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Ohio County Record Description & Facts |
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| Census Records | Court & Probate Records | Church & Cemetery Records | Land Records | Military Records | Vital Records |
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Ohio generally does not have any birth and death records prior to 1867. From 1867 to 1908 birth and death records were recorded at the probate court office in the county where the event occurred. After 1908 the event was recorded at the county's health department and also with the Vital Records Office in Columbus. A marriage record before 1949 (see Vital Records) will be found in the probate court office of the county where the event occurred. Deeds will be found in the county recorders office from the county's formation to the present. In mailing requests to any Ohio county office, use the name of the county and “County Courthouse” with the address listed below. The address given is that listed as the county government building. In some cases, some records are located at another address. Ann Fenley lists some of these in The Ohio Open Records Law and Genealogy (Dayton, Ohio: Ohio Connection, 1989). Carol Willsey Bell, Ohio Wills and Estates to 1850: An Index (Columbus, Ohio: the author, 1980). Several courthouses known to have had destructive fires. Note, however, that not all records were destroyed in these fires and that there may have been other fires or disasters. Before making any presumptions that the records have been lost, request the records needed. The courthouse fires are listed HERE. |
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Ohio Census Records - Statewide Records that exist for Ohio 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.The 1800 census exist for Washington County only. The 1810 census exist for Washington County only, all others burned in 1812. The 1820 census Franklin and Wood counties are missing, The 1890 population census exists only for Cincinnati (Hamilton County) and Wayne Township (Clinton County)
There are Industry and Agriculture Schedules (lists do not exist for all counties for each year) availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Union Veterans Schedules were conducted in 1890. Census of surviving Union veterans of the Civil War or their widows, listing service information, any service-connected disability, and current address. State Schedules: Ohio had no state census records. There are scattered county census records taken for militia purposes, plus personal and real estate tax lists, all of which have been incorrectly referred to as state census records. There are quadrennial enumerations taken every four years from 1803 to 1911 to determine voting districts. These include males (white only prior to 1863) over twenty-one years of age residing in a county, showing address, race, occupation, and whether a freeholder of land. Not all counties are available for each four year period, nor is each township for each county included. A list of the available records can be obtained from the Ohio Historical Society, where the enumerations are either on microfilm or in original form. This repository also holds “enumerations of school-aged youth” for selected years and counties. Contact the society for details. Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
Since 1790, the U.S. government has taken a nationwide population count every ten years. Unique in scope and often surprisingly detailed, the census population schedules created from 1790 to 1920 are among the most used of records created by the federal government. Over the course of two centuries the United States has changed significantly, and so has the census. From the six basic questions asked in the 1790 census, the scope and categories of information have changed and expanded dramatically. Early censuses were essentially basic counts of inhabitants; but as the nation grew, so did the need for statistics that would reflect the characteristics of the people. In 1850, the focus of the census was radically broadened. Going far beyond the vague questions previously asked of heads of households, the 1850 census enumerators were instructed to ask the age, sex, color, occupation, birthplace, and other questions regarding every individual in every household. Succeeding enumerations solicited more information; by 1920, census enumerators asked twenty-nine questions of every head of household and almost as many questions of everyone else in the residence. (Only a very small segment of the 1890 census remains; a fire in the Commerce Department destroyed the vast majority of the original records for that year. Because of privacy considerations, census records less than seventy-two years old are not available to the general public; thus, the 1920 census is the most recent available to the public.) Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do the U.S. federal censuses. The population schedules are successive “snapshots” of Americans that depict where and how they were living at particular periods in the past. Once home sources and library sources have been exhausted, the census is often the best starting point for further genealogical research. Statewide indexes are available for almost every census; they are logical tools for locating individuals whose precise place of residence is unknown. While some inaccuracies are to be expected in census records, they still provide some of the most fascinating and useful pieces of personal history to be found in any source. If nothing else, census records are important sources for placing individuals in specific places at specific times. Additionally, information found in the census will often point to other sources critical to complete research, such as court, land, military, immigration, naturalization, and vital records. The importance of census records does not diminish over time in any research project. It is always wise to return to these records as discoveries are made in other sources because, as you discover new evidence about individuals, some information that seemed unrelated or unimportant in a first look at the census may take on new importance. When you can’t find family, vital, or religious records, census records may be the only means of documenting the events of a person’s life. Vital registration—the official recording of births, deaths, and marriages—did not begin until around 1920 in many areas of the United States, and fires, floods and other disasters since have destroyed some official government records. When other documentation is missing, census records are frequently used by individuals who must prove their age or citizenship status (or that of their parents) for Social Security benefits, insurance, passports, and other important reasons. How to Find Census Records Starting With the Census |
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Ohio Court Records - Ohio can boast centralization of many research sources and clear jurisdiction on land and vital records. Probate records finding the correct jurisdiction for a particular time period is more complicated. For the 169 towns, there are about 130 probate districts. Jurisdictional lines have changed considerably over the three centuries, but their function has been consistent in probating wills, distributing estates, and appointing guardians.
Before 1698, probates were handled by the general court or the secretary of the colony and the particular courts. When the four counties were created, the probate jurisdiction paralleled that of the county, but by 1719 the four original districts started to divide. Each present probate district has a genealogy of its own. A Checklist of Probate Records in the Ohio State Library delineates the lines of descent for each present district. As with all probate records, not only the court record books themselves (clerk's transcripts of probate proceedings), but the estate papers or files (original wills, receipts, affidavits, etc.) contain essential genealogical information. The record books remain in the probate clerk's office with microfilm copies to about 1915 in the Ohio State Library and the FHL. The exception is New Haven, whose original record books are at the Ohio State Library instead of the probate clerk's office. Many of the district estate papers or files to 1900 (some later) have been deposited in the Ohio State Library. Packets of these original documents have been microfilmed to 1880 and are available on microfilm at both the Ohio State Library and the FHL. Photocopies of original files are no longer permitted because of their fragile condition. There is a state-wide index of these probate packets at the Ohio State Library.
Ohio Probate Records - From the time of the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 until 1802, three judges held courts in Ohio Territory, but the records are scarce. In 1804, a year after statehood, the territory was organized as one district court at Chillicothe. Considerable reorganization, divisions, and transfers later occurred in the system. Many Ohio records are found in county court records not intended for that particular purpose. Vital records, naturalizations (in probate court after 1851), and military pension applications are examples of items possibly found in the county court of common pleas located at the county seat until 1851 and later in the state supreme court files. Land records, deeds, and miscellaneous volumes can at times include records of court proceedings. Some court records may be deposited at the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers. The court of common pleas was responsible for probate and estate records beginning in 1797. Since 1851 probate functions have been under the jurisdiction of the probate court. Indexes are available in each probate office. Some probate records are on microfilm at the Ohio Historical Society and the FHL. The county probate court holds guardianship, name changes, insanity proceedings, naturalization, marriage records from the beginning of the county, and birth and death records 1867-1908. Adoptions in Ohio are processed through the probate court. Access to adoption records is restricted. For those prior to 1939, the probate court must be petitioned. From 1 January 1939 to 1 January 1964, adopted persons or their lineal descendants can obtain information from the Supervisor of Special Records in the State Department of Health in Columbus. Indexes are available in each probate office, while some records are accessible on microfilm at the Ohio Historical Society and the FHL.. An index is in progress for 1851-1900 Ohio wills. A county records manager, or similar office, has been created in some Ohio counties. This office may hold records generated by chancery courts, petition to partition land to settle an estate, probate journals, and probate case files. The term "probate" comes from the Latin word probatio, meaning, "to prove," wherein matters in early English religious courts were proven before an ecclesiastical judge. Early American probate courts may be traced back to English courts of chancery and ecclesiastical, or religious, courts, which had jurisdiction over the probate of wills, administration of estates and guardianships. The first probate court in the United States was established in Massachusetts in 1784. Similar courts were subsequently established in other states under the name of surrogate, orphan courts, or courts of the ordinary. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 provided for the first probate judge and court in the Ohio territory. Under the first Ohio Constitution written in 1802, the court of common pleas had exclusive jurisdiction of probate matters. The constitution of 1851 removed probate matters from the jurisdiction of common pleas courts and created in each county a separate probate court. Subsequent amendments to the constitution in 1912, 1951, 1968, 1973 and changes in the codified law in 1932 and 1976 have made the probate court what it is today: a special division of the court of common pleas. Each of Ohio’s 88 counties has a probate division of its court of common pleas.
Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
American court files mirror U.S. history. Buried away in courthouses and archives everywhere are the dreams and frustrations of millions of citizens. The chances are great that your ancestors have left a detailed record of at least some aspects of their lives in court records. Most of us don’t think of court records as the rich source of personal history that they are. But America’s English heritage established a tradition of court processes in which the people have a right to participate actively—and we always have. With relative freedom from royal supervision and with court enforcement of religious as well as civil laws, American courts tried many matters that were not subject to court action in other parts of the British empire and that are now considered too minor to warrant criminal action. When a person dies, every state has laws that provide for public supervision over the estate that is left, whether or not there is a will. The term “probate records” broadly covers all the records produced by these laws, although, strictly speaking, “probate” applies only when there is a will. Family historians use probate case files far more than any other kind of court record. Probate case files are logical sources because they tend to include so much personal data, and because Americans have depended on the courts to settle their estates since North America was colonized. According to Val Greenwood in his Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, “All records which relate to the disposition of an estate after its owner’s death are referred to as probate records. These are many and varied in both content and value, but basically, they fall into two main classes: testate and intestate” (page 255). Probate case files generally provide names, addresses, and biographical data for the deceased, but frequently provide the same information for other relatives named in the papers. Relationships, maiden names of wives, married names of daughters, past residences, and place of origin in a native country are just a few of the details that can be discovered in probate files. And probate files can be found in courthouses and archives across the United States. When requesting probate information from the county clerk, it is important not to limit yourself by asking for a person’s “will.” The clerk will usually take you at your word and not copy other papers in the probate file that may have equally important information if there is no will. Even if your ancestor is not mentioned in a probate case, consider all of the other procedures which might have resulted in him or her appearing in court records:
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Ohio Church Records - - 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.
Historical Records Survey for Ohio produced an Inventory of the Church Archives of Ohio Presbyterian Churches . Records of the Quakers in the Miami Vall ey and the Church of the Brethren of the Southern District of Ohio are available on microfilm through the FHL. The Western Reserve Historical Society has an extensive Shaker manuscript collection. Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio, has Mennonite records Ohio Cemetery Records - 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. See also:
Cemetery records and gravestone inscriptions are a rich source of information for family historians. Cemetery and other sources of information associated with death include:
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Ohio Land Records - In 1787, the Northwest Territory was formed, encompassing all lands north and west of the Ohio River. A Recorder's office was established in each county. Ohio became a state in 1803 and although the state constitution did not provide for a Recorder's office, the first state legislature mandated that a Recorder be appointed in each county by the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas. In 1829, the Recorder's office became an elective position and in 1936, the term was established at four years.
Today the County Recorder keeps and maintains accurate land records that are current, legible and easily accessible. An important aspect of the Recorder's work is to index each document so it may be readily located Accurate indexing makes it possible for persons searching land records to find the documents necessary to establish a "chain of title" (history of ownership) and ensures that any debts or encumbrances against the property are evident. These invaluable records are utilized by the general public, attorneys, historians, genealogists and land title examiners. Virginia, New York, Ohio, and Massachusetts claimed portions of land in this part of Northwest Territory based on charters granted by the kings of England. In 1778 the Congressional Committee proposed that these states cede their western lands. New York ceded in 1781, Virginia in 1784, Massachusetts in 1785, and Ohio in 1786 and 1800. Both Virginia and Ohio reserved lands in Ohio as part of the cession compromise. In 1784 the first Congressional Committee was appointed to prepare a plan for disposal of federal lands north of the Ohio River. The Land Act of 20 May 1785 set up a rectangular survey system (see pages 4-5) reserving one section in each township of thirty-six sections for the support of public schools. Originally, section twenty-nine in each township was reserved for religious purposes until 1833 when Congress authorized the State of Ohio to sell these sections. The following is a list and description of Ohio's land tracts that were the basis of initial government-to-individual transfers of land:
The Auditor of the State, 88 E. Broad Street, 5th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43266-0541; the National Archives; and the BLM, Eastern States Office in Alexandria, Virginia all have records dealing with some aspect of government-to-individual transfers of land. The Newberry Library in Chicago has very good resources on land records and boundary disputes for Ohio. Included in its collection are works on the Scioto Land Company and the Ohio Company, plus the microfilmed Ohio Land Grant Records, 1788-1820. Once granted by the federal government, subsequent transactions involving that land are recorded at the county recorder's office in deed books.
Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
U.S. House of Representative Private Claims, Vol. 1, Vol. 2 or Vol. 3 The right to own land has always been one of the great incentives for living in the United States. Yet researchers often overlook the importance of land records as a source of family history information. Written evidence of people’s entitlement goes back in time further than virtually any other type of record family historians might use. Land records meet the needs of researchers in different ways and contain a variety of genealogical and historical data. They are a major source of information for many family histories and provide primary source material for local history as well. They are closely related to probate and other official court records and should be investigated in connection with them. Land and property are leading issues in the settlement of estates, and the majority of civil cases in the courts deal with real and personal property. Although land records rarely yield vital statistics, in many instances they provide the only proof of family relationships. Often they include the names of heirs of an estate (including daughters’ married names and a widow’s subsequent married name) and refer to related probates and other court cases by number and court name. In some places where other records are scarce, the land records take on extra importance. Occasionally these documents disclose former residences and more often provide the new address of the grantors or heirs at the time of the sale of the property. Land records provide two types of important evidence for the family historian. First, they often document family relationships. Second, they place individuals in a specific time and place, allowing the researcher to sort people and families into neighborhoods and closely related groups. One of land records’ most important qualities is that they are sometimes the only records that allow us to distinguish one person of a common name from another. The National Archives has bounty-land warrant files, donation land entry files, homestead application files, and private land claim files relating to the entry of individual settlers on land in the public land states. There are no land records for the original thirteen states or for Maine, Vermont, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Hawaii. Records for these states are maintained by state officials, usually in the state capital. Searching for the record of a particular land grant from the federal government requires contacting both the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Archives (NARA). |
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There is a long list of published Ohio military records that are available through the FHL and throughout many genealogical libraries. These include records from the Civil War, Mexican War, American Revolution, War of 1812, Spanish-American War, and World War I. Loyalist records are an important resource in Ohio. A large concentration of loyalist material is available at the Ohio Historical Society, the Blegen Library at the University of Cincinnati, and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Search Revolutionary War 1775-83 Service Records, Rejected Pensions, Loyalists Records, 1775-1783 Pay Rolls, Courts-Martial, Officers, Pension Index, 1841 Pensioner Census
The site U.S. Wars list conflicts dating from earliest to 1865. Wars covered that are availibele are:
Search Revolutionary War 1775-83 Service Records, Rejected Pensions, Loyalists Records, 1775-1783 Pay Rolls, Courts-Martial, Officers, Pension Index, 1841 Pensioner Census The Kentucky Historical Society has indexed rosters for Revolutionary Soldiers buried in Kentucky and Kentuckians who served in the Mexican War, 1846–48. The University of Kentucky and Kentucky Historical Society house the state Sons of the American Revolution organization papers, and Eastern Kentucky State University published rosters of Civil War regiments from Kentucky. Below is a list of online resources for Kentucky in the Revolutionary War. Email us with websites containing information on Kentucky in the Revolutionary War by clicking the link below:
Civil War - Ohio did not grant state pensions, but the office of the State of Ohio, Adjutant General's Department, Room 11, State House Annex, Columbus, Ohio 43266-0605, holds the records for those who served in of the War of 1812 through the Vietnam era. They consist only of wartime records with no published indexes available across its holdings. The office does not hold information on national pension records. The Civil War index is on microfilm and is available through the FHL. Information from service records will be supplied for an individual at no charge, but full name, birth date, and other available information should be submitted if possible. Records for the War of 1812 are sketchy. A sample provided by the Adjutant General's Department gave the roll of various companies, giving the service dates of the unit and the members of the company, with their rank. The Ohio Society, Daughters of 1812, is computerizing data from some original militia rolls, 1810-20. A service number for World War II and Korea is very helpful. For Vietnam, a social security number is necessary. The Ohio Historical Society holds a number of Civil War regimental histories on microfilm that may be purchased from the society. A genealogically important and impressive, although not inclusive, resource is the "Graves Registration File" at the society, which includes several hundred microfilm reels with information on Ohio burial places for Veterans through the Vietnam era. Microfilm cards state name, war of service, date of death and burial site, and occasionally additional details on military service or family. The society will search the reference for a fee. Military records located at the county level may include soldiers' discharge and/or burial information. Search Civil War Soldiers, Service Records, Regiments, General Officers, Battle Summaries, Pension Index: 1861-1934, CSA Field Officers and the War of the Rebellion
Excerpts From the Book "Family History Made Easy"
Military records have originated at the federal, state, and local levels. Whether created in time of war or in time of peace, these records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served in the military forces of the United States. Almost every American family, in one generation or another, has seen one or more of its members serve in America’s armed forces. From regimental histories, which provide blow-by-blow accounts of a unit’s participation in military actions, to the personal details contained in the service and pension files of individual men and women, military records provide valuable information concerning a large and significant portion of the American population. And because military records have been preserved and made available at and through a number of research institutions, much information awaits the well-prepared researcher. How to Find Military Records When and where did the individual live? Did the family keep evidence of military service? Certificates, letters, journals, diaries, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, medals, swords, and other memorabilia kept in private collections may provide the basic facts needed to begin searching in military record collections. Military Time Lines Evidence of Military Service in Hometown Records Military History In addition to the standard histories, local public libraries and historical societies usually preserve and make available other types of publications that document the military history of the geographical areas they serve. Historical agencies collect biographies, letters, diaries, journals, and all sorts of memorabilia from military units and servicemen and -women. The personal accounts found in some collections are a fascinating means of stepping back in time. Firsthand accounts afford a better understanding of the day-to-day drudgery, loneliness, fears, and satisfactions of military life. Evidence of Military Service in Cemeteries Evidence of Military Service in Court Records Military Records in the National Archives A wonderful array of federal military records are available in major libraries and archives and through microfilm rental programs. (Heritage Quest, a division of AGLL, Inc., PO Box 329, Bountiful, UT 84011-0329, is a source of rental microfilms.) With sufficient identifying information, you may request a search of the registers of enlistments or the compiled military service records. The minimum information required for a search is (1) the soldier’s full name, (2) the war in which he or she served or period of service, and (3) the state from which he or she served. For the Civil War, you must also indicate whether the person served in Union or Confederate forces. A separate copy of the form must be used for military service, pension, and bounty-land warrant applications. Submit requests for information about individuals who served in the military before World War I on NATF form 80 (Order for Copies of Veterans Records). Write to the National Archives and Records Administration, General Reference Branch, Washington, DC 20408 to obtain copies of NATF form 80. Always ask for “all records” for an individual. Make requests for information about U.S. Army officers separated from the service after 1912 on standard form 180 (Request Pertaining to Military Records) and send it to the Military Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132. U.S. Military Records Records of state militias and the National Guard |
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Ohio Vital Records - Ohio enacted a statute in 1856–57 that required birth, death, and marriage registration, a law that was generally disregarded. Two types of “death records” known to be in existence before 1867 are records of cholera deaths, registered during some epidemics, and veterans' deaths. A later 1867 law again required registration of birth and death records. Some of these have survived. The third law, in 1908, established the more complete records now maintained.
For death and birth registration prior to 20 December 1908, contact the county. For birth registrations beginning 20 December 1908 and death registrations after 31 December 1936, write to the State Department of Health, Division of Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 15098, Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098. A certified photocopy of either record is $7; uncertified, $1.10. If exact date and place of birth or death cannot be provided with the request, they will search statewide indexes for the information for a fee of $3 per hour. Approximately ten years of indexes can be searched for one name in an hour. Unused finds are returned. It is not necessary to prove a relationship to obtain a birth or death record photocopy. Some city health departments may have city birth and death records if separate records were kept. The State Department of Health has registered births and deaths since 20 December 1908. Early in 1989 all Ohio death records for 20 December 1908 through 31 December 1936 and the respective indexes plus death indexes, for 1937–38 were transferred to the State Archives of Ohio housed by the Ohio Historical Society (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies). Actual death records for 1937–38 were not transferred. The Ohio Historical Society will search the aforementioned records for $7. The nonrefundable fee will cover a search of eight years and an uncertified copy of the record, if found. Certified copies require two $7 checks, the first to the Ohio Historical Society, the second made out to the Ohio Division of Vital Statistics. The Ohio Historical Society will forward that check and the certificate to Vital Statistics for certification. The second check will be returned if no record is found. Only one name with one spelling variation will be accepted in each request. One letter per patron per week is the limit, and a two to three month response time should be anticipated. Marriage records were kept by the office of the county probate clerks until 7 September 1949, when it became a state registration procedure. The statewide index to marriages begins with that date. Certified abstracts of marriages were filed with the state beginning 7 September 1949. The Division of Vital Statistics will search indexes of these abstracts for $3 per hour and indicate the county where the marriage occurred (the search covers about a ten-year period). However, certified copies of marriage records may only be obtained from the probate court of the county that issued the license (see County Resources). Ohio marriages to approximately 1865 are included in the IGI (see pages 1–2) of the FHL. The marriages in years between 1865 and 1949 are not indexed. Marriage records in Ohio usually include the following information: names of bride and groom, date of marriage, county and possibly the specific location, officiating party, and ages and residences of the bride and groom. The Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Network of American History Research Centers (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies) are collecting centers for early birth, marriage, and death records and may need to be contacted regarding their holdings in addition to the county courthouse. Hamilton County has the jurisdiction for the registration of marriages for Cincinnati. However, many of those records were lost in a courthouse fire. Records that survived were indexed by the WPA and include applications, licenses, and returns. Genealogists have reconstructed marriage records from ministers' daybooks, original certificates, and newspaper accounts. Marriage records from family and local sources have been collected by the DAR. The State Library of Ohio is the official depository for the state copies of DAR compilations. These records are listed in Carol W. Bell, Master Index Ohio D.A.R. Genealogical and Historical Records, Vol. 1 (Westlake, Ohio: Mrs. Thomas B. Clark, 1985). Local genealogical societies have compiled numerous vital records indexes. Cincinnati was also a “Gretna Green” (meaning, no questions asked) marriage locale. Although the records for Cincinnati are incomplete, they should be checked for a marriage not otherwise found in Ohio, Indiana, or Kentucky. An index of some Ohio marriages is Marjorie Smith, ed., Ohio Marriages 1790–1897 (1977; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1986). The information is extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly. Marriages, listed alphabetically by bride and groom, are from fifteen volumes of this periodical and begin in the early 1800s. This includes records from only nine counties. Since 1851, divorces have been handled by the county court of common pleas. Prior to 1851 the records were found in either the supreme court, the chancery court, or the court of common pleas, and then appealed through the legislature. See David G. Null's, “Ohio Divorces, 1803–1852,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 69 (March 1981): 109–14, for a list of people granted divorces by the legislature between 1795 and 1852.
Facts on Birth Records - Most early birth records contain very little biographical information. Typical early New England town and church records, for example, give little information beyond the name of the child, date and place of birth, and parents’ names. Some localities listed only the name of the father. While early birth records can be discouragingly lacking in information, by the mid-nineteenth century birth records in the United States began to include more information. Even though births were not widely recorded during the early years of America’s existence, the records that do exist may be the only source of a birth date for an individual and should always be consulted. Delayed births are also important vital registrations that you should consider for obtaining biographical information. When Social Security benefits were instituted in 1937, individuals claiming benefits had to document their birth even if the state of their birth did not require registration when they were born. Individuals who were not registered with state or county agencies at the time of their birth often applied for a delayed birth registration. Obtaining passports, insurance, and other benefits also required proof of age. Applications were accompanied with full name, address, and date and place of birth; father’s name, race, and place of birth; and evidence to support the facts presented. The evidence could be in the form of a baptismal certificate, Bible record, school record, affidavit from the attending physician or midwife, application for an insurance policy, birth certificate of a child, or an affidavit from a person having definite knowledge of the facts. Delayed birth records are usually filed and indexed separately from regular birth registrations, and it may be necessary to request a separate search for them.
Facts on Marriage Records - Because of the importance of the legal distribution and control of property, most states and counties began to record marriages before births and deaths. The recording of a marriage is a two-step process. Traditionally, couples apply for a license to marry, and the applications are usually filed loose among other applications or in bound volumes. Marriage returns are filed once the marriage has taken place. The latter document is the proof of a marriage (not the license application). Marriage applications are often filled out by both the bride and groom and typically contain a significant amount of genealogical information. They may list full names of the bride and groom, their residences, races, ages, dates and places of birth, previous marriages, occupations, and their parents’ names, places of birth, and occupations. Marriage certificates are issued by counties after the marriage ceremony is completed, and these are usually found among family items. While the certificates tend to have less biographical data than the application, the name of the individual officiating at the wedding may lead you to religious records by revealing the denomination. The religious records, in turn, may reveal the names of witnesses and other useful information. Early American records sometimes include marriage bonds, which served as a protection for the future children of the marriage. A bond obligated a prospective groom to pay the bond if he were discovered to be a bigamist or imposter or otherwise ineligible to contract a valid marriage. As long as the marriage was legal, the bond was void. Bonds generally include the groom’s name, name of the surety, the sum, and the date of the agreement.
Facts on Death Records - Early death records in the United States provide little more than the name of the deceased, the date of death, and the place of death. Obituaries and cemetery, court, and other records often provide more information about the deceased than do most official death records created before the last quarter of the 1800s. By 1900 death records included more details. They often include the name of the deceased; date, place, and cause of death; age at the time of death; place of birth; parents’ names; occupation; name of spouse; name of the person giving the information; the informant’s relationship to the deceased; the name and address of the funeral director; and the place of burial. Race is listed in some records, and modern death certificates generally include a Social Security number.
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