Ohio Census

Portal:United States Census >Ohio

Availability

1820-1930 Census--The Family History Library has the U.S. Federal censuses of Ohio for 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930.

1800 Census--Lists of territorial residents in 1800 also exist for Washington County.

1810 Census--Returns for the 1810 were almost entirely destroyed. All that remains of the 1810 census are the returns for Washington County.

1890 Census--Returns for the 1890 were almost entirely destroyed. All that remains of the 1890 census are military schedules listing widows and pensioners from the Civil War.

Census Substitute--Some early tax records have been compiled and indexed to substitute for the early censuses. One example is:

• Jackson, Ronald Vern, ed. Early Ohio Census Records. Second Edition. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1974. (Family History Library book 977.1 X2p.)

 

Indexes

Ancestry--All federal census years available for Ohio are indexed on Ancestry.

Statewide indexes for the 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1880 censuses are available in book format. Soundex (phonetic) indexes are on microfilm for the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 censuses. Be aware that the 1880 soundex index is incomplete and includes only those families with children born between 1870 and 1880. Either check the 1880 index in book format or search the actual census for the place where your ancestors lived.

County indexes to federal censuses sometimes help locate names overlooked or misspelled in statewide indexes. To locate county census indexes check the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under OHIO, [COUNTY] - CENSUS.

When indexes are not available or a name is omitted from an index you can still look for the name in the census. To find a person who lived in a large city, it helps to first find his or her address in the city directory for the same year as the census (see Ohio Directories). Then look for that address on the original census schedules.

The following reference tools help determine which census schedule microfilm and enumeration district to search for specific addresses:

• Kirkham, E. Kay. A Handy Guide to Record- Searching in the Larger Cities of the United States. Logan, Utah: Everton, 1974. Family History Library book 973 D27kc; fiche 6010059-60.) Includes ward maps and street indexes for Cincinnati, 1850 to 1855.

Census Descriptions of Geographic Subdivisions and Enumerations Districts.

1830 FHL film 1402857 item 1

1840 FHL film 1402857 item 2

1850 FHL film 1402858 item 1

1860 FHL film 1402858 item 2

1870 FHL film 1402859

1880 FHL film 1402862

1900 FHL film 1303025

1910 FHL film 1374009

1920 FHL film 1842715

1930 FHL film 2261295-6

United States. Bureau of the Census. Cross Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1910 Census. (51 Family History Library fiche 6331481.) Often referred to as the 39 Cities Index, it lists street addresses with corresponding census enumeration districts for Canton, Cleveland, Dayton, and Youngstown.

Special Censuses

Mortality Schedules. Mortality schedules (lists of deaths in the year preceding the census) exist for the years 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880. The 1850 schedule includes only counties beginning alphabetically with Hamilton through Wyandot. The 1860 schedule includes all counties, the 1870 includes only Seneca County, and the 1880 includes the counties Adams through Geauga. These records are available at the State Library of Ohio and at the Family History Library. Some have been indexed.

Mortality Schedules 1850-1880

Web Sites

Ancestry:  http://www.ancestry.com

Heritage Quest Online:  http://www.heritagequestonline.com

Census Online:  http://www.census-online.com/links/OH/

Genealogy Today:  http://dir.genealogytoday.com/usa/oh/census.html

Access Genealogy:  http://www.accessgenealogy.com/census/ohio.htm

Mortality Schedules:  http://mortalityschedules.com/

References

Ohio Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2001.

Master Indexes. Some of the indexes mentioned above are combined into one master index of several census years, states, and census types:

FamilyFinder™ Index and Viewer: Version 3.0. [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 1995. (Family History Library compact disc number 9 1995 index. Not available at Family History Centers. FamilyFinder is a trademark of Brøderbund Software, Inc.) It is a master index to Ohio tax lists for 1787 to 1819; Washington County for 1800, 1803, and 1810; federal censuses for 1820 to 1860 and 1880; and mortality schedules for 1850.

The FamilyFinder Index includes the following Jackson indexes:

Jackson, Ronald Vern. AIS Microfiche Indexes of U.S. Census and Other Records. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1984. (No Family History Library fiche number but available at many Family History Centers.) Early Ohio tax lists are combined together on Search 1. A composite mortality schedule index is on Search 8. Separate Ohio 1820, 1830, 1840, and 1850 indexes are on other searches.

Family History Library (FHL); now called, FamilySearch Library (FSL)