Athens County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Athens 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 for Athens, Greece. It is located in the South Central area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Athens County Courthouse
1 South Court Street
Athens, Ohio 45701
Phone: 740-592-3242
Athens County Website
Probate Judge has birth, marriage and probate records.
Court Clerk has divorce and court records from 1800.
County Recorder has land records.[4]
Athens 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 |
| 1867 | 1817 | 1867 | 1800 | 1792 | 1800 | 1820 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
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:[8]
| Cities | ||
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| Villages | ||
| 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]
- Hildreth, Samuel P., Biographical and historical memoirs of the early pioneer settlers of Ohio: with narratives of incidents and occurrences in 1775 (Cincinnati: H.W. Derby, 1852) Digital version at Internet Archives; FamilySearch Digital Library
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1810 | 2,791 | — |
| 1820 | 6,338 | 127.1% |
| 1830 | 9,787 | 54.4% |
| 1840 | 19,109 | 95.2% |
| 1850 | 18,215 | −4.7% |
| 1860 | 21,364 | 17.3% |
| 1870 | 23,768 | 11.3% |
| 1880 | 28,411 | 19.5% |
| 1890 | 35,194 | 23.9% |
| 1900 | 38,730 | 10.0% |
| 1910 | 47,798 | 23.4% |
| 1920 | 50,430 | 5.5% |
| 1930 | 44,175 | −12.4% |
| 1940 | 46,166 | 4.5% |
| 1950 | 45,839 | −0.7% |
| 1960 | 46,998 | 2.5% |
| 1970 | 54,889 | 16.8% |
| 1980 | 56,399 | 2.8% |
| 1990 | 59,549 | 5.6% |
| 2000 | 62,223 | 4.5% |
| 2010 | 64,757 | 4.1% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
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
- Athens County Ohio, Churches at Athens County, Ohio History and Genealogy; Churches for Athens County from 1990 census and newspapers.
Court Records[edit | edit source]
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
- 1790-1907 Bureau of Land Management Database at USGenWeb Archives; original land purchasers from the Federal government.
- 1804-1907 Early Land Records 1804-1807 at Genealogy Trails
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.
- Walker, Charles Manning, History of Athens County, Ohio and incidentally, of the Ohio Land Company and the first settlement of the state at Marietta, with personal and biographical sketches of the early settlers, narratives and pioneer adventures, etc (Cincinnati: R. Clarke Co., 1869) Digital version at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Google Books; Internet Archives
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- 1869 Map of the Ohio Company's Purchase and of Athens County, Ohio Past and Present at Athens County, Ohio History and Genealogy.
- 1788-1940 Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
- Athens County, Ohio Sanborn Fire Mapsat Library of Congress. The Sanborn Company began making fire insurance maps in 1867.
- Athens County Road Map at the Ohio Department of Transportation.
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- 1819-1936 Ohio, Athens County, Deceased Veteran Grave Registration Card File Index, 1819-1936 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1888-1919 Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Revolutionary War
Civil War
Servicemen from Athens 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 Athens County.
- -36th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B and C
- -116th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies I and K
War with Spain
- 1898-1899 Soldiers in the War With Spain 1898-1899 at Genealogy Trails
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.
- 1917-1918 Athens County Ohio Military Men, 1917-1918 at Genealogy Trails; Index
World War II
- 1938-1946 Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 at Genealogy Trails
- 1941-1945 Athens County Ohio Young American Patriots 1941-1945 at Genealogy Trails
- Athens County WWII Soldiers Index at OHGen.net
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]
Athens 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, ($)
- 1864, 1925 Newspaper Articles at OHGenWeb Archives
- 1896-1897 The Athens Messenger and Herald at Ancestry ($)
- Early to late-1900's Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
- The Athens News, Athens County Only Locally Owned Newspaper
- The Athens Messenger at Ancestry ($)
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. After 1852, records are held by the Athens County Probate Court. Records include wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only). The records may give the decedent's date of death, name of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
See Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1786-1998 Ohio, Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($); index and images
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
- Athens County, Ohio Wills Records at Sampubco.com
School Records[edit | edit source]
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
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.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($)
- 1821-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1908-1964 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at Ancestry ($)
- 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($); index
- 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1774-1993 Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993 at Ancestry ($); Index and images.
- 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1942 Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1803-1900 Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 at Ancestry ($)
- 1803-1900 Athens County, Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 at Geneaogy Trails
- 1898-1912 Ohio Marriages at Ancestry ($)
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($); index
- 1970-2007 Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at Ancestry ($)
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1833-1967 Ohio, Church and Civil Deaths, 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1840-2001 Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1854–1997 Ohio, Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($); Index
- 1908–1953 Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953 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; Index of deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. Index provided by Ancestry.
- 1908-2007 Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at Ancestry ($)
- 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 1958-2002 Athens County, Ohio Deaths at Genealogy Trails
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Reccords, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
- 1913-1944 - Ohio Death Certificate Index at Ohio History Connection
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($); index
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1962-2007 Ohio Divorce Abstracts, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Athens 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
- Athens Ohio Family History Center
- Parkersburg West Virginia Family History Center
- Washing County Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Athens County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Ohio University Alden Library
30 Park Place
Athens, OH 45701
740-593-2710
Website
Athens County Public Library (Main Branch)
95 W Washington
Nelsonville, OH 45764-3543
740-753-2118
E-mail:nelpl@myacpl.org
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Southeast Ohio History Center
24 W State Street
Athens, Ohio 45701
740-592-2280
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Athens County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
Athens County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
24 W. State Street
Athens, Ohio 45701
740 592-2280
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
- Athens County, OHGenWeb
- Athens County, Ohio History and Genealogy
- Athens County Ohio Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- Athens County Ohio Tidbits at Julie's Genealogy
- Athens County, Ohio Genealogy at Access Genealogy including Biographies, 1820 Census Index, Town Officers, Land Records
- 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]
- ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/athens/ accessed 2/14/2017
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Athens County, Ohio. Page 540-547 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 531-533.
- ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/athens/ 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), Athens County, Ohio. Page 540-547 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 531-533.
- ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/athens/ accessed 2/14/2017
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Athens County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens_County,_Ohio, accessed 31 October 2018.
