Ohio genealogy records

Births and deaths, 1867 to 1908

In 1867, Ohio required births and deaths to be recorded at the probate court of the county where they happened. Each event is a single line in a ledger. Death entries list details such as birthplace and cause of death, and have space for the parents' names, which was usually filled in only for children. A family member, the doctor, or the township assessor was supposed to report each event, and often nobody did, especially for families far from the courthouse.

There is no statewide index for this period, so you need the county. The Ohio History Connection holds probate court birth records for 28 of the 88 counties and death records for 24. For other counties, contact the county probate court or county archives; for some northwest Ohio counties, try Bowling Green State University's archives. A missing name in an index does not mean the event is missing from the book, so if you know the approximate year, read every entry for that year.

Birth and death certificates from 1908

From December 20, 1908, births and deaths are on certificates. The Ohio History Connection holds Ohio Department of Health death certificates from December 20, 1908, through 1970, stillborn death certificates from 1908 through 1953, and Columbus city death certificates from 1904 through 1908. Its online Ohio Death Record Index covers 1913 to 1944 and 1954 to 1970, and microfilm indexes for 1908 to 1953 are in its library. From July 1, 2026, the 1954 to 1970 death records are viewable digitally on site in the Columbus reading room.

Most death certificates from 1908 to 1953 are also on FamilySearch, free with an account. The Ohio History Connection cannot certify its copies; for a certified copy, contact the county health department where the death happened. Deaths from 1971 on are with the Ohio Department of Health.

The Ohio History Connection does not hold birth certificates from December 20, 1908, on. Those are held by the Ohio Department of Health, and you can also request them from a local public health department.

Before 1867

Without official birth and death records, try newspaper notices, some of which are free and searchable on Chronicling America and Ohio Memory, and church records of baptisms, funerals, and burials, which you request from the church or its archives. For deaths before 1852, the Ohio History Connection suggests court records of the Supreme Court of Ohio or the county court of common pleas, chancery side, and the published index Ohio Wills and Estates to 1850. For deaths after 1852, check the county probate court.

Marriages

Marriage records are created and kept by county probate courts from the date each county was formed. They usually give the names of the bride and groom, the date and place, and the official who performed the marriage. Records before 1899 generally do not name the couple's parents. There is no statewide index, so find the county first, often by checking where the couple lived in the census just before or after the marriage.

Watch county lines. Mahoning County, for example, was formed in 1846 from Trumbull and Columbiana, so an 1834 marriage there may be in either parent county's records. The Ohio History Connection holds marriage records from 38 of the 88 counties. If the record is missing, look for marriage affidavits or consent papers, which show when a parent or guardian gave permission for a minor to marry.

Census records

For 1800, when Ohio was still part of the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, only a few schedules for Washington County survive, along with an 1803 census of Washington County. No 1810 schedules survive for Ohio. The 1820 census survives for most of the state, though the National Archives lists Franklin and Wood counties as missing. Use the census to find the county before you search any county record.

Land records

Ohio land was surveyed and sold by the federal government, by private individuals, and by Virginia and Connecticut, so the state is divided into different districts. The Ohio History Connection holds the Auditor of State's original land entry books for the Congress Lands, the United States Military District, and the Virginia Military District. These list the first purchasers, the acres, the tract description, and the date.

The Virginia Military District, between the Scioto and Miami rivers, was land Virginia reserved as payment for Revolutionary War veterans. Their warrants were often sold, so the first owner may appear as an assignee; the warrant number links the person to the survey number. Records for the Connecticut Western Reserve and the Firelands in the northeast are not at the Ohio History Connection; try the Western Reserve Historical Society or the Connecticut State Library.

Federal land patents can be searched on the Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office records website. Later sales are deeds at the County Recorder's office, and deeds from 1800 to 1850 were not always recorded promptly.