Shelley Bishop's Tips & Tools for Ohio Genealogy

Ohio Marriage Records

• kept by each county since its inception
  
• some may even predate Ohio statehood in 1803
  
• county boundaries changed over the years, so check surrounding and "parent" counties
  
• many county marriage records now available online at FamilySearch.org
  

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Ohio Birth & Death Records

• first registered at county level in 1867
  
• public compliance often spotty, and many county births and deaths were not recorded
  
• mandatory state registration began in Dec. 1908
  
• Ohio death certificates from 1908--1953 are available online (free) at FamilySearch.org
  
• some county birth and death registers now becoming available as well

State-issued death certificates 1909-1963 can be obtained for a nominal fee from the Ohio History Connection. State-issued birth (post-1908) and death (post-1963) certificates are available from the Ohio Office of Vital Statistics. Certified copies (the only kind available) cost $21.50. You can order these by mail for delivery in a few weeks, or I can obtain them for you in person, usually within a few days.

Ohio Newspapers Online

• Chronicling America, U.S. Library of Congress

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Ohio Counties

• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites
  
• Timeline of Ohio County Formation

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Memory Projects

• Ohio Memory
  
• Columbus Memory
  
• Photohio
• Ohio Civil War 150

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Ohio History

• Ohio History Central
  
• Remarkable Ohio: Ohio Historical Markers