Allen County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Allen County

Guide to Allen County, Ohio ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Lima Organized: 1831 Parent County(s): Shelby, Logan, Mercer Neighboring Counties Putnam  • Van Wert  • Auglaize  • Hardin  • Hancock See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The county was named for Colonel Allen. It is located in the Western area of the state.

County Courthouse

Allen County Courthouse
301 N. Main St.
Lima, Ohio 45801-4456
Phone: 419-228-3700
Allen County Website

Probate Court has births from 1867, marriages from 1831, and probate records.
Court Clerk has divorces and court records from 1831.
County Museum has naturalizations 1851-1929.

Allen County, Ohio Record Dates

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.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1831	1867	1831	1831	1835	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

1929 Allen County Courthouse was destroyed by fire on January 7, 1929. Many county records destroyed. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

Parent Counties: Formed from Shelby, Logan, and Mercer counties 12 February 1820. Organized in 1831. County Seat: Lima Interactive Map of Ohio County Formation History (1790-1897) - animated maps illustrating Ohio county boundary changes Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

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:

Cities
Delphos	Lima(county seat)
Villages
Beaverdam Bluffton Cairo	Elida Harrod	Lafayette Spencerville
Unincorporated communities
Allentown Conant Gomer Hume Kemp Landeck	Maysville Needmore Oakview Rockport Rousculp Scotts Crossing	Slabtown South Warsaw Southworth West Newton Westminster Yoder
Census-designated places
Fort Shawnee
Townships
Amanda American Auglaize Bath	Jackson Marion Monroe Perry	Richland Shawnee Spencer Sugar Creek

History Timeline

Additional Information

• 1832 The Shawnees (tribe) were removed to Kansas from the Hog Creek Reservation (now Shawnee Township.)
• 14 February 1848: Auglaize County was set off from the southern half of original Allen County.
• 1848: Monroe, Richland and southern half of Sugar Creek Townships were transferred from Putnam County.
• 1848: Parts of VanWert and Mercer counties were transferred to Allen County form Spencer Township and part of Marion Township.
• May 1853: Cash settlement was agreed upon by Allen and Putnam counties for Putnam's loss.

Resources

Bible Records

For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.

Biographies

• Biographical Index of Standard History of Allen County, Ohio, And Representative Citizens Vol 1, 1906 at Ohio Genealogy Express
• Biographical Index of A Standard History of Allen County, Ohio Vol 2, 1906 at Ohio Genealogy Express

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Allen County, Ohio online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com Interment.net OH Tombstone Transcription Project Billion Graves OHGenWeb Ohio Gravestones
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com FamilySearch Places
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	578	—
1840	9,079	1470.8%
1850	12,109	33.4%
1860	19,185	58.4%
1870	23,623	23.1%
1880	31,314	32.6%
1890	40,644	29.8%
1900	47,976	18.0%
1910	56,580	17.9%
1920	68,223	20.6%
1930	69,419	1.8%
1940	73,303	5.6%
1950	88,183	20.3%
1960	103,691	17.6%
1970	111,144	7.2%
1980	112,241	1.0%
1990	109,755	−2.2%
2000	108,743	−0.9%
2010	106,331	−2.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

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

• FamilySearch Places
  

Catholic

• 1796-2004 Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records, 1796-2004 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.

Land and Property Records

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

• 1790-1907 Bureau of Land Management Database at OHGenWeb Archives. Original purchasers of land from the Federal government.
• 1898, 1900 Land Records at OHGenWeb Archives

Local Histories

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.

• Leeson, M.A., History of Allen County, Ohio; containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches… (Chicago : Warner, Beers & Co., 1885) Digital version at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archives; Google Books.

• Rusler, William, A Standard history of Allen County, Ohio: an authentic narrative of the past… (Chicago: American Historical Society, 1921) Digital version at: FamilySearch Digital Library - Vol 1; FamilySearch Digital Library - Vol 2; Internet Archives.

• Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
• Township maps of Allen County in 1880 at OHGenWeb
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• 1888-1919 Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• Allen County War Casualties at Delphos, Ohio History; Includes Persian Gulf, Vietnamese, Korean,  WWI, WWII, CIVIL War & Spanish Mexican  Casualties.

Revolutionary War

• 1840 Census of Pensioners Revolutionary and Military Services at Colonial America

War of 1812

• Roster of Ohio Soldiers at The Ohio Historical Society

Civil War

• List of Dead Heroes Whose Bodies Rest in Allen County at OHGenWeb Archives
  
• Men In the Civil War at Rootsweb
• Civil War Casualties from Allen County at Findagrave
• A Roster of Captains, First Lieutenants, Second Lieutenants, and Non-commissioned Officers and Privates from Allen County at Ohio Genealogy Express
• A Roster of Captains, First Lieutenants, Second Lieutenants, and Non-commissioned Officers and Privates from Allen County can be found in Leeson, M.A., History of Allen County, Ohio; containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches… (Chicago : Warner, Beers & Co., 1885) Digital version at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archives; Google Books.

Civil War service men from Van Wert County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Van Wert County.

-4th Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Companies F and I

-99th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B and E

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.
• The Unreturning Brave (from WWI) at OhGenWeb; published in 1925.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1800-1977 Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.

Newspapers

Allen 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.
• 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
• 1847-1910 Newspaper Articles at OHGenWeb Archives
• 1854 Allen County Ohio Marriages at OHGenWeb Archives Taken from Lima Democratic News
  
• 1860 Nov 1860 Marriages at OHGenWeb Archives Taken from Lima Democratic News
  
• 1900 Dec 1900 Allen County Republican Gazette Marriages at OHGenWeb Archives Taken from Allen County Republican Gazette
  
• Early to late-1900's Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
• Transcribed Allen Co, OH Births at GenealogyBuff.com These births were taken from newspaper obits

Probate Records

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 Allen 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

• 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records, 1789-1996 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1786-1998 Ohio, Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($); Index and images
• 1857-1878 Allen County Probate at OhGenWeb Archives

Social Security Records

• 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

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
• 1834 Tax Lists Amanda and Auglaize Townships at Internet Archive
• 1834 Tax Lists Bath and Deuchoquette Townships at Internet Archive
• 1834 Tax Lists German and Jackson Townships at Internet Archive
• 1834 Tax Lists Marion, Perry and Wayne Townships at Internet Archive
• 1881 Allen County Tax List August 25, 1881 at OHGenWeb Archives. From The Allen County Democrat.

Vital Records

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.

• 1876-1919 Vital Records at OHGenWeb Archives

Birth

• 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($)
• 1821-1962 Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($); Index
• 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Marriage

• 1774-1993 Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993 at Ancestry ($) — Index and images.
• 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1803-1900 Ohio, Compiled Marriage Index, 1803-1900 at Ancestry ($)
• 1889-1893 1889-1893 Marriage Licenses at OHGenWeb Archives
• 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage $; Index
• 1970-2007 Ohio, Marriage Abstracts, 1970, 1972-2007 at Ancestry ($)

Death

• 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.
• 1854-1997 Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($); Index and images
• 1908-1953 Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1908-1959 Ohio Death Records at OHGenWeb
• 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($); Index

Divorce

• 1876-1919 Divorce Petitions and Decrees for Allen and Van Wert Counties, and Surrounding Areas at OHGenWeb Archives:
• 1962-2007 Ohio, Divorce Abstracts, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Allen County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

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

• Lima Ohio Family History Center
• St Marys Ohio Family History Center
• Findlay-Hancock County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Allen County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.

Lima Public Library (Main Library)
650 West Market Street
Lima, Ohio 45801
419-228-5113
Website

Museums

Allen County Museum
620 West Market Street
Lima, OH 45801
419 222-9426
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Allen County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.

Allen County Ohio Genealogy Society
P. O. Box 1104
Lima, Ohio 45802
E-mail:ldcarder2@woh.rr.com
Website

Allen County Museum and Historical Society
620 W. Market Street
Lima, Ohio 45801
419-222-9426
E-mail:acmuseum@wcoil.com
Website

Including the Elizabeth M. MacDonell Memorial Library for genealogical and historical research

Websites

• 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
• The 1880 Business Patron’s References at Rootsweb is divided by town and township, each section has a unique set of information about their patrons.
• Allen County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
• The Allen County OHGenWeb Project, a member of The OHGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project for Allen County
• 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.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a family history center.