Ohio, County Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection includes a name index and images of county birth records in Ohio. The time period and type of record varies by county.

The records are usually handwritten on preprinted pages, bound into books. The books are in register style with multiple entries to a page. The records are generally well preserved, though some may have been lost because of fire or other disasters. Some of the records have been sent to the Ohio Historical Society.

The collection covers the years 1856 to 1909.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
The records usually have the following genealogical information:




 * Child’s birth date
 * Sex
 * Township, county, and state of the birth
 * Child’s name
 * Parents’ names, including the mother’s maiden name
 * Name of the person reporting the birth
 * Residence of the parents

They may also list the following:


 * Parents' birth dates and places
 * Parents' age
 * Parents' occupation
 * Name of attending physician or midwife

How to Use the Records
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The child's name
 * The birth place
 * The approximate birth date

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s birth record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

For example:


 * Use the birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * The father’s occupation can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * The parents' birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all children with the same parents. If the surname is unusual, you may want to compile birth entries for every person of the same surname and sort them into families based on the names of the parents. Continue to search the birth records to identify siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same or other generations who were born in the same county or nearby.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * The information in birth records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from record to record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Look for a different index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby counties.

General Information About Birth Records
Ohio counties generally began keeping birth records in 1867, when Ohio passed a law requiring this. Physicians or county assessors in cities and townships created the birth records and then sent them to the country probate court. On December 20, 1908, a new state law required the county to send the birth records to the state. Most births that occurred in a county were probably recorded because of the legal requirement for registration.

The state required counties to begin recording births both to document the births and to track public health issues. A delayed registration allowed an individual whose birth had not been recorded to obtain a birth certificate, which was usually needed to receive certain government benefits.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Ohio Genealogy
 * Ohio Historical Society

Related Wiki Articles

 * Ohio
 * Ohio Vital Records
 * Ohio Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Ohio County Births, 1856-1909,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X6Q9-68L : accessed 3 May 2012), Rachel Adams, 1895; entry for Rachel Adams, 28 April 1895, Henrietta, Lorain, Ohio; citing "Ohio, County Births, 1856-1909." Various county clerks throughout Ohio. FHL # 1294334; FHL microfilm, 367 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.