Summit County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Summit County

Guide to Summit County, Ohio ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Akron Organized: April 6, 1840 Parent County(s): Medina, Portage, Stark Neighboring Counties Cuyahoga • Geauga • Portage • Stark • Wayne • Medina See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Summit County is named for the highest elevation on the Ohio and Erie Canal, which is located in the county. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Summit County Courthouse
205 S High St
Akron, OH 44308
Phone: 330-643-2162
Summit County Courthouse

County Recorder has land records from 1840
Probate Court has birth, marriage, death and probate records

Summit 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.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1866	1840	1870	1840	1840	1839	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Parent Counties: Formed from Medina, Portage, and Stark Counties March 3. 1840. County Seat: Akron Ohio Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Ohio Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Ohio county boundary changes

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:

Cities
Akron (county seat) Barberton Cuyahoga Falls Fairlawn Green	Hudson Macedonia Munroe Falls New Franklin Norton	Stow Tallmadge Twinsburg
Villages
Boston Heights Clinton Lakemore	Mogadore Northfield Peninsula	Reminderville Richfield Silver Lake
Unincorporated communities
Bath Boston Botzum Brandywine	Copley Everett Ghent Greensburg	Montrose Myersville Western Star
Census-designated places
Montrose-Ghent Pigeon Creek	Portage Lakes Sawyerwood	Twinsburg Heights
Townships
Bath Boston Copley	Coventry Northfield Center Richfield	Sagamore Springfield Twinsburg

Resources

Bible Records

For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.

Biographies

• Bierce, Lucius Verus, Historical Reminiscences of Summit County. (Akron, Ohio: T. and H.G. Canfield, 1854). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books.
• Kenfield, Scott Dix, Akron and Summit County, Ohio, 1825-1929, (Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1928). Volume 2 online at FamilySearch Digital Library; Volume 3 online at FamilySearch Digital Library - Volume 1 is historical; Volumes 2 and 3 are biographical.
• Doyle, William B. Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens. (Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, 1908). Online at: Biographies at USGenWeb Archives; FamilySearch Digital Library

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Summit County, Ohio online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave Ohio GenWeb Summit Interment USGenWeb Tombstone Transcription Project BillionGraves Ohio Gravestones OHGenWeb Tombstone Photo Project Ohio, Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1765-1947 (cemetery records), incomplete
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave FamilySearch Places
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

 

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	22,560	—
1850	27,485	21.8%
1860	27,344	−0.5%
1870	34,674	26.8%
1880	43,788	26.3%
1890	54,089	23.5%
1900	71,715	32.6%
1910	108,253	50.9%
1920	286,065	164.3%
1930	344,131	20.3%
1940	339,405	−1.4%
1950	410,032	20.8%
1960	513,569	25.3%
1970	553,371	7.8%
1980	524,472	−5.2%
1990	514,990	−1.8%
2000	542,899	5.4%
2010	541,781	−0.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• 1840 1840 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
• 1850 United States Census 1850 at FamilySearch; Scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to both Ancestry ($) and FamilySearch.
• 1850-1880 U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at Ancestry ($)
• 1860 United States Census 1860 at FamilySearch; Scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to both Ancestry ($) and FamilySearch.
• 1870 United States Census 1870 at FamilySearch; Scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to both Ancestry ($) and FamilySearch.
• 1880 United States Census 1880 at FamilySearch; Scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to both Ancestry ($) and FamilySearch.
• 1890 1890 Veterans Schedule at Ancestry ($)
• 1890 and 1900 Census Records at USGenWeb Archives
• 1900 United States Census 1900 at FamilySearch; Scroll down to the bottom of the page for links to both Ancestry ($) and FamilySearch.
• 1910 1910 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
• 1920 United States Census, 1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• 1930 1930 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)

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

• FamilySearch Places
  

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Akron

Historical Churches

• Congregational Church of Tallmadge Church House (dedicated in 1825) at Ohio History Connection

Current Churches

• Churches near Summit County, Ohio at Google Maps
• Summit County Ohio Churches at OH HometownLocator

Directories

• Historic Akron City Directories at Akron-Summit Public Library
• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Jewish

• Jewish Community Board at Summit Memory

Funeral Homes

Adams Mason Funeral Home in Akron Anthony Funeral Home in Cuyahoga Falls Anthony Funeral Homes & Crematory in Akron Area Cremation Group in Akron Bacher Funeral Home in Akron Bacher-Moore Funeral Home in Norton Billow's Funeral Homes & Crematory in Akron Billow's Funeral Homes & Crematory in Cuyahoga Falls Campfield-Hickman-Collier Funeral Home in Barberton Ciriello-Carr Memorial Home in Cuyahoga Falls Ciriello-Carr Memorial Home in Fairlawn Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home and Crematory in Cuyahoga Falls Cox-McNulty Funeral Home in Barberton Crown Hill Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Twinsburg Donovan Funeral Home in Mogadore Donovan Funeral Home in Tallmadge Dunn-Quigley Funeral Homes in Akron Dunn-Quigley Funeral Homes in Stow Eckard Baldwin Funeral Home & Chapel in Akron Gordon Memorial Home in Akron Hennessy-Bagnoli-Moore Funeral Home in Akron Hennessy Funeral Home in Akron Heritage Cremation & Burial Society in Akron Hopkins Lawver Funeral Home in Akron House of Eberhardt Funeral Home in Akron Johnson-Romito Funeral Homes in Hudson Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions, Akron in Akron Prentice Funeral Home in Akron Redmon Funeral Home in Stow Rhoden Memorial Home in Akron Rose Hill Funeral Home & Burial Park in Akron Schermesser Funeral Home in Akron Schlup-Pucak & Wilson Funeral Home in Akron Silva-Hostetler Funeral Home in Barberton Sommerville Funeral Services in Akron Stewart & Calhoun Funeral Home in Akron Wilkinson Funeral Home in Akron

Guardianship

• 1840-1856 Guardians' Records, 1840-1886(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1840-1929 Ohio, Summit County, Guardian Docket, 1840-1873; Index, 1840-1929(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1841-1901 Ohio, Summit County, Guardian records, 1841-1901(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

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

• 1796–2015 U.S. General Land Office Records at Ancestry ($)
• Land Records at USGenWeb Archives - Bureau of Land Management Database
• 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.

• Doyle, William B., Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio: and Representative Citizens, (Chicago, Illinois: Biographical Pub. Co., 1908). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive.
• Perrin, William Henry, History of Summit: With an Outline Sketch of Ohio, (Chicago, Illinois: Baskin and Bettey, 1881). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive.
• Grismer, Karl Hiram, Akron and Summit County, (Akron, Ohio: Summit County Historical Society, 1952). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library; FS Catalog book 977.136 H2g
• Kenfield, Scott Dix, Akron and Summit County, Ohio, 1825-1929, (Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1928). Volume 1 online at FamilySearch Digital Library - Volumes 2 and 3 are biographical and listed in the Biography section above.
• Historical Collections of Ohio by Henry Howe Vol. II 1888; transcribed.
• Akron Women's History at University of Akron
• Summit Memory - historical images and indexes.
• Fifty Year Club, Summit County Looks Back Through 100 Years: An Historical Review of Akron and Summit County; 1840-1940, (Akron, Ohio: Fifty Year Club, 1940). FS Library film 1320898 Item 16; book 977.136 H2s

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 1788-1940 Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS
• 1856 Summit County Map 1856 at Summit Memory
• 1872 1872 Topographical Atlas at Summit Memory
• 1874 Combination Atlas Map of Summit County, 1874 at Summit Memory
• 1910 Atlas and Industrial Geography of Summit County, 1910 at Summit Memory
• 1915 Akron Plat Map, 1915 at Summit Memory
• Akron at OHGenWeb Project
• Map of Summit County, Ohio at OHGenWeb Project
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• 1888-1919 Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• Military Records at USGenWeb Archives

Revolutionary War

• Soldiers of the American Revolution at Genealogy Trails, buried in or said to be buried in Summit County, Ohio

Civil War

• 1861-1917 United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Civil War Soldiers Buried in Summit County at Genealogy Trails
• Civil War at Summit Memory

Civil War service men from Summit 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 Summit County.

-1st Regiment, Ohio Light Artillery, Battery D

-104th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company H

-107th 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; index & images.
• 1914-1919 Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• 1916-1920 Ohio, WWI Index and Return Cards, 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• 1917-1918 U.S., 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 — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• World War II Casualties at Genealogy Trails

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1800-1977 Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• 1850-1991 Naturalization Records at The Summit County Clerk of Courts

Newspapers

Summit 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 ($)
• 1800s-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county.
• The Record Courier Stow Sentry
• 1800s-Current Ohio, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Obituaries

• 1657-Onward Ohio Obituaries at MyHeritage — index ($)
• Akron Beacon Journal Subject Indexes 1841- 1939 Summit County, Ohio Newspapers at Akron-Summit Public Library
• Akron Beacon Journal Obituary Indexes 1937 to present at Akron-Summit Public Library
• Obituaries Akron Beacon Journal at Legacy.com (only 1 year of past obituaries held online)
• Obituaries at USGenWeb Archives

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 Summit 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; index & images.
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

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; index & images.
• 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

• 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($) — Index
• 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images.
• 1866-1908 Summit County, Ohio, Birth Records at Ancestry ($)
• 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; index & images.
• 1789-Onward Ohio Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1800-1942 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
• 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
• 1840-1980 Summit County, Ohio, Marriage Records at Ancestry.com ($)
• 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; index & images.
• 1866-1908 Summit County, Ohio, Death Records at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch– How to Use this Collection; Index.
• 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($) — 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 Summit County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.

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

• Akron Ohio FamilySearch Center
• Akron-Summit County Public Library - an affiliate library
• Barberton Public Library - an affiliate library
• Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Summit County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.

Akron-Summit County Public Library
Main library
60 S High St
Akron, OH 44326
Phone: 330-643-9000
Website

Herrick Memorial Library
101 Willard Memorial Square
Wellington, OH 44090
Phone: 440-647-2120
Website

Barberton Public Library
602 W Park Ave
Barberton, OH 44203-2458
Phone: 330-745-1194
Website

Cuyahoga Falls Library
2015 Third St
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
Phone: 330-928-2117
Website

Hudson Library and Historical Society
96 Library St
Hudson, OH 44236-2947
Phone: 330-653-6658
Website

Peninsula Library
6105 Riverview Road
PO Box 236
Peninsula, OH 44264-0236
Phone: 330-657-2291
Website

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library
3512 Darrow Rd
Stow, OH 44224
Phone: 330-688-3295
Website

Twinsburg Public Library
10050 Ravenna Rd
Twinsburg, OH 44087-1796
Phone: 330-425-4268
Website

Museums

Cuyahoga Valley Historical Museum
1775 Main St
2nd Floor
Peninsula, OH 44264
Website

Summit County Historical Society of Akron, OH
Perkins Stone Mansion
John Brown House
Portage Township School District No. 2
550 Copley Rd
Akron, OH 44320
Phone: 330-535-1120
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Summit County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.

Western Reserve Historical Society
Research Library in the History Center
10825 East Blvd
Cleveland, OH 44106
Phone: 216-721-5722
FamilySearch Wiki
Website

Summit County Chapter Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 2232
Akron, OH 44309-2232
Email: info@summitogs.org
Website

The Historical Society of Olde Northfield
9390 Olde Eight Rd
Northfield Center, OH
Email: Palmer-House@hson.info
Website

Peninsula Library & Historical Society
6105 Riverview Rd
PO Box 236
Peninsula, OH 44264
Email: info@peninsulalibrary.org
Website

Hudson Genealogical Study Group
Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
Email: HGSG1986@gmail.com
Website

Richfield Historical Society
3907 Broadview Rd
Richfield, OH 44286
Phone: 330-659-0336
Website

Websites

• Ohio History Connection
• Ohio Memory
• Summit Memory. Collections include historic photographs, documents, newspapers, and more.
• Summit County at OHGenWeb
• Summit County at Genealogy Trails
• 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.