Ohio Public Records

First Name Last Name

Ohio Vital Records
Ohio statewide vital records registration began in 1908. Two previous attempts to enact such legislation were largely unsuccessful, though fragments exist. Check the local county Probate Clerk for these earlier records.

For more information write:

Ohio Department of Health
Division of Vital Statistics
P.O. Box 15098
Columbus, OH 43215-0098
Tel: 614-466-2531
http://www.odh.state.oh.us
Birth - Dec. 29, 1908 to the present.
Death - Dec. 29, 1908 to the present
Marriage - Sept. 7, 1949 to the present. Marriage records that occurred prior to this date are on file in the probate court of the county where the marriage license was issued.
Divorce - Sept. 7, 1949 to the present. Divorce records that occurred prior to this date are on file in the probate court of the county where the marriage license was issued. The Ohio Historical Society holds Ohio state death records from December 20, 1908 through December 1994. Write to:

Ohio Historical Society
1982 Velma Avenue
Columbus, OH 43211-2497
Tel: 614-297-2300
614-297-2510 (Archives/Library)
Fax: 614-297-2411
E-mail: ohsref@ohiohistory.org
http://www.ohiohistory.org/

Ohio Historical Society's Vital Records Pages About Birth & Death Records in Ohio
http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/archlib/brthdth1.htm

Ohio Online Death Certificate Index 1913-1927 and 1933-1937
http://www.ohiohistory.org/dindex/search.cfm

Ohio Land Records
Ohio is a federal-land state. Lands were generally acquired from the federal government, from land companies or from other individuals. Government transactions included grants for military service. Other grants were made for a variety of purposes to individuals and companies who then in turn passed the land on to individuals. One of the largest tracts, the Connecticut Western Reserve, was a concession to the state of Connecticut for the sufferings of ill-fated towns in Connecticut during the Revolutionary War. The most famous tract in Ohio is the Virginia Military District. This region was reserved for the distribution of military bounty warrants by the state of Virginia. As well, the U.S. had a similar tract located in Ohio. Lands transacted between individuals are found on the county level, in the County Recorder's office. Most are available on microfilm at the FHL.

The Ohio Historical Society, 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211-2497; 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.

Further reading is necessary for a better understanding of Ohio's land groupings and collections. For further reference, see:

Burke, Thomas A. Ohio Lands: A Short History. Columbus, OH: Auditor of State, 1991.

Smith, Clifford Neal. Federal Land Series. Chicago: American Library Association, 1972-.

Peters, William E. Ohio Lands and Their Subdivisions. Athens, OH: the author, 1930.
Hone, E. Wade. Land and Property Research in the United States. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1997.

Ohio Court Records
Court records can be a complex source for any state. Their records entail probate records (which include wills), guardianship, naturalization, and a wide variety of other sources, ranging from criminal trials to simple road orders. All contain information about individuals within the area. It should be remembered that there are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United States, all of which should be considered for research under various circumstances. Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court, District Court, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and other titles are among those encountered. To study more about court records in general, see: "Research in Court Records" by Arlene H. Eakle, found in Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds., The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997).

Ohio Military Records
There is a long list of published (printed and/or microfilmed) 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. An excellent listing can be found in Bell's Ohio Guide to Genealogical Sources, listed below in "Additional Sources."

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. Similar microfilmed collections for Revolutionary War and War of 1812 involvement are also available at the FHL. The Ohio Historical Society holds a number of Civil War regimental histories on microfilm. The society also houses the "Graves Registration File," which includes several hundred microfilm reels with information on Ohio burial places for Veterans through the Vietnam era.

The Ohio Historical Society holds published rosters for the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War and World War I, which give some service information. These records are indexed.

For further information, consult:
Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1994.

Additional Sources
Bell, Carol Willsey. Ohio Guide to Genealogical Sources. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988.

–––. Ohio Genealogical Guide. 5th ed. Youngstown, OH: the author, 1990.
Harter, Stuart, comp. Ohio Genealogy and Local History Sources Index. Fort Wayne, IN: the compiler, 1986.

Khouw, P., et al. County by County in Ohio Genealogy. Columbus: State Library of Ohio, 1978.

Sperry, Kip. Genealogical Research in Ohio. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997.

Ohio Public Records:

Event: Birth or death

Cost of copy: $9.00

Address:
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Ohio Department of Health
35 East Chestnut Street, 6th Floor
P.O. Box 15098
Columbus, OH 43215-0098

Remarks: State office has had birth records since December 20, 1908. For earlier birth and death records, write to the Probate Court in the county where the event occurred. The State Office has death records that occurred after December 31, 1936. Death records that occurred December 20, 1908-December 31, 1936, can be obtained from the Ohio Historical Society, Archives Library Division, 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211-2497. A searchable index to records from 1913 to 1927 is also available via the Internet at http://www.ohiohistory.org.

Check or money order should be made payable to State Treasury. Personal checks are accepted. To verify current fees, the telephone number is (614) 466-2531. This will be a recorded message. Information on how to obtain certified copies is also available via the Internet at http://www.odh.state.oh.us.

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Event: Marriage (State)

Cost of copy: See remarks

Address:
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Ohio Department of Health
35 East Chestnut Street, 6th Floor
P.O. Box 15098
Columbus, OH 43215-0098

Remarks: Records since September 1949. All items may be verified. Certified copies are not available from State Health Department. Inquiries will be referred to appropriate office.

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Event: Marriage (county)

Cost of copy: Varies

Address: See remarks

Remarks: Probate Judge in county where license was issued.

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Event: Divorce (State)

Cost of copy: See remarks

Address:
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Ohio Department of Health
35 East Chestnut Street, 6th Floor
P.O. Box 15098
Columbus, OH 43215-0098

Remarks: Records since September 1949. All items may be verified. Certified copies are not available from State Health Department. Inquiries will be forwarded to appropriate office.

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Event: Divorce (county)

Cost of copy: Varies

Address: See remarks

Remarks: Clerk of Court of Common Pleas in county where divorce was granted.

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