Tools We Use
Every Brick Walls & Buckeyes guide starts with original records. These are the places we search and the tools we use to turn that research into videos for Ohio families.
Research Go-Tos
Where we look first when a county episode or an Ohio brick wall needs answers.
FamilySearch
FreeDigitized Ohio probate, land, and court books, plus Full Text Search for handwritten deeds and wills. Free with an account.
Visit FamilySearchAncestry
SubscriptionIndexed census, military, and vital records, plus DNA matching. A strong starting point, but always follow each record back to the original, and don't stop at Ancestry when researching Ohio.
Visit AncestryOhio History Connection
Free to searchOhio's state archives and library in Columbus: death certificates, newspapers, maps, and manuscript collections.
Visit Ohio History ConnectionAllen County Public Library Genealogy Center
FreeOne of the largest genealogy collections in the country, with deep Ohio county holdings and free online databases.
Visit the Genealogy CenterOhio Genealogical Society
MembershipOhio's statewide genealogy society, with a research library, lineage societies, and county chapters across the state.
Visit OGSChannel Tools
What we use to plan, write, and narrate the videos. Helpful if you're starting your own genealogy channel or family history project.
vidIQ
AffiliateKeyword research, title ideas, and channel analytics. We use it to find the questions Ohio researchers are actually searching for and to plan each series.
Try vidIQElevenLabs
AffiliateAI voice and narration. A good fit for turning a research script into clear, steady narration.
Try ElevenLabsClaude
AI assistantHelps draft scripts, organize research notes, and build episode packages. Every fact still comes from the original records, never from the AI.
Visit ClaudeChatGPT
AI assistantA second set of eyes for brainstorming titles and checking drafts. Handy, but no substitute for a deed book or probate packet.
Visit ChatGPTCanva
DesignThumbnails, title cards, and the printable research sheets in our shop. Easy to learn, with a free version.
Visit CanvaMicrosoft Word
WritingWhere every script, research log, and episode package is written and kept. Simple, dependable, and easy to share with family.
Visit Microsoft WordFrom Our Shop
Our own printable research helps, built from the same standards as the videos.
Census Research Worksheets 1790 to 1950
PrintableBlank census forms for every decade plus a family group sheet, for organizing what you find.
See the ShopResearch Cheat Sheets
PDFThe Master Photo Prompt Cheat Sheet and the Probate Records & AI Cheat Sheet, each $3.
See the ShopSupport the Channel
Every guide is free for anyone researching Ohio families. If one helped you, you can leave a tip on Ko-fi, or simply subscribe and share a video with a cousin.