Hamilton County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Hamilton 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 the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. It is located in the South-western area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Hamilton County Courthouse
1000 Main St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: 513-946-5656
Hamilton County Website
County Recorder and Auditor
138 E Court St
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1236
Phone: 513-946-4000
Recorder and Auditor
Probate Court
230 E Ninth St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: 513-946-3600
Probate Office
Probate Judge has marriage, burial and probate records;
County Health Department has death records;
Clerk Court has divorce and court records from 1900;
County Recorder has land records[4]
Land records 1794-present, maps, Veteran's Grave Registrations. "Easy Reference List of Documents Recorded in the Recorder's Office" gives a complete list of available records.
Plats 1939-present. Property search is available on their website by name or address.
Hamilton 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 |
1863 | 1808 | 1881 | 1900 | 1787 | 1790 | 1820 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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:
[8]
Cities | ||
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Villages | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
Census-designated places | ||
Townships | ||
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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]
- Cunningham, Frank. Big Dan: the story of a colorful railroader. (Desert News Press, Salt Lake City, Utah 1944) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Ford, Henry A, Ford, Kate B. History of Hamilton County, Ohio: with illustrations and biographical sketches. (Cleveland, Ohio: L.A. Williams & Co, 1884. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive.
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1800 | 14,692 | — |
1810 | 15,258 | 3.9% |
1820 | 31,764 | 108.2% |
1830 | 52,317 | 64.7% |
1840 | 80,145 | 53.2% |
1850 | 156,844 | 95.7% |
1860 | 216,410 | 38.0% |
1870 | 260,370 | 20.3% |
1880 | 313,374 | 20.4% |
1890 | 374,573 | 19.5% |
1900 | 409,479 | 9.3% |
1910 | 460,732 | 12.5% |
1920 | 493,678 | 7.2% |
1930 | 589,356 | 19.4% |
1940 | 621,987 | 5.5% |
1950 | 723,952 | 16.4% |
1960 | 864,121 | 19.4% |
1970 | 924,018 | 6.9% |
1980 | 873,224 | −5.5% |
1990 | 866,228 | −0.8% |
2000 | 845,303 | −2.4% |
2010 | 802,374 | −5.1% |
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
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
- Cincinnati Society Blue Book and Family Directory, containing the names of Householders with their residences and exact numbers; the names of adult members of each family, the Ladies reception day,; Together with a complete classification by street, suburbs and neighboring towns; names of the members of clubs; plans of theatres; personnel of the press; points of etiquette. Together with other information of local interest. (Peter G. Thomson, 1879). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Williams' Cincinnati directory and business advertiser, for 1849-1850 (Cincinnati, Ohio: Williams' and Company, 1849). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Williams' Cincinnati directory, city guide and business mirror for the Commencing June 1, 1862. Twelve Edition. (Cincinnati, Ohio: Williams' and Company, 1862). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- The Greater Cincinnati Telephone Directory - Summer 1946. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Cincinnati Telephone Directory - Summer 1953. Published by Cincinnati Bell Inc. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Cincinnati Telephone Directory - Summer 1956. Published by Cincinnati Bell Inc. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Cincinnati Telephone Directory - Summer 1957. Published by Cincinnati Bell Inc. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
- Dabne, Wendell Phillips. Cincinnati's Colored Citizens: Historical Sociological and Biographical (Cincinnati, Ohio: Dabney Pub. Co., C 1926) 977.178 F2 FamilySearch
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.
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.
- Ford, Henry A, Ford, Kate B. History of Hamilton County, Ohio: with illustrations and biographical sketches. (Cleveland, Ohio: L.A. Williams & Co, 1884). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive.
- Cone, Stephen Decatur. A concise history of Hamilton, Ohio; v. 02 (George Mitchell Publisher, Middletown, Ohio, 1901) Online at 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
- Emerson, William D. 1847 Atlas, Map of Hamilton County, Ohio (C.S Williams & Sons, 1847) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
- 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 — index and images
Civil War
Civil War service men from Hamilton 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 Hamilton County.
- -11th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company K (Union Rifles)
- Burgess, Joe H. Hamilton County and the Civil War (1967) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Smith, William A., Smith, Ophia. Colonel A. W. Gilbert; citizen-soldier of Cincinnati (Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, 1934) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
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]
Hamilton 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.
- 1793-1796 The Centinel of the North-Western Territory (Ohio) at Google News]
- 1793-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county.
- 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
- Early-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. After 1852, records are held by the Hamilton County Probate Court. Records include wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only). The records may give the decedent's date of death, name of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
See Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1786-1998 Ohio Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($) — index and images.
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
- 1791-1994 Ohio, Hamilton County Records, 1791-1994 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
- 1792-1883 Hamilton County Ohio Wills Records at SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills.
- 1791-1994 Hamilton County Probate Archival Category Records at Hamilton County Probate Court. Archive Search includes records of estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, marriages, minister's licenses, birth records, birth registrations and corrections, death records, naturalizations, Probate Court journal entries, and physician certificates, with all categories having widely varied time periods.
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]
- 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.
- 1791-1994 Ohio, Hamilton County Records, 1791-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images
- 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 ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1833-1967 Ohio, Church and Civil Deaths, 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1840-2001 Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch – How to Use this Collection; Index of deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($) — 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 Hamilton 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
- Cherry Grove/ Eastgate Ohio Family History Center
- Cincinnati Ohio Family History Center
- Cincinnati Ohio East Family History Center
- Fairfield/Hamilton Ohio Family History Center
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Hamilton County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
800 Vine St
Cincinnati, OH
45202-2009
513-369-6900
Website
Cincinnati History Library and Archives
1301 Western Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45203
513-287-7030
Website
University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books Library
8th Floor Blegen Library
PO Box 210113
2602 McMicken Circle
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0113
(513) 556-1959
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Heritage Village Museum
11450 Lebanon Rd
Sharonville, OH 45241
513-563-9484
Website
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45203
513-287-7000/800733-2077
E-mail:information@cincymuseum.org
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Hamilton County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
Hamilton County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 15865
Cincinnati, OH 45215-0865
513-956-7078
Website
The Cincinnati Historical Society
800 E 17th Ave
Columbus OH 43211
614-297-2300/800-686-6124
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
- Hamilton County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- Hamilton County, Ohio GenWeb at OHGenWeb
- Greater Cincinnati Memory Project at The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton 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.
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Territory last updated 3 February 2011
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Hamilton County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/hamilton/ accessed 2/17/2017.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Carol Willsey Bell, Ohio Guide to Genealogical Sources ([Baltimore]: Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc., 1988).
- ↑ Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Hamilton County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_County,_Ohio, accessed 11 December 2018.