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Hancock County History and Information |
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County History |
Court Records |
Vital Records |
CENSUS Records |
TAX Records |
Military Records |
Church & Cemetery | Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites | |
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Hancock County was created on February 12, 1820 (Organized in 1828) and was formed from Logan, Delaware and Wood Counties. The County was named for John Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of Independence. Findlay, Ohio, is the county seat of Hancock County. During the War of 1812, Colonel James Findlay built a road to transport troops across the region and constructed a stockade that was named Fort Findlay in his honor. The community of Findlay began to emerge in the area surrounding the fort after the war was over. Future Ohio Governor Joseph Vance and Elnathan Corry laid out the first lots in 1821. 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 Hancock County are Wood County (north), Seneca County (northeast), Wyandot County (southeast), Hardin County (south), Allen County (southwest), Putnam County (west), Henry County (northwest corner). Hancock County Municipalities Include Findlay, Fostoria, Arcadia, Arlington, Benton Ridge, Jenera, McComb, Mount Blanchard, Mount Cory, Rawson, Van Buren, Vanlue. Townships Include Allen, Amanda, Biglick, Blanchard, Cass, Delaware, Eagle, Jackson, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Orange, Pleasant, Portage, Union, Van Buren, Washington. Other localities Include Mortimer, Williamstown
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All Departments below are in the Hancock County Courthouse 300 South Main Street, Findlay, OH 45840; Phone: +1-419-424-7091, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.hancock.oh.us/ . NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. Hancock County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1828, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1828 and is located at 308 Dorney Plaza, Findlay OH 45840 3302; 419-424-7081 Hancock County Recorder has Land Records from 1820. Phone Number: 419-424-7091,
Fax: 419-423-3017 , [EMAIL] Hancock County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1828. Phone Number: (419) 424-7008
Below is a list of online resources for Hancock County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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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:
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
Below is a list of online resources for Hancock County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Hancock County, Ohio are 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 Hancock 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. See Also Statewide Records that exist for Ohio Below is a list of online resources for Hancock County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Census Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Below is a list of online resources for Hancock County Maps. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Maps by clicking the link below: |
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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 Hancock County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Military Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Hancock County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Tax Records by clicking the link below: |
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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 Hancock County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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There are many churches and cemeteries in Hancock County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Hancock 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 Hancock County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
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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 Hancock County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Hancock County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
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On February 12, 1820, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Hancock County. Residents named the county in honor of John Hancock, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Previously, the county had been part of land reserved to Ohio’s Indian people, under the Treaty of Greeneville. Hancock County is located in northwestern Ohio. It is predominantly rural, with only 1.4 percent of the county’s 531 square miles consisting of urban areas. The county seat is Findlay. With a population of 38,967 people, Findlay was the county’s largest community in 2000. Many residents of Ohio’s rural communities are seeking better lives and more opportunities in the state’s cities, but Hancock County seems to be growing dramatically in population. Hancock County experienced an 8.8 percent population growth rate between 1990 and 2000, bringing the total number of residents up to 71,295. The county averages 135 people per square mile. The largest employers in Hancock County are manufacturing businesses, followed closely by sales positions and service industries. During the late nineteenth century, county residents earned their livings drilling for natural gas. By the early twentieth centuries, the residents had extracted the natural gas, bringing this industry to an end in the county. In 1999, the per capita income in the county was just over twenty-eight thousand dollars, with 7.3 percent of the people living in poverty. Findlay, Ohio, is the county seat of Hancock County. During the War of 1812, Colonel James Findlay built a road to transport troops across the region and constructed a stockade that was named Fort Findlay in his honor. The community of Findlay began to emerge in the area surrounding the fort after the war was over. Future Ohio Governor Joseph Vance and Elnathan Corry laid out the first lots in 1821. The town’s population remained small in the first several decades. By the 1840s, there were approximately one hundred families residing in Findlay. In the years prior to the American Civil War, Findlay served as a stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves escaping to Canada. In the mid 1880s, the community suddenly gained national attention when natural gas and oil were discovered nearby. The first gas well, the Oesterlen, was drilled in 1884, and the following year the first oil well, the Mathias, began to produce oil. Although the gas wells were soon depleted, oil wells continued to provide income in the area. Numerous other industries emerged as Findlay’s population grew quickly during this era. The town boasted several newspapers, including one printed in German for the German immigrants in the community. There were a number of glass manufacturers, ranging from window glass to table glasswear and bottles. Findlay also was home to several woodworking firms and furniture manufacturers, a woolen mill, brick manufacturers, and a company that made typewriters, among other businesses. The University of Findlay is also located in the community. As Findlay continued to grow over time, other signs of education and organization began to emerge. The town opened its first public library in 1890, and the first high school in Findlay was built ten years later. In 1920, the town formed its first Rotary and Kiwanis organizations, as well as founding the Findlay Chamber of Commerce. Today, Findlay is known as “Flag City USA.” In the 1960s, a man named John Cooke moved to Findlay. Believing that every American should fly the American flag on Flag Day, Cooke worked to provide everyone in the community with a small flag. The designation was made official with a resolution of the U.S. House of Representatives on May 7, 1974. Residents of Findlay are still proud of their town’s nickname to this day. |
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