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Putnam 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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Putnam County was created on February 12, 1820 (Organized in 1834) and was formed from Shelby, Logan, Wood and Williams Counties. The County was named for General Israel Putnam, an officer in the American Revolutionary War. The County Seat is Ottawa. Putnam County was carved out of the old Indian territory in 1820. Some Indians still remained in the area after the white settlers, which included Germans and Swiss, moved into Ottawa. The county seat is the site of an ancient Indian village, Tawa Town, from which it takes its name. Forces of migrant Mexicans and Texans of Spanish descent harvest the vast fruit and vegetables crops in the county. Main industries are; machinery, food, printing and publishing, lumber, metals, kitchen cabinets, animal feeds, sugar, television tubes, cattle, calves, soybeans, poultry, eggs and wheat. Clerk of Courts has divorce & civil court records from 1834. Early records from 1820-1834 may be located in Wood and Williams Counties. 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 Putnam County are Henry County (north), Hancock County (east), Allen County (south), Van Wert County (southwest), Paulding County (west), Defiance County (northwest), Wood County (northeast). Putnam, Belmore, Cloverdale, Columbus Grove, Continental, Dupont, Ft. Jennings, Gilboa, Glandorf, Kalida, Leipsic, Miller City, Ottawa, Ottoville, Pandora, West Leipsic. Townships Include Blanchard, Greensburg, Jackson, Jennings, Liberty, Monroe, Monterey, Ottawa, Palmer, Perry, Pleasant, Riley, Sugar Creek, Union, Van Buren. Other localities Include Rimer, Vaughnsville
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All Departments below are in the Putnam County Courthouse 245 East Main, Ottawa, OH 45875; Phone: +1-419-523-6490, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.putnamcountyohio.com/. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. Putnam County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1834, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1835 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (419) 523-3012 Putnam County Recorder has Land Records from 1830 and is located at the courthouse in Suite 202, Phone: 419-523-6490, Fax: 419-523-4403 Putnam County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1834 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (419) 523-3110, (419) 523-6200
Below is a list of online resources for Putnam County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Putnam 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 Putnam County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Putnam County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
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Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Putnam 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 Putnam 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 Putnam County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Putnam 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 Putnam County Maps. Email us with websites containing Putnam 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 Putnam County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Putnam 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 Putnam County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Putnam 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 Putnam County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Putnam County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
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There are many churches and cemeteries in Putnam County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Putnam 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 Putnam County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Putnam 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 Putnam County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Putnam 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 Putnam County. Residents named the county in honor of Israel Putnam, a hero of the American Revolution. Putnam County was originally part of territory set aside for Ohio’s Indian people by the Treaty of Greeneville. After the Ohio government authorized the county’s creation, it remained part of Wood County until 1824, and then it was part of Williams County until 1834. Putnam County is located in the northwestern part of Ohio. The county seat is Ottawa, which is the largest community in the county with a population of 4,367 people in 2000. Less than one percent of the county’s 484 square miles are deemed to be urban. The county averages seventy-two people living in each square mile. Between 1990 and 2000, the county experienced a 2.7 percent increase in population. This is unusual for Ohio’s more rural counties, as residents usually seek better opportunities in the state’s larger cities. Some of these new people came from Toledo, approximately fifty miles away, to escape this large city’s busyness. In 2000, the county’s residents numbered 34,726 people. Most of Putnam County’s residents find employment in agricultural positions. Ninety-four percent of the county’s acreage is under cultivation. Farmers are especially well known for growing tomatoes and wheat and raising hogs. A large Mexican migrant population harvests many of the crops. Manufacturing, retail positions, and service industries finish second, third, and fourth respectively. In 1999, the county’s per capita income was 24,643 dollars, with 5.5 percent of the county’s residents living below the poverty level. Ottawa is the county seat of Putnam County, Ohio. Residents named the town, which was founded in 1833, in honor of the Ottawa Indians, who once had a village at the site of modern-day Ottawa. Kalida was Putnam County's original seat of government, but a fire destroyed the courthouse in 1866. A county-wide vote by Putnam County residents decided to move the seat of government to Ottawa. Ottawa became a major meeting place for farmers in the surrounding countryside. The railroad through the community gave farmers access to markets across the United States. Most local businesses either provided services or products for the farmers in the surrounding countryside. In 1886, Ottawa's largest employer, Rice, Brown & Company, employed thirty-nine people. The company produced wagon and carriage wheels. That same year, the town included three newspapers, four churches, and two banks. In 1880, Ottawa's population was 1,293 people, with forty percent of the residents being school-aged children. Putnam County residents remained committed to agriculture throughout the twentieth century. In 2000, approximately ninety-three percent of the county's acreage was under cultivation. Today, the town's largest employers are in the construction field, with retail establishments following closely behind. Ottawa was the largest community in Putnam County in 2000, with a population of 4,367 people. |
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