Funeral home files tell the story of Ohio blacks

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The director of a Toledo funeral home is working to preserve decades worth of records that help tell the story of the local black community.

The Dale-Riggs Funeral Home has traditionally served African-Americans in Toledo. Thousands of files going back to 1912 contain the names, family connections and biographical information on every person who has passed through the home.

The Blade newspaper reports managing director Sheryl Riggs has teamed with the African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio. They’re trying to raise the money to create a computer database of the records, now on paper and index cards.