Adams County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Adams County, Ohio ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named after John Adams, the second President of the United States. It is located in the Southwestern area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Adams County Courthouse
110 W Main St
West Union, Ohio 45693-1347
Phone: 937-544-2011
Adams County Website
Probate Court has births and deaths 1888-1893, marriages 1803-1853 and from 1910, probate records 1849-1860 and from 1910.
Court Clerk has divorces court records from 1910.
County Recorder has land records from 1797.
Board of Health has births and deaths from 1908.[4]
Adams County, Ohio Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1888 | 1803 | 1888 | 1910 | 1797 | 1849 | 1820 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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1910 - Fire burned the courthouse, resulting in the loss of most of the will books and other probate files, as well as some other records. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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Populated Places[edit | edit source]
Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]
| Villages | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- Adams County Cemeteries at Internet Archive Wayback Machine
- The Adams County Genealogical Society Cemetery Inscriptions at GenealogyTrails
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1800 | 3,432 | — |
| 1810 | 9,434 | 174.9% |
| 1820 | 10,406 | 10.3% |
| 1830 | 12,281 | 18.0% |
| 1840 | 13,183 | 7.3% |
| 1850 | 18,883 | 43.2% |
| 1860 | 20,309 | 7.6% |
| 1870 | 20,750 | 2.2% |
| 1880 | 24,005 | 15.7% |
| 1890 | 26,093 | 8.7% |
| 1900 | 26,328 | 0.9% |
| 1910 | 24,755 | −6.0% |
| 1920 | 22,403 | −9.5% |
| 1930 | 20,381 | −9.0% |
| 1940 | 21,705 | 6.5% |
| 1950 | 20,499 | −5.6% |
| 1960 | 19,982 | −2.5% |
| 1970 | 18,957 | −5.1% |
| 1980 | 24,328 | 28.3% |
| 1990 | 25,371 | 4.3% |
| 2000 | 27,330 | 7.7% |
| 2010 | 28,550 | 4.5% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- Adams County, OH Census Online at Census Online
- United States Census, 1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
FamilySearch Wiki pages:
- United States Census 1850; has links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry
- United States Census 1860; has links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry
- United States Census 1870; has links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry
- United States Census 1880 (Index only); has links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry
- United States Census 1900; has links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry
- United States Census 1920; has links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry
- United States Census 1930; has links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Ohio denominations, see Ohio Church Records.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- Adams County Ohio Court Directory at Court Reference. Links for online court records and other free court resources.
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Ohio Land and Property for additional information about early Ohio land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- 1797-1837 Adams County Deed Indexes at USGenWeb Archives
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for this county. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Ohio Local Histories.
- Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.
- Evans, Nelson Wiley, A history of Adams County, Ohio from its earliest settlement to the present time: including character sketches of the prominent persons… (West Union, Ohio: E.B. Stivers, 1900) Digital version at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archives.
- Thompson, Carl N., Thompson's Historical Collections of Adams County, Ohio (West Union, Ohio Adams County Historical Society (Ohio), c1991) FHL book 977.186 H2t.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
- Adams County, Ohio Map at Wikipedia.org
- Category: Maps of Adams County, Ohio at Wikipedia.org
- Adams County Ohio Topographic Maps at Topozone
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- 1888-1919 Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- Adams County Military History at Internet Archive
Revolutionary War
- Revolutionary War Soldiers at Genealogy Trails
- Revolutionary Veterans living in Adams County Ohio at Internet Archive
War of 1812
Civil War
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System at National Park Service
- Ohio Civil War Veterans Grave Regitration at Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
World War I
- 1914-1918 Ohio, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1914-1919 Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1916-1920 Ohio, WWI Index and Return Cards, 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
World War II
- United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection.
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1800-1977 Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Adams County newspapers often contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.
- For more online Ohio newspapers index and images, see Ohio Newspapers.
- 1793-late 1900's Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county to Browse.
- 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
- Early to late-1900's Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
- The People's Defender; West Union, Ohio.
- Newspaper Articles at OhGenWeb
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. After 1852, records are held by the Adams County Probate Court. Records include wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only). The records may give the decedent's date of death, name of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
See Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1786-1998 Ohio Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- Early to 1910 Adams County Ohio Will Index prior to 1910 at Ohio Trails to the Past
- 1883-1924 Wills at Ohio GenWeb Archives
School Records[edit | edit source]
- 1900-1912 School Recordsat Rootsweb.com
- Adams County Schools at Old Ohio Schools
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Ohio tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties.
Online Tax Indexes and Records
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($); index
- 1810 Index to Tax List at Genealogy Trails History Group
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Marriages were usually recorded from the formation of the county and are held at the office of the County Probate Court. Divorce records are located with the county Clerk of Courts.
Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the County Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954, while the Ohio History Connection houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.
- 1803-1999 Adams County, Ohio Vital Records at USGenWeb Archives
Birth[edit | edit source]
The Adams County, OH Courthouse was destroyed by fire on February 25, 1910. All official Probate Court Birth Records were destroyed. Births may be found in the "Adams County, OH Probate Court Assessor Books," (1879 thru 1895) and the "Restored Adams County, OH Board of Health Birth Records," (1857 to 1909).
- 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($)
- 1821-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1856-1893 Township birth records at OHGenWeb
- 1856; 1889-1893 Recordings of Births at Rootsweb.com
- 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($); index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1774-1993 Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993 at Ancestry ($) — Index and images.
- 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1797-1857 Marriages of Adams County, Ohio at Rootsweb.com
- 1800-1942 Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1945 Marriage Data - Adams County Ohio 1800-1945 at Internet Archive
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1803-1900 Ohio, Compiled Marriage Index, 1803-1900 at Ancestry ($)
- 1896 1896 Marriage License Issues at Internet Archive
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($); Index
- 1970-2007 Ohio, Marriage Abstracts, 1970, 1972-2007 at Ancestry ($)
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1833-1967 Ohio, Church and Civil Deaths, 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1840-2001 Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1889 The Adult Dead of 1889 at Internet Archive
- 1908–1953 Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($); Index and images
- 1909 Adams County Deaths 1909 at Genealogy Trails
- 1913-1937 Death Index 1913-1937 at Ohio History
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($); Index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Adams County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Adams Ohio Family History Center
- Clermont County Public Library - an affiliate library
- Garnet A. Wilson Public Library - an affiliate library
- Portsmouth Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Adams County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Adams County Public Library
157 High St
Peebles, OH 45660
937-587-2085
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Adams County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
The Adams County Historical Society
507 N Cherry St
West Union, Ohio 45693
937-544-8522
Website
Adams County Genealogical Society
The Adams County Heritage Center
PO Box 231
West Union, Ohio 45693
Website
Ohio History Connection formerly the Ohio Historical Society
Ohio History Center
800 E 17th Ave
Columbus, Ohio 43211
614-297-2300 or 800-686-6124
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Local Gov't Records by County at Ohio History Connection — Browse their list; records are not online.
- Custom Browse of Historical Collections at Ohio Memory — Use map or alpha bar to select county or place, then browse search options in left sidebar.
- Ohio Genealogical Society ($) - online databases
- Adams County OHGenWeb
- Ohio Online Genealogy Records statewide database links
- Adams County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- USGenWeb Archives - Adams County
- Genealogy Trails, Adams County, Ohio
- Ohio Genealogy Express
- Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; Department of Ohio
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/adams/ accessed 2/14/2017
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Adams County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adams_County,_Ohio, accessed 30 October 2018.