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 for Ohio Genealogy, whether they exist on Access Genealogy, or across the web.

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 Church Records

Records of Pleasant Hill Methodist Church, 1829-1894
This is a copy of a record book of the Pleasant Hill Methodist Church in Washington Township, Guernsey County, Ohio. The front portion of this manuscript contains the history of Pleasant Hill Methodist Church, which we provide here, and biographies of their pastors up to 1953. Starting on page 18 you will find the Membership Record for the church beginning in 1829 and through January of 1894.

Genealogy in Ohio by County

Athens County

History of Athens County, Ohio
The vast majority of information on this website is based upon History of Athens County, Ohio, by Charles M. Walker, Cincinnati, R. Clarke, 1869. They’ve added, corrected and subtracted from this data as they identified flaws or came upon new data.

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 Ohio, 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.

Charles Byron Burley, Company C, 141st Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry
This book covers Charles Byron Burley’s one hundred days of service in the Civil War. He was in what became known as “The Alexander Volunteer Militia,” so named because most of the men came from Alexander Township, Athens County, Ohio. Much of the information concerning the one hundred days came from the diary of Thomas Angell, 1st Lieutenant in Company C, and held in the library at Ohio University.

Clermont County

Obannon Baptist Brethren Church

Fayette County

Our heritage: Fayette County Ohio, 1803-1953
“Our Heritage: Fayette County Celebrates Ohio Sesquicentennial, 1803-1953” is a commemorative publication created by the Fayette County Sesquicentennial Committee in 1953 to mark the 150th anniversary of Ohio’s statehood. This 20-page booklet, produced in Washington Court House, Ohio, serves as both a historical record and a keepsake program for the celebration. The booklet covers a range of topics related to Fayette County’s history, including its early settlement, notable events, and contributions to Ohio’s development.

Guernsey County

Records of Pleasant Hill Methodist Church, 1829-1894
This is a copy of a record book of the Pleasant Hill Methodist Church in Washington Township, Guernsey County, Ohio. The front portion of this manuscript contains the history of Pleasant Hill Methodist Church, which we provide here, and biographies of their pastors up to 1953. Starting on page 18 you will find the Membership Record for the church beginning in 1829 and through January of 1894.

Highland County

Southern Ohio, Highland and Adams County Churches

Paulding County

Blue Creek Alumni Association, 1900-1971

Latty High School Alumni

Summit County

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 1853-1953
Published by the Harold R. Jones Co. in 1953, “Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio” provides an overview of this rapidly growing city in Summit County, Ohio. The booklet, prepared by the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce, aims to serve as a practical guide for residents, providing essential information and fostering a sense of pride and community spirit. Through this publication, readers are encouraged to explore and appreciate the various facets of their city, making it not just a place to live, but a place to call home.

Ohio State 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 Genealogy
• OHGenWeb
• Ohio American History and Genealogy Project

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
On this page you will find an extensive listing of American military records found online for personal, genealogy and professional researchers; this list includes much free and searchable data. Because the military, being the archetype of bureaucratic organizations, has kept detailed records, these records are an invaluable source of information about servicemen and women and the families they may have left behind. Aside from the additional information to family stories, consider what these records represent in the history of the world.

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

Revolutionary War Records

1840 Pensioners Census
The information contained in this 1840 Pensioners Census database is a compilation of the data on the Revolutionary War pensioners gathered from the 1840 census returns. The information is organized by place – state, county, then township. It also lists the name and age of the veteran, and the name of the head of household with whom the pensioner resided on the census date.

Ohio Revolutionary War Pensions

War of 1812 Records

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 1 Records

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 2 Records

World War II Records

World War 2 Casualties – Army, Air Force

Ohio Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard World War II Casualty List

Recent War Records

Korean War Casualty List

Vietnam War Casualty List

Ohio Native American Records

Ohio Indian Tribes
These tribes at one time are recorded in history as having resided within the present state of Ohio. If the tribe’s name is in bold, then Ohio is the primary location known for this tribe, otherwise we provide the tribes specifics as it pertains to Ohio and provide a link to the main tribal page if available.

Indian Tribes in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Northwest Territories, 1822
The article “Indian Tribes in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Northwest Territories, 1822” provides a detailed account of the Native American populations in these regions during the early 19th century. It highlights the differing perspectives on the conditions and sentiments of tribes such as the Delawares in Ohio, and notes the impact of Christian missionary efforts, particularly by the Society of Friends. In Pennsylvania, the article laments the displacement and decline of tribes over the past thirty years. This overview includes population statistics and locations for various tribes, illustrating the significant changes and challenges faced by Native American communities during this period.

Indian Villages, Towns and Settlements of Ohio
These pages provide an alphabetical listing for all the villages, towns, and settlements in what was the state of Ohio and known at the time the Handbook of American Indian of North America was written (1906).

Current Federally Recognized Indian Tribes by State

List of Federally Non-Recognized Tribes

State Recognized Tribes

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.

• Cleveland Press (1878–1982)
• Minster Home Light (1888-1890)
• Minster Volksfreund (1894-1895)
• Ohio Jewish Chronicle (Columbus; 1922–1994)
• The Community Post (1964-1974)
• The Community Post (1975-1984)
• The Community Post (1985-1994)
• The Community Post (1995-2004)
• The Community Post (2005-2014)
• The Community Post (2015-2024)
• The Minster Post (1896-1904)
• The Minster Post (1905-1914)
• The Minster Post (1915-1924)
• The Minster Post (1925-1934)
• The Minster Post (1935-1944)
• The Minster Post (1945-1954)
• The Minster Post (1955-1964)
• Warren County (1810–2010)
• Western Round-Up (Western College for Women, Student Newspaper); Miami, Ohio (1930–1971)
• Western Weekly (Western College for Women); Miami, Ohio (1971–1974)
• Williams County obituary index (1862–2013, incomplete)

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

Ohio Death Records Index Search
What’s in the Death Certificate Index?

• Ohio Department of Health Death Certificates, 1913-1944, 1954-1970
• Ohio Department of Health Stillborn Death Certificates, 1913-1935, 1942-1953
• Columbus Board of Health Death Certificates, 1904-1908

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.

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.

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.