Have a historical question and don’t know where to start looking for answers? Well, never fear — because help can be found right here!

Depending on the type of information you need, you will first want to pay a visit to one of the following: the William A. Ross, Jr., Historical Center, Shelby County Courthouse, Health Department, or the Amos Memorial Public Library. All of these places have reference material for your use.

William A. Ross, Jr., Historical Center
The center is located at the corner of North Street and North Main Avenue, with the main entrance door facing North Street.  It is handicapped-accessible with a ramp located on the west side of the building.  This museum has computer research equipment as well as special exhibits featuring life in Shelby County.  The facility's hours are Monday through Friday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m, and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; closed on holidays.
Shelby County Courthouse in downtown Sidney
There are ground level doors on three sides of the building, under the east, west, and south stairs. An elevator is near the center of the building next to the inside stairs. It is open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Probate Court is on the second floor and contains marriage records for 1825 to present (names of parents and bride index beginning 1900), birth and death records for 1867 to 1908, and estate records for 1819 to present (1825 to 1976 on microfilm/microfiche only).

The Clerk of Courts is on the third floor. This is where you will find information on divorces, early guardianships, partition suits, and other miscellaneous files. Naturalizations are stored in Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio) archives.
Shelby County Recorder
The Recorder’s Office is on the second floor of the Courthouse annex (Main and Court Streets) and has files on land transactions for 1818 to present, military discharges, military burials, plus tax assessment records for 1846, 1850, and 1870.
Health Department
Located at 202 West Poplar Street in Sidney and with the same hours as the Courthouse, the Health Department has birth and death records for 1908 to present.
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