Genealogical Research in Ohio

When the first Europeans entered Ohio in the 17th century the area was inhabited by the Native American tribes the Miami, the Shawnee, the Delaware, and the Wyandot. In total these tribes numbered about 15,000 people, and all of whom were hunters. The French were the first to explore the area, and they were joined by the English in the early 1700’s. Most were traders who introduced tobacco, rum, alcohol, guns, and other weapons to the Indians in exchange for their furs and pelts.

Both the English and French initially claimed Ohio, the clash of ambitions leading to the French and Indian War which ended in the defeat of the French in 1763. The British controlled most of the region until the Revolutionary War after which possession was granted to the United States. In 1788 the first permanent settlement in Ohio was founded at Marietta by a group of Revolutionary war veterans who had received land warrants as a reward for their service. This settlement eventually became the city of Cincinnati.

Settlers flocked to the region via the Ohio River, which in turn created resistance from the Native American tribes. The native tribes raided villages, burned houses, and drove many settlers away. Military expeditions against the Native tribes were initially unsuccessful, until Major General “Mad Anthony” Wayne took control of forces in the area. Wayne built roads and established new forts in the area, eventually routing the allied tribesman with a crack squad of riflemen that he trained himself. The Native American tribes surrendered their claims to their land in the southern portion of Ohio at the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.

By 1802 the population of Ohio had grown enough so that it could seek statehood; finally granted on March 1, 1803. Native Americans still roamed free outside of Ohio’s borders at this time however, and resistance against the white man’s expansion was initiated by the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh. The Indians raided Toledo, though the action was repelled by militia led by Gen. William Henry Harrison, and Tecumseh was slain and resistance finally ended in October 1813.

The restoration of peace saw another population explosion in Ohio as settlers rushed to garb parcels of the rich, fertile soil, and to take advantage of the many economic opportunities the area offered. Immigrants from England, Ireland, and Germany arrived, snapping up the $1.25 per acre land. By 1850 Ohio was the third most populated state in the Union.

The Civil war divided Ohio as much as any other state. Pro-abolition New Englanders populated the northern counties, while the southern counties had ties to Kentucky and Virginia. This period saw rise to the “Copperheads,” a group of anti-abolitionists who opposed President Lincoln’s policies and urged loyalty to the Confederacy. The movement was strong enough to have Clement Vallandigham, head of the Copperheads, nominated as governor, though he was defeated by the Unionist John Brough. Ohio officially entered the war in 1863 when the Confederate general John Hunt Morgan led a cavalry force on raid through the southern counties.

The greatest generals to serve the Union cause, William Tecumseh Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, and Philip H. Sheridan, came from Ohio, and each won crucial and decisive victories for the Union during the conflict.

Famous Battles Fought in Ohio

There have been very few battles fought within the borders of modern day Ohio, and none during the Civil War. A few skirmishes took place during the War of 1812, the most notable being the Siege of Fort Meigs. There were also many battles fought in the area against Native American Indian tribes, the bloodiest being the Battle on the Wabash, fought in 1791.

These battle accounts that exist can be very effective in uncovering the military records of your ancestor. They can tell you what regiments fought in which battles, and often include the names and ranks of many officers and enlisted men.

Boundary Changes: Boundary changes are a common obstacle when researching Ohio ancestors. You could be searching for an ancestor’s record in one county when in fact it is stored in a different one due to historical county boundary changes. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries can help you to overcome that problem. It provides a chronological listing of every boundary change that has occurred in the history of Ohio.

Name Changes: Surname changes, variations, and misspellings can complicate genealogical research. It is important to check all spelling variations. Soundex, a program that indexes names by sound, is a useful first step, but you can't rely on it completely as some name variations result in different Soundex codes. The surnames could be different, but the first name may be different too. You can also find records filed under initials, middle names, and nicknames as well, so you will need to get creative with surname variations and spellings in order to cover all the possibilities. For help with surname variations read our instructional article on How to Use Soundex.

Genealogical resources include not only records, but the organizations that house them, or can direct you to them. These institutions include: Archives, Libraries, Genealogical Societies, Family History Centers, Universities, Churches, and Museums.

Ohio Archives

Ohio Mailing Lists

Mailing lists are internet based facilities that use email to distribute a single message to all who subscribe to it. When information on a particular surname, new records, or any other important genealogy information related to the mailing list topic becomes available, the subscribers are alerted to it. Joining a mailing list is an excellent way to stay up to date on Ohio genealogy research topics. Rootsweb have an extensive listing of Ohio Mailing Lists on a variety of topics.

Ohio Message Boards

A message board is another internet based facility where people can post questions about a specific genealogy topic and have it answered by other genealogists. If you have questions about a surname, record type, or research topic, you can post your question and other researchers and genealogists will help you with the answer. Be sure to check back regularly, as the answers are not emailed to you. The message boards at the Ohio Genealogy Forum are completely free to use.

Ohio Newspapers and Periodicals

Many genealogy periodicals and historical newspapers contain reprinted copies of family genealogies, transcripts of family Bible records, information about local records and archives, census indexes, church records, queries, land records, obituaries, court records, cemetery records, and wills.

Historical Ohio Maps and Gazetteers

Maps are an integral part of genealogical research. They help us to locate landmarks, towns, cities, parishes, states, provinces, waterways and roads and streets. They also help us to determine when and where boundary changes might have taken place, and give us a visualization of the area we’re researching in.

For locating place names, a gazetteer is the best possible resource for any genealogist. Gazetteers are also sometimes called “place name dictionaries”, and can help you to locate the area in which you need to conduct research.

Ohio City Directories

City directories are similar to telephone directories in that they list the residents of a particular area. The difference though is what is important to genealogists, and that is they pre-date telephone directories. You can find an ancestor’s information such as their street address, place of employment, occupation, or the name of their spouse. A one-stop-shop for finding city directories in Ohio is the Ohio Online Historical Directories which contains a listing of every available historical directory related to Ohio.

Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records – Also known as vital records, birth, death, and marriage certificates are the most basic, yet most important records attached to your ancestor. The reason for their importance is that they not only place your ancestor in a specific place at a definite time, but potentially connect the individual to other relatives. Below is a list of repositories and websites where you can find Ohio vital records

Ohio began recording official records of births and deaths in 1911. Marriage licenses were required starting in 1867, but not filed at state level until 1913.

Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriages prior to May 1913 were recorded in the district county courts where the marriage took place. Ohio marriage licenses did not include the names of the parents unless the bride or groom was underage. Records can be found at:

Divorce records from 1861 until July 1951 were recorded in the Ohio District Courts.

Copies of official divorce records after July 1951 can be ordered from the Ohio Office of Vital Statistics.

Census Reports

Census records are among the most important genealogical documents for placing your ancestor in a particular place at a specific time. Like BDM records, they can also lead you to other ancestors, particularly those who were living under the authority of the head of household.

Ohio Church Records

Church and synagogue records are a valuable resource, especially for baptisms, marriages, and burials that took place before 1900. You will need to at least have an idea of your ancestor’s religious denomination, and in most cases you will have to visit a brick and mortar establishment to view them.

Most church records are kept by the individual church, although in some denominations, records are placed in a regional archive or maintained at the diocesan level. Local Historical Societies are sometimes the repository for the state’s older church records.

Central Repositories for Denominational Records

Most of the records of individual denominations are kept in central repositories.

Ohio Military Records

More than 40 million Americans have participated in some time of war service since America was colonized. The chance of finding your ancestor amongst those records is exceptionally high. Military records can even reveal individuals who never actually served, such as those who registered for the two World Wars but were never called to duty.

Ohio Cemetery Records

As convenient as it is to search cemetery records online, keep in mind that there are a few disadvantages over visiting a cemetery in person. They are:

• Tombstone information is not always accurately transcribed
• The arrangement of the graves in a cemetery can be crucial as family members are often buried next to each other or in the same grave. This arrangement is not always preserved in the alphabetical indexes that are found online.

Ohio Obituaries

Obituaries can reveal a wealth about our ancestor and other relatives. You can search our Ohio Newspaper Obituaries Listings from hundreds of Ohio newspapers online for free.

Ohio Wills and Probate Records

The documents found in a probate packet may include a complete inventory of a person’s estate, newspaper entries, witness testimony, a copy of a will, list of debtors and creditors, names of executors or trustees, names of heirs. They can not only tell you about the ancestor you’re currently researching, but lead to other ancestors.

Most of these records must be accessed at a county court or clerk’s office, but some can be found online as well. You can obtain copies of the original probate records by writing to the county clerk.

Ohio probate records have been recorded by the probate division clerks of the Ohio District Courts and include dockets, wills, oaths, inventories, letters, bonds, appraisements, accounts, court orders, claims, and final settlements.

Ohio Immigration and Naturalization Records

The naturalization process generated many types of records, including petitions, declarations of intention, and oaths of allegiance. These records can provide family historians with information such as a person's birth date and place of birth, immigration year, marital status, spouse information, occupation, witnesses' names and addresses, and more.

Most overseas immigrants came to Ohio through east coast ports such as New, and then traveled by railway to Ohio. Earlier immigrants landed at New Orleans and then traveled by steamboats upriver to Ohio. The U.S. National Archives has passenger lists or indexes of American ports for 1820 to 1940, as well as immigration and naturalization records for the entire United States. These records can also be accessed at the National Archives Regional Branch in Ohio City

Ohio Native American Records

Bibliographies

• Women in Ohio History, Marta Whitlock (Ohio Historical Society, 1976)
• Remember the Ladies: A Bibliography on Women in Montgomery County History, Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, 1986)
• Women in Cleveland: An Illustrated History, Marian J. Morton (Indiana University Press, 1995)
• Quilts in Community: Ohio’s Traditions, Ricky Clark (Rutledge Hill Press, 1991)

Selected Resources for Ohio Women’s History

Center for Women’s Studies
University of Cincinnati
155 McMicken Hall
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0164

Women’s Studies Archives
Jerome Library
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 34303

William O. Thompson memorial Library
Ohio State University
1800 Cannon Drive
Columbus, OH 43210

Common Ohio Surnames

The following surnames are among the most common in Ohio and are also being currently researched by other genealogists. If you find your surname here, there is a chance that some research has already been performed on your ancestor.

ABNER, ABSALOM, ADAMS, AGNER, AMMERMAN, ARMSTRONG, ASHINGER, AYRES, BAILEY, BAKER, BALL, BANTA, BARBER, BARD, BEALL, BARNHART, BEARD, BENNER, BIGGS, BISHOP, BLACK, BOBLETS, BOLING, BOWER, BOYD, BRASIER, BROTHERTON, BROWN, BRUBAKER, BRUMBAUGH, BUCHANAN, BUCHER, BURGESS, BUSH, BUTLER, CALES, CASE, CAMPBELL, CLEMENS, CLINE, CHAMBERS, COLE, COTTRELL, CRABILL, CRAIG, CROFT, CULTICE, DAVIS, DeCOURSEY, DETROW, DIEFENBACH, DISHER, DONALDSON, EARLY, EARLEY, EKES, ELKINS, FELIX, FILBERT, FOCHT, FOSTER, FRAME, FRANKLIN, FRITZ, FRY, GARDNER, GARLAND, GAVIN, GIFFORD, GIFT, GILLETTE, GILMORE, GORDON, GRAHAM, GRAY, GREGG, GRIMES, GREENFIELD, GRIFFIN, HAMILTON, HARBAUGH, HARLAN, HARRIS, HARSHMAN, HARPER, HATHAWAY, HENDERSON, HEWIT, HEWITT, HOFFMAN, HOERNER, HOUSE, HOWARD, HUDSON, HUNT, JAMESON, JEFFERIS, JOHNSON, JONES, KELLER, KELLEY, KIRKMAN, KISLING, KOONS, KRAMER, LANE, LAFORE, LAFOURE, LEONARD, LEWELLEN, LOSH, MacDONALD, MARSH, MARSHALL, MATCHETT, McCLERKIN, McCORMICH, McDOWELL, McGAW, McLAUGHLIN, MICHAEL, MONFORT, MOTE, MOORE, MORRIS, MORROW, MURPHY, MYERS, NATION, NEILL, NEITHERCUTT, NIXON, NUSSBAUM, O'NEAL, OSTERBERGER, OSTERBURGER, PAGE, PAINTER, PARROTT, PATRICK, PATTERSON, PERKINS, PINKERTON, POSTON, PRICE, PRILL, QUINN, RAMSEY, RAY, REED, RENO, RENAUD, RENAULT, RESSLER, REICHARD, RICHARDS, RIESER, RITZ, ROE, ROSS, RUNYON, SANDS, SAUER, SAUERLAND, SAYR, SAYRES, SEIBERT, SEITZ, SHAFER, SHEARER, SHEPARD, SHIVELY, SIGEL, SILVERS, SIMPSON, SLAUGHTER, SLOAN, SMITH, STIDHAM, STROOP, STUBBS, SURFACE, SUTTON, SWAILS, TAYLOR, THOMAS, THOMPSON, TIBBETS, TONEY, TRACY, TRIBBETT, TULLY, UTT, UTZ, VANTZ, VENA, WAGNER, WEAVER, WETZEL, WHITE, WHITEMAN, WRIGHT, YORK, YOUNG, ZEEK