Ohio Fast Facts and Key Resources

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,

Websites

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

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

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

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