Ohio Court Records: Difference between revisions

''[[United States Genealogy|United States]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[United States Court Records|U.S. Court Records]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Ohio Genealogy|Ohio]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]]'' '''Court Records''' {{OH-sidebar}}

Court records include record books, dockets, bonds, journals, petitions, minutes, final records, case files, and so forth. They contain many primary source materials that are useful for genealogical research. [[FamilySearch Catalog Title Search|The Family History Library]] has many [[Ohio Genealogy|Ohio]] court records. Additional records are available at county courthouses, the [http://www.ohiohistory.org/ Ohio Historical Society], and the [[National Archives at Chicago]]. Major courts that kept records of genealogical value were established as follows:  

'''1787-present:''' Courts of common pleas have districtwide jurisdiction over felonies, marriages, major civil cases, juvenile matters, probates until 1852, naturalization's until 1860 and after 1906, chancery matters until 1900, and divorces until 1894. [[FamilySearch Catalog Title Search|The Family History Library]] has copies of some of the common pleas records, such as Cuyahoga County journals for 1823 to 1852.  

'''1787-present:''' Supreme Court is a statewide appellate court. It originally had jurisdiction over common law and chancery matters. '''1787-1802, 1852-present:''' Probate court has handled guardianship, general probate, land sales, a few divorces, and naturalizations. '''1800s-present:''' County, municipal, mayor, justice of the peace, and police courts have kept records with some genealogical value. '''1851-1883''':District courts have county-wide jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases, including chancery and divorces. The Family History Library has some district court records, such as Lake County records for 1845 to 1884.  

'''1883-1912''':Circuit courts have county-wide jurisdiction over civil and criminal records, including equity and divorce. They have been replaced by courts of appeal. The Family History Library has some circuit court records.  

''A History of the Courts and Lawyers of Ohio" <ref> Marshall, Carrington Tanner, ed. ''A History of the Courts and Lawyers of Ohio'' (New York, New York: American Historical Society, 1934.) Four Volumes. {{WorldCat|3657828|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}; {{FHL|75091|item|disp=FHL book 977.1 P3ma}} </ref>''  

[http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1457 The Ohio Constitution of 1851] provided for the formation of a probate court in each Ohio county. Marriage records previously kept by the Common Pleas Court were transferred to this court beginning in 1852. All probate functions, such as the proving and recording of wills, the appointment of administrators, executors and guardians, the appraisment and inventories of estates, bonds and the settling of accounts all came under the jurisdiction of the Probate Court. Some other records of genealogical value found in this court include birth and death registers (1867-1909), Delayed Registration and Correction of Births from 1941 forward ([http://books.google.com/books?id=3eeNTYoOw48C ''Hidden Sources'' By Laura Szucs Pfeiffer]), various forms of naturalization records (to 1906) and [http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/845.html Mothers' Pensions] from 1914 to ca. 1930's. The Probate Court also presided over matters regarding incompetancies, lunacy, insanity, adoptions and juvenile delinquencies. These record types are generally regarded as not public records but can nevertheless be sometimes found in earlier court journal or minute books before such records were segregated and recorded into their own record books.

*'''1810 - 1930''' {{RecordSearch|2363038|Ohio, Washington County Court Records, 1810-1930}} at [https://familysearch.org/search| FamilySearch] — images

*{{RecordSearch|1908531|Ohio, Cuyahoga County Records, 1880-1950}}

 

*{{RecordSearch|1935519|Ohio, Jefferson County Court Records, 1797-1940}}

 

*{{RecordSearch|1878534|Ohio, Stark County Court Records, 1809-1917}}