My Background
My name is Denny Shirer. I have been associated with genealogy for many years tracing my own family history. I have built on the shreds of evidence that only spanned a few generations into a database that contains many thousands of people, many who have ties to Muskingum County. I was amazed to find almost all of my father's family was either from Muskingum, Coshocton or Licking counties at one time or another. I have just recently as of January 2002, taken over the webmaster duties of the Muskingum County OHGenWeb site. I created the Muskingum County, Ohio Township Project a few years ago as a natural out growth and addition to the Muskingum County OHGenWeb project. I do this full time now but that may change depending on future employment.
My education background has been varied. I spent some time at an electonics school and a year in commercial art. I worked for many years in automotive work but due to an aggravated medical condition, was able to utilize my VA benefits and go back to school and receive a degree in Computer Programming. I have worked in that field since 1980 and it has led me into the wonderful world of internet programming. I now administer several sites on the web of my own and for other parties but am currently looking for work in the field. I am also a professional musician having played in many local groups since 1972 and have worked as a studio engineer. I still maintain a small home studio and write and compose new music.
I am married with one son in his twenties and live in Canton, Ohio. I was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and raised in Olmsted Falls in the southwest of Cuyahoga. My parents and grandparents lived in Lakewood for many years and Cleveland before that. My father's family came to Cleveland from Newark and their families were from Coshocton and Muskingum counties. Most of his line extends back to the early history of America. The Swiss side arrived with the Palatinate exodus and the Scot/Irish and English side arriving with the first colonies in America. My Mother's family are English and Dutch and both are first generation Americans.
I spend much of my time online and at the local genealogy section of our county library and have access to one of the largest genealogy sections in Ohio.
My Mission as Webmaster
My goal is to further my own families genealogy and in doing so, I am willing to share what information I have with others. My idea has always been that through sharing, we can get a lot more accomplished than if we hoard our data. I am a stickler for authenticity and for citing sources where possible. My own research is benefitted by work done by others and they are prominetly cited as the source.
Eventually I may publish some of my data but in the meantime, it is avalable for everyone to see on the internet.
Send Me An Email!
I am on-line all day. If I am not home, my computer is on and receiving e-mail. I usually respond to people immediately and if not, usually within a day. My old address is still kicking around on some sites (drd@sssnet.com) and I have tried to get it changed as many places as possible, but my new one has been active for almost three years and most people know how to get in touch with me. If you do respond to me about something on this site, make sure you specify the county in the subject line so I can differentiate from the ton of other mail I receive.
Family or County Questions
This website has been designed to help you with your research. It's purpose is to offer resource and reference information and weblinks that are pertinent to this county. I get alot of requests for information from folks who are new to genealogy and I will try my best to point you in the right direction. Your best bet, if you have questions about the county; or a particular service; or surname; is to check the website material first. If you cannot find the answer to your question online, make sure you subscribe to our mailling list and ask for assistance there or check the county message boards.
Although my own research is in this county, I do not have a lot of data on other surnames outside of my own list (see my homepage here: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mysong/). I do have a fairly large database of related names and would be more than happy to check your name against my data but the list of surnames is usually up to date. If you can't find a name there, I probably do not have it.
I also do a lot of research in Somerset, Bedford and Berks counties, Pa, Frederick County, Md, and Loudoun and Fauquier counties, Va. These counties are where many Muskingum County residents originated so I may have come into contact with some of the other names or may be able to direct you to other researchers who might have more information in those counties.
Enjoy!
Denny Shirer
Canton, OH USA
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This county is part of the USGenWeb Project, a non-profit genealogical resource web system, and is maintained by Denny Shirer
Last Revised: January 19, 2003