Lorain County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Lorain 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 by early settler Heman Ely for the French province of Lorraine. It is located in the North central area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Lorain County Courthouse
225 Court St
1st Floor
Elyria, OH 44036-0749
Lorain County Courthouse
Lorain County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas Online Case Docket contains records from 1988 onward of Civil, Criminal, Domestic Relations and 9th District Court of Appeals cases, contains divorce records from 1988 onward.
Probate Judge has birth, marriage and probate records;
Clerk Court has divorce records from 1850 and court records from 1824;
County Recorder has land records;
Elyria Public Library and Lorain County Historical Society have books of genealogical interest[4]
Lorain 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 | 1824 | 1867 | 1824 | 1824 | 1840 | 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]
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]
| Cities | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
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]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 5,696 | — |
| 1840 | 18,467 | 224.2% |
| 1850 | 26,086 | 41.3% |
| 1860 | 29,744 | 14.0% |
| 1870 | 30,308 | 1.9% |
| 1880 | 35,526 | 17.2% |
| 1890 | 40,295 | 13.4% |
| 1900 | 54,857 | 36.1% |
| 1910 | 76,037 | 38.6% |
| 1920 | 90,612 | 19.2% |
| 1930 | 109,206 | 20.5% |
| 1940 | 112,390 | 2.9% |
| 1950 | 148,162 | 31.8% |
| 1960 | 217,500 | 46.8% |
| 1970 | 256,843 | 18.1% |
| 1980 | 274,909 | 7.0% |
| 1990 | 271,126 | −1.4% |
| 2000 | 284,664 | 5.0% |
| 2010 | 301,356 | 5.9% |
| 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
Pittsfield Community Church
- Pittsfield Community Church Originally two churches, the Pittsfield Methodist Church, formed in 1824, and the Pittsfield Congregational Church, formed in 1836 (and originally organized as the Evangelical Union Church of Christ), which built permanent structures in 1845 and 1846, respectively. Both buildings were destroyed in the Pittsfield Tornado of 1965, at which point both churches elected to combine into the Pittsfield United Church of Christ, which rebuilt by 1966. The church became independent and was renamed Pittsfield Community Church in 1997.
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African American
Bigglestone, William E., They Stopped in Oberlin: Black Residents and Visitors of the Nineteenth Century (Scottsdale, Ariz.: Innovation Group, C 1981).
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.
- Williams, W.W., 1807 History of Lorain County, Ohio, with Illustrations & Biographical Sketches ... (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Williams Bros., 1879) online at Google Books Internet Archive FHL film 908846 Item 4; book 977.123 H2h
- Henes, Ernst Louis, Looking Back on Lorain County, (Wellington, Ohio: Southern Lorain Historical Society, 1978). FHL film 1320903 Item 17; book 977.123 H2he
- Boynton, Washington Wallace; The Earl History of Lorain County. Historical Address presented 1876 (Western Reserve Historical Society, 1894) online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Hathitrust
- Lorain County Sesquicentennial, 1824-1974, (Elyria, Ohio: American Mult-Service, 1974). FHL book 977.123 H2L
- Wright, G. Frederick, A Standard History of Lorain County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Civic and Social Development, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Pub. Co., 1916) Volume 1 online at Google BooksFamilySearch Digital Library,; Volume 2 online at Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library
- Upton, Harriet Taylor, History of the Western Reserve (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1910) Volume 1 online at Google Books, Volume 2 online at Google Books, and Volume 3 online at Google Books
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 Lorain 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 Lorain County.
- -1st Regiment, Ohio Light Artillery, Batteries B and E
- -41st Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies F and H
- -107th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company G
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]
Lorain 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 1900s Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county.
- 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
- Early-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. After 1852, records are held by the Lorain County Probate Court. Records include wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only). The records may give the decedent's date of death, name of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
See Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1786-1998 Ohio, Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($) — index and images.
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
- Lorain County Probate Online Records Search at LorainCounty.com - Contains all probate related records, including marriages, since 1990. The search also includes marriage records (bride's and groom's names only) back to about 1930.
School Records[edit | edit source]
- Oberlin High School Alumni Association at O-High Alumni - Finding Missing Class Members from the 1800s to present.
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.
- 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 ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1833-1967 Ohio, Church and Civil Deaths, 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1840-2001 Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1854-1997 Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch – How to Use this Collection
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
- 1908-1953 Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 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 Lorain County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Lorain County Records Retention Center
320 Gateway Blvd N
Elyria, OH 44035
440-326-4868
Email:Recordscenter@loraincounty.us
Website
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
- Westlake Ohio Family History Center
- Oberlin Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Lorain County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Amherst Public Library
221 Spring St
Amherst, OH 44001-2243
440-988-4230
Email: AskaLibrarian@amherstpubliclibrary.org
Website
Avon Lake Public Library
32649 Electric Blvd
Avon Lake, OH 44012-1669
440-933-8128
Email: info@avonlake.lib.oh.us
Website
Elyria Public Library
320 Washington Ave
Elyria, OH 44035-5199
440-323-5747
Website
Grafton-Midview Public Library
983 Main St
Grafton, OH 44044-1447
440-926-3317
Website
Herrick Memorial Library
101 Willard Memorial Square
Wellington, OH 44090-1342
440-647-2120
Website
Lorain Public Library System
351 Sixth St
Lorain, OH 44052-1705
440-244-1192
Website
Oberlin Public Library
65 S Main St
Oberlin, OH 44074-1626
440-775-4790
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Lorain County Historical Society
509 Washington Ave
Elyria, OH 44035
440-322-3341
Email: info@lorainhistory.org
Website
The Southern Lorain County Historical Society/Spirit of '76 Museum
PO Box 76
201 N Main St
Wellington, OH 44090
440-647-4367
Email: info@lorainhistory.org
Website
Sheffield Village Historical Society
Cultural Center
4944 Detroit Rd
Sheffield Village, OH 44054
440-934-1514
E-mail:herdendorf@aol.com
Website
103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
5501 E Lake Rd
Sheffield Lake, OH 44054
440-949-2790
E-mail:museum@103ovi.com
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Lorain County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
Western Reserve Historical Society
Research Library in the History Center
10825 East Blvd
Cleveland, OH 44106
216-721-5722
FamilySearch Wiki
Website
Lorain County Chapter of OGS
PO Box 865
Elyria, OH 44036-0865
E-mail:contact@loraincoogs.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
- Lorain County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- LorainCounty.com
- OHGenWeb Archives
- 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 Atlas of Historical County Boundaries;’’ Ohio: Individual County Chronologies; Copyright The Newberry Library 2007
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Ohio.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Lorain County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/lorain/ accessed 2/22/2017.
- ↑ 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, "Lorain County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorain_County,_Ohio, accessed 26 December 2018.
