Located in the village of Medina (Orleans County), is the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library which is a member of the NIOGA Library System. Within their library is a Quiet Room that holds “an extensive collection of local history and genealogy materials.”1
The local history and genealogy collection contains both published and unpublished materials. Newspapers are the largest portion of their collection and are both in microfilm and original forms. The original newspapers are well-cared for being stored in archival boxes that are clearly labeled.
The microfilm collection of the library includes but is not limited to:
Village of Medina Board Minutes 1832-1908
Medina Tribune 1861-1945
Medina Daily Journal 1903-1940
Medina Daily Journal and Medina Register 1940-1972
Daily Register and Journal Register 1972-1974
Journal Register 1974-1979
Medina Daily Journal Register 1980-1996
Lyndonville Enterprise 1916-1962
There is a microfilm reader set up with a vertical monitor and ScanPro software in the Quiet Room.
A file cabinet contains drawers full of folders items of local interest that include maps, newspaper clippings, businesses, histories, people of interest, major events, booklets, etc. from Orleans County but also some local regions.
Within their standing cabinets, the library has many unique materials and manuscripts. The collection includes:
Village of Medina Board Minutes 1956-2013
Orleans County Legislature Proceedings 2007-2019
Class of 1956 Scrapbook
Various Atlases
Scrapbook of Carl Fisher of Medina (baseball player)
A.L. Swett Ledgers
Orleans County Directories
Medina Directories
Orleans County Histories
Regional and Medina Histories
Anniversary Books of the local Fire Companies
And much more…
One of the most unique and genealogically-relevant parts of the Lee-Whedon collection are their Local History Interviews. The Orleans County Historical Association conducted an Oral History Project in the late 1970s to early 1980s of about 100 residents. Each interview was recorded, transcribed, and includes a cover page detailing the subjects and names of people mentioned during the interview. The recordings of the interviews have been converted to CD and are available in the cabinet under the interview transcriptions.
The Lee-Whedon Library also has a library subscription to Ancestry.com. If you have Orlean County and/or Medina ancestors, this local history and genealogy room is certainly worth a visit.
Sources
- “Research & Resources,” Lee-Whedon Memorial Library (https://leewhedon.org/resources/ : accessed 19 March 2021).