Step-by-Step Ohio Research, 1850-1910
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Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.
What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
- 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History at ThoughtCo.com
- Creating Oral Histories at FamilySearch Wiki
What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.
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Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
- A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
- For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
- Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
- Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.
Example of a census record.
Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
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Quadrennial Censuses With Images Online
Ohio enumerated a quadrennial census at the county level. Some of these censuses still exist. Adult males age 21 and above were enumerated.
| County | Year | Links | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auglaize | 1851-1907 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Ashtabula | 1811-1835, 1843 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Washington | 1800, 1803 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Miami County | 1827, 1835 | at FamilySearch | index & images |
| Clermont County | 1820-1830 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Clermont County | 1801-1857 | at FamilySearch | index & images |
| Columbiana County | 1899-1903 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Coshocton County | 1883, 1891 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Gallia County | 1899 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Lawrence County | 1891-1907 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Perry County | 1847-1871, 1879-1887 | at FamilySearch | images |
| Pickaway County | 1863, 1891, 1895, 1899 | at FamilySearch | images |
For more information, see Ohio Census and United States Census.
Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
- Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.
- The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.
- The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.
- Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.
Example of a death index entry.
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Example of a Social Security Death Index entry: |
Example of a Social Security Application and Claims Index Entry: |
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Example of a FindAGrave cemetery record. |
Example of an obituary. Survivors include two daughters, Zelma Smith of Hartford and Mary Ridley of Gilbertsville; eight grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Bradley and Orville Black, both of Beaver Dam. Services are at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Miller-Schapmire Funeral Home, Hartford. Burial in Oakwood Cemetery, Hartford. Visitation from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Copyright, 1994, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer |
Death Indexes
- 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; index & images
- 1854-1997 Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1904-1970 Ohio Deaths 1904 to 1908, 1913 to 1944, and 1954 to 1970 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
- 1908-1953 Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1908-2007 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1908-2018 Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1959-2012 Ohio Deaths, 1959-2012 at Findmypast — index ($)
Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
- Where to Write for Ohio Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov
U.S. Social Security Records
- The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
- The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
- You can search these records online at
- 1935-2014 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index ($); Picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off by providing information filed in the application or claims process
- 1962-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.
Obituaries
- 1814-2013 Ohio Obituary Index, 1814-2013 at Findmypast — index & images ($)
- 1865-2012 Ohio, U.S., MOLO Obituary Index, 1865-2012 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- Database at Ohio Genealogical Society — index & images ($)
- Ohio Genealogy Data at Genealogy Buff — index
- Ohio Newspapers and Obituaries at LDS Genealogy — index
- Ohio Obituary Index at Rutherford B. Hayes, Presidential Library and Museums — index & images ($)
- Online Ohio Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index
Cemetery Collections
- 1833-1970 United States Deaths and Burials 1833-1970, Ohio at Findmypast — index ($)
- 1949-1969 United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- BillionGraves — index & images
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Findmypast ($)
- FindaGrave — index & images
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($)
- Ohio Cemeteries at USGenWeb Tombstones — index
- Ohio Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy — index
- Ohio Death Records and Ohio Cemetery Records at Interment.net — index
- Ohio Gravestone Photo Project at OhioGravestones.org — index & images
- Ohio Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project — index
- Online Ohio Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com
For more information, see Ohio Obituaries and Ohio Cemeteries.
Study any new information in these records for clues leading to more census searches.
Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1905. Prior to that the individual counties kept some records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed.
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Example of a county birth index entry. |
Example of an indexed county marriage entry. |
Online Records
Births
- 1765-1947 Ohio, Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1774-1973 Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1821-1962 Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1904-1970 Ohio Deaths at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1908-1998 Ohio, U.S., Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry — index ($)
Marriages
- 1789-1898 Ohio, U.S., Marriages Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly, 1789-1898 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1789-2016 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1803-1900 Ohio, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1803-1900 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage — index ($)
- 1970-2007 Ohio, U.S., Marriage Abstracts, 1970, 1972-2007 at Ancestry — index ($)
Records at the County Probate Court, the Ohio Historical Society, or at the Vital Statistics Department
Almost always the full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
- State office has birth records since December 20, 1908. For earlier birth and death records, write to the Probate Court in the county where the event occurred.
- Copies of marriage records are not available from the State Health Department. Inquiries will be referred to appropriate office. For certified copies of marriage records, please write to the Probate Court in the county where the event occurred.
- State office has death records since January 1, 1964. For earlier death records, write to the Probate Court in the county where the event occurred. Death records that occurred December 20, 1908 – December 31, 1963 can be obtained from:
- Ohio Historical Society, Archives Library Division
- 1982 Velma Avenue
- Columbus, OH 43211-2497
- Vital Statistics Department has births from 1908 and deaths from 1964.
For contact information for the Counnty Probate Court, see the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Ohio Counties. 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 5: Search military records: World War I and II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information.
Example of a World War I draft card. Locating the draft cards for all of Cecil's brothers would detail their birth dates and places.
Example of a World War II draft card.
Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- 1917-1918 United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1942 United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
For more information and additional collections, see Ohio Military Records.
Step 6: Look for church records.
Church records function as vital records.
- An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
- Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
- Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.
Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
Search for church records that can provide additional birth, marriage, and death information.
FamilySearch Indexes
- 1762-2008 Ohio, Church Records, 1762-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1765-1947 Ohio, Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1800-1958 Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1821-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1833-1967 Ohio, Church and Civil Deaths, 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1854-1997 Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
Ancestry.com Indexes
- 1774-1973 Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1789-1898 Ohio, U.S., Marriages Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly, 1789-1898 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1803-1900 Ohio, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1803-1900 at Ancestry — index ($)
Dutch Reformed
- 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Lutheran
- 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Presbyterian
- 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Quakers (Society of Friends)
- 1681-1935 U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800-1990 U.S., Quaker Cemetery Records, 1800-1990 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. IV: (Ohio Monthly Meetings) at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. V: (Ohio Monthly Meetings) at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Shakers
- Shaker Membership Card Index(*) Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland, Ohio) at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
Roman Catholic
- Catholic Heritage Archive at Findmypast — index & images ($)
Step 7: Search for wills and probate packets.
- County probate records include probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
- In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
- Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.
Search these indexes and images for probate records.
Online Records
- 1786-1998 Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Ohio county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Ohio Counties
For more information, see Ohio Probate Records and United States Probate Records.
Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.
Look for immigrant ancestors in shipping lists and citizenship sources.
Ohio Immigration Records
- 1929-1958 Ohio, U.S., Crew List Arrivals, 1929-1958 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1952-1963 Ohio, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1952-1963 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1952-1974 Ohio, Passenger and Crew Lists arriving at Ashtabula and Conneaut, 1952-1974 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Ohio Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records
- 1794-1995 U.S., Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1800-1977 Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($), Findmypast ($), MyHeritage ($)
- 1852-1991 Ohio, Southern District Naturalization Index, 1852-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1855-1967 Ohio, Northern District, Eastern Division, Naturalization Index, 1855-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1888-1946 Ohio, U.S., Naturalization Petition and Record Books, 1888-1946 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1907-1946 US, Naturalizations - OH Northern, 1907-1946 at fold3 — index & images ($)
For more information, see Ohio Emigration and Immigration and Ohio Naturalization and Citizenship.
Step 9: Search land records online.
These records will give the
- names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
- previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
- the date they obtained the land,
- the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
They can contain clues to
- family members who shared ownership of the land,
- sold or gave land to a child, or
- officially witnessed the sale.
Search for any ancestor's land records.
- See United States Land and Property for more databases and resources.
- 1788-Current U.S. Land Patent Search at Bureau of Land Management — index
- 1800-1955 United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1861-1932 United States, Cancelled, Relinquished, or Rejected Land Entry Case Files, 1861-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1863-1908 U.S., Homestead Records, 1863-1908 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Pre-1908 Ohio, U.S., Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 at Ancestry — index ($)
- Early Ohioans' Residences from the Land Grant Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Land Patents - Ohio at MyHeritage — index ($)
- Ohio Early Land Ownership Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- Ohio, First Land Owners (Published 1911) at Findmypast — index & images ($)
- Ohio, Surveys Of The Public Lands (Published 1884) at Findmypast — index ($)
- Putting Family History in Its Places at HistoryGeo.com — index & images ($)
- Survey Plats and Field Notes at Bureau of Land Management — index
For more information, see Ohio Land and Property and United States Land and Property.
Step 10: Search for printed local histories or biography collections online.
Local Histories
- Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
- Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Ohio; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
- Google Books. Use keywords "Ohio" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
- Family History Books
- County and Town Histories
- Internet Archive. Use keywords "Ohio" and the county name.
- Ancestry.com ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Ohio and the name of the county.
FamilySearch Collected Local Histories
- Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
- If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
- Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
- In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
- A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.
Biography Collections
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.
- 1775 Biographical and Historical Memoirs of the Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, With Narratives of Incidents and Occurrences in 1775, by Hildreth, S. P., R. J. Meigs and Ephraim Cutler. Cincinnati: H. W. Derby and Co., 1852. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at: Ancestry — index & images ($), HathiTrust ($), Internet Archive ($)
- 1787-1876 Ohio, Biographical Sketches, 1787-1876 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1900-1903 Representative Men of Ohio, 1900-1903, by Mercer, James K. and Edward K. Rife. Columbus, Ohio: James K. Mercer, 1903. Online at: HathiTrust
- A Biographical Cyclopædia and Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Men, With an Historical Sketch, of the State of Ohio, by Brennan, J. Fletcher. Cincinnati: J. C. Yorston and Company, 1879. Online at: HathiTrust
- County and Town Histories, Ohio at LearnWebSkills — index & images
- Historical Collections of Ohio ... An Encyclopedia of the State, by Howe, Henry. Columbus: H. Howe and Son, 1890-1891. Online at: HathiTrust
- Historical Collections of Ohio, by Howe, Henry. Cincinnati: Derby, Bradley and Co., 1848. Online at: HathiTrust
- History of the Western Reserve, by Upton, Harriet Taylor. Chicago, New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1910. Online at: Vol. 1 - Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - Internet Archive; Vol. 3 - Internet Archive
- Ohio Biography at OhioBio — index & images
- Ohio, the Future Great State, Her Manufacturers, and a History of Her Commercial Cities, Cincinnati and Cleveland, With Portraits and Biographies of Some of the Old Settlers and Many of the Most Prominent Business Men, by Comley, W. J. and W. D'Eggville. Cincinnati and Cleveland: Comley Brothers Manufacturing and Publishing Company, 1875. Online at: HathiTrust
Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.
Step 12: Use other FamilySearch tools.Historical ImagesRecords collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
Ohio Online Genealogy RecordsSearch any other online records listed in Ohio Online Genealogy Records. 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.
Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Ohio.This article focused more on Ohio state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Ohio. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.
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