Start your family tree. We'll start searching. It's FREE. - Enter a few simple facts about recent generations of your family. We'll use what you enter to try and find more about your family in the world's largest online collection of historical records and family trees.

SEARCH Other States

AL	AZ	AR	CA	CO	CT
DE	FL	GA	ID	IL	IN
IA	KS	KY	LA	MA	MD
ME	MI	MN	MO	MS	MT
NE	NV	NH	NJ	NM	NY
NC	ND	OH	OK	OR	PA
RI	SC	SD	TN	TX	UT
VA	VT	WA	WV	WI	WY

Sandusky County History and Information

Sandusky County Facts

Sandusky County was created on February 12, 1820 and was formed from Huron County. The County was named for the Indian word meaning "cold water" and For Sandusky Station, an early fort in what is now Marion County, Kentucky, or for a member of that early Kentucky pioneer family.. The County Seat is Fremont.

Sandusky County was the home of President Rutherford B. Hayes. During the War of 1812 Fort Stephenson occupied the site of present day Fremont, the county seat. For records in Sandusky County first try the R.B. Hayes Library as they house all of the old records that are available (births, deaths, wills, probate records, estate records, land records and other miscellaneous information). County Health Department has birth, death & burial records; Probate Judge has marriage & probate records; Clerk of Courts has divorce records from 1820 & civil court records; 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 Sandusky County are Ottawa County (north), Erie County (east), Huron County (southeast), Seneca County (south), Wood County (west).

Sandusky County Municipalities Include Bellevue, Clyde, Fremont, Burgoon, Gibsonburg, Green Springs, Helena, Lindsey, Woodville. Townships Include Ballville, Green Creek, Jackson, Madison, Rice, Riley, Sandusky, Scott, Townsend, Washington, Woodville, York. Other localities Include Include Vickery, Ballville, Stony Prairie.

The Sandusky County Official Government Website
Search the Ohio USGenWeb Archives
Blog dedicated to the discussion of topics relating to the history of Sandusky & Erie County, Oh
Sandusky 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 Sandusky 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 Sandusky County Courthouse 100 North Park Avenue, Fremont, OH 43420; Phone: +1-419-334-6226, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.sandusky-county.org/. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Sandusky County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1820, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1820 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (419) 334-6417, Fax (419) 334-6210
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.).

Sandusky County Recorder has Land Records from 1822 and is located at the courthouse in Suite 217, Phone: (419) 334-6226
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.

Sandusky County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1820 and is located at the courthouse in Suite 320, Telephone: (419) 334-6161, Fax: (419) 334-6164
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 Sandusky County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Sandusky 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.
Sandusky 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.

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

Sandusky County, Ohio Tax Books at Amazon.com

Sandusky 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 Sandusky County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Sandusky County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Sandusky County Chapter, OGS, Spiegle Grove, Fremont, OH 43420-2796; Sandusky County Chapter, OGS meets at 2:00pm on the second Sunday of each month at the Sandusky Township Hall at 2207 Oak Harbor Rd., Fremont, OH.
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

Sandusky 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 Sandusky County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Sandusky 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 Sandusky County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Sandusky 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
Sandusky County, Ohio Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Sandusky 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 Sandusky County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Sandusky County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Search for Local Ohio Researchers or Earn Money by becoming a Local Ohio Researcher!
Search 60 Years Of Everton Data : For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons. Learn More
Search the Family Tree DNA Project- Use DNA testing to break through your genealogical barriers!
Sites on USGenweb: [ Sandusky 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
Sandusky County, Ohio Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

On February 12, 1820, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Sandusky County. Residents named the county after an Indian term for “at the cold water.” Sandusky County was originally part of territory set aside for Ohio’s Indian people by the Treaty of Greeneville. White settlement of the county occurred very slowly, due to the Great Black Swamp occupying most of the land.

Sandusky County is located in the northern part of Ohio. A small portion of the county’s northern border lies along Lake Erie. The county seat is Fremont, which is the largest city in the county with a population of 17,375 people in 2000. Only three percent of the county’s 409 square miles are deemed to be urban. The county averages 151 people living in each square mile. Between 1990 and 2000, the county experienced a slight decrease in population. This is typical of Ohio’s more rural counties, as residents seek better opportunities in the state’s larger cities. In 2000, the county’s residents numbered 61,792 people.

Most of Sandusky County’s residents find employment in agricultural positions, with seventy-percent of the county’s acreage under cultivation. Sandusky County farmers are the fifth largest producers of tomatoes in Ohio. Manufacturing businesses, service industries, and retail positions finish second, third, and fourth respectively.In 1999, the county’s per capita income was 23,315 dollars, with 9.5 percent of the county’s residents living below the poverty level.

Fremont was originally known as Lower Sandusky. Lower Sandusky had its beginnings as a village of the Wyandot Indians. During the 1750s, the French constructed a trading post there to participate in the fur trade with the Wyandots. During the late 1700s and the early 1800s, white Americans moved into the area. Elizabeth Foulks and James Whittaker were the first whites to live in Lower Sandusky. They were captives of the Wyandots and fell in love. They married in Lower Sandusky in 1785. Like the residents of Upper Sandusky, the white people who settled here were in direct violation of the Treaty of Greeneville. During the War of 1812, the United States Army contemplated forcibly removing these people from the land, hoping to ease tensions between the Americans and the Indians. The soldiers, however, did not carry out the threat. Fort Stephenson, an important American stockade, was also built here during the war. Although the Wyandots still called Lower Sandusky home, by the 1830s, the community had a sizable white and black population. Many of the African Americans were runaways and sought safety by living together. Throughout the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s, slave hunters passed through the area looking for runaways.

Lower Sandusky became the Sandusky County seat in 1821. The town grew slowly. In 1835, Cyrus Bradley traveled through Lower Sandusky. He described it as an awful place, swampy, and a breeding ground for flies. Despite these problems, Lower Sandusky emerged as an important economic center. Located on the Sandusky River, the community became active in the shipbuilding industry. Fishing also helped support early residents. Most early manufacturing establishments were connected to agriculture. They included several saw and flour mills, as well as the first sugar mill in Ohio. The village might have grown even more quickly if canals had connected it with other communities, but canal companies neglected the town in the 1810s and 1820s. During the late 1830s and early 1840s, Lower Sandusky did gain access to the rest of the state through railroads, and the town continued to grow. In 1849, Lower Sandusky residents changed the village’s name to Fremont, in honor of John C. Fremont, who had just acquired California for the United States.

Among Fremont’s most prominent residents was Rutherford B. Hayes, an Ohio governor as well as the nineteenth President of the United States. Hayes moved to his home, Spiegel Grove, in 1873, just three years before the American voters elected him President. Silas Birchard, Hayes’s uncle, originally built the home from 1859 to 1863, but Hayes remodeled it on several different occasions, primarily to accommodate the numerous guests to his home. Today, Spiegel Grove is part of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. Founded in 1916, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center was the first presidential library in the United States.

Today, Fremont remains the county seat of Sandusky County. Many of the city’s businesses are affiliated with its agricultural hinterlands, but other industries also operate in the city, including cutlery, battery, rubber, electric switch, and sugar manufacturers, as well as pork processors. Many Fremont residents commute to Toledo, thirty miles away. Sandusky County also has several important manufacturing establishments, including Whirlpool Corporation, Heinz USA, and Lear. These businesses help employ Fremont’s seventeen thousand residents.