Ohio Record Finder
United States
Ohio Ohio Record Selection Table
This table can help you decide which records to search. It is most helpful for post-1850 research.
1. In column 1, select a research goal.
2. In column 2, find the types of records most likely to have the information you need.
3. In column 3, find additional record types that may be useful.
4. Look in the section of this article that corresponds to the record type you chose. It explains what the records might tell you, how to search them, and how to find the records in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog . Some records are not at the Library.
5. If you do not find the desired information, see the Records Selection Table in the United States Research Page for more suggestions. Note: Records of previous research (under these headings: Genealogy, Biography, History, Periodicals, and Societies) are useful for most goals, but are not listed unless they are especially helpful.
| What you are looking for: | Try these records first: | Other useful records: |
| Adoptions |
Court Records, Vital Records |
Probate Records, Census |
| Age | Census, Cemeteries, Vital Records | Military Records, Bible Records, Schools |
| Birth date | Vital Records, Cemeteries, Church Records | Bible Records, Military Records (pensions) |
| Birth place | Vital Records, Church Records | Census, Military Records, Naturalization and Citizenship |
| Boundaries and origins | Maps, Gazetteers | History |
| Children | Census, Probate Records, Schools | Vital Records, Church Records |
| City or parish of foreign birth | Vital Records, biography | History, Naturalization and Citizenship, Church Records |
| Country of foreign birth | Census, Naturalization and Citizenship, Vital Records | Biography, Minorities, Voting Registers |
| Death information | Vital Records, Cemeteries, Newspapers | Probate Records, Church Records, Bible Records, Societies |
| Divorce | Divorce Records, Vital Records | Court Records, Newspapers, Census |
| Ethnic background | Native Races, Minorities, Emigration and Immigration | Census, Naturalization and Citizenship |
| Historical background | History, Periodicals, Societies | Gazetteers, Maps, Newspapers |
| Immigration date | Emigration and Immigration, Naturalization and Citizenship, Census | Biography, History |
| Living relatives | Probate Records, Directories | Court Records, Biography, Newspapers |
| Maiden name | Vital Records, biography | Church Records, Military Records (pensions) |
| Marriage information | Vital Records, Census, Church Records, Probate Records | Citizenship, Bible Records, Newspapers |
| Naturalization | Naturalization and Citizenship, Census, Court Records | Land and Property, Voting Registers, Biography, Periodicals |
| Occupations | Census, Directories | Biography, History, Public Records |
| Other family members | Census, Probate Records, Bible Records | Vital Records, Church Records, Orphans and Orphanages |
| Parents | Vital Records, Census, Church Records, Bible Records | Biography, Schools, Orphans and Orphanages |
| Physical description | Military Records, Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) | Biography, History |
| Place-finding aids | Maps, Gazetteers, History | Periodicals, Archives and Libraries |
| Places of residence | Census, Military Records, Taxation, Naturalization and Citizenship | Land and Property, Emigration and Immigration, Public Records |
| Place of residence when you know only the state | Census, Vital Records, Military Records | Biography, History |
| Previous research | Genealogy, Biography, Periodicals | Societies, History, Archives and Libraries |
| Record-finding aids | Archives and Libraries, Periodicals | Societies, Genealogy |
| Religion | Church Records, Vital Records | Biography, History, Cemeteries |
| Social activities | Societies, Biography | History, Cemeteries, Directories |