Ross County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Southcentral area of the state.

County Courthouse
Ross County Courthouse 2 N Paint St Chillicothe, OH 45601 Phone: 740-702-3010 Ross County Website

Probate Judge has birth, marriage, death and probate records; Clerk Court has divorce records from late 1800’s and court records; County Recorder has land records

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:

Bible Records

 * Ross County, Ohio family Bible records, vol. 1 & vol. 2, (Ross County Genealogical Society, 1984) Volume one online at FamilySearch Digital Library; Volume two online at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Biographies

 * Finley, Isaac J. and Rufus Putnam, Pioneer Record and Reminiscences of the Early Settlers and Settlement of Ross County, Ohio, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Robert Clarke, 1871). Online at Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Perkins, George, Pioneer Sketches, Life in the Northwest Territory and Ross County, Ohio: 1600s-1896, (Chillicothe, Ohio: Ross County Genealogical Society, 1999).
 * Biographies at Ross County OHGenWeb

Census Records

 * 1810-1930 Census at Ross County OHGenWeb
 * 1820 1820 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
 * 1820-1930 Census Records R Ohio Genealogy Express
 * 1830 1830 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
 * 1840 1840 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
 * 1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1850-1885 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1850 United States Census 1850; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
 * 1860 United States Census 1860; scroll down to find links to FamilySearch, Archive.org, Fold3 ($), and Ancestry ($).
 * 1870 United States Census 1870; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
 * 1880 United States Census 1880; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
 * 1900 United States Census 1900; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
 * 1910 United States Census 1910; scroll down to find links to both FamilySearch and Ancestry ($).
 * 1920 1920 United States Census at Ancestry ($)
 * 1920  at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1930 1930 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
 * 1930 1930 Census of Merchant Seamen at Ancestry ($)
 * Ross County Ohio Census at Census Online; various years.

Church Records

 * Bible &amp; Church Records at Ross County OHGenWeb
 * Ross County, Ohio Churches at OH HomeTownLocator

Court Records

 * 1797-1820 Gateway to The West, Vol. II at Ancestry ($) (Includes Territorial Court Order Book, 1798-1799, 1799-1800, Index to Estates and Guardianships 1797-1820).

Directories

 * 1822-1995 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 at Ancestry ($)

Genealogies

 * Articles & Stories at Ross County OHGenWeb

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1796–1907 U.S. General Land Office Records at Ancestry ($)
 * Land Records at Ross County OHGenWeb

Local Histories

 * Bennett, Henry Holcomb, The County of Ross: A History of Ross County, Ohio, From the Earliest Days, (Madison, Wisconsin: S.A. Brant, 1902). Online at Ancestry ($) (Indexed), Internet Archive; Volume two online at Google Books;.
 * Finley, Isaac J., Putnam, Rufus. Pioneer record and reminiscences of the early settlers and settlement of Ross County Ohio.  (Cincinnati: Robert Clark & Co.,1871) Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Biographies at OH Genealogy Express extracted from The County of Ross: by Henry Holcomb Bennett 1902
 * Evans, Lyle S., A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Civic and Social Development, (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1987). Volume one, two, and three online at Ancestry ($) (Indexed); Volume one online at HathiTrust; Volume two online at Google Books, HathiTrust;
 * History of Ross and Highland Counties Ohio, (Cleveland, Ohio: Williams Bros., 1880). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Histories at Ross County OHGenWeb
 * Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS
 * Ross County Ohio Maps at USGenWeb
 * Map of Ross County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels at Wikipedia

Military Records

 * 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * Military Records at Ross County OHGenWeb
 * Military Records for Ohio Counties at OH Genealogy Express

Civil War
 * Civil War service men from Ross 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 Ross County.
 * - 1st Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Company M
 * - 1st Regiment, Ohio Heavy Artillery, Company B
 * - 106th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company F

World War I
 * 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)

World War II
 * 1938-1946 U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * Ross County, Ohio World War II Casualties Army and Air Force at Access Genealogy

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Newspapers

 * 1793-late 1900s at History Connection —  Select county.
 * Early-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
 * Chillicothe Gazette

Obituaries

 * Obituary Collection at Ancestry ($)
 * Obituary Index, Ross County, Ohio at Ross County, Ohio

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1786-1998 Ohio, Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($) — index and images.
 * 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * Wills and Probate Records at Ross County OHGenWeb

School Records

 * Schools at Ross County OHGenWeb

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Birth

 * 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($) — Index
 * 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1867-1908 Birth Records 1867-1908 at Ross County OHGenWeb
 * 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($) — Index
 * 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Marriage

 * 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1798-1849 Marriages 1798-1849 at Ohio Genealogy Express
 * 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
 * 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
 * 1803-1900 Ohio, Compiled Marriage Index, 1803-1900 at Ancestry ($) — Index.
 * 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * Marriage Records at Ross County OHGenWeb
 * Ross County, Ohio Marriage Records at Ancestry ($)

Death

 * 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 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

Divorce

 * 1962-2007 Ohio, Divorce Abstracts, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)

Family History Centers

 * Chillicothe Ohio Family History Center

Libraries
Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library 140 S Paint St PO Box 185 Chillicothe, OH 45601-3214 740-702-4145 Website

Museums
Ross County Historical Society Museum 45 W Fifth St Chillicothe, OH 45601 740-772-1936 E-mail:[mailto:info@rosscountyhistorical.org info@rosscountyhistorical.org] Website

Societies
Ross County, Ohio Genealogical Society PO Box 6352 Chillicothe, OH 45601-6352 740-773-2715 Email:[mailto:rcgs@bright.net rcgs@bright.net] Website

Ross County Heritage Center 45 W Fifth St Chillicothe, OH 45601 740-772-1936 Email:[mailto:info@rosscountyhistorical.org info@rosscountyhistorical.org] Website

Websites

 * 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.
 * Ohio Genealogical Society ($) — online databases
 * Ross County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * Ross County, OHGenWeb
 * Ross County Genealogy at Ohio Genealogy Express
 * Ross County, Ohio at Genealogy Trails
 * Ross County at Cyndi's List
 * WikipediA Ross County, Ohio
 * – 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.