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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.
The following list of county Pages list some of the following: year the county was created; if different, the year it was fully organized for record keeping (in parentheses); and the parent county from which it was formed. Under parent county are some county names with an (*) indicating records may also be found there since the county may have been “attached” to those other counties for some period in its history.
The date listed for each record category is the earliest record known to exist in that county. It does not indicate that there are numerous records for that year and certainly does not indicate that all such events that year were actually registered. In some cases there may be lapses in records after the beginning year listed. For example, Adams County has birth and death records beginning in 1888—but only through 1893.
Choose from the counties below to view the county information.
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