Wood County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Wood 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 in honor of Captain Eleazer Darby Wood, an engineer in the War of 1812 who built Fort Meigs. It is located in the Northwest area of the state.[3]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Wood County Courthouse
1 Courthouse Square
Bowling Green, OH 43402
Phone: 419-354-9280
Wood County Website
Wood 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 | 1820 | 1867 | 1823 | 1820 | 1820 | 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: [6]
| Cities | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 1808 Treaty of Brownsville. Construction of the Western Reserve Road began. The road connected the Maumee River to the western edge of the Connecticut Reserve stretching from Fort Meigs to Fremont, along present-day U.S. Route 20.[7] This route was difficult to travel due to high levels of water from rains and overflowing creeks, and the added danger of insects carrying diseases such as malaria.[8]
- 1834 Bowling Green founded.
- 1850s Settlers moved in to create farmland out of swamp and since then, Wood County has been mostly agricultural in nature, covered by farms growing mostly soybeans, corn and wheat.[9]
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]
- Portrait and biographical record of city of Toldeo and Lucas and Wood counties, Ohio, ... (Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974); Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Google Books.
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 733 | — |
| 1830 | 1,102 | 50.3% |
| 1840 | 5,357 | 386.1% |
| 1850 | 9,157 | 70.9% |
| 1860 | 17,886 | 95.3% |
| 1870 | 24,596 | 37.5% |
| 1880 | 34,022 | 38.3% |
| 1890 | 44,392 | 30.5% |
| 1900 | 51,555 | 16.1% |
| 1910 | 46,330 | −10.1% |
| 1920 | 44,892 | −3.1% |
| 1930 | 50,320 | 12.1% |
| 1940 | 51,796 | 2.9% |
| 1950 | 59,605 | 15.1% |
| 1960 | 72,596 | 21.8% |
| 1970 | 89,722 | 23.6% |
| 1980 | 107,372 | 19.7% |
| 1990 | 113,269 | 5.5% |
| 2000 | 121,065 | 6.9% |
| 2010 | 125,488 | 3.7% |
| 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; images.
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
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records, 1789-1996 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1818-1861 Deed and land sales, 1818-1861 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
- 1820-1912 Deed records 1821-1902 and index 1820-1912, Wood County, Ohio at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
- 1821-1910 Court records, 1821-1910 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
- 1838-1881 Mortgage records, 1838-1881 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
- 1840-1881 Land transfers, 1840, 1843, 1853-1881 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
- Land Records at USGenWeb 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.
- Evers, C.W., Reminiscences of Pioneer Days in Wood County and the Maumee Valley: a Pioneer Scrap Book, (Bowling Green, Ohio: The Democrat, 1910). Online at Internet Archive, HathiTrust; FHL book 977.116 H2e
- Beers, J.H., Commemorative, Historical and Biographical Record of Wood County, Ohio. (Chicago, Illinois: J. H. Beers and Co, 1897); Online at HathiTrust, Google Books, FamilySearch Digital Library.
- Jones, Paul Willis, Human Interest History of Wood County, Ohio, (Bowling Green, Ohio Ohio Genealogical Society. Wood County Chapter, 2007) FHL book 977.116 H2j
- Van Tassel, Charles, Historical Highlights of Wood County, (Fort Wayne, Indiana: Allen County Public Library, 1984). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
- 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
- Wood County Auditor at Wood County Auditor
- 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.
War of 1812
- Fort Meigs, Ohio's War of 1812 Battlefield at fortmeigs.org
- Nelson, Larry L. Men of patriotism, courage, &; enterprise Fort Meigs in the War of 1812 (Canton, Ohio: Daring Books 1985) FamilySearch Catalog
- Evers, C.W., Dedication of Fort Meigs monument, September 1, 1908: together with brief description of the two sieges of Fort Meigs in 1813, (Bowling Green, Ohio). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.
Civil War
- Civil War Veterans Discharges at USGenWeb Archives, recorded at Bowling Green, Ohio, Court House.
- Ohio Genealogical Society. Wood County Chapter. Wood County's role in the Civil War. (Bowling Green, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society. Wood County Chapter, c1997-), FHL book 977.116 M2w v. 1, v. 2
Civil War service men from Wood 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 Wood County.
- - 100th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company A
- - 111th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B, D, I, and K
World War I
- 1914-1918 Ohio, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1914-1919 Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 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.
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]
Wood 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.
- 1789-1963 Chronicling America at Library of Congress
- 1793-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county to Browse.
- 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
- 1863-1933Newspaper Articles at USGenWeb Archives
- Early-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. After 1852, records are held by the Wood County Probate Court. Records include wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only). The records may give the decedent's date of death, name of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
See Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1786-1998 Ohio Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($) — index and images.
- 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
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]
- 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
- 1800-1942 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
- 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — 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; index and images.
- 1908-1953 Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953 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
- 1975 Crew Members of the Edmund Fitzgerald at USGenWeb Archives, lost November 10, 1975.
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1962-2007 Ohio, U.S., Divorce Abstracts, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Wood 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
- Toledo Ohio Family History Center (Perrysburg)
- Toledo-Lucas County Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Wood County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.
Wood County District Public Library
Main Library
251 N Main St
Bowling Green, OH 43402
419-352-5104
Website
Way Public Library
101 E Indiana Ave
Perrysburg, OH 43551
419-874-3135
Website
Bowling Green State University - Center for Archival Collections
5th Floor - Jerome Library
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
419-372-2411
Website
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center
Spiegel Grove
Fremont, OH 43420
419-332-2081
Website
Museums[edit | edit source]
Wood County Historical Center and Museum
13660 County Home Rd
Bowling Green, OH 43402
419-352-0967
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Wood County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.
Wood County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 722
1st floor, Office Building, Courthouse Square
Bowling Green, OH 43402
419-354-9557
Website
Wood County Historical Center and Museum
13660 County Home Rd
Bowling Green, OH 43402
419-352-0967
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.
- Wood County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society ($)
- Wood County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
- Wood County OHGenWeb
- USGenWeb Archives for Wood 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
- ↑ Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Wood County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/wood/ 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.
- ↑ Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Wood County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_County,_Ohio, accessed 18 January 2019.
- ↑ Lawrence, Genealogy Trails, “Bowling Green Pre-1833.”
- ↑ Lawrence, Genealogy Trails, “Bowling Green Pre-1833.”
- ↑ Geoff Howes and Lucy Long, Wood County History (https://web.archive.org/web/20080827223230/http://woodcountyhistory.org/foodways/german_more.html : accessed 16 September 2012), “German-Americans in Northwest Ohio.”
