Montgomery County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Montgomery County, Ohio ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Montgomery County was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse
Montgomery County Courthouse
41 N Perry St, Room 106
Dayton, OH 45422-2150
Phone: 937-496-7623
Montgomery County Website
Clerk Court has divorce and court records.
Probate Judge has birth, marriage, death and probate records.
County Recorder has land records.[4]
Montgomery County, Ohio Record Dates
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 | 1803 | 1866 | 1803 | 1805 | 1803 | 1820 |
Record Loss
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
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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]
| Cities | ||
|
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| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
| Historic communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.
Biographies
- Conover, Frank. Centennial portrait and biographical record of the city of Dayton and of Montgomery County, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with the biographies and portraits of the Presidents of the United States and biographies of the governors of Ohio. (A.W. Bowen & Co., 1897). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Goggle Books.
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Online Resources
- 1850-Onward Ohio, Montgomery, Dayton Burials at MyHeritage — index ($)
Census Records
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1810 | 7,722 | — |
| 1820 | 15,999 | 107.2% |
| 1830 | 24,362 | 52.3% |
| 1840 | 31,938 | 31.1% |
| 1850 | 38,218 | 19.7% |
| 1860 | 52,230 | 36.7% |
| 1870 | 64,006 | 22.5% |
| 1880 | 78,550 | 22.7% |
| 1890 | 100,552 | 28.0% |
| 1900 | 130,146 | 29.4% |
| 1910 | 163,763 | 25.8% |
| 1920 | 209,532 | 27.9% |
| 1930 | 273,481 | 30.5% |
| 1940 | 295,480 | 8.0% |
| 1950 | 398,441 | 34.8% |
| 1960 | 527,080 | 32.3% |
| 1970 | 606,148 | 15.0% |
| 1980 | 571,697 | −5.7% |
| 1990 | 573,809 | 0.4% |
| 2000 | 559,062 | −2.6% |
| 2010 | 535,153 | −4.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Ohio denominations, see Ohio Church Records.
- 1765-1947 Ohio, Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Dayton
Lutheran
- Records of Hope Lutheran Church, Dayton, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Court Records
Directories
- Lyford, W.G. The western address directory : containing the cards of merchants, manufacturers, and other business men, in Pittsburgh, (Pa.) Wheeling, (Va.) Zanesville, (O.) Portsmouth, (O.) Dayton, (O.) Cincinnati, (O.) Madison, (Ind.) Louisville, (K.) St. Louis, (Mo.); Together with historical, topographical & statistical sketches, (for the year 1837,) of those cities and towns in the Mississippi valley; intended as a guide to travelers; to which is added, alphabetically arranged, a list of the steam-boats on the western waters. Published by Jos. Robinson, Baltimore, Maryland, 1837. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Archive
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
- 1902-1952 Funeral records, 1902-1952(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
Genealogies
Guardianship
- 1805-1850 Montgomery County, Ohio, Administration and Wills, 1805-1850, Guardians, 1805-1850, by Rose Shilt. n.p.: R. Shilt, 1985. FS Catalog book 977.172 P28m; Online at: FamilySearch Catalog(*)
Land and Property Records
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
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
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.
- Brown, Ashley, The History of Montgomery County, Ohio: Containing a History of the County; Its Townships, Cities, Towns, Schools, Churches, etc. (Chicago, Illinois: W.H. Beers and Co., 1882). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books; Internet Archive
- Drury, Augustus Waldo, History of the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, (Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1909). Volume 1 online at Google Books, Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library; Volume 2 online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Military Records
- 1888-1919 Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
Civil War
Civil War service men from Montgomery County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Montgomery County.
- - 1st Independent Battery, Ohio Light Artillery, a battery is like a company in an artillery regiment.
- - 4th Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Company H
- - 113th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company I
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.
Additional Records
- Soldier's Home Inmates record, 1867-1880
- Minutes of Montgomery County, Ohio Soldiers Relief Commission meeting, 1946-1950
- Board of County Commissioners. Record of burials of indigent soldiers and sailors, 1884-1902
- County Recorder. Soldiers discharge records, 1865-1917
Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1800-1977 Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
Newspapers
Montgomery 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 ($)
- 1800s-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county.
- 1800s-Current Ohio, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Obituaries
- 1657-Onward Ohio Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1850-Onward Ohio, Montgomery County Obituaries at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- Dayton Obituaries Index - currently covers the years 1850-current.
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
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 Montgomery 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 ($) — index & images.
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
- 1807-1850 Miami Valley will abstracts at Ancestry.com ($) - original data
- 1850-1900 Ohio, Montgomery County, Probate Estate Files, 1850-1900 at at FamilySearch — How to use this Collection.
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
Tax Records
Ohio tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties.
Online Tax Indexes and Records
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Vital Records
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
- 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($) — Index
- 1918-1953 Ohio, Stillbirths, 1918-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)
Marriage
- 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1789-Onward Ohio Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1800-1942 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Death
- 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.
- 1850-Onward Ohio, Montgomery, Dayton Burials at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch– How to Use this Collection; Index of deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($) — index & images
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1918-1953 Ohio, Stillbirths, 1918-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Divorce
- 1962-2007 Ohio, Divorce Abstracts, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)
Voting Records
- 1900-Onward Ohio, Voter Registrations at MyHeritage — index ($)
Research Facilities
Archives
Listed below are archives in Montgomery County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Montgomery County Records Center & Archives
117 S Main St
PO Box 972
Dayton OH 45422
937-225-6366
Website
FamilySearch Centers
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
- Centerville Ohio FamilySearch Center
- Dayton Ohio FamilySearch Center
- Dayton Ohio East FamilySearch Center
Libraries
Listed below are libraries in Montgomery County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Dayton Metro Library
Main Library
215 E Third St
Dayton, OH 45402-2103
937-463-2665
Website
Germantown Public Library
51 N Plum St
Germantown, OH 45327-1357
937-855-4001
Website
Washington-Centerville Public Library
111 W Spring Valley Rd
Centerville, OH 45458
937-433-8091
Website
Wright Memorial Public Library
1776 Far Hills Ave
Oakwood, OH 45419-2598
937-294-7171
Website
Museums
Carillon Historical Park
1000 Carillon Blvd
Dayton, OH 45409
937-293-2841
Website
Facebook
Museums in Dayton
Dayton Local website
Societies
Listed below are societies in Montgomery County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
Montgomery County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 1584
Dayton, OH 45401-1584
Email:info@mcc-ogs.org
Website
Dayton History
1000 Carillon Blvd
Dayton, OH 45409
937-293-2841
Email:info@daytonhistory.org
Website Facebook
Miami Valley Genealogy
P.O. Box 808
Piqua, OH 45356
Website and The Troy Historical Society, Miami Valley Genealogy
- Index to more than a half-million pointers to records all over Miami Valley including Montgomery County.
Websites
- 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
- Montgomery County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- USGW Archives. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Ohio GenWeb Project for Montgomery County
- 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
References
- ↑ Ohio Atlas of Historical County Boundaries 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.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Miami County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_County%2C_Ohio accessed 10/13/2020.
- ↑ 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, "Montgomery County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_County,_Ohio, accessed 3 January 2019.