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Guernsey County History and Information

County History | Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
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Guernsey County Ohio Map
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Guernsey Co., Ohio
Township Map

Guernsey County was created on January 31, 1810 and was formed from Belmont and Muskingum Counties. The County was named for the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Cambridge is the county seat of Guernsey County, Ohio. Residents named the town after Cambridge, Maryland. In 1806, residents established the town, which was located along Zane’s Trace. 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 Guernsey County are Tuscarawas County (north), Harrison County (northeast), Belmont County (east), Noble County (south), Muskingum County (west), Coshocton County (northwest).

Guernsey County Municipalities Include Cambridge, Byesville, Cumberland, Fairview, Kimbolton, Lore City, Old Washington, Pleasant City, Quaker City, Salesville, Senecaville. Townships Include Adams, Cambridge, Center, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Liberty, Londonderry, Madison, Millwood, Monroe, Oxford, Richland, Spencer, Valley, Washington, Westland, Wheeling, Wills. Other localities Include Buffalo, Derwent, Kipling

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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.

Records at the Guernsey County Courthouse

See Also Ohio Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

All Departments below are in the Guernsey County Courthouse PO Box 766, 801 Wheeling Avenue, Cambridge, OH 43725; Phone: +1-614-432-9275, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.guernseycounty.org/ . NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Guernsey County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1810, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1812. Phone Number: 740.432.9262

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.

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.).

Guernsey County Recorder has Land Records from 1802. Phone Number: 740.432.9275

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.

Guernsey County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1802. Phone Number: 740.432.9252

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.

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

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Click Here to Search Ohio Birth, Marriage & Death Records!
Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Guernsey County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Ohio

Ohio did not make it a law to keep birth records until 1867. Ohio made it a law to record births in 1867. County probate courts kept birth records between 1867 and December 19, 1908. There is no statewide index to birth records from 1867 through December 19, 1908. Go to the list of county probate court birth records held at the Ohio Historical Society. If the Ohio Historical Society does not hold a county's birth records, please contact the county's probate court.

Ohio Department of Health, Vital Statistics, 225 Neilston Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215; (614) 466-2531. Same-day service available to walk-in customers (for Ohio birth and death records only)., P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102, Please allow up to approximately 3 weeks to 6 months for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. They have the following records:

  • Birth & Death Certificates: The state of Ohio began issuing certificates for births on December 20, 1908. The Ohio Department of Health holds birth certificates for the state of Ohio from December 20, 1908 to the present. The Vital Statistics Office maintains statewide Death Certificates from 1954 to the present. Individual health departments in the county or city where the death took place keep certificates for their local area (not statewide).
    • Cost: $16.50 per certificate, payment is payable to the Treasurer State of Ohio. The cost for each authentication is $5.00 payable to the Secretary of State of Ohio. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $16.50 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • Processing Time: 3-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL
    • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon
  • Marriage & Divorce Certificates: The State of Ohio Vital Statistics Office maintains the abstracts of marriages and divorces that occurred in Ohio from January 1, 1954, to present.  Abstracts are brief forms that list limited information extracted from the original marriage licenses or divorce decrees.  This limited information is used for index purposes and the filing of the marriage or divorce within the State of Ohio. We do not have marriage licenses or divorce decrees on file, only abstracts. An abstract is not a marriage license or divorce decree. Please contact the following agencies: Marriage License - County Probate Court; Divorce – County Clerk of Court. To request a certified copy of a marriage license contact the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the license was obtained.To request a certified copy of a divorce decree contact the Circuit Clerk in the county where the decree was granted.
    • Cost: Include a fee of $3.00 per 10 year search per last name with request.  Allow 4 to 6 months for the search. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • Processing Time: Allow 4 to 6 months for the search by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY. Mail your search request to: Ohio Department of Health, Vital Statistics, 246 N. High Street, 1st Floor, P.O. Box 15098, Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098
  • Ordering Vital Records Online - You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.
Order In Person:

Same day service is available to walk-in customers. This is the fastest way to obtain a birth certificate. When you arrive, you will complete an application and pay the $16.50 required fee. Walk-in address is Ohio Department of Health, Vital Statistics, 225 Neilston Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215; Phone: (614) 466-2531. You can also obtain the birth/death record from the city or county health department office where the event occurred, provided there is no court or legal action. You may download the application and submit it in person or by mail to the nearest local health department.

Order By Mail:

Turn around is estimated at 3 to 6 weeks from the day the request is received. However, people are urged to allow sufficient time for delivery for all birth/death records. Mail a check or money order of $16.50 for each certified certificate. Do not send cash. Mail to the following address: Ohio Department of Health, Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 15098, Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098. Please include return address on envelope and application form.

Order On-Line:

To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek

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

  • VitalChek Express Certificate Service - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek’s order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
  • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
  • Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical Ohio newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
  • Search Ohio Death Certificate Index 1913-1944 from the Ohio Historical Society
  • Ohio Obituaries Index 1830s-present - mostly Northwest counties (over 800,000 names) includes obituaries from these Ohio counties: Allen, Auglaize, Belmont, Defiance, Erie, Gallia, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Miami, Ottawa, Paulding, Ross, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Washington, Wayne, Wood & Wyandot - coverage varies by county - also see the links below (copies of the obituaries can be ordered for a fee)
  • MOLO Obituary Index includes obituaries from newspapers in Ashland County (Loudonville), Coshocton County, Holmes County and Stark County (Massillon)
  • Guernsey County, Ohio Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
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Click Here to Search Ohio Voter Lists & Census Records!
Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Guernsey County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Guernsey County, Ohio are 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Guernsey County, Ohio are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

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

  • Ohio Census, 1790-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 (Northwest Territory) Federal Census Index; 1800 Federal Census Index (Washington County); 1810 Washington County Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; Early Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
  • Guernsey County, Ohio Census Books at Amazon.com
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Guernsey County Maps & Atlases

 

Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Ohio showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Ohio showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries.

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

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Search Ohio Military Records!
Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

Guernsey County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Ohio

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

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

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Guernsey County Tax 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 Guernsey County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Guernsey County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Guernsey County, Ohio Tax Books at Amazon.com
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Guernsey 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 Guernsey County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Guernsey County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Guernsey County Chapter, OGS, P.O. Box 661, 125 N. 7th St., Cambridge, OH 43725-0661, Guernsey County Chapter, OGS meets at the Guernsey County Genealogical Society Office at 7:00pm on the first Monday of each month., E-mail: gccogs@earthlink.net
  • 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
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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.

Guernsey County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Ohio

There are many churches and cemeteries in Guernsey County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Guernsey 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 Guernsey County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Guernsey County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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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.

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

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 Guernsey County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Guernsey County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Extended History

 

On January 31, 1810, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Guernsey County. Residents named the county after the “Isle of Guernsey.”

The earliest known inhabitants of Guernsey County were some Delaware Indians, 20 warriors and about 30 women and children, living in a dozen houses on the south side of Will's Creek in the vicinity of the viaduct in Cambridge. The year was 1763. The Mingo Trail crossed the creek at that point. Thirty-three years later the Indians were gone but a group of white men from Wheeling, led by Ebenezer Zane, crossed Will's Creek at the same ford where the Indian town had been located. They were laying out a post road, later called Zane's Trace.

By 1798, a ferry and a tavern had been established where the road crossed the creek, and in 1802, another road was built from the Steubenville area, largely following the Mingo Trail, to the ferry crossing of Will's Creek. In 1806, Zaccheus Beatty and Jacob Gomber platted the town of Cambridge, just east of the crossing.

It is at this point in our history that the people who would give our county its name came on the scene. They were several families from the island of Guernsey, just off the coast of France. Arriving at about the same time as the lots in Cambridge were being sold, they decided to stay here. The next year more people came from the same place, in all amounting to 15 or 20 families. With so many Guernseyites in the area, when the county was formed in 1810, it was decided to give it the name of their island home and we became Guernsey County. Since Cambridge was at the intersection of the two major roads coming from the east, it became the county seat.

In 1828 the National Road was constructed through Guernsey County. It was, by far, the finest road in the country, and many thousands of people, and animals, used it every day. Several of the stone bridges of the National Road are still in use.

Then, in 1854 the railroad came to Guernsey County. It would later be called the Baltimore & Ohio line. In 1873 another railroad, eventually called the Pennsylvania line, was established, thus giving the county excellent rail service in all directions. This happened just as coal was being successfully mined in the southern part of the county, and mining soon became our principle industry (outside of farming, of course). Many hundreds of immigrants from central Europe moved here to work in the coal mines.

Our most exciting days would have been in July of 1863, when the Civil War came to Guernsey County. About 600 Confederate cavalrymen under the command of General John H. Morgan entered the county at Cumberland, and were here for the next 30 hours, passing through Pleasant City, Buffalo, Senecaville, Lore City, Old Washington, Winterset, Antrim, Londonderry, and Smyrna. At Old Washington, there was a skirmish with pursuing Union cavalrymen, and three Confederates were killed. There is an appropriate monument at their gravesite in the Old Washington cemetery.

In the early and middle 1900s, pottery and glass-making flourished in the county. Later the plastics and electronics industries came to the area, but with the construction of two interstate highways through the county, transportation still plays an important part in out story, just as it did over 200 years ago in the days of the Mingo Trail and Zane's Trace.

Cambridge is the county seat of Guernsey County, Ohio. Residents named the town after Cambridge, Maryland. In 1806, residents established the town, which was located along Zane’s Trace. Eventually, the National Road also passed through the community, making Cambridge a center of trade.

Cambridge grew relatively quickly. Nearly one thousand people resided in the community by 1840. The town consisted of four churches, nine stores, one flour and two fulling mills, and one newspaper office. By the American Civil War, two railroads intersected in the town, causing further growth. By 1880, 2,833 residents lived in Cambridge, and the town now included five newspaper offices, seven churches, and three banks. Numerous manufacturing businesses operated in the town. In 1886, the largest employer was the Cambridge Chair Factory, with seventy-five employees. Other businesses manufactured doors, iron roofs, and buggies, among other items. During the late 1880s and the early 1890s, residents discovered deposits of natural gas and oil. These two items led to the creation of a glass-making industry. While the city’s glass production declined during the twentieth century, a tourist industry, consisting largely of glass collectors, arose in its place.

During the twentieth century, Cambridge continued to grow in population. In 2000, the community had 11,520 people. This amounted to over twenty-five percent of Guernsey County’s total population. Many residents currently find employment in travel-related businesses, with both Interstate 70 and Interstate 77 passing through Cambridge.

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