Buckeye Family Trees
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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

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

Ohio Counties

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

Memory Projects

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

Ohio History

  • Ohio History Central
  • Remarkable Ohio: Ohio Historical Markers