Dryden Newspaper Collection
The Southworth Library has local newspapers going back to 1856. These are available on microfilm and in the bound original volumes. Valuable for their birth, marriage and death information, they also contain stories of local residents and many photographs.
Location: SWL Upstairs Microfilm Room (Get key from Librarian).
A project is underway to extract death (and births/marriages) notices from these papers and present in indexed form for easier searching. They will be published online as they become available.
The collection contains the following:
- Rumsey Companion: May 7, 1856 - April 8, 1857
- Dryden News: April 16, 1857 - October 21, 1865
- Dryden Weekly: January 4, 1868 - October 20, 1870
- Dryden Herald: 1876 - 1919
- Dryden Echo: August 3, 1889 - June 21, 1890
- The Communicator: July 19, 1933 - May 29, 1919
- Rural News: 1933 - 1983
Historical Archives Collection
In 2001, The Southworth Library received a grant to microfilm their archival documents. These are now available for use on eleven rolls of microfilm.
Location: Upstairs Microfilm Room (Get key from Librarian).
The library has begun a project to make many of these items viewable online in a digital format.
Highlights of this collection are:
- Centennial and Bicentennial celebrations
- Civil War Enlistments and WWII Servicemen from Dryden
- Citizens of Dryden
- Dryden Springs Hotel/Sanitarium
- Dryden Village News 1856-1886
- History of the Dryden Agricultural Fair
- News clippings, photographs, scrapbooks of local citizens
- Minutes and histories of local organizations (Churches, Southworth Library, WCTU, Dryden Opera House, spit & Whittle Club, Schools, Red Cross, Campfire Girls, Fortnightly Club, Dryden Literary Club)
Dryden Federal Census
1810, 1820, 1880 Dryden Federal census available online as well as 1883 pensioners on the roll from Dryden available online at Census
Online.
These include the full information from the census returns, (Name of head of household and ages and sex of those in the home for the 1810 and 1820 censuses, and name, race, age and sex of all members of the household in 1880) and certificate number, name of pensioner, post-office address, cause of which pensioned, monthly rate and date of original allowance for the 1883 pensioner records for Dryden. Information concerning other nearby towns in Tompkins County can also be found at this site.
(Note: the 1810 and 1820 Federal Census data is also available in hardcopy at the Southworth Library in the Reference Room, Local History Section 974.7 SAN. This hardcopy contains an index to names.)
