Wayne County, Ohio Genealogy

Guide to Wayne 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 in honor of General Anthony Wayne, the victor at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. It is located in the Northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wayne County Courthouse 428 West Liberty St Wooster, OH 44691 Phone: 330-287-5590 Wayne County Website

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

 * Douglass, Benjamin, History of Wayne County, Ohio: From the Days of the Pioneers and First Settlers to the Present Time, (Indianapolis, Indiana: R. Douglas, 1878). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive, Ancestry (Indexed) at Ancestry ($)
 * Bowen, B.F., History of Wayne County, Ohio, (Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen &amp; Co., 1910). Online at Google Books, Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Howe, Henry, History of Wayne County, Ohio: 1796-1889, (Knightstown, Indiana Bookmark, 1997), Reprint, 1898.
 * Wayne County History Book Committee, A History of Wayne County, Ohio, (Dallas, Texas: Taylor Pub. Co., 1987).
 * Wayne County Historical Landmark Committee, Historic Heritage of Wayne County, Ohio, (Wooster, Ohio: Wayne County Historical Society, 1976.
 * Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records

 * 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * Hauenstein, Edward Harry, A History of Wayne County in the World War and in the Wars of the Past, (Wayne County History Co., 1919). Online at Google Books, Internet Archive

Civil War Servicemen from Wayne 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 Wayne County.


 * - 4th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company E (also known as Given Guards) with many men from Wooster.
 * - 41st Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company C
 * - 102nd Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies F, H , and I
 * - 107th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company C, especially from the town of Wooster
 * - 166th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard), Company G

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

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.
 * 1906-1920 Wooster Daily News: 1906-1913, 1917-1920 at Ohio Memory
 * Wayne County Democrat - 31 issues, sporadic and incomplete at Ohio Memory
 * The Community History Archive at Wayne County Public Library

Obituaries

 * Ohio Obituary Index at Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library.

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.

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

 * 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Marriage

 * 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
 * 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index.
 * 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index

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

Divorce

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

Family History Centers

 * Wooster Ohio Family History Center
 * Wayne County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Fredericksburg Community Library 108 S Mill St PO Box 24 Fredericksburg, OH 44627 330-695-2420 Website Orrville Public Library 230 N Main St Orrville, OH 44667 330-683-1065 Website Wayne County Public Library Main Library 220 W Liberty St PO Box 1349 Wooster, OH 44691 330-262-0916 E-mail:[mailto:genealogy@wcpl.info genealogy@wcpl.info] Website

Museums
Wayne County Historical Society Museum 546 E Bowman St Wooster, OH 44691 330-264-8856 Facebook

Societies
Western Reserve Historical Society Research Library in the History Center 10825 East Blvd Cleveland, OH 44106 216-721-5722 FamilySearch Wiki Website Wayne County Chapter, OGS PO Box 856 Wooster, OH 44691 E-mail:[mailto:waynecogs@gmail.com waynecogs@gmail.com] Website Wayne County Historical Societies by communities 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
 * Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center available through the Wayne County Public Library, Genealogy and Local History Department's website.
 * Wayne County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * USGenWeb Archives for Wayne County.
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the 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.