Ohio Genealogy - Free Ohio Genealogy

Ohio Genealogy. This state page of our website provides direct links to free Ohio genealogy databases and historical titles and information found on Ohio Genealogy, whether they exist on our site, or across the web.

Ohio African American Genealogy

Homegoing Programs From African-American Genealogical Society of Cleveland, Ohio
With Diplomas of Patriotism:
African American Civil War Veterans in Ohio

Ohio Bible Records

Ohio Genealogical Society Bible Records Index
This is an index of the OGS Bible Records Collection. The collection, housed at the OGS Library in Mansfield, contains nearly 3,000 Bible records. This index contains nearly 72,000 names.

Ohio Biographies

Cleveland Ohio Biography – The Book of Clevelanders
A Biographical Dictionary of Living Men of the City of Cleveland, Ohio. This manuscript depicts the lives of younger men of Cleveland, Ohio - men who were making the greater Cleveland to come - not the Cleveland of the past. Written by each man's own hand, with minimal editorial input, this unique approach to compiling such a volume may provide researchers with the only written text their ancestor has on record.

Ohio Cemetery Records

Ohio Cemetery Records
An extensive index of available online indices and images for Ohio Cemetery Records. Broken down by county.

Ohio Census Records

Ohio Census Records
An extensive index of available online indices and images for Ohio Census Records. Broken down by county.
Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850
This project was indexed in partnership with the Ohio Genealogical Society. Name index of tax records as recorded with the County Auditor of each county. Includes the following Ohio counties: Ashtabula, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Guernsey, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Monroe, Trumbull and Washington. The majority of the tax records in this collection are for the years 1816 through 1838. Additional records will be added as they are completed.

Ohio County Resources

Athens County
- History of Athens County, Ohio
- Southern Ohio, Highland and Adams County Churches
- Athens County Ohio Genealogy
  Most of the Athens County Ohio Genealogy collection has been extracted from Walker's History of Athens County. These consist of numerous biographies, lists of town officers and land records. To this has been added an 1820 census index of Athens County, extracted from the original records by Dennis Partridge. And transcriptions from several cemeteries extracted from WPA lists.
- WPA Annals of Cleveland, 1818-1937
  During the New Deal Era, workers of Annals of Cleveland staff summarized and indexed material from early Cleveland newspapers, beginning with the inaugural issue of the city's first paper, the July 31, 1818 Cleaveland Gazette and Commercial Register. The project provided jobs for unemployed white-collar workers during the Depression of the 1930s and created an important record of early life and thought in the city of Cleveland.
Athens County:
- Charles Byron Burley, Company C, 141st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Clermont County:
- Obannon Baptist Brethren Church
Highland County:
- Southern Ohio, Highland and Adams County Churches
Paulding County:
- Blue Creek Alumni Association, 1900-1971
- Latty High School Alumni

Ohio Genealogy and History

Cincinnatian – University of Cincinnati Yearbook
The Cincinnatian was published annually by the students of the University of Cincinnati from 1894 through 1972, with the exception of 1906, and sporadically since 1972.

Ohio Genealogy Websites

Ohio Land Records

U.S., Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1820-1908
3,907 land management tract books containing official records of the land status and transactions involving surveyed public lands arranged by state and then by township and range. These books indicate who obtained the land, and include a physical description of the tract and where the land is located. The type of transaction is also recorded such as cash entry, credit entry, homesteads, patents (deeds) granted by the Federal Government, and other conveyances of title such as Indian allotments, internal improvement grants (to states), military bounty land warrants, private land claims, railroad grants, school grants, and swamp grants. Additional items of information included in the tract books are as follows: number of acres, date of sale, purchase price, land office, entry number, final Certificate of Purchase number, and notes on relinquishments and conversions.
Arizona Land Patents online. Index.

Ohio Military Records

Military Records
- Ohio Forts
  List of colonial forts, trading posts, named camps, redoubts, reservations, general hospitals, national cemeteries, etc., established or erected in the United States from its earliest settlement to 1902.
- Revolutionary War Records
  - 1840 Pensioners Census
  - Ohio Revolutionary War Pensions
- War of 1812
  - Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812
    The Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812 consisted of a total of 26,280 men who enlisted from Ohio to assist the nation. This is the complete roster. They comprised of 3 regiments, 464 companies, 13 cavalry troops, and 1 artillery battery. This collection has broken up this list for easier perusal by the company, troop, or battery of the soldiers.
  - Ohio War of 1812 Military Records
  - War of 1812 – Pensions
- Civil War Records
  - Ohio Civil War Map
  - Civil War Pensions Index Cards
    Each card gives the soldier’s name, unit, the application number, the certificate number and the state from which the soldier served. In some cases, the soldier’s rank, terms of service, date of death and place of death are given. The index cards refer to pension applications of veterans who served in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917. The majority of the records pertain to Civil War veterans, but they also include veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, Indian wars, and World War I.
  - Civil War Exemptions – Hamilton County, Ohio
    The Civil War exemptions were surviving records, along with other diverse public documents, after the 1884 Hamilton County Courthouse fire, and they represent military service exemptions granted by the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau upon posting of a monetary bond. This particular Bureau represented the 1st District of Ohio, i.e. Hamilton County. Records have been digitized, and prominent names and dates have been entered into the metadata.
  - With Diplomas of Patriotism:
    African American Civil War Veterans in Ohio
- World War I Records
  - World War 1 Draft Registration Records
  - World War I 83rd Division Personal Information Cards Index
    During World War I, Ohio’s 83rd Division, while serving in France, collected 62,916 personal information cards from the soldiers assigned to this division. This collection of cards contains a wealth of information on each individual soldier including birth, marriage, residence, military assignments, military schools, military awards, etc.
- World War II Records
  - World War 2 Casualties – Army, Air Force
  - Ohio Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard World War II Casualty List
- Korean War Casualty List
- Vietnam War Casualty List

Ohio Native American Records

Ohio Newspapers

Blade Obituary Index
The Toledo Lucas County Public Library has created an online index to obituaries found in The Blade, a Toledo daily newspaper, which has been continuously published since late 1835. The newspaper was known as The Toledo Blade until 1960. The index can be searched by keyword or by last name, first name, address, and year. Click the name link in the search results to view the detailed record, including headline, name, date of death, age, address, spouse, source, newspaper, newspaper date (year, month, day), type, location of the item in the newspaper, and photo. Deaths recorded in the Toledo City Directory and other Toledo newspapers are also included in the index. A link in the record allows you to request a copy of the obituary.
Historical Ohio Newspaper Online
All of the following newspaper images and Indices are available online for free.
Ohio Obituary Index
Source: Large Obituary Notebooks, First Series and Richland County Obituaries, by Mary Jane Henney, Books 1 and 2.
Florida Obituaries
The Florida Obituaries include Ohioans who have died in Florida with obituaries appearing in various Florida newspapers. These are clipped by members of the Florida Chapter OGS, termed “Obituary Angels.” The project began in the early 1980s so most obituaries are after that date. Provided in this index are the last name of the deceased, first name and other information, year, location of death or Florida residence, and city of origin in Ohio. This is a partial index. Volunteers at the Ohio Genealogical Society have made 19,363 entries for surnames from Aa through Hangen – 28 drawers.
Warren County Obituary Index 1810 to 2012
This database is an index to 92,642 obituaries located in the Warren County Genealogical Society Resource Library at 406 Justice Drive, Lebanon, OH 45036. The page numbers listed in the index are the page in the society binders and not the page in the newspaper.
Genealogy Tracers Obituaries & Memorial Programs

Ohio Vital Records

Ohio Vital Records
- 1913 – 1944 Ohio Death Certificate Index
- Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962
  This index is an electronic index for the years 1821 to 1962. This index is not complete for any particular place, region or time period. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
  - Coverage Table
    The Coverage Table shows the places and time periods of the original records in this collection. The table indicates how many records the collection has from each place. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.
- Cincinnati Birth and Death Records, 1865-1912
  A collection of over one-half million index cards digitally reproduced and provided for free on the University of Cincinnati website. The original index cards were created by the Cincinnati Health Department and as such are considered “official and legal” records of births and deaths for the years of 1865-1912. In actuality, some of the records show a date prior to 1865. It is believed that these early records reflect the “restoration” of vital documents by citizens after the 1884 Hamilton County Courthouse fire, and were eventually sent to the City of Cincinnati Health Department for recording. The original cards are housed in the Archives and Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati Libraries, University of Cincinnati.
- Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958
  Name index to 971,000 marriage records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and FamilySearch Centers.
  - Coverage Table
    The Coverage Table shows the places and time periods of the original records in this collection. The table indicates how many records the collection has from each place. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.
- Ohio Death Index, 1908-2007
  The collection consists of indexes to deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. The collection covers the years 1908 to 1932, 1938 to 1944, and 1958 to 2007.
- Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953
  The collection consists of an index and images of Ohio statewide death certificates. On 20 December 1908, the state took over the responsibility of recording deaths. Counties were required by law to create certificates and send to the State Department of Health. Copies in the counties are bound books containing forms that are printed front and back and contain two certificates to a page. The information is handwritten or typed.
- Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997
  Name index to death and burial records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 2,535,556 records.
  - Coverage Table
    The Coverage Table shows the places and time periods of the original records in this collection. The table indicates how many records the collection has from each place. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.

Ohio Genealogy – Free Ohio Genealogy