Clark County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Clark County

Guide to Clark County, Ohio ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Clark County, Ohio
Map
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Clark County Courthouse 101 N. Limestone St. Springfield, Ohio 45502 Clark County Website Phone: 937.328.2458

Historical Facts

Beginning dates for major county records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Tax	Land	Probate
1867	1818	1867		1818	1818
*For earlier dates, try... Church | Obituaries | Cemeteries

• Parent Counties: Formed from Champaign, Greene and Madison counties 26 December 1817.
  
• County Seat: Springfield

Description

The county was named for General George Rogers Clark who fought Indians in Ohio in the early Nineteenth Century. It's county seat is Springfield and was founded March 1, 1818. It is located in the West Central area of the state.

Places / Localities

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:

Cities
New Carlisle Springfield (county seat)
Villages
Catawba Clifton Donnelsville	Enon North Hampton South Charleston	South Vienna Tremont City
Unincorporated communities
Beatty Brighton Cortsville Dialton Dodo Dolly Varden Durbin	Eagle City Harmony Hustead Lawrenceville Limestone City Lisbon Locustgrove	Medway New Moorefield Pitchin Plattsburgh Selma Sugar Grove Villa
Census-designated places
Crystal Lakes Green Meadows	Holiday Valley Northridge	Park Layne
Townships
Bethel German Green Harmony	Mad River Madison Moorefield	Pike Pleasant Springfield

Neighboring Counties

Miami County  • Champaign County  • Madison County  • Greene County  • Montgomery County

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating Ohio county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Ohio County Boundary Maps" (1788-1888) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Resources

Bible Records

For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.

Cemeteries

Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Online Grave Transcripts	Published Grave Transcripts	County Cemetery Directories
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
Interment.net	WorldCat	Names in Stone
USGW Tombstones		Billion Graves
Billion Graves		Epodunk
Ohio Gravestones
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

• Ferncliff Cemetery. By far, the largest cemetery in Springfield. The cemetery's website has a searchable database.

Harmony Township Cemeteries

• South Vienna Cemetery, State Route 40, just west of South Vienna.
• Plattsburg Cemetery, on Plattsburg Road just east of Plattsburg.
• Wragg Cemetery, located south of Plattsburg Road with no public access.

Church Records

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, view the Ohio Church Records wiki page.

Finding More Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Church Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
  

Genealogy

Miami Valley Genealogy Index is an Index to more than a half million pointers to records all over Miami Valley including Clark County.

Clark County Ohio GenWeb is the Clark County branch of the Ohio GenWeb project. It includes vital records, cemetery transcriptions, census indexes, maps, and other information provided by volunteers.

Clark County Ohio Historical Society is located in the Heritage Center of Clark County, with an extensive library and archives containing local history documents. This is also the location of the Clark County Genealogical Society.

Clark County Public Library has genealogical records on microfilm including census, birth and death records, naturalization records, local newspapers, etc. Also holds city directories beginning in 1852 and some rural directories beginning in 1903.

History

Local histories are available for Clark County, Ohio Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Ohio Local Histories.

Local History

• Prince, Benjamin F. A standard history of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio: an authentic narrative of the past… (Chicago : American Historical Society, 1922) Volume 1 only digital version at Google Books; Volume 2 only digital verson at Internet Archive; Volume 1 only digital version at FamilySearch Books Online and Volume 2 only digital version at FamilySearch Books Online; FHL film 934883 Items 2-3.
• Croft, Grace Hildy, The History of Clark County, Ohio: containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men… (Chicago : W.H. Beers, 1881) Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online; FHL book 977.149 H2h 1972; Index of names in “Index to the history of Clark County, Ohio” FHL book 977.149 H2h index.
• Rockel, William Mahlon, 20th Century History of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens (Chicago, Illinois : Biographical Publishing Co., 1908) Digital version at Google Books; Internet Archive.

Land and Property

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.

Clark County Recorder's Office has a searchable online index beginning in 1988. All prior land records must be searched on location at the A.B. Graham building in downtown Springfield.

Finding More Land Records

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Land and Property Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog(For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

• The Trumbull County Archives/Microfilm department has online maps and deed indexes
  

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)

Military

• 1888-1919 - Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War

• With Diplomas of Patriotism: African American Civil War Veterans in Ohio by Amy L. Crow (Senior Thesis, The Ohio State University, 2009). This thesis uses Springfield as a case study.

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1800-1977 - Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

Clark County, Ohio Genealogy newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.

To access newspapers, contact public libraries, Ohio Genealogical Society chapters, college or university libraries, the Library of Congress, Google News, or the Ohio Historical Society. The Ohio Genealogical Society Obituary Database is another source of newspaper information.

For more Ohio newspaper information see the Newspaper Guides on the wiki page Ohio Newspapers. Online Newspapers
Online Newspaper Abstracts

• Springfield Daily News, Springfield, Ohio  See:  Ohio Obituary Index, 1830s-2009, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center - Ancestry $

Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Finding More Ohio Newspapers

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Claark County Ohio newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Claark County, Ohio Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search). 

Probate

Probate records created after 1852 are held by the Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court. From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. Most counties transferred all records to the Probate Court, but in some circumstances, Court of Common Pleas records should be searched for records prior to 1852. Most records are housed at the Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Courthouse. Some records are on microfilm at the Ohio Genealogical Society and the Family History Library. For more complete information about the location of county probate records see:

• Carol Willsey Bell, Ohio Wills and Estates to 1850: An Index (1981).  FamilySearch Books Online - Free online copy.
  

See the wiki page Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only).

Online Probate Records

• 1786 - 1998 Ohio Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1789 - 1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — images
• 1790–1967 - Ohio, Probate Records, 1790-1967 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This collection consists of probate records and estate files from county courthouses in Ohio. The content and time period varies by county, with more records being added as they become available. This Collection will include records from 1789 to 1996. Currently, (September 2012) the collection is only searchable by browsing the images. A list of Fires that have destroyed records in the courthouses of several counties are listed on the Record Description page.
  
• various years - Community contributed probate extracts and transcriptions Courtesy of OhioGenWeb

Clark County Probate Court 50 E. Columbia Street Springfield, Ohio 45502

Phone:(937) 521-1845 Fax:(937) 328-2589 Email: sweldy@clarkcountyohio.gov

Genealogical resources available:

• Births and deaths recorded in Clark County from 1867 to August 1908.
• Marriage records from 1818 to the present.
• Naturalization records from March 20, 1861, to March 5, 1904 (index at Clerk of Courts Office, Common Pleas Court).
• Estate records from 1818 to 1985 on microfilm and original records from 1985 to the present.

Hours: M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed on weekends and holidays.

All materials are available to be researched personally. Staff will do lookups and make copies by written request, with a $3.00 fee for each name requested. Extensive genealogical requests cannot be filled and will be forwarded to experienced local researchers.

Finding More Probate Records

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Repositories

Courthouse

Clark County Courthouse
Ab Graham Building
Springfield, OH 45502
Phone: 937.328.2458 

Probate Judge has birth, marriage, death, probate and naturalization records.
Court Clerk has divorce and court records.
County Recorder has land records.

Family History Centers

Family history centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.

FamilySearch Centers are branches of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and are located all over the world. Their goal is to provide resources for family history research.

The main FamilySearch Center for Clark County, Ohio Genealogy is the Dayton Ohio East Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.

• Champaign County Library Family History Center

Libraries

• Clark County Public Library
• New Carlisle Public Library
• Fisher Family Library and Archives at the Heritage Center
• Friends of the Library Genealogical Research Group

Societies

• Clark County Genealogical Society
  117 S. Fountain Avenue Springfield, OH
  (937) 324-0657, ext. 230
  Clark.Gen.Soc@gmail.com

Online Genealogy Research Groups

• 
  
• U.S. Midwest Genealogy Research Community - FamilySearch Facebook Research Group
• Ohio Ancestors - FamilySearch Community group, must have a free FamilySearch account to join
• U.S. and Canada Genealogy Research - FamilySearch Community group, must have a free FamilySearch account to join

Taxation

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. For more information see the wiki page Ohio Taxation.

• 1818 - Tax list Courtesy of OhioGenWeb

Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Vital Records

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Although Ohio enacted a statute in 1856 -1857 requiring registration of births, deaths and marriages, many counties did not comply. A second law was written in 1867 but, again, was not always followed. By 1908, the law was more clearly defined and kept. Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the Clark County, Ohio Genealogy 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 Historical Society houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.

Original marriage records are held at the office of the Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court with divorce records located with the Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Clerk of Courts.

See also How to order Ohio Vital Records or order vital records electronically online.

Birth

Online Birth Indexes and Records

• 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1821–1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This is an incomplete index of extractions of original records and of patron-submitted records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. Information may have been previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
• 1856–1909 - Ohio, County Births, 1856-1909 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. The collection includes a name index and images of county birth records in Ohio. The time period and type of record varies by county.
• 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)
  
• 1867-1889 - Clark County Births Courtesy of OhioGenWeb

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

Online Marriage Indexes and Records

• 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images. Name index and images of county marriage records acquired from local courthouses.
• 1800-1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Name index to marriage records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and some FamilySearch Centers. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
• 1800-1942 Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index
• 1803-1900 - Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1818-1865 - Clark County, Ohio marriage records, 1818-1865 at Ancestry.com ($); book transcription.
• 1898-1912 - Ohio Marriages at ancestry.com ($)
• 1970-2007 - Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1818-1929 - Clark County Marriages Courtesy of OhioGenWeb

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death

Online Death Indexes and Records

• 1840-2001 - Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1854–1997 - Ohio, Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Name index to death and burial records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 2,535,556 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
  
• 1908–1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 - Ohio, Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. Index of deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
• 1908-2007 - Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1867 - Clark County Deaths in 1867 Courtesy of OhioGenWeb
• various years - Community contributed death certificate extracts Courtesy of OhioGenWeb

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Divorce

• 1962-2007 - Ohio Divorce Index, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
  

Finding More Vital Records

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Clark County, Ohio Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Websites

• FamilySearch Catalog
• Clark County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Clark County OH Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook