| 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 |
Wood County History and Information |
||||||||
|
County History |
Court Records |
Vital Records |
CENSUS Records |
TAX Records |
Military Records |
Church & Cemetery | Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites | |
||||||||
Wood County was created on February 12, 1820 when the legislature carved 14 counties from the lands purchased from the Wyandot, Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes as a result of the Lower Maumee Treaty of September 28, 1817 and was formed from Logan County . The County was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harrison's army who built Fort Meigs. The County Seat is Bowling Green. In May 1822, the
Commissioners designated Perrysburg as the first County Seat. It
remained so until 1868 when the Seat of Justice was moved to
Bowling Green.
Lucas County was then a part
of Wood County and Maumee was named by law as the temporary
Seat of Justice. The
Act further provided that the unorganized counties of Hancock,
Henry, Putnam, Paulding, and Williams should be attached
to Wood County for civil purposes until further provisions
were made by law.
The County lines
were the same as now, except that the northern boundary extended
to Michigan. In
1835, Wood County was dismembered when Lucas County was
formed and the Maumee River became its northern boundary.
Wood
County was named for Colonel
Eleazor D. Wood , a graduate of West Point, a gallant
soldier, and the engineer who planned Fort
Meigs . The
fort was beseiged by Indians and the British many times
but repulsed every attack.
Out
of the Great Black Swamp of yesterday emerged a well drained,
rich, fertile, and productive county.
Wood
County has nineteen townships ,
twenty-one villages and five cities .
Visit
the Wood County Historical
Center and Museum to learn more information about
Wood County and Northwest Ohio. 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 Wood County are Lucas County (north), Ottawa County (northeast), Sandusky County (east), Seneca County (southeast), Hancock County (south), Putnam County (southwest corner), Henry County (west). Wood County Municipalities Include Bowling Green, Fostoria, Northwood, Perrysburg, Rossford, Bairdstown, Bloomdale, Bradner, Custar, Cygnet, Grand Rapids, Haskins, Hoytville, Jerry City, Luckey, Millbury, Milton Center, North Baltimore, Pemberville, Portage, Rising Sun, Tontogany, Wallbridge, Wayne, West Millgrove, Weston. Townships Include Bloom, Center, Freedom, Grand Rapids, Henry, Jackson, Lake, Liberty, Middleton, Milton, Montgomery, Perry, Perrysburg, Plain, Portage, Troy, Washington, Webster, Weston. Other localities Include Dunbridge, Lemoyne, Moline, Rudolph, Stony Ridge
|
||||||||
All Departments below are in the Wood County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square, Bowling Green, OH 43402; Phone: +1-419-354-9280, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.wood.oh.us/. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. Wood 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: Phone: 419.354.9230, Fax: 419.354.9357 Wood County Recorder has Land Records from 1820 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: Phone: 419-354-9140, Fax: 419-354-2039; Email: skinder@co.wood.oh.us Wood County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1823 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: 419-354-9042, (419) 354-9280
Below is a list of online resources for Wood County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Wood County Court Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
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 Wood County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Wood County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Wood 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 Wood 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 Wood County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Wood County Census Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
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 Wood County Maps. Email us with websites containing Wood County Maps by clicking the link below: |
||||||||
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 Wood County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Wood County Military Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
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 Wood County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Wood County Tax Records by clicking the link below: |
||||||||
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 Wood County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Wood County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
There are many churches and cemeteries in Wood County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Wood 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 Wood County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Wood County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
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 Wood County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Wood County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
|
||||||||
On February 12, 1820, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Wood County. Residents named the county in honor of a hero of the War of 1812. Wood County was originally part of territory set aside for Ohio’s Indian people by the Treaty of Greeneville. During the War of 1812, the county was the site of Fort Meigs, an important American fort that protected Ohio from a British invasion from Canada. Today, the Ohio Historical Society operates a museum at Fort Meigs. Wood County is located in the northwestern part of Ohio. The county seat is Bowling Green, which is the largest community in the county, with a population of 29,636 people in 2000. Bowling Green is also the site of Bowling Green State University. Two percent of the county’s 617 square miles are deemed to be urban. The county averages 196 people living in each square mile. Between 1990 and 2000, the county experienced a 6.9 percent increase in population. This growth primarily occurred due to residents of Toledo, Ohio, in neighboring Lucas County, seeking to escape the busyness of this large city. In 2000, the county’s residents numbered 121,065 people. Most of Wood County’s residents find employment in agricultural positions, with seventy-seven percent of the county’s acreage under cultivation. Wood County farmers rank first in Ohio in wheat production, second in tomatoes, third in soybeans, and fourth in corn. Manufacturing, retail, and service positions finish second, third, and fourth respectively. Many residents also work in Toledo. In 1999, the county’s per capita income was 26,737 dollars, with 7.1 percent of the county’s residents living below the poverty level. |
||||||||