.

Dayton Pamphlet File
These files house pamphlets, booklets, and other uncatalogued materials that contain valuable historical tidbits sometimes unavailable in more conventional sources.

Dayton Continuation File
Newsletters, annual reports, programs, and other publications of community organizations are kept in these files. Organizations are indexed in the INFORM database of local community organizations.

Local History/Correspondence File
Another fine source for hard-to-find historical facts.

Dayton Information File
A card file of answers to frequently asked Dayton questions, such as "Why is Dayton called 'the Gem City'?"

Dayton Map File
Maps of Dayton & Montgomery County dating from 1802 - present.

Dayton Broadsides File
Posters and oversized pictures highlighting Dayton's past.

Photographic Files
A photographic collection made up of the Lutzenberger Picture File and the Montgomery County Picture File. Both of these photographic collections contain local historical photographs on a variety of subjects dating from the late 1800s to the 1930s..

Books

These books are located throughout the system and can be checked out. Be sure to check the online catalog for locations and availability.

Austin, Charles Mosley
History of Black People in Dayton and Montgomery County
977.172
A935H

Conover, Charlotte Reeve
Dayton and Montgomery County, Resources and People
977.173
C753D

Conover, Charlotte Reeve
Dayton, Ohio: An Intimate History
977.173
C753DAY

Conover, Charlotte Reeve
The Story of Dayton
977.173
C753S

Drury, A. W.
History of the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio
977.173
D796

Edgar, John Farris
Pioneer Life in Dayton and Vicinity, 1796-1840
977.173
E23P

The History of Montgomery County, Ohio
977.172
H673 or H673A

Junior League of Dayton
Dayton, a History in Photographs
977.173
J95D

MacIntosh, Craig
Craig MacIntosh's Dayton Sketchbook
T77173
M152C

Memoirs of the Miami Valley
977.1
M618

Montgomery County, Ohio: A History Written by the People of
Montgomery County, Ohio
977.172
M78813

Peters, Margaret
Dayton's African American Heritage: A Pictorial History
977.173
P482D

Roberts, Carl
200 Years of Progress: A History of Dayton and the Miami Valley
977.1
R6431T

Ronald, Bruce W. and Virginia
Dayton, the Gem City
977.173
R768D

Ronald, Bruce W. and Virginia
Where the Rivers Meet: A Children's History of Dayton and the Miami Valley
977.173
R7688W

Ronald, Bruce W. and Virginia
The Land Between the Miamis: A Bicentennial Celebration of the Dayton Area
977.173
R7688L

Sanders, William Leslie
Dayton, Gem City of Ohio
977.173
S215D

Steele, Robert W.
Early Dayton
977.173
S8814

Zumwald, Teresa
For the Love of Dayton: Life in the Miami Valley, 1796 - 1996
977.173
Z94F

This pathfinder was compiled in 1995 and (Revised 1999) by Sue.
This page was published July 7, 1999, by Nancy.