Ohio Record Finder

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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