Lucas County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Lucas County

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

Lucas County, Ohio
Map
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Lucas County Courthouse 800 Adams St. Toledo, Ohio 43624 Lucas County Website

Lucas County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1865	1835	1868	1835	1808	1835	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

• Parent Counties: Formed from Wood and Sandusky Counties 20 June 1835.
• County Seat: Toledo

Description

The county was named for Robert Lucas, 12th governor of Ohio, in 1835 during his second term. Its establishment provoked the Toledo War conflict with the Michigan Territory. It's county seat is Toledo and was founded June 20, 1835. It is located in the Northwest-central area of the state.

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
Maumee Oregon	Sylvania Toledo (county seat)	Waterville
Villages
Berkey Harbor View	Holland Ottawa Hills	Swanton Whitehouse
Unincorporated communities
Bono Frankfort	Monclova Richfield	Shoreland Yondota
Census-designated places
Curtice Neapolis
Townships
Harding Jerusalem Monclova Providence	Richfield Spencer Springfield Swanton	Sylvania Washington Waterville
Ghost towns
Marengo Providence

Neighboring Counties

Ottawa County  • Wood County  • Henry County  • Fulton County  • Lenawee County, Michigan  • Monroe County, Michigan

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

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
OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos
Ohio Gravestones
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

Church Records

Catholic

• 1796–2004 Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records, 1796-2004 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This collection includes images of parish registers recording the events of baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage, and death in the Diocese of Toledo (Ohio), Roman Catholic Church. These records are accessed by browsing the images by county. In addition to traditional parish registers, this collection includes miscellaneous cemetery records, Books of the Elect, Professions of Faith, Sick Call registers, etc.
  

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Toledo

Finding More Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Lucas 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).
  

Directories

Fold3 ($) has Toledo City Directories 1864-1923 (3 yrs. missing) available online.

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

Archives, Libraries, and Museums
Biographies
Church Records
Cemetery Records
Court Records
Histories
Immigration/emigration/migration
Maps
Newspapers
Societies

History

Local histories are available for Lucas 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 Histories

• Waggoner, Clark, History of the City of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio, (New York, New York: Munsell & Company, 1888). Digital copy at Internet Archive Volume 1:FamilySearch Books Online, Volume 2:FamilySearch Books Online FHL film 1000326 Item 1; book 977.112 H2w v. 1-2

• Scribner, Harvey, Memoirs of Lucas County and the City of Toledo: From the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present, (Madison, Wisconsin: Western Historical Association, 1910). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive Volume 1:FamilySearch Books Online, Volume 2:FamilySearch Books Online, Volume 3:FamilySearch Books Online FHL film 1000327; book 977.112 H2s v.1

• Killits, John Milton, Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio, 1623-1923, (Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1923). Digital copy at FamilySearch Books Online FHL film 1000328; book 977.112 H2t

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.

Finding More Land Records

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

Civil War service men from Lucas 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 Lucas County.

- 1st Regiment, Michigan Cavalry, Company E

- 100th Regiment, Ohio Infantry

Company A - many men from Toledo and and Perrysburg in Wood County

Company E - many men from Toledo and northern Fulton County

Company F - many men from western Lucas County, especially Waterville and Maumee

- 111th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies E and H

World War I

• 1914-1919 - Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1914-1918 - Ohio, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers

Lucas 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

• Toledo Blade, March 1869 - December 2007 - more than 24,000 issues digitized in the Google News Archive.

Online Newspaper Abstracts
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Probate

Probate records created after 1852 are held by the Lucas 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 Lucas 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).  Carol Willsey Bell, Ohio Wills and Estates to 1850: An Index (Columbus, Ohio: the author, 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.

Finding More Probate Records

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

Lucas County Courthouse
700 Adams Street
Toledo, OH 43624
Phone: 419.245.4000

Clerk Court has divorce and court records from 1850;
Probate judge has birth records 1865-1908, death records
from 1935, marriage and probate 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.

• Toledo 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

Toledo Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 118068

Toledo, 43611

Toledo Area Genealogical Society

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

• 1800-1950 - Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — index and images

Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Lucas 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 Lucas 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 Lucas County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court with divorce records located with the Lucas 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 ($)
• 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1888-1890 - Lucas County, Toledo Ohio Birth Records at ancestry.com ($)
• 1891-1895 - Lucas County, Toledo Ohio Birth Records at Lucas County, Ohio, Blade Obituary Index ($)
• 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

• 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1800-1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — free; Index.
• 1800-1942 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index

Online Marriage Indexes and Records
Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death

Online Death Indexes and Records

• 1840-2001 - Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1894-1897 - Lucas County, Toledo Ohio Death Index at ancestry.com ($)
• 1908-1953 - Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch.org. 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.

Finding More Vital Records

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Lucas 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).

• 1970-2010 - Lucas County, Ohio, Blade Obituary Index at ancestry.com ($)
• Swan Creek Cemetery Inscriptions at ancestry.com ($)

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Websites

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