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The History Junkie's Guide to Ohio Genealogy and Ancestry

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So, you want to learn more about Ohio Genealogy?

When researching Ohio, especially during its early years, remember that it was an early state and considered the frontier around the time of the American Revolution, and it suffers from what genealogist consider the "first child" syndrome.

Meaning, that the United States was young, and there was a lot of trial and error in record keeping during those first few decades. It is important to understand how each record was kept, when they were kept, and where they were kept. If your ancestor came to Ohio during its early years, it is important to remember, like any state in its early years, that counties have probably changed.

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Ohio Genealogy: Vital Records

There are two main time periods to understand when researching Ohio's vital records:

  • Early Years: 1867 - 1908
  • Modern Years: 1908 - Present

Depending on when your ancestor was born or died, the record may be kept in different places or presented with less or more information.

Early Years: Ohio became a state in 1803, and registration of vital records began in 1867 so there is a significant gap of time between statehood and registration (more on that in the advanced research section). If your ancestor was born or died between 1867 - 1908, then you will need to keep these facts in mind:

  • Early-year records can be incomplete. This is natural, especially with infants, since some parents didn't have it. name picked out for their child when they were being recorded.
  • Registration was done at the Probate Court in the county where the event happened. This does not necessarily mean that where your ancestor lived is where the record will be kept.
  • Events were recorded on ledgers. If you don't know what a ledger is, then don't worry. It is not something complicated. Records on ledgers extend across two pages rather than one. So, it is important to read across to the next page to make sure you don't miss any information.

Modern Years: In 1908, records became more centralized in Ohio, and less spread out throughout the various counties. While research in individual counties is still important, vital records have become centralized. When digging through vital records from 1908 - to the present, keep these facts in mind:

  • Statewide registration began in December 1908
  • One copy of the record was forwarded to the state. Unlike the early records, which stayed in the county, these records can be found at the county and state level, which makes it less likely the records were lost.
  • One copy is retained by the city/county health department. If you've ever needed to get a copy of your birth certificate, then you probably know that you have to go to the health department to get it.
  • Records began to look like what we would see today and have much more information on them.

Where To Find These Records: Now that you know the history of these records, you probably want to know where to find these records. Thanks to digital technology, researching these vital records does not require a road trip or many long hours in the library. Most of these records can be accessed online.

You can access records from 1867 - 1908 at the following:

You can access records from 1908 - present at the following:

Ohio Genealogy: Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriage records are a bit different from Vital records in that they are some of the first records found in the state. Vital records have a large gap between the statehood and while marriage records that were kept at the creation of the county, so this allows genealogists to trace early families in each county.

When finding one of these early records, it is important to remember that these records are very basic and contain the following:

  • Date of Marriage
  • Name of Bride and Groom
  • Officiant
  • Date Recorded
  • Sometimes notes (such as widowed)

By the Late 1860s, Ohio moved away from free-form record keeping to pre-printed forms. The information on these records is as follows:

  • Date of Marriage
  • Name of Bride and Groom
  • Officiant
  • Date Recorded
  • Signature of Groom

As you can see, there is not much different in the information, but the certificates are easier to read, and it does contain the groom's signature.

By the 1900s, Ohio began recording much more information on each of the licenses. There are three portions to a marriage license: the top, middle, and bottom. Here is the information that was recorded:

  • Top Portion: Where the marriage license is found and contains the information of the Bride and Groom. The information that can be found is similar then the above records but also include the Bride and Groom's parents, which also contains the maiden name of their mother. Also tells us if the bride or groom was married previously.
  • Middle Portion: Tells who issued the marriage. This is not the officiant of the marriage, which is included in the bottom portion, but usually the clerk in the probate court.
  • Bottom Portion: The bottom portion contains the marriage certificate, which contains the date, location, bride and groom names, and officiant.

Where were they recorded: Now that you understand the basic history and look of the marriage record, it is necessary to understand where to look for them. As you will see, it may be tricky, but isn't too difficult.

  • County Probate Court: Marriage records were kept at the county probate court. However, finding the correct Probate Court is where it can be tricky.
  • Look in surrounding counties: When finding an ancestor's marriage license, it is important to remember the dynamic within the county itself. Most of the early marriages were conducted by pastors, and many of them were circuit preachers who traveled from county to county. Often, they would hold on to these records and then drop them off at the closest probate court they were located. Also, keep in mind that counties often change as the population shifted. Many counties split off from other ones, so if you are unable to locate your record, try looking at your county's history and see if it split off an earlier county, then check that probate court.
  • Modern records were recorded where the license was obtained: By the 1900s, marriage records were recorded where the marriage took place. There may be some discrepancies with counties being created off of other counties, but this takes care of the circuit riding preachers.

Where to find them: Knowing how the records are stored in Ohio will help you locate them. Marriage records are kept at the county level, so knowing which county your ancestor was married in will aid in your search. Here is a small list of online and offline resources to help with your search.

Ohio Genealogy: Divorce Records

Divorce records can be harder to obtain than marriage records for various reasons:

  • Divorces were not as common and were frowned upon in the 19th and mid 20th century
  • Ancestors typically wanted to keep divorces private, so it may be more difficult to find accurate records
  • Before 1851, records were kept in a variety of courts and state legislature, which can make it harder to track.

If you have an ancestor who divorced and you want to find the record, while the process is different, it is not too difficult if you know the right steps. Here are a few things you need to know when looking for a divorce record:

  • They are held locally: There are not many online databases that have divorce records, so you will have to research many of these records manually. If you know the county, you should be able to find the record. After 1851, the records stored at the Common Pleas or Probate courts.
  • Statewide Index begins in 1951: If your ancestor was divorced after 1951, then there should be a record saved in the state archives.
  • Ohio Divorce Index on Ancestry: The records are chopped up, but if you have an ancestor or relative that divorced in the following years, then Ancestry can help you out:
    • 1961 - 1962
    • 1967 - 1971
    • 1973 - 2007

Ohio Genealogy: Census Reports

The Federal Census is usually the backbone of family tree research, and fortunately for Ohio, every census from 1820 - 1940 is available, with the exception of the 1890 census, which was destroyed in a fire. There are pieces of the 1890 census available for Hamilton and Clinton county, as well as a Special Schedule of Union Veterans taken in 1890. So, while there is a chance you may have an ancestor listed in the 1890 census for most people, there will be a gap in your research that will need to be filled in with other records.

Working Around 1890: While Ohio is a fortunate state to have so many census records available, there will always be questions on that 1890 gap, which occurs for all states due to the fire in the National Archives. Here are some solutions to work around that gap in Ohio genealogy:

  • 1890 Special Schedule of Union Veterans: If you have an ancestor who fought for the Union and lived in Ohio during this time, then this is a great place to start. This census is a little different from other Federal Census records in that it is divided into two portions: top and bottom. The top portion gives his basic information, while the bottom tells of his service during the war and what happened to him.
  • Mortality Schedule: This is a list of people who died 12 months prior to the census being taken. There were four years that the Mortality schedule was taken, but the schedules are limited due to not all of them surviving.
    • 1850 - (Hamilton - Wyandot survive)
    • 1860
    • 1870 (Seneca only)
    • 1880 (Adams - Geauga)
  • Agriculture Schedule: These records do not give a lot of genealogical information but do provide excellent context to your ancestor during the time period. This is a list of products/livestock raised. Once again, not all the records survive. The years available are:
    • 1850
    • 1860 (Adams - Scioto)
    • 1870
    • 1880 (Athens - Wyandot)
  • Industry Schedule: Similar to the agriculture schedule, the Industry schedule lists the products produced. Once again, not all these records survive, and they provide great context but not a lot of genealogical information. Here is what survives:
  • 1880 schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent: This is a non-population schedule that listed individuals classified as insane, idiots, deaf-mutes, blind, paupers, prisoners, and homeless children. Here is what survives for Ohio genealogy:
    • Counties Fulton - Medina
    • Keep in mind that these schedules were made in the late 19th century, and the language used to describe some of these individuals is not politically correct today.

Other Census Records: Unfortunately for those researching Ohio genealogy, there are no state censuses taken. However, there were counties that took their own censuses for a variety of reasons. Here is what to know about local census records in Ohio:

  • Quadrennial Enumerations: These were censuses taken every four years that list the males ages 21 and over or, more specifically, the white males ages 21 and over.
  • Veterans of Civil War Censuses: Some counties took censuses of their Civil War veterans.

You can find these records at Ohio History Connection, regional archives, and county archives. You will have to get off the couch to access these records, but most should be found in your local archives, so begin there first.

Ohio Genealogy: Land and Tax Records

One of the most overlooked records for beginning family researchers is the land and tax records. These records are some of the most complete records that can be found and some of the most important. Land tended to spur migration into the area and was given out in a variety of ways from the time of the American Revolution to Ohio's statehood. Once the land was acquired, your ancestor should then have to pay taxes. The government tended to keep complete records when recording taxes since that is the lifeblood of their income.

Land Records: As I stated previously, land was what led to many massive migrations to the United States and what caused settlers to continue pushing west. Since land was so valuable, settlers often kept complete records. Here are the records to look for when searching for an ancestor land:

  • Deeds
  • Mortgages
  • Leases

Land Records were recorded at the time of the transaction in the county it was recorded in. Some have been microfilmed, but it is best to check at the County Recorder's Office in that specific county. Make sure you know the county boundaries and their history. Ohio has not always had 88 counties, so if you are unable to find the record, then do a little digging into its history and see if it was formed from another county.

Tax Records: While most would skip over tax records because they are perceived as being boring, keep in mind that the government takes complete tax records because that is how they make most of their income. There are two basic types of property taxed in Ohio:

  • Real property: land and buildings
    • Taxed where the land is not where the owner is
    • This record does not prove residency at the location
    • Provides excellent context
  • Personal Property: movable objects, which would include livestock, buggies, etc.
    • Taxed where the owner is
    • Generally proves residency
    • Gives a more intimate look into your ancestor's life

What to learn from land and tax records: Land is important because it was important to our ancestor, and taxes are important because it was important to the government. This means that the records were kept from year to year, and we can see how our ancestor is doing in comparison to others around them.

Where to find these records: Finding these records may require you to travel or contact the location where your ancestor lived. However, there are a few available sources online that have some collections. Here is a list of online and offline resources to track these records down:

Ohio Genealogy: Probate and Court Records

Digging a little deeper into Ohio genealogy and records are finding records at the court level.

Probate Court: Probate means the settling of an estate through wills and estate packets. Let me explain those two a little further:

  • Wills: Most probably understand what a living will is, and finding a living will from an ancestor is a gold mine of information. A will disperses your ancestor's possessions to those around him, usually the remaining family they have. These Wills were kept at the Probate Court.
  • Estate Packet: An estate packet is what occurs during the settling of the estate. Even if your ancestor has a living will, it is important to dig a little deeper to see how the estate was settled according to their will. If your ancestor died without a will, then the estate packet will also show how their possessions were divided.

The Probate court was established in 1851. Previous records were held at the Common Pleas court, but when Ohio established the Probate court, the records were transferred by the common pleas to the probate. So you should, in theory, find what you are looking for at the Probate court.

Common Pleas Court: The common pleas court was established before the Probate court in Ohio and dealt with civil and criminal matters. Here is a list of records that you can find at the Common Pleas court:

  • Divorces
  • Chancery Records - cases of equity
  • Partition Suits - division of land
  • Naturalizations
  • Bastardy Suits
  • Licenses
  • Criminal Proceedings

Other Court Records at the County: There were a couple of other court records found at the county level that were different from Common Pleas and Probate.

  • Supreme Court (1803 - 1851): The Supreme Court of Ohio would actually meet in Ohio's counties 1 - 3x a year to settle judgments that were being disputed by the different parties. This would occur when an ancestor did not like a judgment and appealed it to a higher court.
  • District Court (1852 - 1883): Also met in the counties. Rulings from the appelate court could be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Where to Find These Records: These records are usually not online, so it will require some offline research. Here are some places to look:

Ohio Genealogy: Migration and Ethnic Groups

Ohio was the first gateway to the west. Settlers came from New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern states to Ohio. The typical migration patterns were East-West, Southeast - Northwest, and South-North. Our ancestors typically did not move from North to South during the early years of settlement.

Here is a list of major migration trails:

  • Lake Trail: followed Lake Erie; brought people from New England and New York
  • Great Trail: brought people from Pennsylvania into northeast Ohio
  • National Road: started in Maryland and crossed through the central part of the state
  • Zane's Trace: crossed east-central and into southwestern Ohio. Brought people both from Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic, as well as people from Kentucky
  • Miami Path: began at Cincinnati; brought people from Kentucky into western Ohio
  • Vincennes and Indianapolis Road: took people out of northwest Ohio and into Michigan and Indiana

Ethnic Groups: Ohio was considered one of the first gateways to the West, which begs the question of what type of people migrated or already lived there. Here is a quick look at the ethnicities represented in early Ohio:

Native Americans: Natives populated much of Ohio and resided there during the French and Indian War, American Revolution, and War of 1812. Most had left Ohio voluntarily or forcefully by 1843. Here is a list of major Indian tribes that lived in Ohio:

Major Ethnic Groups Early to mid-1800s:

  • Germans settled across the state of Scots, and English drawn to mining areas of eastern and southern Ohio
  • Irish began arriving in larger numbers in the mid-1800s; many worked on the construction of canals and railroads
  • The late 1800s to the early 1900s, African Americans migrated to Ohio after the Civil War
  • Eastern Europeans began to settle in urban areas across the state

Major Ethnic Groups Late-1800s to early-1900s:

  • African Americans migrated to Ohio after the Civil War
  • Eastern Europeans began to settle in urban areas across the state

Ohio Genealogy: Land Surveys

As stated previously, Ohio was part of the frontier during the American Revolution, and shortly after the war and in the early years of the new republic, there were multiple Federal Land Surveys taken throughout Ohio:

This is what Ohio looked like before statehood and how the land was divided and sold to prospective settlers. With each sell of land, it created new records. These records can be found at:

  • National Archives (NARA)
  • Ohio History Connection
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • County Recorder's Office: Sometimes, when the land was purchased from the Federal Government, the deed was recorded at the County Recorder's Office. When the deed was sold a second time, the land was no longer part of the Federal Government, so all subsequent records can be found at the County Recorder's Office

U.S. Military District: Another section of Ohio that was controlled by the Federal Government was the U.S. Military District. This section is that blue rectangle in the middle of the state, slightly off-centered. This land was set aside for Continental Army veterans but did not necessarily mean that they had Revolutionary War service because most of the land in that district was sold to land speculators. To find records for this section of land, take a look at the list above, excluding the National Archives.

Claims By Other States

Early on in Ohio's history, there were other states that laid claim within Ohio's boundaries. These surveys of land became known as:

  • Connecticut Western Reserve: Connecticut Colony laid claim to Ohio's land as early as 1662, which was close to 150 years before Ohio became a state. This has to do with the charter they were given by Great Britain, which gave them a claim into Ohio. Connecticut did release their claim in 1800, and the land was being sold off by the Connecticut Land Company in 1795.
  • The Firelands: The Firelands was about 500,000 acres of land partitioned off of the Western Reserve as compensation for landowners in Connecticut that was destroyed by the British (led by Benedict Arnold) in 1781. Their children and grandchildren would be some of the first settlers in this area.
  • Virginia Military District: Reserved by Virginia to pay off Revolutionary War bounty warrants. However, when many of the veterans received approval for their land sold it to land speculators, which means that not every person who moved there had ties to the Revolutionary War. Also, this land was surveyed by metes and bounds, which created a lot of land disputes, which in turn created much litigation and court records.

Where to find these records: These Records are in different portions of the state, so finding them will most likely mean traveling to the location.

Connecticut Western Reserve and Firelands:

Virginia Military District:

Purchases From Land Speculators

Ohio was the frontier and considered west, which meant that many Americans would seek to move their family west to acquire more land. With the possibility of migration meant the possibility to make a lot of money with land speculation. There are part of Ohio that were large purchases made from the Federal Government by land speculators. The two main purchases of land were:

  • Ohio Company Purchase
  • Symmes Purchase

Ohio Company Purchase: The Ohio land was purchased by a group of Revolutionary War veterans. Once the land was sold, it created a record so if you have an ancestor that lived in this part of Ohio during the appropriate time period, the land would not have been purchased from the Federal Government but the Ohio Company Purchase.

Where to find these records:

  • Early Records are at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio
  • County Recorder's Office

Symmes Purchase: The Symmes Purchase, also known as the Miami Purchase, was purchased by John Cleves Symmes. When setting up the land in Ohio for selling, most ranges were set up on a grid that ran north to south. However, in the Symmes Purchase, the ranges run east to west. This makes the land unique and much easier to locate within Ohio.

Where to find these records:

  • County Recorder's Office
  • County Courts

Ohio Genealogy: Guide to Ohio Counties

Here is a list of all the counties in Ohio. If you know the county your ancestor was in, then click the link, and it will take you to a page full of resources in that county.

This is incredibly valuable in genealogical research. The more that you can isolate an area, the easier it is to track down your ancestor.

Most likely, there are still family members that live in the area that would have knowledge of your ancestors, the cemeteries will hold valuable information, and the local libraries and genealogical societies can point you in the right direction.

ADAMS ∣ ALLEN ∣ ASHLAND ∣ ASHTABULA ∣ ATHENS ∣ AUGLAIZE ∣ BELMONT ∣ BROWN ∣ BUTLER ∣ CARROLL ∣ CHAMPAIGN ∣ CLARK ∣ CLERMONT ∣ CLINTON ∣ COLUMBIANA ∣ COSHOCTON ∣ CRAWFORD ∣ CUYAHOGA ∣ DARKE ∣ DEFIANCE ∣ DELAWARE ∣ ERIE ∣ FAIRFIELD ∣ FAYETTE ∣ FRANKLIN ∣ FULTON ∣ GALLIA ∣ GEAUGA ∣ GREENE ∣ GUERNSEY ∣ HAMILTON ∣ HANCOCK ∣ HARDIN ∣ HARRISON ∣ HENRY ∣ HIGHLAND ∣ HOCKING ∣ HOLMES ∣ HURON ∣ JACKSON ∣ JEFFERSON ∣ KNOX ∣ LAKE ∣ LAWRENCE ∣ LICKING ∣ LOGAN ∣ LORAIN ∣ LUCAS ∣ MADISON ∣ MAHONING ∣ MARION ∣ MEDINA ∣ MEIGS ∣ MERCER ∣ MIAMI ∣ MONROE ∣ MONTGOMERY ∣ MORGAN ∣ MORROW ∣ MUSKINGUM ∣ NOBLE ∣ OTTAWA ∣ PAULDING ∣ PERRY ∣ PICKAWAY ∣ PIKE ∣ PORTAGE ∣ PREBLE ∣ PUTNAM ∣ RICHLAND ∣ ROSS ∣ SANDUSKY ∣ SCIOTO ∣ SENECA ∣ SHELBY ∣ STARK ∣ SUMMIT ∣ TRUMBULL ∣ TUSCARAWAS ∣ UNION ∣ VAN WERT ∣ VINTON ∣ WARREN ∣ WASHINGTON ∣ WAYNE ∣ WILLIAMS ∣ WOOD ∣ WYANDOT

Ohio Genealogy

Ohio Genealogy: Offline and Online Resources