Wood County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named in honor of Captain Eleazer Darby Wood, an engineer in the War of 1812 who built Fort Meigs. It is located in the Northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wood County Courthouse 1 Courthouse Square Bowling Green, OH 43402 Phone: 419-354-9280 Wood 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:

History Timeline

 * 1808 Treaty of Brownsville. Construction of the Western Reserve Road began. The road connected the Maumee River to the western edge of the Connecticut Reserve stretching from Fort Meigs to Fremont, along present-day U.S. Route 20. This route was difficult to travel due to high levels of water from rains and overflowing creeks, and the added danger of insects carrying diseases such as malaria.
 * 1834 Bowling Green founded.
 * 1850s Settlers moved in to create farmland out of swamp and since then, Wood County has been mostly agricultural in nature, covered by farms growing mostly soybeans, corn and wheat.

Biographies

 * Portrait and biographical record of city of Toldeo and Lucas and Wood counties, Ohio, ... (Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974); Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust, Google Books.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Catholic
 * 1796-2004 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1789-1996 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1818-1861 Deed and land sales, 1818-1861 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
 * 1820-1912 Deed records 1821-1902 and index 1820-1912, Wood County, Ohio at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
 * 1821-1910 Court records, 1821-1910 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
 * 1838-1881 Mortgage records, 1838-1881 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
 * 1840-1881 Land transfers, 1840, 1843, 1853-1881 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
 * Land Records at USGenWeb Archives

Local Histories

 * Evers, C.W., Reminiscences of Pioneer Days in Wood County and the Maumee Valley: a Pioneer Scrap Book, (Bowling Green, Ohio: The Democrat, 1910). Online at Internet Archive, HathiTrust;
 * Beers, J.H., Commemorative, Historical and Biographical Record of Wood County, Ohio. (Chicago, Illinois: J. H. Beers and Co, 1897); Online at HathiTrust, Google Books, FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Jones, Paul Willis, Human Interest History of Wood County, Ohio, (Bowling Green, Ohio Ohio Genealogical Society. Wood County Chapter, 2007)
 * Van Tassel, Charles, Historical Highlights of Wood County, (Fort Wayne, Indiana: Allen County Public Library, 1984). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
 * Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
 * Wood County Auditor at Wood County Auditor
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

War of 1812
 * Fort Meigs, Ohio's War of 1812 Battlefield at fortmeigs.org
 * Nelson, Larry L. Men of patriotism, courage, &; enterprise Fort Meigs in the War of 1812 (Canton, Ohio: Daring Books 1985) FamilySearch Catalog
 * Evers, C.W., Dedication of Fort Meigs monument, September 1, 1908: together with brief description of the two sieges of Fort Meigs in 1813, (Bowling Green, Ohio). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.

Civil War
 * Civil War Veterans Discharges at USGenWeb Archives, recorded at Bowling Green, Ohio, Court House.
 * Ohio Genealogical Society. Wood County Chapter. Wood County's role in the Civil War. (Bowling Green, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society. Wood County Chapter, c1997-),

Civil War service men from Wood 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 Wood County.
 * - 100th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company A
 * - 111th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B, D, I, and K

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.

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

Newspapers

 * 1789-1963 Chronicling America at Library of Congress
 * 1793-late 1900s at History Connection —  Select county to Browse.
 * 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1863-1933Newspaper Articles at USGenWeb Archives
 * Early-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.

Obituaries

 * Obituaries at USGenWeb Archives

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.
 * 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)

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

 * 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1908-1953 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
 * 1975 Crew Members of the Edmund Fitzgerald at USGenWeb Archives, lost November 10, 1975.

Divorce

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Toledo Ohio FamilySearch Center (Perrysburg)
 * Toledo-Lucas County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Wood County District Public Library Main Library 251 N Main St Bowling Green, OH 43402 419-352-5104 Website Way Public Library 101 E Indiana Ave Perrysburg, OH 43551 419-874-3135 Website Bowling Green State University - Center for Archival Collections 5th Floor - Jerome Library Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH 43403 419-372-2411 Website Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Spiegel Grove Fremont, OH 43420 419-332-2081 Website

Museums
Wood County Historical Center and Museum 13660 County Home Rd Bowling Green, OH 43402 419-352-0967 Website

Societies
Wood County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society PO Box 722 1st floor, Office Building, Courthouse Square Bowling Green, OH 43402 419-354-9557 Website Wood County Historical Center and Museum 13660 County Home Rd Bowling Green, OH 43402 419-352-0967 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.
 * Wood County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society ($)
 * Wood County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * Wood County OHGenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives for Wood 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.