Ross County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Ross County, Ohio ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania.[3] It is located in the Southcentral area of the state.[4]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Ross County Courthouse
2 N Paint St
Chillicothe, OH 45601
Phone: 740-702-3010
Ross County Website
Probate Judge has birth, marriage, death and probate records;
Clerk Court has divorce records from late 1800’s and court records;
County Recorder has land records[5]
Ross 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 | 1798 | 1867 | 1798 | 1797 | 1797 | 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: [9]
| Cities | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| 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.
- Ross County, Ohio family Bible records, vol. 1 & vol. 2, (Ross County Genealogical Society, 1984) Volume one online at FamilySearch Digital Library; Volume two online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
Biographies[edit | edit source]
- Finley, Isaac J. and Rufus Putnam, Pioneer Record and Reminiscences of the Early Settlers and Settlement of Ross County, Ohio, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Robert Clarke, 1871). Online at Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library
- Perkins, George, Pioneer Sketches, Life in the Northwest Territory and Ross County, Ohio: 1600s-1896, (Chillicothe, Ohio: Ross County Genealogical Society, 1999). FHL book 977.182 H2p
- Biographies at Ross County OHGenWeb
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1800 | 8,540 | — |
| 1810 | 15,514 | 81.7% |
| 1820 | 20,619 | 32.9% |
| 1830 | 24,068 | 16.7% |
| 1840 | 27,460 | 14.1% |
| 1850 | 32,074 | 16.8% |
| 1860 | 35,071 | 9.3% |
| 1870 | 37,097 | 5.8% |
| 1880 | 40,307 | 8.7% |
| 1890 | 39,454 | −2.1% |
| 1900 | 40,940 | 3.8% |
| 1910 | 40,069 | −2.1% |
| 1920 | 41,556 | 3.7% |
| 1930 | 45,181 | 8.7% |
| 1940 | 52,147 | 15.4% |
| 1950 | 54,424 | 4.4% |
| 1960 | 61,215 | 12.5% |
| 1970 | 61,211 | −0.0% |
| 1980 | 65,004 | 6.2% |
| 1990 | 69,330 | 6.7% |
| 2000 | 73,345 | 5.8% |
| 2010 | 78,064 | 6.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1810-1930 Census at Ross County OHGenWeb
- 1820 1820 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
- 1820-1930 Census Records R Ohio Genealogy Express
- 1830 1830 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
- 1840 1840 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
- 1850 United States Census (Mortality Schedule), 1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry ($)
- 1850 United States Census 1850; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
- 1860 United States Census 1860; scroll down to find links to FamilySearch, Archive.org, Fold3 ($), and Ancestry ($).
- 1870 United States Census 1870; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
- 1880 United States Census 1880; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
- 1900 United States Census 1900; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
- 1910 United States Census 1910; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
- 1920 1920 United States Census at Ancestry ($)
- 1920 United States Census, 1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
- 1930 1930 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
- 1930 1930 Census of Merchant Seamen at Ancestry ($)
- Ross County Ohio Census at Census Online; various years.
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]
- 1797-1820 Gateway to The West, Vol. II at Ancestry ($) (Includes Territorial Court Order Book, 1798-1799, 1799-1800, Index to Estates and Guardianships 1797-1820).
Directories[edit | edit source]
- 1822-1995 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($)
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
- 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records at Ancestry ($)
- Land Records at Ross County OHGenWeb
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for this county. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Ohio Local Histories.
- Bennett, Henry Holcomb, The County of Ross: A History of Ross County, Ohio, From the Earliest Days, (Madison, Wisconsin: S.A. Brant, 1902). Online at Ancestry ($) (Indexed), Internet Archive; Volume two online at Google Books; FHL film 599261 Item 2; book 977.182 H2b.
- Finley, Isaac J., Putnam, Rufus. Pioneer record and reminiscences of the early settlers and settlement of Ross County Ohio. (Cincinnati: Robert Clark & Co.,1871) Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Biographies at OH Genealogy Express extracted from The County of Ross: by Henry Holcomb Bennett 1902
- Evans, Lyle S., A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Civic and Social Development, (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1987). Volume one, two, and three online at Ancestry ($) (Indexed); Volume one online at HathiTrust; Volume two online at Google Books, HathiTrust; FHL fiche 6087727 and 6087728; 977.182 H2e v. 1-2
- History of Ross and Highland Counties Ohio, (Cleveland, Ohio: Williams Bros., 1880). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Histories at Ross County OHGenWeb
- Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS
- Ross County Ohio Maps at USGenWeb
- Map of Ross County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels at Wikipedia
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- 1888-1919 Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- Military Records at Ross County OHGenWeb
- Military Records for Ohio Counties at OH Genealogy Express
Civil War
- Civil War service men from Ross County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Ross County.
- - 1st Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Company M
- - 1st Regiment, Ohio Heavy Artillery, Company B
- - 106th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company F
World War I
- 1914-1919 Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1914-1918 Ohio, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1916-1920 Ohio, WWI Index and Return Cards, 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
World War II
- 1938-1946 U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 at Ancestry ($)
- 1942 United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- Ross County, Ohio World War II Casualties Army and Air Force at Access Genealogy
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1800-1977 Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Ross County newspapers often contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.
- For more online Ohio newspapers index and images, see Ohio Newspapers.
- 1793-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county.
- 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
- Early-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
- Chillicothe Gazette
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 Ross 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 ($) — index and images.
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records. 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- Wills and Probate Records at Ross County OHGenWeb
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — 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; index and images.
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Marriages were usually recorded from the formation of the county and are held at the office of the County Probate Court. Divorce records are located with the county Clerk of Courts.
Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the County Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954, while the Ohio History Connection houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($) — Index
- 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1867-1908 Birth Records 1867-1908 at Ross County OHGenWeb
- 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; index and images.
- 1798-1849 Marriages 1798-1849 at Ohio Genealogy Express
- 1800-1942 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
- 1803-1900 Ohio, Compiled Marriage Index, 1803-1900 at Ancestry ($) — Index.
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- Marriage Records at Ross County OHGenWeb
- Ross County, Ohio Marriage Records at Ancestry ($)
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1833-1967 Ohio, Church and Civil Deaths, 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1840-2001 Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch– How to Use this Collection; Index.
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($) — 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 Ross 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
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Ross County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library
140 S Paint St
PO Box 185
Chillicothe, OH 45601-3214
740-702-4145
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Ross County Historical Society Museum
45 W Fifth St
Chillicothe, OH 45601
740-772-1936
E-mail:info@rosscountyhistorical.org
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Ross County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
Ross County, Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 6352
Chillicothe, OH 45601-6352
740-773-2715
Email:rcgs@bright.net
Website
Ross County Heritage Center
45 W Fifth St
Chillicothe, OH 45601
740-772-1936
Email:info@rosscountyhistorical.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
- Ross County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- Ross County, OHGenWeb
- Ross County Genealogy at Ohio Genealogy Express
- Ross County, Ohio at Genealogy Trails
- Ross County at Cyndi's List
- WikipediA Ross County, Ohio
- 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
- ↑ Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Ross County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_County,_Ohio accessed 2/22/2017.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Ross County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/ross/ accessed 2/27/2017.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library
- ↑ Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Ross County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_County,_Ohio, accessed 11 January 2019.