Marion County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Marion County, Ohio ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Marion County, Ohio | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location of Ohio in the U.S. | |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Marion County Courthouse 100 North Main St. Marion, Ohio 43302-3089 Marion County Website |
|---|---|
Contents
- 1 Marion County, Ohio Record Dates
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biography
- 2.3 Business Records and Commerce
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.9 Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
- 2.10 Gazetteers
- 2.11 Genealogy
- 2.12 History
- 2.13 Land and Property
- 2.14 Maps
- 2.15 Military
- 2.16 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.17 Newspapers
- 2.18 Obituaries
- 2.19 Periodicals
- 2.20 Probate
- 2.21 Public Records
- 2.22 Repositories
- 2.23 Taxation
- 2.24 Vital Records
- 3 Websites
- 4 References
Marion County, Ohio Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1867 | 1824 | 1867 | 1724 | 1821 | 1825 | 1820 |
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for General Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion, an officer in the Revolutionary War. It's county seat is Marion and was founded April 1, 1820. It is located in the Mid-Central area of the state.[3]
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: [4]
| Cities | ||
|
||
| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Townships | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Hardin County • Hardin County • Delaware County • Morrow County • Crawford County • Wyandot County
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
- 1848: Marion County gave up land for the formation of Morrow County in February. The Townships of Canaan, Cardington, Gilead, Morven and Washington were detached from Marion County and were transferred to Morrow County.
- In return for this loss of land, Big Rock Township was detached from Delaware County Ohio and given to Marion County; afterward its name was changed to Waldo Township.
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[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Business Records and Commerce[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
| Online Grave Transcripts | Published Grave Transcripts | County Cemetery Directories |
| Family History Library | ||
| WorldCat | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos | ||
| See Ohio Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1830 | 6,551 | — |
| 1840 | 14,765 | 125.4% |
| 1850 | 12,618 | −14.5% |
| 1860 | 15,490 | 22.8% |
| 1870 | 16,184 | 4.5% |
| 1880 | 20,565 | 27.1% |
| 1890 | 24,727 | 20.2% |
| 1900 | 28,678 | 16.0% |
| 1910 | 33,971 | 18.5% |
| 1920 | 42,004 | 23.6% |
| 1930 | 45,420 | 8.1% |
| 1940 | 44,898 | −1.1% |
| 1950 | 49,959 | 11.3% |
| 1960 | 60,221 | 20.5% |
| 1970 | 64,724 | 7.5% |
| 1980 | 67,974 | 5.0% |
| 1990 | 64,274 | −5.4% |
| 2000 | 66,217 | 3.0% |
| 2010 | 66,501 | 0.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Marion 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.
Marion County Ohio is one of the numerous counties in the United States named in honor for Gen. Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox," who served in the Revolutionary War Brigadier General Francis Marion (c1732-1795). [5]No member of the Marion family was involved in the establishment of the county, and the name is merely an honoraium.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Leggett, Conaway, The History of Marion County, Ohio: Containing a History of the County, Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, etc., (Chicago, Illinois: Leggett, Conaway and Co., 1883). Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, FHL film 1000330 Item 2
- Jacoby, John Wilbur, History of Marion County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, (Chicago, Illinois: Biographical Pub. Co., 1907). FHL film 1000331 Item 1
Land and Property[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.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1888-1919 - Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Service men from Marion 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 Marion County.
- - 4th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (3 months, 1861), Companies H and K
- - 96th Regiment
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 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
- 1916-1920 - Ohio, WWI Index and Return Cards, 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — index
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1977 - Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Marion 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 Memory. 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 and Obituaries. Online Newspapers
Online Newspaper Abstracts
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate[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 {{{1}}} 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 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[edit source]
Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Public Records[edit | edit source]
Repositories[edit | edit source]
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Marion County Courthouse
100 N Main Street
Marion, OH 43302
Phone: 740.387.8128
Probate Court has marriage and probate records;
City Health Department has birth and death records
from 1908; Public Library has birth and death records
1867-1908; Clerk Court has divorce and court records;
County records has land records[6]
County Records are kept by the offices of the county government as proscribed by Ohio law and are subject to the public records retention policy of the State of Ohio.
The physical location of most original records (those not lost to fire, flood or other act of God) are kept in the offices of the elected officials who oversee a particular function of government.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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
For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory. Put your town name in the top search box.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
The county is served by a membership based genealogical society, the Marion Area Genealogical Society, also known by its acronym of MAGS. The society is a chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. The society maintains open help days on Saturday afternoons at the Brinker Howser Resource Center, in the lower level of the Marion County Historical Society, 169 E. Church Street, Marion, Ohio 43302, 614-387-4255.
Online Genealogy Research Groups[edit | edit source]
- 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[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.
- 1800-1950 - Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Finding More Tax Records
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Marriages were usually recorded from the formation of the county and are held at the office of the County Probate Court. Divorce records are located with the county Clerk of Courts.
Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the County Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954, while the Ohio History Connection houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)
Original Birth Records on Microfilm
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 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
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
Original Marriage Records on Microfilm
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1840-2001 - Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1908-1953 - Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953. Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch. Records include such information as birth date of deceased, city, county, and state of death, name of spouse if married, names of parents, maiden name of mother, name of informant, if deceased was single, married, windowed or divorced, occupation of deceased.
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Finding More Vital Records
Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion County, Ohio Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search). Finding More Vital Records
Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Marion County, Ohio Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Original Death Records on Microfilm
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Marion County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Ohio Genealogy Network Community on Google+
- Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Marion 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
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Marion County, Ohio. Page 540-547 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 531-533.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), [FHL book 973 D27e 2002].
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Marion County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/marion/ accessed 2/22/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Marion County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_County,_Ohio, accessed 28 December 2018.
- ↑ "Francis Marion," Wikipedia.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Marion County, Ohio. Page 544 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
