The Friendsville Library is currently located in temporary quarters at the Friendsville Senior Center at its normal hours.
All branches of the Ruth Enlow Library will be closed Tuesday - December 24th through Wednesday - December 25th for Christmas. We will reopen at our regular hours on Thursday- December 26th.
A searchable archive of back issues of the Garrett County Republican from 1877-2016. This is the result of a collaborative digitization effort between the Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County, the Sincell Family, and the Garrett County Historical Society, all of whom contributed time and funding towards making this archive a reality. Scanning was conducted by the Maryland State Archive, using materials obtained from the Enoch Pratt Free Library. All materials are hosted on the Internet Archive.
A searchable archive of back issues of the Garrett County Glades Star from 1941-2014. This is the result of a collaborative digitization effort between the Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County and the Garrett County Historical Society, who contributed time and funding towards making this archive a reality. Scanning was conducted by the Internet Archive, using materials obtained from the Ruth Enlow Library. All materials are hosted on the Internet Archive.
A searchable archive of promotional materials dating back to the 1950s promoting tourism in Garrett County, Maryland and Deep Creek Lake. This effort was made possible with the generous support of Garrett County Public Schools and the Garrett County Historical Society. All materials are hosted on the Internet Archive.
A searchable two-volume work compiled by the Youghiogheny Glades Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution between 1987 and 2004 containing listings for all known cemeteries and their gravestones during that period in Garrett County.
Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties in Western Maryland have a rich and diverse history. View images from the collections of the libraries, historical societies and individuals in the three counties. There are photographs, newspaper articles and indexes, rare books and more. Made possible with the support of the Western Maryland Regional Library.
A searchable collection of yearbooks from such schools as Oakland High School, Grantsville High School and Accident High School.
Our online searchable database is made up of obituaries, death notices or other death articles scanned from The Republican newspaper’s microfilm issues located at The Ruth Enlow Library’s Oakland branch. The Republican was established in 1877 and we are beginning at the beginning; March of 1877 to be exact. We will continuously add new information as we work to expand our online collection. But we do ask for your patience as it takes time to search, scan, edit, and load each item. We hope this database will assist you in your genealogy and local history research.
(Photo by Leo Beachy courtesy of Maxine Broadwater)
Feather Family History, by Alice Ann Feather Eary, Thomas Edward Feather
The Genealogy & Local Information Collection at the Main Library in Oakland is open to the public during the library's regular operating hours. A photocopier, a microfilm reader (which can also function as a microfiche reader), a scanner and a designated genealogy public computer are available for your use. Please check our Library Policies for a list of copy prices. Before planning a trip to our library we recommend visiting our website for current information regarding closings.
(Photo by Leo Beachy courtesy of Maxine Broadwater)
Our collection focuses on resources relating to Garrett County with materials also available on surrounding areas in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The following is just a sampling of the resources located in this collection. Please refer to our catalog in order to search for specific titles and family histories.
(Unfortunately, the collection contains no city directories and little to no original photographs. If you are interested in these items please contact the Garrett County Historical Society at 301-334-3226.)
(Photo by Leo Beachy courtesy of Maxine Broadwater)
When sending correspondence, please be as detailed as possible with your question(s) and remember to include your name, mailing address, and daytime phone number. If you have an e-mail address, please include that as well.
The staff cannot conduct genealogical research for patrons but we will search library resources in an attempt to answer specific questions. If an answer cannot be found, we will assist you in locating other institutions, websites, and/or knowledgeable people who may be of help.
The majority of our searches for long-distance patrons involve locating obituaries in the local newspaper, The Republican. The Main Library in Oakland owns the full run of this newspaper since its inception in 1877. The staff will search for an obituary when the month and year of death are provided. If you are unsure of the date of death, the staff can search for a name in Garrett County Graves in an attempt to locate that date.
(Photo by Leo Beachy courtesy of Maxine Broadwater)
AncestryLibrary (available inside the library only)
HeritageQuest Online (If you experience an error using this service click here for help.)
Garrett County Historical Society (301-334-3226)
Walking Tours of Oakland from the Garrett County Historical Society (created by John MacGowan)
Allegany County Historical Society Civil War Collection
Maryland State Library/Enoch Pratt Free Library Maryland Department
Maryland State Archives
Garrett County Courthouse (301-334-1937)
www.vitalrec.com - Vital Records Information
www.familysearch.org - 1880 US census
1940 Census
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdgarret/ - Rootsweb for Garrett County, MD
Sanborn Digital Maps
Records Project - State and County Records
MyTrees.com
Old Maps Online
(Photo by Leo Beachy courtesy of Maxine Broadwater)
E-mail: genealogy@relib.net
Postal Mail:
Attn: Local History and Genealogy
Ruth Enlow Library
6 North Second St.
Oakland, MD 21550
Phone: 301-334-3996
Fax: 301-334-4152
