Geauga County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Geauga County

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

Geauga County, Ohio
Map
Location in the state of Ohio
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Geauga County Courthouse Chardon, Ohio 44024 Geauga County Website

Historical Facts

Beginning dates for major county records
Birth	Marriage	Death	Tax	Land	Probate
1867	1803	1867		1795	1806
*For earlier dates, try... Church | Obituaries | Cemeteries

• Parent Counties: Formed from Trumbull County 31 December 1805.
• County Seat: Chardon
  

Description

The county was named for a Native American word meaning "raccoon". It's county seat is Chardon and was founded March 1, 1806. It is located in the North-eastern area of the state.

Neighboring Counties

Lake County  • Ashtabula County  • Trumbull County  • Portage County  • Summit County  • Cuyahoga 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
OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos
Ohio Gravestones
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

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 Geauga 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).
  

History

Local histories are available for Geauga 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

• Pioneer and general history of Geauga County: with sketches of some of the pioneers and prominent men ([S.I.] : Historical Society of Geauga County, 1880) Digital version at Google Books; also available on microfilm at FHL film 924926 Item 2.
• Riddle, Albert Gallation, History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio: with illustrations and biographical sketches of its pioneers and most prominent men (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Williams Bros., 1878) Digital version at Google Books; also available on microfilm at FHL film 496899 Item 3.

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.

• various years - Community contributed deeds Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives

Finding More Land Records

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Geauga 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

• Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)

Military

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

Civil War

Civil War service men from Geauga 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 Geauga County.

- 1st Regiment, Ohio Light Artillery, Batteries B and C

- 11th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company E

- 41st Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B and G

- 105th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B, C, E, F, and I

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers

Geauga 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

• July 1906 - newspaper extracts from the Painsville Telegraph Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• December 1914 - newspaper extracts from the Geauga Republican Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• 8 September 1886 - Geauga County Pioneers list of pioneers printed in the Geauga Republican Courtesy OhioGenWeb

Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Obituaries

The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center has an Ohio Obituary Index which includes from Geauga County newspapers.

Probate

Probate records created after 1852 are held by the Geauga 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 Geauga 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.
  
• through 1917 - Probate index from microfilm records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• various years - Community contributed wills Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• various years - will index and transcripts Courtesy OhioGenWeb

Finding More Probate Records

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Geauga 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

Geauga County Courthouse
231 Main Street
Chardon, OH 44024-1243
Phone: 216.285.2222 

Probate  Judge has birth, marriage, death and probate records;
County Health Department has burial records; Clerk Court has
divorce and court records from 1806; 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.

• Kirtland Ohio Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory. Put your town name in the top search box.

Societies

The Connecticut Western Reserve  was a part of northeast Ohio originally intended for settlement by Revolutionary War refugees from Connecticut. The former Connecticut Western Reserve  lands were in the modern counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Trumbull fully, but also in parts of Ashland, Mahoning, Ottawa, Summit, and Wayne counties in Ohio.

The Research Library at the Western Reserve Historical Society History Center  is the premier repository for Cleveland, Ohio and Connecticut Western Reserve history material. One of the principal strengths is its manuscript collections. The WRHS collection has original land records, genealogies of New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, biographies, histories, and family Bibles.

Taxation

• 1835 - Huntsburg Township personal property tax list Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• 1833 - Newbury Township personal property tax list Courtesy OhioGenWeb

Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Geauga 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 Geauga 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 Geauga County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court with divorce records located with the Geauga 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

• 1867-1907 - Geauga County birth records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• 1850-1851 - vital records from the Geauga Republic Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

Online Marriage Indexes and Records

• 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 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
• 1806-1919 - Geauga County marriages and licenses Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• 1823-1874 - list of marriages solomized by Noah Barrell Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• 1850-1851 - vital records from the Geauga Republic Courtesy OhioGenWeb 
• July through December 1863 - vital records from the Jeffersonian Democrat Courtesy 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
• 1850-1851 - vital records from the Geauga Republic Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• July through December 1863 - Vital records from the Jeffersonian Democrat Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• 1867-1907 - Geauga County death records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• 1908-1953 - Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch. Records include such information as birth date of deceased, city, county, and state of death, name of spouse if married, names of parents, maiden name of mother, name of informant, if deceased was single, married, windowed or divorced, occupation of deceased.

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Finding More Vital Records

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Geauga 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

• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Geauga County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Geauga County OH Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook