Knox County, Ohio Genealogical Records Information

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Knox County History and Information

Knox County Facts

Knox County was created on January 30, 1808 and was formed from Fairfield and Franklin Counties. The County was named for General Henry Knox, an officer in the American Revolutionary War and later first Secretary of War. Mount Vernon is the county seat of Knox County, Ohio. Established in 1805, residents named the town after George Washington's home, which was also known as Mount Vernon. 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 Knox County are Richland County (north), Ashland County (far northeast), Holmes County (northeast), Coshocton County (east), Licking County (south), Delaware County (southwest), Morrow County (northwest).

Knox County Municipalities Include Mount Vernon, Centerburg, Danville, Fredericktown, Gambier, Gann, Martinsburg, Utica. Townships Include Berlin, Brown, Butler, Clay, Clinton, College, Harrison, Hilliar, Howard, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Middlebury, Milford, Miller, Monroe, Morgan, Morris, Pike, Pleasant, Union, Wayne. Other localities Include Bladensburg, Howard, Mt. Liberty

The Knox County Official Government Website
Search the Ohio USGenWeb Archives
Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox County Courthouse 114 East Chestnut Street, Mount Vernon, OH 43055; Phone: +1-614-393-6755, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.knoxcountyohio.org/ . NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Knox County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1808, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1808 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (740) 393-6798, (740) 393-6797; Fax(740) 393-6832
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.).

Knox County Recorder has Land Records from 1808 and is located at 117 E High St, Ste 114, Mt Vernon, OH 43050; Phone: 740-393-6755 or 740-393-6756
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.

Knox County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1808 and is located at 111 East High Street, Second Floor, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050; Phone 740.393.6777
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 Knox County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Knox 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.
Knox 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.

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

Knox County, Ohio Tax Books at Amazon.com

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

Knox County Chapter, OGS, PO Box 1098, Mt. Vernon, OH 43050-1098; Knox County Chapter, OGS meets the third Monday of each month at 7:30 pm at Faith Lutheran Church, 170 Mansfield Ave., Mount Vernon, OH., E-mail: KnoxGenealogy@yahoo.com
Knox County Historical Society/Museum, 997 Harcourt Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050; 740-393-5247
Fredericktown Historical Society, 2 East Sandusky Street, Fredericktown, OH 43019; 740-694-5741
Moundview Cemetery, 307 Wooster Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050; 740-393-9581
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

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

Ohio Cemetery Records: Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly
Knox County, Ohio Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Knox 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 Knox County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Knox County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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

County History

On January 30, 1808, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Knox County. Resident named the county in honor of Henry Knox, a hero from the War of 1812 and the first United States Secretary of War. Knox County was originally part of Fairfield County.

Knox County is located in the northeastern part of central Ohio. It is predominantly rural, with less than one percent of the county’s 527 square miles consisting of urban areas. The county seat is Mount Vernon, which, with a population of 14,375 people, was the county’s largest community in 2000. Knox County experienced a significant increase in population—roughly 14.8 percent—between 1990 and 2000, raising the total number of residents to 54,500 people. Many residents of Ohio’s rural communities are seeking better lives and more opportunities in the state’s cities, but Knox County is increasing in population. The county averages 103 people per square mile.

Farming is the largest employer in Knox County, with sixty percent of the county’s acreage under cultivation. Within Ohio, Knox County farmers rank first in sheep raising. Manufacturing positions and service industries finish a close second and third behind agriculture. In 1999, the per capita income in the county was 20,850 dollars, with just over ten percent of the people living in poverty.

Events of 1800 to 1825

In the year 1800, Ohio’s many new settlers were reaching toward the 60,000 population required for Ohio’s entry as our 17th State, which occurred in March, 1803. Soon the land that would become Knox County was being occupied by individuals and families from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and other states. John Chapman, later known as Johnny Appleseed, arrived in time to vote in Mount Vernon’s first election, about 1806.

Our first towns were established at Clinton and Mount Vernon, followed shortly by Fredericktown, Danville, and Houck’s Settlement, near Centerburg. By 1825 there would be 12 post offices within the county. Knox County was established in 1808, being named for General Henry Knox, longtime friend and Secretary of War to George Washington. Mount Vernon became the county seat and as our population grew new roads and businesses were built in and around the county.

Our first and second courthouses were built during this period, and Captain Joseph Walker led a Company of Knox County men into service in the War of 1812. Trouble with Indians was a constant concern at that time, especially in Richland County, which was a part of Knox County until 1813.

Our first weekly newspaper, the Ohio Register, began at Clinton in 1813, and in 1816, the short-lived Owl Creek Bank opened its doors. Daniel Decatur Emmett and Mary Ann Ball (Mother Bickerdyke) were born here during these years, and our first schoolhouse was set up near the Mount Vernon Public Square. Owl Creek Baptist, St. Luke’s Catholic, and Presbyterian churches were established early on, soon followed by many others. By 1825, our population was above 2000, and the county had been divided into nearly all the townships we have today.

Events Of 1826 to 1850

It was in 1826 that attorney Henry Curtis encouraged Bishop Philander Chase to bring Kenyon college from Worthington to the rural countryside that would become Gambier, Ohio. In 1828, Johnny Appleseed sold one of his downtown Mount Vernon lots and moved into western Ohio and on to Indiana. A year later, in 1829, our second courthouse became weakened and collapsed and was soon replaced by a third, very beautiful courthouse located near the northwest corner of the square. Our county population was then given at 8,326.

In the early 1830’s, young Dan Emmett ran off to join the Army, and a few years later he launched his musical and minstrel show career. In 1833, brothers Charles and Elias Cooper established their foundry business in Mount Vernon which has continued through numerous name changes to the present day. Newspapers such as the Knox County Gazette, The Western Aurora, The Mount Vernon Republican, The Democratic Banner, and The True Whig arrived and continued with mixed success. Knox Countians participated in the Texas War for Independence in 1836 and in the War with Mexico in 1846.

Many new communities were established during these years, including Amity, Ankenytown, Bladensburg, Brandon, Brinkhaven (as Nonpareil), Centerburg, Chesterville, Gambier, Howard, Jelloway, Lock, Lucerne, Martinsburg, Millwood, Monroe Mills, Mount Liberty, North Liberty, Sparta, and Wolfe’s. The first U. S. postage stamps were issued in 1847 but were available in Knox County only at Fredericktown and Gambier, even though 34 new post offices opened here during these years.

The year 1848 saw the establishment by Henry B. Curtis, and others of the Knox County Bank of Mount Vernon, a branch of the State Bank of Ohio. That same year, the formation of Morrow County took away from Old Knox our three townships north of Centerburg. Our first Knox County Fair was held in 1849, also the year that a number of leading Knox County citizens formed our first, though short-lived, Historical Society. Many of our county’s beautiful homes, featuring Greek Revival and other architectural styles, were planned and constructed during these years as well.

Events Of 1851 to 1875

The middle years of the nineteenth century were full of activity in Knox County. New commercial maps in 1853 and 1870 show the growth of Mount Vernon. In 1858, a new and permanent county fairgrounds was established within the city at Division St.. And during this period, many local men and women came to prominence in politics and military affairs.

Amelia Bloomer was here for a year in 1854 as editor of the temperance and women’s rights newspaper, The Lily. Throughout the county, both churches and political groups strongly argued their views on the slavery question and other issues leading up to the Civil War. Newspaperman and politician, A. Banning Norton, left Ohio for Texas, but returned in 1861 when it seceded early in the War. During that year he wrote the first history of Knox County and published it in 1862.

The Woodward Opera House was built and opened in the early 1850’s. In Fredericktown, a foundry was begun in 1851 that would become well-known for its farm, school and church bells. After standing for 25 years, our third courthouse was destroyed in a windstorm in 1854. The following year saw the completion of our present beautiful Greek Revival courthouse as its replacement. A city ordinance in 1856 provided for the first board of education in Mount Vernon, and by 1859, our elementary schools were graded and our first high school had been opened. That same year, the song, Dixie, was written and published for a New York minstrel show.

The 1860’s brought the great Civil War, with more than 3000 Knox County men serving in twenty companies throughout its duration. Hundreds gave their lives and lie buried at Shiloh, Petersburg, Murfreesboro, and Gettysburg. Knox County’s Mary Ann Ball “Mother” Bickerdyke also served as a pioneer in the establishment of hospitals and improved health care for the wounded. Peace Democrat and “Copperhead” spokesman, Clement Vallandigham, gave his famous speech on Mount Vernon’s public square just two months before Gettysburg, for which he was arrested and convicted of “treasonous speech.”

The population of the county showed continued growth during these years, with new post offices being established at Bangs, Chanticleer (Rich Hill), Gann (Brinkhaven), Greersville, Hunt’s Station, Indian Field (Howard), Maple Grove, and Pipesville.

Events Of 1876 to 1900

It was in 1875 that the C. & G. Cooper Co. developed and patented the innovative “traction gear” drive, making their steam-driven farm engines self-propelled. A few years later they would be self-steered as well, eliminating the need for horses altogether. The Mount Vernon Bridge Co. was begun in the late 1870’s, constructing many large and small bridges before it fell on hard times and closed during the economic downturn of the 1890’s, to be reborn under new management just few years later. Kenyon graduate, Rutherford B. Hayes, served as our 19th U.S. President from 1876-1880.

During the 1880’s, William C. Cooper served in the U.S. House of Representatives and was responsible for the revised federal election laws we operate under today. Our fairgrounds relocated to its present location on Wooster Road., but was sold in the 1890’s to become Hiawatha Park, an entertainment center and summer resort. N. N. Hill published his massive History of Knox County in 1881, and soon after, telephone and electric service came to our county.

Eleven new post offices opened, at Ankenytown, Batemantown, Buckeye City, Delano, Esto, Eugene, Morgan Center, Nunda, Rolla, Rosstown, and Zuck. As the century came to a close, Mount Vernon’s Company L saw action for eight months in Puerto Rico in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.

Events Of 1901 to 1925

With the new century came a steady increase in streetcar service and automobile ownership, accompanied by the growth of bridges, brick streets, and paved roads and highways. By the 1920’s the 3-C Highway was paved between Mount Vernon and Columbus. Dan Emmett died in 1904. Fredericktown, Centerburg, and Gambier had built their own water systems by 1910. Discoveries of oil and natural gas brought new industry to the county, particularly the five glassmaking plants operating here by 1911. The J. B. Foote Foundry was thriving in Fredericktown. In 1912, Albert B. Williams published his new Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio.

The Flood of 1913 caused great losses here and throughout Ohio, with many roads and bridges destroyed in the county. A new jail was built that same year. Soon after, Knox County boys would be serving in Battery E of the Ohio 37th Division in France during World War I.

The creation of the U.S. “Rural Free Delivery” service, or RFD, led to greatly improved mail service to rural homes, but also resulted in the closing of many small county post offices. While Knox County had 37 active post offices in the 1890’s, that number dropped to just 15 in the 1920’s.

Events Of 1926 to 1950

Tragic fires begin and end this period, with the destruction of the Knox Oil Refinery in 1925 and Old Kenyon at Gambier in 1949. The Memorial Building was opened in 1926 and the highway to Coshocton was completed by 1927. In 1929, The Cooper-Bessemer merger occured just prior to the October stock market crash.

The depression hit the county hard, but the arrival of Shellmar, a packaging company previously based in Chicago, helped the local economy greatly. The Mount Vernon News emerged after absorbing the old Democratic Banner. The county’s many one-room schools declined as consolidations and new districts were formed. Dial telephone service came to Gambier in 1939, Fredericktown in 1941, Centerburg in 1948, but not to Mount Vernon until 1950.

More than 4,400 men and women would serve in World War II from Knox County, with 123 giving their lives. The U. S. Navy received diesel engines from Cooper-Bessemer and landing craft from the Mount Vernon Bridge Company during the war, and Shellmar provided special packaging for army food products. By mid-century, we faced the beginnings of action in the Korean War.

Events Of 1951 to 1975

In March, 1950, Fredericktown marked the 100th anniversary of its incorporation. With the middle of the nineteenth century also came the outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June of 1950, and the loss of 18 Knox Co. servicemen before its end. Radio broadcasting began in 1951 with WMVO-FM, and its AM service went on the air in 1953. Mount Vernon’s new library was dedicated in 1952, and our telephone company offices suffered a devastating fire in 1953. Mount Vernon celebrated its Sesquicentennial in 1955. The Mount Vernon Bible College opened at Bangs in 1957, the year that Pitkin’s Market closed. And in 1959, winter snow and rain resulted in one of our biggest floods of the twentieth century.

In the early 1960’s the Mount Vernon Bridge Co. closed permanently, passenger railroad service ended here, and Gambier and Amity School Districts joined the Mount Vernon School District. Interstate 71 was opened, Mount Vernon’s new city hall and Martin Memorial Hospital expansions were completed, and Wenco located in the new Industrial Park.

In the later ‘60’s, Cooper became Cooper Industries, with the headquarters moving to Houston, Texas. In education, Kenyon College went co-ed as The Mount Vernon Nazarene College opened its doors next to our new Joint Vocational and High Schools.

The early 1970’s saw the beginning of the Ariel Corporation, Kelsey-Hayes, and Apple Valley, and the closing of the Cooper Foundry and the Vernon Theater. From 1963 through 1973 many of our citizens gave military service in Vietnam, with 31 lives lost from Knox County.

Events Of 1976 to Present

The past quarter century has seen much growth and change in Knox County. In 1976, Fred Lorey published his excellent history of Knox County during the U. S. Bicentennial year, the year that our Pittsburgh Plate Glass Works closed. Record cold weather in 1977 and the blizzard of 1978 were big news. Betty Winand became Mount Vernon’s first woman Mayor in 1979. The next year Bert Moore was among those taken hostage in Iran, to be released in 1981.

In the early 1980’s, prominent downtown businessmen undertook the revitalization of South Main St. storefronts, actor Paul Lynde died, the new Knox Community Hospital opened, and the Mount Vernon Post Office celebrated its 175th year. In 1986, Beck’s Drive-In closed, and the Agricultural Museum opened at the Fairgrounds. The following year our Knox County Historical Society Museum opened on Harcourt Road and soon after, the Public Library expanded and the Bible College at Bangs closed its doors.

After 121 years of operation, the Ringwalt Store closed in 1990, and the First Knox National Bank later expanded to fill the block. In the early 1990’s, the Kokosing Gap Bike Trail opened and was later extended to Danville. Coshocton Road became busier with many new businesses as well as the Knox Village Square Shopping Center. The citizens of Fredericktown funded the new Public Library in 1994, and in 1995, local Cooper Industries operations became part of Cooper-Cameron.

The later 1990’s saw the opening of the new Mount Vernon Middle School and the closing of American National Can, originally Shellmar. And in 1999, Cooper-Cameron’s Mount Vernon operation became Rolls-Royce Energy Systems, Inc.

The new century brought two major expansions to our KCHS Museum, and the County got a new jail, health department, and other facilities. And as we celebrate Ohio’s Bicentennial in 2003, we look forward to new school facilities throughout the county, a restored Woodward Opera House, and much growth in tourism in and around Knox County, just in time for our own bicentennial celebrations in Mount Vernon and Knox County.

Mount Vernon is the county seat of Knox County, Ohio. Established in 1805, residents named the town after George Washington's home, which was also known as Mount Vernon. During the town's early years, residents congregated in the town on Saturday afternoons and helped clear stumps of trees from the city streets. Following several hours of hard work, residents then concocted an alcoholic drink to applaud themselves.

Mount Vernon grew quickly, having a population of 2,363 people in 1840. By 1846, the town contained eight churches, thirty-three stores, three newspaper offices, one woolen mill, four gristmills, and five sawmills. In 1880, 5,249 people resided in Mount Vernon. Four newspaper offices provided news to locals, and the town also contained ten churches and three banks. Numerous manufacturing businesses existed in the town, with C&G Cooper, a sawmill company, being the largest, employing 190 residents. Most businesses provided services of manufactured goods for farmers in the surrounding countryside.

Mount Vernon continued to grow during the twentieth century. During the first several decades of the 1900s, glass production and natural gas extraction were two important industries. Today, Mount Vernon residents work in a wide variety of fields, including in retail positions, manufacturing jobs, and also in various service positions. With a population of 14,375 people, Mount Vernon was Knox County's largest community in 2000. Approximately twenty-five percent of the county's entire population resided in Mount Vernon that same year.

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