Great new resource - free

If you go to the New York Times site, you can enter your search terms in the bar near the top of the page and select whether you want to search articles since 1981 or before 1981. Once you have your results, you can select the Advanced option to limit your search to specific dates. The stories are downloadable as PDF documents. (If you happen across articles that aren't in the free years, they're $4.95 each, or you can get a monthly pass for $7.95 that allows 100 story downloads.)
I used a couple of Ohio place names and found real gold...many surnames, too. Try it.

Ballard, Eastman, Reeve

An interesting note:

Israel Ballard was the great grandfather of George Eastman,

founder of Eastman Kodak Company

Another interesting item:

Joshua Ripley, through Israel's wife, Alice, is a direct ancestor of Christopher Reeve...as is anyone who is a descendant of Israel!

Origins of Ballards in America

This Ballard family began in America with William Ballard1 (1617-1689) John2, Sherebiah3, John4, Israel5, (1748-1810) to Israel6. This part of the family went into central New York in 1792 and remained there for many years into the 20th century. The Richland, Oswego Co., NY arm still owned land into the 1930’s.
William Ballard of Andover, MA arrived in America on the ship Mary and John which left England on 26 March 1634. By 1645 William owned land in Newbury, MA. He died 10 July 1689, the father of 10 children.
William’s great-great grandson Israel Ballard bought land in Plainfield, CT 17 June 1779. In the 1790 first U.S. census Israel and his family were enumerated still in Plainfield. On 15 February 1792 the Plainfield property was sold. The family removed to Whitestown, Oneida Co., NY. This area of almost solid woods lay nearly uninhabited. On 29 April 1795 Israel was elected an elder in the United Presbyterian Society of Whitestown. He died in 1810 still living in Whitestown.