A couple of blocks down from Waynesburg University’s campus, the Cornerstone Genealogical Society serves as a research archive that provides students with direct access to primary historical records rarely found through online databases. 

The nonprofit organization, located in downtown Waynesburg, specializes in genealogy and local history, with collections focused on Greene County and surrounding regions. Though often associated with family history research, Cornerstone’s resources extend far beyond ancestry, making it a valuable tool for academic and journalistic work. 

“The focus of Cornerstone is genealogy, which is family history, especially the pioneer families who settled Greene County in the late 1700s and early 1800s,” David Cressey, president of the Cornerstone Genealogical Society, said. “But our collection also includes a large amount of local history material that documents how this area developed over time.” 

According to the Cornerstone Genealogical Society’s website, the organization was established to preserve, collect and make accessible records related to family and community history in Greene County and the surrounding region. The society emphasizes education and research access for both the public and academic users. 

Cornerstone’s holdings include newspapers, maps, photographs, obituary indexes, landowner records, privately published family histories and personal correspondence dating back to the early 20th century. Many of these materials are not available online and may never be digitized. 

“So much information is online now that people assume that’s all there is,” Cressey said. “But we have resources here that are unlikely to ever appear on the internet, such as personal letters between researchers and archivists from the 1930s and 1940s or family histories that were privately published in very limited numbers.” 

One of Cornerstone’s most frequently used resources is its Greene County newspaper collection, which begins around the Civil War era. The collection includes the Waynesburg Republican, a weekly newspaper published from 1870-1992. Issues from 1870-1963 are digitized and searchable on-site. 

“Newspapers are primary sources,” Cressey said. “They show what was happening at the time it was happening. That makes them especially valuable for students studying history, communication or journalism.” 

For students in communication-related fields, historical newspapers offer opportunities to analyze reporting styles, community priorities and the evolution of news coverage over time. Unlike modern summaries or secondary sources, original newspaper articles preserve the language and perspective of their era. 

Cornerstone has increasingly been used by Waynesburg University students completing coursework. During the fall 2025 semester, students from a public history class visited the archive as part of a project involving Green Mount Cemetery. Students researched gravestones and used obituary records to trace family connections. 

“Obituaries are one of the most valuable resources we have,” Cressey said. “They often list parents, spouses, children and siblings, which helps connect individuals to broader family and community networks.” 

Working directly with original records allows students to strengthen both the credibility and depth of their research. While secondary sources can provide useful context, Cressey said they remain interpretations of original material. 

“There’s no substitute for reading the primary source yourself,” Cressey said. “Students may notice details that others overlook or interpret information differently based on their own research focus.” 

Visitors are often surprised by the scope of Cornerstone’s collections, which also include landowner maps and historic photographs. According to the society’s website, these materials help document how rural communities in Greene County were formed and how land ownership shaped settlement patterns. 

Cornerstone also partners with Candice Buchanan, a Greene County native and librarian at the Library of Congress, to help preserve and identify historic photographs of the area. 

“There’s no substitute for visual records,” Cressey said. “Photographs allow people to see how places and people looked, which adds another layer of understanding to historical research.” 

Cressey encourages students unsure of where to begin to start locally before expanding their research. 

“This is a good place to start,” Cressey said. “Students can also explore the Greene County Historical Society, county courthouse records and the Trans-Appalachian Room at Waynesburg University’s Eberly Library.” 

The Cornerstone Genealogical Society still remains as a resource for students seeking firsthand historical evidence close to campus. 

“Everything students need to get started is right here,” Cressey said. “They just have to walk through the door.”