Ottawa County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Ottawa 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 either for the Ottawa Indian Tribe or for a Native American word meaning "trader". It is located in the North-Central area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Ottawa County Courthouse
315 Madison St
Port Clinton, OH 43452-1993
Phone: 419-734-6755
Ottawa County Website
County Health Department has birth, death and burial records;
Probate Judge has marriage and probate records;
Clerk Court has divorce and court records from 1840 and naturalization 1905-1929;
County Recorder has land records[4]
Ottawa 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 | 1840 | 1867 | 1840 | 1820 | 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]
|
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 | ||
| 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]
- Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens (Chicago: J.H.Beers & Co., 1896) 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. | %± |
| 1840 | 2,248 | — |
| 1850 | 3,308 | 47.2% |
| 1860 | 7,016 | 112.1% |
| 1870 | 13,364 | 90.5% |
| 1880 | 19,762 | 47.9% |
| 1890 | 21,974 | 11.2% |
| 1900 | 22,213 | 1.1% |
| 1910 | 22,360 | 0.7% |
| 1920 | 22,193 | −0.7% |
| 1930 | 24,109 | 8.6% |
| 1940 | 24,360 | 1.0% |
| 1950 | 29,469 | 21.0% |
| 1960 | 35,323 | 19.9% |
| 1970 | 37,099 | 5.0% |
| 1980 | 40,076 | 8.0% |
| 1990 | 40,029 | −0.1% |
| 2000 | 40,985 | 2.4% |
| 2010 | 41,428 | 1.1% |
| 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
Catholic
- 1796-2004 Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records, 1796-2004 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Lutheran
- Records of St. John's Lutheran Church, Oak Harbor, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).[8]
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- 1857-1918 Jury and witness books 1857-1918, Ottawa County, Ohio at FamilySearch Catalog - Scroll down to Film/Digital Notes and click on the camera icon on the right side of the page to view images.
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]
- First families collection of Ottawa County, Ohio at FamilySearch Catalog - Scroll down to Film/Digital Notes and click on the camera icon on the right side of the page to view images.
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
- 1820-1905 Deed records 1820-1905 and indexes 1820-1900, Ottawa County, Ohio at FamilySearch Catalog - Scroll down to Film/Digital Notes and click on the camera icon on the right side of the page to view images.
- 1866-1870 Land transfer book, 1866-1870 at FamilySearch Catalog - Scroll down to Film/Digital Notes and click on the camera icon on the right side of the page to view images.
- Index to mortgages vols. 1-3 at FamilySearch Catalog - Scroll down to Film/Digital Notes and click on the camera icon on the right side of the page to view images.
- Plat maps at FamilySearch Catalog - Scroll down to Film/Digital Notes and click on the camera icon on the right side of the page to view images.
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.
- Ryall, Lydia J., Sketches and stories of the Lake Erie islands (Norwalk, Ohio: The American Publishers Co., 1913). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
- Thorndale, Theresa, Sketches and stories of the Lake Erie islands (Sandusky, Ohio: I.F. Mack & Brother, 1898). Online at Google Books, Hathitrust
- Ottawa County Genealogical Society, The History of Ottawa County, Ohio and Its' Families, (Port Clinton, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society. Ottawa County Chapter, 1985). FHL book 977.1212 D3h
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Illustrated historical atlas of Ottawa County, Ohio, 1900 (Port Clinton, Ohio: H.J. Goodman, LL.D., 1900). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
- Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
- Hardesty, L.Q., Illustrated Historical Atlas of Ottawa County, Ohio, (Chicago, Illinois: H.H. Hardesty, 1874). FHL film 559334; Images may be viewed at a Family History Center or a FamilySearch Affiliate Library near you.
- 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa County.
- - 41st Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies F and I
- - 100th 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]
Ottawa 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]
The Obituary Index includes references to more than 1.5 million death, marriage and obituary notices. What began as a project at the Hayes Presidential Center grew into a partnership with 40 public libraries throughout the state of Ohio. Some of the listings date back as far as 1830. In addition to newspaper obituaries, the index includes entries indexing church records, federal mortality indexes, family papers, etc.
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 Ottawa 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 ($) — index and images.
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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 ($)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1942 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — 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 Ottawa 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
- Sandusky Ohio Family History Center
- The Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Ottawa County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Harris-Elmore Public Library
328 Toledo St
PO Box 45
Elmore, OH 43416
419-862-2482
Website
Ida Rupp Public Library
310 Madison St
Port Clinton, OH 43452-1921
419-732-3212
Website
Oak Harbor Public Library
147 W Main St
Oak Harbor, OH 43449-1344
419-898-7001
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Ottawa County Historical Society
Keeper's House, Cemetery, Museum
PO Box 385
Port Clinton, OH 43452
Keeper's House
9999 E Bayshore Rd
Lakeside Marblehead, OH 43440
419) 798-9339
Email:info@ottawacountyhistory.org
Website
Ottawa County Museum Digital Collection
126 W Third St
Port Clinton, OH 43452
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Ottawa 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
Ottawa County Historical Society
PO Box 385
Port Clinton, OH 43452
419-798-9339
Email:info@ottawacountyhistory.org
Website
The Ottawa County Genealogical Society
PO Box 193
Port Clinton, OH 43452-0193
E-mail:ocogs@ocogs.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
- Ottawa County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- Ohio GenWeb at USGenWeb Sites
- USGenWeb 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]
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Ottawa County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/ottawa/ 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, "Ottawa County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_County,_Ohio, accessed 7 January 2019.
- ↑ "Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: An Inventory of Selected Congregational Records of the American Lutheran Church in Minnesota at the Minnesota Historical Society," Collection Finding Aids, Minnesota Historical Society, http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/01009.xml, accessed 10 June 2013.
