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Complete Guide To Ashland County Genealogy, Ancestry, and History

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So you want to learn a little bit about Ashland County Genealogy

Ashland County was created on February 24, 1846. Citizens chose the name in honor of the popular Whig Henry Clay. Clay's home in Lexington, Kentucky, was named Ashland. Thomas Coulter established Perrysville, the first white settlement in Ashland County, in 1815, although individual whites had resided in the county for approximately fifty years before this date.

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Ashland County Genealogy: Overview

Ashland County is located in the north-central portion of Ohio. The county seat is Ashland. Ashland is the largest population center, with just over twenty-one thousand residents in 2000. This marked a five percent growth in the town's population since 1990, and the county experienced a ten percent growth, to a total population of 51,240 people, during this same time period. The county's next largest village is Loudounville, with a population of approximately 2,800 in 2000. An average of 124 people live in each of Ashland County's square miles.

The county is heavily rural, with farms comprising over sixty percent of Ashland County's 424 square miles. Ashland farmers rank fifth in oat production in Ohio and fourth in sheep raising. The next largest occupation is manufacturing, employing twenty-five percent of the county's workforce. The county's average income was approximately 20,700 dollars per person in 1999, with just over eight percent of the population living in poverty.

Most voters in Ashland County claim to be independents, yet in recent years, they have overwhelmingly supported Republican candidates at the national level.

Ashland County Genealogy: Geography and History

Ashland County

When researching an ancestor from Ashland County, it would be beneficial to take a look at the county using Google Maps. It provides a perspective of the various rivers, significant buildings, cemeteries, townships, cities, churches, and other important areas that your ancestor may have left a trail.

  • Ashland County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1910 and Probate Records from 1849. The County Clerk of Probate Court handles the probating of wills, estate administrations, trusts, guardianships, adoptions, birth corrections, delayed birth registrations, and issues marriage licenses. The Probate Court is that the Probate Judge is the ex-officio Clerk of Courts. Thus, the Court performs all the duties as its own Clerk of Courts.
  • Ashland County Recorder has Land Records from 1797. The County Recorder has the duty of keeping specific records, which may include deeds, mortgages, military discharges, plats, etc.
  • Ashland County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records. The County Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas is responsible for duties that include filing, docketing, indexing, and preserving all court pleadings for civil, felony criminal, and domestic relations cases. Other services provided by the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas are administering oaths, keeping naturalization records, and recording and retention of coroner records.
  • The Ashland County Health Department has Birth & Death Records from 1908-Present. For birth and death records prior to Dec. 20, 1908, contact the Probate Court of this county.

Ashland County Genealogy: Online Resources