Ohio Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in Ohio online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.[edit | edit source]
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
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For more information on census records, see Ohio Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.[edit | edit source]
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Ohio statewide beginning in 1908, although counties may have kept earlier records. They provide full dates and places. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.
Births
- 1765-1947: Ohio Church and Civil Births and Baptisms at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1774-1973: Ohio Births and Christenings Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1821-1962: Ohio Births and Christenings at FamilySearch; index only
- 1841-2003: Ohio County Births at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1908-1998: Ohio Birth Index at Ancestry - index only ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)
- 1959-1998: Ohio Birth Index at MyHeritage - index ($)
Marriages
- 1724-2015: US Marriages at Findmypast - index & images ($)
- 1789-1898: Ohio Marriages Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1789-2016: Ohio County Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1800-1958: Ohio Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- 1803-1900: Ohio Compiled Marriage Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1970-2003: Ohio Marriages at MyHeritage - index only ($)
- 1970-2007: Ohio Marriage Abstracts at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1970-2011: Ohio Marriages at Findmypast - index only ($)
Deaths
- 1840-1908: Ohio Select County Death Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1840-2001: Ohio County Death Records at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1854-1997: Ohio Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index only
- 1889-1930: Ohio Veterans Home Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1908-1953: Ohio Deaths at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1908-2007: Ohio Death Index at FamilySearch; index only
- 1908-2018: Ohio Death Records at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963: Ohio Death Index at MyHeritage - index only ($)
- 1959-2012: Ohio Deaths at Findmypast - index only ($)
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Ohio, see How to Find Ohio Birth Records, How to Find Ohio Marriage Records, and How to Find Ohio Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.[edit | edit source]
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1908. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- Online Newspapers Indexes and Images can be found on the Ohio Newspapers Wiki page.
- Pre-1925 Public Domain Obituaries (pre-1925) and Abstracts at USGenWeb - index and abstracts
- 1800s-Current U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current at Ancestry - index ($)
- 1810s-2016 Ohio, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index, 1810s-2016 at Ancestry - index ($)
- 1811-2012 Web: Ohio, MOLO Obituary Index, 1811-2012 at Ancestry - index($)
- 1814-2013 Ohio Obituary Index, 1814-2013 at Findmypast - index ($)
- 1930-Current U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current at Ancestry - index ($)
- 1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
- Ohio Obituary Index at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presdiential Center
- Ohio Genealogical Society Obituary Index at Ohio Genealogical Society
- Ohio User-Contributed Obituaries at Genealogy Buff - index and abstracts
Cemeteries
- Billion Graves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- Find-A-grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- United States Deaths & Burials 1833-1970 in Ohio at Findmypast ($)
- Ohio Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- Ohio Cemetery Records at Interment
- Ohio Gravestones Photo Project at OhioGravestones
- OhioTombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb
- Online Ohio Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at Online Death Indexes
- Jewish Cemeteries in Ohio at Find-A-Grave
- Hebrew Cemeteries in Ohio at Find-A-Grave
- Ohio Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see Ohio Obituaries and Ohio Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..[edit | edit source]
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- Ohio, United States Historical Images, New Version
- Ohio, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Ohio Online Genealogy Records.[edit | edit source]
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Ohio Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.