Brown County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Brown County, Ohio ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Brown County was named for Major General Jacob Brown, an officer in the War of 1812 who was wounded at the Battle of Lundy's Lane. The county is located in the south-western area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Brown County Courthouse
101 S Main St
Georgetown, Ohio 45121
Phone: 937-378-3100
Brown County Website
Probate Judge has birth, marriage and probate records from 1800’s.
County Health Department has death records from 1800’s.
Court Clerk has divorce and court records from 1800’s.
County Recorder has land records.[4]
Brown County, Ohio Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1867 | 1818 | 1867 | 1818 | 1818 | 1817 | 1820 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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1977 A courthouse fire may have damaged records. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator.
The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]
| Villages | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
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Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 13,356 | — |
| 1830 | 17,867 | 33.8% |
| 1840 | 22,715 | 27.1% |
| 1850 | 27,332 | 20.3% |
| 1860 | 29,958 | 9.6% |
| 1870 | 30,802 | 2.8% |
| 1880 | 32,911 | 6.8% |
| 1890 | 29,899 | −9.2% |
| 1900 | 28,237 | −5.6% |
| 1910 | 24,832 | −12.1% |
| 1920 | 22,621 | −8.9% |
| 1930 | 20,148 | −10.9% |
| 1940 | 21,638 | 7.4% |
| 1950 | 22,221 | 2.7% |
| 1960 | 25,178 | 13.3% |
| 1970 | 26,635 | 5.8% |
| 1980 | 31,920 | 19.8% |
| 1990 | 34,966 | 9.5% |
| 2000 | 42,285 | 20.9% |
| 2010 | 44,846 | 6.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1820 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
- 1830 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
- 1840 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
- United States Census, 1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at Ancestry ($)
- United States Census, 1860 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1850 United States Federal Census, 1860 at Ancestry ($)
- United States Census, 1870 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- United States Census, 1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- United States Census 1880 at Ancestry ($)
- 1890 Veterans Schedule at Ancestry ($)
- United States Census, 1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1910 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
- United States Census, 1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- United States Census, 1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1930 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Ohio denominations, see Ohio Church Records.
- 1765-1947 Ohio, Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
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Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and are where records are currently housed. More information about why to use land records and what information land records includes can be found on the Ohio Land and Property Wiki page.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- 1818-1829 Brown County deeds at OHGenWeb Archives
- Brown County Land Records at OHGenWeb Project
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for this county. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Ohio Local Histories.
- Morrow, Josiah, The History of Brown County, Ohio: Containing a History of the County, Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc., General and Local Statistics, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, History of the Northwest Territory, History of Ohio, Map of Brown County, Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1883) Digital version at Google Books; FamilySearch Digital Library
- Williams, Byron, History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio: from the earliest historical times down to the present. (Milford, Ohio: Hobart Pub. Co., 1913.) Digital version at Google Books; FamilySearch Digital Library
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
- 1914 County Map for Brown and Clermont Counties at Rootsweb.com
- Map of Brown County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels at Wikimedia Commons
- Brown County at David Rumsey Map Collection
- Maps of Brown County at Wikimedia Commons
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- 1888-1919 Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
Civil War
- 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
- 1861-1917 United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917 at FamilySearch
World War I
- 1914-1918 Ohio, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1914-1919 Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1916-1920 Ohio, WWI Index and Return Cards, 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1917-1918 World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
World War II
- 1938-1946 U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 at Ancestry ($)
- 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch
- Brown County, Ohio World War II Casualties Army and Air Force at Access Genealogy
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1800-1977 Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Brown County newspapers often contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.
- For more online Ohio newspapers index & images, see Ohio Newspapers.
- 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1800s-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county.*
- 1800s-Current Ohio, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- The Democratic Standard Newspaper at Newspapers.com
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- 1657-Onward Ohio Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
- Gen Web Ohio Obituary Database
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. After 1852, records are held by the Brown County Probate Court. See Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1786-1998 Ohio Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($); Index and images
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
- 1817-1858 Brown County, Ohio Will Testators at Sampubco.com
- 1818-1886 Wills at OHGenWebArchives; Index
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
- Wills at OHGenWeb Project
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Ohio tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties.
Online Tax Indexes and Records
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($); Index
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Marriages were usually recorded from the formation of the county and are held at the office of the County Probate Court. Divorce records are located with the county Clerk of Courts.
Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the County Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954, while the Ohio History Connection houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($)
- 1821–1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1908-1964 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at Ancestry ($)
- 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998at Ancestry ($); index
- 1918-1953 Ohio, Stillbirths, 1918-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- Various dates Brown County Births at OHGenWeb Project
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1789-Onward Ohio Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1800-1942 Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1803-1900 Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 at Ancestry ($)
- 1898-1912 Ohio Marriages at Ancestry ($)
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970-2003 at MyHeritage ($); index
- 1970-2007 Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at Ancestry ($)
- Various dates Marriages at USGenWeb Project
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1765-1947 Ohio, Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
- 1833-1967 Ohio, Church and Civil Deaths, 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1840-2001 Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 1958-2002 Ohio Deaths at Ancestry ($)
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($); index & images
- 1909 Brown County, Ohio 1909 Deaths at Genealogy Trails
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($); index
- 1918-1953 Ohio, Stillbirths, 1918-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1962-2007 Ohio Divorce Index, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)
Voting Records[edit | edit source]
- 1900-Onward Ohio, Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index ($)
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Brown County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
FamilySearch Centers[edit | edit source]
FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Adams Ohio FamilySearch Center
- Georgetown Ohio FamilySearch Center
- Clermont County Public Library - an affiliate library
- Portsmouth Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Brown County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Brown County Public Libraries -Georgetown Library
200 W Grant Ave
Georgetown, OH 45121
937-378-3197
Email: marysheltonlibrary@gmail.com
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
John Rankin House
6152 Rankin Hill Road
Ripley, OH 45167
800-752-2705
Website
John P. Parker Museum
300 North Front Street / P.O. Box 246
Ripley, Ohio 45167
937-392-4188
Website
The Ulysses S. Grant Homestead Association
219 East Grant Ave
Georgetown, OH, 45121
877-372-8177
Website
Riley Museum
219 North Second Street
Ripley, OH 45167
937-392-4660
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Brown County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
Brown County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 83
Georgetown, OH 45121-0083
Email: br.co.genealogy@gmail.com
Website
Brown County Historical Society
PO Box 238
Georgetown, OH 45121-0238
937-446-3226 or 937-378-2355
The John P. Parker Historical Society
300 North Front Street / PO Box 246
Ripley, OH 45167-0246
513-242-4521
Website
Brown County Genealogical Society
200 East Cherry Street
Georgetown, OH 45121-0083
937-378-2746
Facebook
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Custom Browse of Historical Collections at Ohio Memory — Use map or alpha bar to select county or place, then browse search options in left sidebar.
- Ohio Genealogical Society ($) - online databases
- Brown County Ohio at Maggie's World of Courthouse Dust & Genealogy Fever, Ohio Counties; via Rootsweb
- Brown County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- Brown County, Ohio History and Genealogy at Rootsweb
- Brown County at Cyndi's List
- OHGenWeb Project at OHGenWebProject
- OHUSGenWeb Archives
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Ohio Ohio: Individual County Chronologies. Copyright The Newberry Library 2007
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/brown/ accessed 2/14/2017
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Brown County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_County,_Ohio, accessed 4 November 2018.