Ohio Genealogy Fast Facts
- Statehood: 1803
- First extant federal census: 1820
- Available state censuses: Quadrennial voter “censuses” (1803-1911) on FHL microfilm
- Statewide birth and death records begin: 1908
- Statewide marriage records begin: 1949
- Public-land state
- Counties: 17 in 1803; 88 today; boundaries finalized in 1888
- Contact for vital records: Ohio Department of Health, Vital Statistics, Box 15098, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 466-2531,
Ohio Genealogy Websites, Books and Organizations
Websites
- Cyndi’s List: Ohio
- First American West: The Ohio River Valley 1750-1820
- Ohio GenWeb
- Ohio History Central
- Ohio Memory
- Ohio River Valley Families
- Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index
Books and Publications
- Genealogical Research in Ohio, 2nd edition, by Kip Sperry (Genealogical Publishing Co.)
- Ohio Cemeteries, 1803-2003 edited by Roger Troutman (OGS)
- Ohio Courthouse Records by Diane VanSkiver Gagel (OGS)
- Ohio Genealogical Research by George K. Schweitzer (George K Schweitzer)
- Ohio Towns and Townships to 1900: A Location Guide by Julie Minot Overton (OGS)
- Ohio Wills and Estates to 1850 by Carol Willsey Bell (Genealogical Publishing Co.)
Archives and Organizations
- American Jewish Archives, 3101 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45220, (513) 221-1875
- Archives of Ohio United Methodism, Ohio Wesleyan University, Beeghly Library, 43 Rowland Ave., Delaware, OH 43015, (740) 368-3285
- Columbus Metropolitan Library, 96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 645-2275
- The Ohio Genealogical Society, 611 SR 97 West, Bellville, OH 44813, (419) 886-1903
- Ohio History Connection, 800 E. 17th Ave, Columbus, OH 43211, (614) 297-2300
- Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 800 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202, (513) 369-6900
- Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, 325 Michigan St., Toledo, OH 43604, (419) 259-5200
- Ukrainian Museum-Archives, 1202 Kenilworth Ave., Cleveland, OH 44113, (216) 781-4329
- Western Reserve Historical Society, 0825 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106, (216) 721-5722
Timeline
1763 France cedes land east of the Mississippi to Britain in the Treaty of Paris
1814 America’s first oil well is drilled at Caldwell
1832 The Ohio and Erie Canal links the Ohio River at Portsmouth with Lake Erie at Cleveland
1833 The country’s first integrated, coeducational college opens in Oberlin
1869 Cincinnati’s Red Stockings become the first professional baseball team
1879 James Ritty of Dayton patents the cash register
1901 Actor Clark Gable is born in the eastern Ohio town of Cadiz
1937 Ohio River flooding in January and February devastates southern Ohio
1955 The Ohio Turnpike opens across northern Ohio
1969 Wapakoneta’s Neil Armstrong is the first man on the moon
1978 “WKRP in Cincinnati” sitcom debuts on CBS
1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens in Cleveland
Modern Map of County Boundaries
Click here to see a detailed 1886 map of Ohio on the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection website.
From the January/February 2017 Family Tree Magazine
