Ohio Genealogy Resources:
Bible Records
Ohio quick facts:
- Statehood:
March 1, 1803
- State Capital:
Columbus
- State Nickname:
The Buckeye State
- State Bird:
Cardinal
- State Song:
"Beautiful Ohio"
- State Flower:
Scarlet Carnation
- State Tree:
Buckeye
- State Motto:
With God, All Things Are Possible
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Ohio Genealogy Research Guide:
Ohio Census Records:
The first Federal census enumerated for Ohio was in 1800 and a Federal census
was taken every 10 years thereafter. However, not all of those census
years are available. Please note: the earliest census records 1800-1840
schedules only list the name of the head of household in each family with
numerical statistics for all other family members. Beginning in 1850, all
names in each family were listed, making them a better resource for
genealogists, however don't be too quick to discount the earlier census records
as they can reveal important information too. See the census reference
chart below to learn what census is available for Ohio genealogy research.
Ohio Federal Census Years:
- 1800 Census records for Ohio burned in a fire, however Washington
County did survive the fire.
- 1810 Census records for Ohio burned in a fire with the exception of
Washington County.
- 1820 Census is complete with the exception of missing schedules for
Franklin County and Wood County.
- 1830 Census
- 1840 Census
- 1850 Census
- 1860 Census
- 1870 Census
- 1880 Census
- 1890 Census burned in a warehouse fire and what remains are small
fragments for Clinton and Hamilton Counties and the Special schedules for
Veterans and Widows which includes only Union veterans and widows.
- 1900 Census
- 1910 Census
- 1920 Census
- 1930 Census
Other census schedules besides the regular population schedules we are
familiar with include Mortality Schedules (people who died
during the census year), Agricultural Schedules (farms), Manufacturing
Schedules, Social Statistics Schedules, and Dependent, Defective, and Delinquent
Schedules. Some states took their own state census but Ohio was not one of
them. There are no state census records for Ohio.
Ohio Military Records:
US Military service records can be obtained from the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Ohio soldiers records can be searched online at the
Civil War Soldiers and
Sailors System but don't consider this a definitive source. The records
held at NARA are more comprehensive.
War of 1812 - The Ohio Historical Society has the
War of 1812 Roster of Ohio Soldiers online.
Ohio Civil War Documents Searchable Database is online at The Ohio
Historical Society. This is a great resource.
United States
Civil War Prisons has some prisoner lists online.
Ohio Vital Records:
The
Ohio Department of Health holds vital records including birth, death,
marriage and divorce records, however, they are on file at the local county
health department for each county. Ohio birth and death records on file at
the state level begin December 20, 1908, however each Ohio county office may
hold births and deaths as early as 1867. The Ohio state health department only
holds abstracts of the marriage and divorce records beginning in 1949. If
you want the actual marriage license copy or the divorce decree record, you
should obtain them from the
County Probate Court office of each county where the records will be on file
since the inception of the county.
Ohio Genealogy Subscriptions Online:
Many websites with genealogy resources for Ohio are available online. Some
offer free OH genealogy databases and other information for the online
researcher, but the paid subscription websites hold a more consistent amount of
quality data and offer free trials to that data.
1.
Ohio State Databases of Census & Genealogy Records
Get
the Ancestry.com Free Trial when you register!
2. Genealogy.com
offers
genealogy databases, a library and U.S. Census Collection.
FREE
TRIAL of Genealogy.com |
Ohio
Condensed History
Prior to 1650, the Ohio lands were inhabited by tribes of the Algonquian
Indians. Iroquois Indians conquered the other native Indian tribes in
bloody battles called the
Beaver Wars, taking the land and pushing the other tribes out. A
confederacy was formed by the Iroquois with the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondayas,
Cayuagas, Tuscaroras and the Senecas. They actually wiped out an entire
tribe of Erie Indians. Later, as the strength of the Iroquois had
weakened, many other Indian tribes moved into the Ohio valley including the
Ohio, Chippewa, Sauk, Eel River, Kaskaskia, Shawnee, Mingo, Munsee, Ottawa,
Piankashaw, Potawatomi, Sauk, Wea, Wyandot, Delaware and the Miami.
In 1670, French explorer Rene'-Robert Cavelier claimed Ohio land for France.
After the French and Indian War, the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763,
giving England possession of all French claims in North America. Most
Native Americans in the Ohio area were against this decision and many battles
ensued between the English and the Indians between 1760 and the 1780s.
After the Revolutionary War, formally ending in 1783, an act, created in
1787, created the Northwest Territory which included the Ohio lands and American
settlers began to move in, inciting many battles between Americans and the
Indians, who were eventually forced from the Ohio area.
Admitted to the Union as the 17th state on February 19, 1803, Ohio was the
first state carved from the Northwest Territory. In 1810, Zanesville was
declared the state capital. In 1816, the capital was moved to Columbus,
which remains the capital city of Ohio today.
Ohio has some of the most fertile and rich soil in the United States and
enjoyed great prosperity with crops of corn, oats, wheat, soybeans, dairy
products, eggs, tomatoes and many others. Farming and livestock remain a
primary occupation today and was ranked in the top ten of the U.S. in 2001.
OHIO HISTORY FACT: The state got it's name from an Iroquois word. Ohio
means "great water in the Iroquois language.
OHIO HISTORY FACT: The Wyandotte tribe was the last to leave Ohio in 1842.
OHIO HISTORY FACT: Eight US Presidents were born in Ohio.
Ohio History Resources Online:
Carnation graphics
courtesy of Santa Lady
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