Cuyahoga County, Ohio Genealogical Records Information

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SEARCH FOR YOUR ANCESTORS IN THESE OHIO GENEALOGICAL DATABASES:

OH Court, Land & Wills

OH Public Records

OH Birth, Marriage & Death

Cuyahoga County History and Information

Cuyahoga County Facts

Cuyahoga County was created on January 16, 1810 (Organized in 1810) and was formed from Geauga County. The County was named for the Cuyahoga River, it being an Indian word meaning "crooked". The County Seat is Cleveland. 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.

Counties adjacent to Cuyahoga County are the province of Ontario, Canada (north), Lake County (northeast), Geauga County (east), Summit County (southeast), Medina County (southwest), Lorain County (west), Portage County (southeast corner).

Cuyahoga County Municipalities Include Bay Village, Beachwood, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Berea, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Brook Park, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Highland Heights, Independence, Lakewood, Lyndhurst, Maple Heights, Mayfield Heights, Middleburg Heights, North Olmsted, North Royalton, Olmsted Falls, Parma, Parma Heights, Pepper Pike, Richmond Heights, Rocky River, Seven Hills, Shaker Heights, Solon, South Euclid, Strongsville, University Heights, Warrensville Heights, Westlake, Bentleyville, Bratenahl, Brooklyn Heights, Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga Heights, Gates Mills, Glenwillow, Highland Hills, Hunting Valley, Linndale, Mayfield, Moreland Hills, Newburgh Heights, North Randall, Oakwood, Orange, Valley View, Walton Hills, Woodmere. Townships Include Chagrin Falls, Olmsted, Paper townships

The Cuyahoga County Official Government Website
Search the Ohio USGenWeb Archives
Cuyahoga 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.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Records at the Cuyahoga 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.

Most old records are kept in the Cuyahoga County County Archives, 2905 Franklin Blvd NW, Cleveland 44113 , (216) 443-7250, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.cuyahogacounty.us . NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Cuyahoga County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1810, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1811 and is located at 1 Lakeside Avenue - Cleveland, Ohio 44113; 216-443-8764 or 216-443-8765
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.).

Cuyahoga County Recorder has Land Records from 1810 and is located at Administration Building, 1219 Ontario Street, Cleveland, Ohio; Phone Number: 216-443-7300, 216-443-8194
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.

Cuyahoga County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1823 and is located at Administrative Offices, Justice Center 1st Floor, 1200 Ontario Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1664; 216-443-7952
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 Cuyahoga County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Cuyahoga 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.
Cuyahoga 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.

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

Cuyahoga County, Ohio Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Cuyahoga Valley Chapter, OGS, PO Box 41414, Brecksville, OH 44141-0414; meets at the Independence Civic Center, 6363 Selig Blvd., Independence, OH at 7:30pm on the first Monday each month, with exception of January and September. No meetings July or August., E-mail: chsutton11@aol.com
Cuyahoga West Chapter, OGS, PO Box 26196, Fairview Park, OH 44126-0196, Cuyahoga West Chapter, OGS meets at the Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Rd., Westlake, on the third Wednesday of each month, at 7:00pm, with social time from 6:30-7:00., E-mail: CuyahogaWest@att.net
Cuyahoga County Archives, 2905 Franklin Blvd NW, Cleveland 44113; (216) 443-7250
East Cuyahoga Chapter, OGS, PO Box 24182, Lyndhurst, OH 44124-0182, East Cuyahoga Chapter, OGS meets on the first Monday of the month but not in months where there is an election. Meeting location is the Ross C. DeJohn Community Center, 6306 Marsol Drive, Mayfield Heights, OH. Meeting time is 7:30pm., E-mail: MorgaBD@msn.com
Hudson Genealogical Study Group, Hudson Library and Historical Society, 96 Library St. Dept G, Hudson, OH 44236; Hudson Genealogical Study Group meets at 9:30am at the Hudson Library and Historical Society, 96 Library St., Hudson, OH on the second, third, and fourth Saturdays of each month., E-mail: hgsg@bigfoot.com
Southwest Cuyahoga County Chapter, OGS, 13305 Pearl Rd., Strongville, Oh 44136; meets at the Strongsville Old Town Hall, 18825 Royalton Rd. at 7:30pm on the second Thursday in January, February, March, April, May, September, October, November, and December., E-mail: gmtjaden@aol.com
Greater Cleveland Chapter, OGS, PO Box 40254, Cleveland, OH 44140-0254; meets at the Fairview Park Regional Library, 4449 W. 213th St., Fairview Park on the third Monday at 7:00pm of each month, except July and December., E-mail: mjfc99@core.com
Western Reserve Historical Society Library and Archives, 10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio, 44106; 216-721-5722 x 224, FAX 216-721-5702
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

Cuyahoga 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 Cuyahoga County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Cuyahoga 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 Cuyahoga County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Cuyahoga County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Ohio Cemetery Records: Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly
Chris Lindegarde's Cemetery Transcriptions and Photos'
Cuyahoga County & Cleveland Death Indexes, Records & Obituaries
Cuyahoga County, Ohio Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Cuyahoga 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 Cuyahoga County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Cuyahoga County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Cuyahoga County ] [ Ohio ] [ Main Page ]
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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
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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
Cuyahoga County, Ohio Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

On January 16, 1810, the Ohio government established Cuyahoga County. Residents took the county’s name from the Indian word “Cuyahoga” or “crooked river.” The state made Cuyahoga County from part of Geauga County. Cuyahoga County was originally part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, and Moses Cleaveland brought the first white settlers to the area in 1796. He established the city of Cleveland that same year. With completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal and its location on Lake Erie, Cleveland prospered as a trade center, and the city also became a major industrial site in the late 1800s.

Cuyahoga County is located in the northern portion of Ohio and covers 458 square miles. Its northern border is Lake Erie. The county has experienced a small decline in population, losing 1.3 percent of its 1,398,169 residents between 1995 and 2000. As of 2000, Cuyahoga County still ranked as Ohio’s most heavily populated county, averaging almost 3,044 residents per square mile. Cleveland is the county seat and is also the county’s largest city, with a population of 447,459 people in 2000. Cleveland is unusual in comparison to Ohio’s other large cities, as it has lost population, nearly thirty thousand people between 1990 and 2000. This decline has principally resulted from the loss of industrial jobs in recent years. The next largest city in Cuyahoga County is Parma, a suburb of Cleveland. The county is ethnically diverse, as people from all around the world came to Cleveland during the late 1800s and the early 1900s looking for work in the city’s industries.

Approximately forty-five percent of Cuyahoga County’s residents earn their livings by working in service industries, including in health care and in communications. Manufacturing and sales combine for almost fifty percent of the county’s employment opportunities. Some residents work in the shipping industry, transferring coal, iron ore, and steel across the Great Lakes. A new tourism industry has blossomed in the county, especially with the construction of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. The county also has three Major League professional sports franchises, the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Cleveland Indians, encouraging tourism. The county’s average income was approximately 32,200 dollars per person in 1999, with almost fourteen percent of the population living in poverty. In Cleveland, the poverty rate was much higher. Until 2005, a greater percentage of Clevelanders lived in poverty than residents of any other city.

Cleveland was the first settlement founded in the Connecticut Western Reserve by the Connecticut Land Company. It was named after General Moses Cleaveland, an investor in the company who led the survey of its land within the Western Reserve. The town was located along the eastern bank of the Cuyahoga River. Because of a spelling error on the original map, the community has always been spelled Cleveland instead of Cleaveland. The first survey of Cleveland was completed in 1796, and it included 220 lots. The company originally charged fifty dollars for lots in the settlement and found that few people were willing to pay that much to live there. As late as 1800, a company representative reported that only three men lived in Cleveland. Ten years later, there were only fifty-seven residents. Despite its small population, Cleveland became the Cuyahoga County seat in 1807.

Although the settlement was located near Lake Erie, the population did not grow significantly until after the War of 1812. By this time, the threat of Native American attacks had ended and money was invested in road improvements and a harbor for the community. Cleveland became known as a market town where farmers brought crops to sell and merchants offered goods from the East. Even so, the settlement grew slowly because of the lack of adequate roads connecting it to other parts of the state. By 1820, only 606 people lived in Cleveland.

During the 1820s, the city experienced some growth due to the arrival of new forms of transportation. The Erie Canal connected the city with the Atlantic Ocean during the 1820s. The first steamboat on Lake Erie, the Walk-In-The-Water,allowed for quicker trade between Cleveland and other localities along the lake. During the 1820s and the 1830s, construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal connected Lake Erie with the Ohio River. In the 1850s, railroads came to Cleveland. In forty years, Cleveland's population increased from under one thousand to more than forty thousand people.

During the late nineteenth century, Cleveland became an important industrial city. Located along numerous transportation routes as well as near large deposits of coal and iron ore, the city prospered. John D. Rockefeller and his partners began the Standard Oil Company in Cleveland during the 1860s. At the same time, Samuel Mather began steel production and enhanced Cleveland's economic importance. In 1880, twenty-eight percent of Cleveland's workforce found work in the steel mills. Cleveland emerged as an important industrial center, but its citizens sometimes suffered. During the Great Depression, both the steel and oil companies endured difficult financial times. To stay afloat, many businesses laid off workers. By 1933, roughly one-third of Cleveland's workers were unemployed during the third full year of the Great Depression.

Cleveland became a leader in cultural and social activities in northern Ohio during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. In 1894, Euclid Beach Park opened. It was an amusement park, and locals referred to it as Cleveland's "Coney Island." Seven years later, professional baseball arrived in the city with the formation of the American League. Cleveland's team was originally known as the Cleveland Blues. It changed its name in 1915 to the Cleveland Indians. During the late 1910s, both the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Orchestra were founded.

During the first half of the twentieth century, Cleveland played an important role in national politics. In 1924 and in 1936, the Republican Party held its National Convention in the city.

Following World War II, Cleveland experienced some difficult times. The city's population peaked at almost one million people in 1950. It has experienced a steady decline since that point. In 2000, approximately 500,000 people resided in the city. The Cleveland Browns professional football team was formed in 1946. During the 1990s, the original Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and became the Baltimore Ravens. The National Basketball Association awarded the city a professional basketball team, the Cavaliers, in 1970.

An oil slick on the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969. In 1976, the United States District Court ruled that Cleveland city schools were segregated by race. Two years later, Cleveland became the first city since the Great Depression to default on its financial obligations. At that point, the city was more than thirty million dollars in debt. Cleveland remained in default until 1987.

Despite these negative events, Cleveland residents have had much to celebrate in recent years. The Cleveland Indians emerged as one of the leading teams in the American League during the 1990s. In 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened. Cleveland has been named an All-America City on several occasions over the past twenty years. The National Football League awarded Cleveland a new team, and the Cleveland Browns were reborn. The Cuyahoga River Valley has been reclaimed and the City of Cleveland once again has emerged as an important economic and cultural center in the Midwest.

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