Van Wert County, Ohio Genealogy

Guide to Van Wert 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 Isaac Van Wart, a Revolutionary War soldier who helped capture Benedict Arnold's British co-conspirator, John Andre. It is located in the Northwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Van Wert Courthouse 101 E Main St Van Wert, OH 45891 Phone: 419-238-1022 Van Wert Website Clerk Court has divorce and court records; Probate Judge has birth and death records 1867-1908, marriage records from 1840 and probate records from 1837; Board of Health has birth and death records from 1908; County Recorder has land records from 1823

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:

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

Land and Property Records

 * Land Records at USGen Web Archives

Local Histories

 * Gilliland, Thaddeus S., History of Van Wert County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, (Chicago: Richmond & Arnold, 1906). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library,Google Books.
 * Van Wert County Historical Society, History of Van Wert County, Ohio, (Van Wert, Ohio: Van Wert Co. Hist. Soc., 1981).
 * History at USGenWeb Archives

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.

Civil War Servicemen from Van Wert 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 Van Wert County.


 * -99th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company A


 * Civil War Records at USGenWeb Archives

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 190's at History Connection —  Select county.
 * 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * Early late 190's 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
 * Vital Records at OHGenWeb Archives

Death

 * 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 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

 * Decatur Indiana Family History Center
 * St Marys Ohio Family History Center
 * Allen County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Brumback Library Main Library 215 W Main St Van Wert, OH 45891-1695 419-238-2168 Website

Museums
Van Wert Historical Soiciety Museum 602 N Washington St Van Wert, OH 45891 419-771-9851 Website

Societies
Van Wert Historical Soiciety 602 N. Washington St Van Wert, Ohio 45891 419-771-9851 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
 * Van Wert County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * USGenWeb Archives for Van Wert County.
 * USGenWeb. 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.