OTTAWA — The Franklin County Historical Society will show how local historians and genealogists to research their ancestors who were involved in World War I. The session conducted by archivist Susan Geiss is called “Researching the Great War at the Local Level” and will be 7 p.m. Thursday at the Old Depot Museum. The search for American soldiers who fought during World War I is especially tricky because more than 80 percent of World War I army records were destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 1973 in St. Louis. However, genealogical and historical societies all over the country have developed collections of documents, artifacts, and other information to preserve their local World War I history, Geiss said. She will discuss the materials available through the Franklin County Historical Society. The talk is free and open to the public.
Monday, July 6, 4 p.m.
