Meigs County, Ohio Genealogy

Guide to Meigs 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 Return J. Meigs, Jr., the 4th Governor of Ohio. It is located in the South-Central area of the state. The County Seat for Meigs County, Ohio has moved two times over the years. The county seat was originally at the village of Middleport. In 1823, the county seat was changed to Chester. In 1841, the county seat was moved to Pomeroy where it is today. The records were retained at the county seat despite the moves and can be found there today.

County Courthouse
Meigs County Courthouse 100 East 2nd Street Room 304 Pomeroy, OH 45769 Phone: +740-992-2895 Meigs County Website

Probate Judge has birth, marriage, death and probate records; Clerk Court has divorce and court records from 1819; 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:

Local Histories
Online Books and Resources
 * Larkin, Stillman Carter, The Pioneer History of Meigs County, (Columbus, Ohio: Berlin Print. Co., 1908). Online at Google Books, Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Howe, Henry, Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes: an Encyclopedia of the state, history both general and local, geography with descriptions of its counties, cities and villages, its agricultural, manufacturing, mining and business development, sketches of eminent and interesting characters, with notes of a tour over it in 1886. Vol 2 Vol 2 is for the counties Lake to Wyandot.  (Norwalk, Ohio: The Laning Printing Co., 1896). Volume 2 online at FamilySearch Digital Library; Vol 1 is for the counties Adams to Knox. Volume 2 online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Ervin, Edgar, Pioneer History of Meigs County, Ohio to 1949, (Meigs County Pioneer Society, 1949). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust.

Other Resources
 * Howe, Henry, History of Meigs County, Ohio, 1819-1889, (Knightstown, Indiana: Bookmark, 1977).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org

Military Records

 * 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.

Civil War Civil War service men from Meigs 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 Meigs County.
 * - 116th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B and G

The following Civil War battle was fought in Meigs County.


 * - July 19, 1863 Buffington Island, also known as St. Georges Creek

Map showing Civil War battles in Ohio.

World War I
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.

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

Newspapers

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

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.

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.
 * 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Birth

 * 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 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 Collections.
 * 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 at FamilySearch – How to Use this Collection
 * 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

 * Athens Ohio Family History Center
 * Parkersburg West Virginia Family History Center

Libraries
Meigs County District Public Library Main Branch 216 W Main St Pomeroy, OH 45769-1032 740-992-5813 Website

Museums
Meigs County Museum 144 Butternut Ave Pomeroy, OH 45769 740-992-3810 Website

Societies
Meigs County Historical Society 399 S 3rd Ave Middleport, OH 45760 PO Box 145 Pomeroy, OH 45769 740-992-3810 E-mail:[mailto:info@meigschs.org info@meigschs.org] Facebook 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
 * Meigs County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county. USGenWeb Meigs County
 * – 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.