Defiance County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Defiance 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 an early Army fortification, Fort Defiance. It is located in the Northwest area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Defiance County Courthouse
665 Perry Street
Defiance, Ohio 43512
Phone: 419-782-5931
Defiance County Courthouse
County Recorder has birth and death records 1867-1908, marriage records from 1845, land records from 1843, probate records from 1845, divorce and court records 1800’s, naturalization records 1872-1903 and military discharge records 1865-1973;
County Health Department has birth and death records from 1908[3]
Defiance 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 | 1845 | 1867 | 1845 | 1843 | 1845 | 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 Defiance County: [6]
| Cities | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| 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]
- Defiance County, Ohio: a collection of historical sketches and family histories ... Compiled by Defiance County Historical Society (Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company, 1976) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1850 | 6,966 | — |
| 1860 | 11,886 | 70.6% |
| 1870 | 15,719 | 32.2% |
| 1880 | 22,515 | 43.2% |
| 1890 | 25,769 | 14.5% |
| 1900 | 26,387 | 2.4% |
| 1910 | 24,498 | −7.2% |
| 1920 | 24,549 | 0.2% |
| 1930 | 22,714 | −7.5% |
| 1940 | 24,367 | 7.3% |
| 1950 | 25,925 | 6.4% |
| 1960 | 31,508 | 21.5% |
| 1970 | 36,949 | 17.3% |
| 1980 | 39,987 | 8.2% |
| 1990 | 39,350 | −1.6% |
| 2000 | 39,500 | 0.4% |
| 2010 | 39,037 | −1.2% |
| 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
Catholic
- 1796-2004 Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records, 1796-2004 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
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 Land Records at OHGenWeb Archives; original purchasers of land from the Federal government.
- Deeds at OHGenWeb 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.
- A History of Defiance County, Ohio containing a history of the county… (Chicago: Warner, Beers, 1883) Online at Internet Archive; FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War
Civil War service men from Defiance 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 Defiance County.
- - 100th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company D
- - 111th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies E and F
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.
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]
Defiance 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, ($)
- Early to late-1900's Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. After 1852, records are held by the Defiance County Probate Court. Records include wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only). The records may give the decedent's date of death, name of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
See Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1786-1998 Ohio, Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($) — index and images.
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
- Wills at OHGenWeb Archives
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 ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Ohio tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties.
Online Tax Indexes and Records
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($); Index
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
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 ($) — Index
- 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($) — Index
- 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1942 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($); Index
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.
- 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 ($) — index and images
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($); 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 Defiance 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
- Fort Wayne Indiana Family History Center
- Wauseon Ohio Family History Center
- Allen County Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Defiance County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Defiance Public Library System
320 Fort St
Defiance, Ohio 43512
419-782-1456
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
AuGlaize Village Museum
12298 Krouse Rd
PO Box 801
Defiance, OH 43512
419-990-0107
Email: villageauglaize@gmail.com
Facebook
Website
Andrew L. Tuttle Memorial Museum
514 W 3rd St
Defiance, OH 43512
419-782-0746
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Defiance County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
Defiance County Historical Society
Region 1
PO Box 801
Defiance, OH 43512-0801
419-990-0107
Email: villageauglaize@gmail.com
Website
Defiance County Genealogical Society
PO BOX 7006
Defiance, OH 43512-7006
Email: defiancegenealogy2002@yahoo.com
Website
Hicksville Historical Society
PO Box 162
Hicksville, OH 43526
Email: questions@hicksvillehistoricalsociety.org
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
- Defiance County at OHGenWeb
- Defiance County OH Genealogy at LDSGenealogy
- 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.
- ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/defiance/ 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, "Defiance County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defiance_County,_Ohio, accessed 8 November 2018.
