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Delaware County History and Information

Delaware County Facts

Delaware County was created on February 10, 1808 and was formed from Franklin County . The County was named for the Delaware Indians, who took their name from the proprietors of the state of Delaware, the Lords De La Warr.. The County Seat is Delaware . See also County History for more historical details.

The Health Department has Birth & Death Records from 1908-Present, see the Vital Records section for more details. For birth and death records prior to Dec. 20, 1908, contact the Probate Court of this county.

Counties adjacent to Delaware County are Morrow County (north), Knox County (northeast), Licking County (east), Franklin County (south), Union County (west), Marion County (northwest).

Delaware County Municipalities Include Columbus, Delaware, Dublin, Powell, Westerville, Ashley, Galena, Ostrander, Shawnee Hills, Sunbury. Townships Include Berkshire, Berlin, Brown, Concord, Delaware, Genoa, Harlem, Kingston, Liberty, Marlboro, Orange, Oxford, Porter, Radnor, Scioto, Thompson, Trenton, Troy. Other localities Include Kilbourne, Lewis Center, Radnor

The Delaware County Official Government Website
Search the Ohio USGenWeb Archives
Delaware County, Virginia History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

Records at the Delaware County Courthouse

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

All Departments below are in the Delaware County Courthouse 91 N. Sandusky, Delaware 43015-1703, (740) 369-8761, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.delaware.oh.us/ . NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Delaware County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1835, Birth / Death Records from 1851 and Probate Records from 1812 and is located at 88 N. Sandusky, Delaware 43015-1703; 740-833-2680
The Probate Court handles the following administrative functions: the probating of wills, estate administrations (full estates and releases from administration), trusts, guardianships of incompetent adults and minors, commitment hearings for the mentally ill and mentally challenged, adoptions, birth corrections, name changes, delayed birth registrations, custodial accounts, lost heir accounts, order disinterments, and issues marriage licenses. In addition, the Court tries litigation issues in all the above matters. A unique aspect of the Probate Court is that the Probate Judge is the ex-officio Clerk of Courts, thus, the Court performs all the duties as its own Clerk of Courts (indexing, filing, docketing, etc.).

Delaware County Recorder has Land Records from ? and is located at 140 North Sandusky Street
1st Floor , Delaware, OH 43015 . Phone Number: (740) 833-2460
In Ohio, the Recorder, as an elected official, is charged by law with the exacting duty of keeping certain specific records which may include: deeds, mortgages, financing statements, easements, leases, federal tax liens, personal tax liens, military discharges, powers of attorney, mechanics liens, plats, recognizance liens, partnerships, living wills, zoning resolutions, etc.

Delaware County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1818. Phone Number: (740) 833-2500, Fax: (740) 833-2499
The Clerk of Courts of Common Pleas is responsible for various administrative and ministerial duties in conjunction with the Court of Common Pleas. These duties include filing, docketing, indexing, and preserving all court pleadings for civil, felony criminal and domestic relations cases. The Clerk of Courts must also follow procedure required by law and issues writs to carry out Court orders. Some of these writs include summons, subpoenas, warrants to arrest and to convey to penal institutions, and signing the death warrant in capital cases. The Clerk is responsible for the receipt and disbursement of all money paid into the court system. Other services provided by the Clerk of Court of Common Pleas are accepting bonds, recording notary commissions, administering oaths, keeping naturalization records, and recording and retention of coroner records.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include:Ohio Land Records and Ohio Early Land Ownership Records.

Click Here to Search Ohio Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Delaware County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Delaware County Court Records by clicking the link below:

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Ohio Marriages: Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly
Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900: This database contains records of marriages that took place in Ohio between 1803 and 1900.
Delaware County, Ohio Court Books at Amazon.com
Ohio Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

Delaware County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Tax records for Ohio began as early as 1800. The archives section of the Ohio Historical Society has a collection of original Ohio tax lists from the state auditor's office. They include lists from the county's organization to 1838, usually arranged by county and township. They are not indexed. County courthouses hold various tax records that have not been inventoried. They are in the office of the county auditor or the county records manager. The FHL has microfilm copies of all known extant tax records 1800-38 for Ohio.

The National Archives-Great Lakes Region retains numerous federal tax records for Ohio. These include assessment books for 1867-73 and corporate and personal records for District 10, Toledo, and District 11, Columbus.

Below is a list of online resources for Delaware County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Delaware County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

Delaware County, Ohio Tax Books at Amazon.com

Delaware County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Ohio Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Delaware County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Delaware County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Delaware County Chapter, OGS, PO Box 1126, Delaware, OH 43015-8126, Phone: (740) 369-3831 ; meets at the Delaware County Historical Society, 157 E. William St., Delaware, usually on the first Tuesday, September through June, at 7:30 p.m.; exceptions occur in any month that public elections occur on the first Tuesday.
Local Ohio Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Ohio Historical Society, Archives-Library Division,1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211; Telephone: 614-297-2300
The Ohio Historical Society Archives/Library is, by law, the archives for the State of Ohio. As such, we collect, preserve, and make available to the public, documents pertaining to the operation of state and local governments.
Ohio Genealogical Society, 713 S. Main St, Mansfield, OH 44907-1644;(419) 756-7294, [EMAIL]
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Genealogy Division, 96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215. 614-645-2ASK (2275);The Genealogy Division holds microfilm; printed, typescript, and manuscript collections, including family and local histories; atlases; cemetery records; city directories; military records; censuses and census indexes; and transcribed records provided by the Ohio chapters of the DAR.
Ohio Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Ohio Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Delaware County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search Ohio Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Delaware County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Delaware County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Religion in Ohio was an early and important factor in settlement. The first Moravian mission was established in 1772. Presbyterians and Quakers were in the state at an early date, the latter having established forty-three monthly meetings and settlements between 1801 and 1883. The Presbyterians founded seventeen towns between 1784 and 1799. Baptists, Congregationalists, several reformed groups, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, United Brethren, Methodists, and Catholics arrived prior to 1850. By 1890 the latter two denominations were the largest in the state. The Methodist circuit in Ohio was organized in 1798, with circuit riders traveling from log cabins to camp meetings across the territory. In 1831 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints migrated from New York to Kirtland in Lake County. No thorough survey exists of any of the holdings of individual churches in Ohio, although many are on microfilm through the FHL. The Ohio Genealogical Society is presently undertaking a church records survey.

According to the Ohio Genealogical Society, the majority of Ohio counties have published cemetery records in one form or another. They suggest contacting local societies or one of the major genealogical libraries in the state.

Below is a list of online resources for Delaware County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Delaware County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Ohio obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Ohio newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Ohio.
Ohio Cemetery Records: Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly
Delaware County: Marlborough, Oak Grove & St Mary Cemetery Burials
Delaware County, Ohio Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Delaware County, Ohio Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Ohio Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Delaware County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Delaware County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Delaware County ] [ Ohio ] [ Main Page ]
[GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards]
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
The OHGenWeb Project Ohio Research Exchange Program
OHIO Family Group Sheets
Ohio Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Delaware County, Ohio Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

On February 10, 1808, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Delaware County. The county was originally part of Franklin County. Residents chose to name the county after the Delaware Indian tribe. The county was the birthplace of President Rutherford B. Hayes. It also is home to Ohio Wesleyan University, a school established by Methodists in 1842. Due to the large number of deeply religious people in the county, during the 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s, residents played an important role in the Underground Railroad.

Delaware County is located in the central portion of Ohio. The county seat is Delaware, which is the largest population center, with just over twenty-five thousand residents in 2000. This marked a twenty-five percent growth in the town’s population since 1990, and the county, itself, experienced a fifty percent growth rate, to a total population of 109,989 people, during this same time period. Delaware County is Ohio’s fastest growing county, as residents of nearby Franklin County try to escape the busyness of Columbus. An average of 249 people live in each of Delaware County’s 442 square miles.

Despite the tremendous growth, Delaware County remains heavily rural, but subdivisions and businesses are quickly taking over much of this land. The southern part of the county, the area nearest Columbus, is experiencing the fastest growth, with the northern portion of the county remaining the most rural. Retail sales positions are the county’s largest employer, with service industries and manufacturing establishments finishing second and third respectively. Among the most important manufactuers are Honda, American Showa, PPG, Nippert Company, Trus Joist, and the Liebert Corporation. The county also has a strong tourism industry, with the Columbus Zoo and the Olentangy Indian Caverns as the two most prominent tourist destinations. Delaware County has one of Ohio’s highest average incomes and lowest poverty rates. The county’s average income was approximately thirty-five thousand dollars per person in 1999, with just 4.5 percent of the population living in poverty.

Delaware, the county seat of Delaware County, is located to the north of the state capitol of Columbus along the bank of the Olentangy River. Colonel Moses Byxbe and Henry Baldwin founded the community in 1808. The two men sold lots within the town for thirty dollars each. Although houses began to spring up as early as 1807 and 1808, it was not until 1815 that the town was officially incorporated. In addition to a number of houses and businesses, there was also a courthouse built at that point. Among the earliest settlers was a Baptist minister, but within the first few decades of settlement a number of other religious groups established churches, including the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Episcopalians, and the Lutherans.

Because of its location on the Olentangy River and proximity to Columbus, Delaware prospered from its early years of settlement. In addition to a number of local stores and taverns, the town also supported a number of early industries, including sawmills, a flour mill, and a woolen factory. A number of lawyers and doctors called the community home, as well as about two thousand other inhabitants by the 1840s.

These early businesses prospered due to Delaware's proximity to numerous transportation routes. In 1851, the first railroad passed through Delaware. It connected the community with both Columbus and Cleveland. Numerous other railroads eventually came to Delaware, expanding the city's reach and influence even further. Delaware grew so quickly that the community established its own streetcar system by the beginning of the twentieth century. There also was an inter-urban service that ferried people between Columbus and Marion. This system provided Delaware residents even more access to nearby communities.

There were two newspapers in Delaware during the 1840s, the Olentangy Gazette, which presented the Whig Party's view of current events, and the Loco Foco, which presented the Democratic Party's opinions. The town also contained a number of social organizations, including the Masons and two temperance societies. As industrialization continued to grow in the state of Ohio, additional industries emerged in Delaware as well, such as cigar makers, a chair company, and several carriage makers. Delaware's close proximity to railroads encouraged the economic growth of the community.

The Methodists also founded Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware in 1842. Before becoming an institution for higher education, Ohio Wesleyan was a resort. Visitors came to town to enjoy the sulfur spring that existed on the resort grounds. Originally Ohio Wesleyan only admitted men, and women attended the Ohio Wesleyan Female College starting in 1853. In 1877, the two schools combined and Ohio Wesleyan University became a coeducational institution. At this point, women started to take the same classes as men.

Partly due to the presence of this Methodist institution, prior to the Civil War, Delaware residents played important roles in the Underground Railroad. Many residents helped runaway slaves find safety in the North from the slaveowners. Delaware eventually had a sizable African-American population. Many blacks felt safe in this welcoming community.

The most famous resident of Delaware was President Rutherford B. Hayes, who was born in the town on October 4, 1822. Hayes lived in Delaware until the age of five, when his family moved further north to Fremont, Ohio. He returned to Delaware to take classes at Ohio Wesleyan University. It was at Ohio Wesleyan where Hayes met his future wife, Lucy Hayes. Hayes became the nineteenth president of the United States in the election of 1876.

Today, Delaware remains a vibrant city with numerous educational and occupational opportunities. In 2000, almost twenty-five thousand people called the city home. Ohio Wesleyan University continues to operate in the community. In addition, The Ohio State University now offers classes in the city. Numerous manufacturing establishments operate in or nearby Delaware. Among the most important are Honda, American Showa, PPG, Nippert Company, Trus Joist, and the Liebert Corporation. Numerous employment opportunities exist in Delaware and in its surrounding communities, but many residents commute to Columbus. Although they work in Ohio's capital city, these residents prefer to live in the smaller city of Delaware.

Delaware also is famous for hosting the "Little Brown Jug" each year at the Delaware County Fair. Begun in 1946, the "Little Brown Jug" has become one of the premier races in the harness-racing triple crown. It attracts more than fifty thousand people to Delaware every fall.