Allen County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

Allen County, Ohio Record Dates

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Shelby, Logan, and Mercer counties 12 February 1820.
 * County Seat: Lima

Description
The county was named for Colonel Allen. It's county seat is Lima and was organized in 1831. It is located in the Western area of the state.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. Hometown Locator The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Neighboring Counties
Putnam County •  Van Wert County  •  Auglaize County  •  Hardin County  •  Hancock County

Boundary Changes

 * 14 February 1848: Auglaize County was set off from the southern half of original Allen County.
 * 1848: Monroe, Richland and southern half of Sugar Creek Townships were transferred from Putnam County.
 * 1848: Parts of VanWert and Mercer counties were transferred to Allen County form Spencer Township and part of Marion Township.
 * May 1853: Cash settlement was agreed upon by Allen and Putnam counties for Putnam's loss.

For animated maps illustrating Ohio county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Ohio County Boundary Maps" (1788-1888) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
1929 Allen County Courthouse was destroyed by fire on January 7, 1929. Many county records destroyed.

Bible Records
For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.

Cemeteries
Cemeteries of Lima, Allen County, Ohio


 * Gethsemani Cemetery, 2001 Spencerville Road, Lima, Ohio 45805, 419-223-1651
 * Memorial Park Cemetery, 3000 Harding Highway, Lima, Ohio 45804, 419-223-3811
 * Woodlawn Cemetery, 1751 Spencerville Road, Lima Ohio 45805, 419-223-9831

Census
1785 1850--Federal Census transcription and images 1920--index for surnames beginning with the letter "E" and "F"

Catholic

 * 1796–2004 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This collection includes images of parish registers recording the events of baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage, and death in the Diocese of Toledo (Ohio), Roman Catholic Church. These records are accessed by browsing the images by county. In addition to traditional parish registers, this collection includes miscellaneous cemetery records, Books of the Elect, Professions of Faith, Sick Call registers, etc.

History

 * The Shawnees (tribe) were removed to Kansas in 1832 from the Hog Creek Reservation (now Shawnee Township.)

Local Histories

 * Leeson, M.A., History of Allen County, Ohio; containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches… (Chicago : Warner, Beers &amp; Co., 1885) Digital version at Internet Archives; Google Books; FamilySearch Digital Library. Also available on microfilm at.
 * Rusler, William, A Standard history of Allen County, Ohio: an authentic narrative of the past… (Chicago: American Historical Society, 1921) Digital version at Internet Archives; Google Books; FamilySearch Digital Library - Vol 1; FamilySearch Digital Library - Vol 2. Also available on microfilm at.

Land and Property

 * 1790-1907 - Bureau of Land Management Database Original purchasers of land from the Federal government. Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
 * 1898, 1900 - Real Estate Records various surnames Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Maps

 * Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)
 * Township maps of Allen County in 1880


 * Family Maps of (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Migration

 * Migrations Through Allen County, Ohio

Military

 * 1888-1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Revolutionary War


 * Pensioners Living in Ohio in 1818-1819
 * 1840 Census of Pensioners Revolutionary and Military Services

War of 1812


 * Roster of Ohio Soldiers at The Ohio Historical Society

Civil War


 * Civil War service men 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.


 * -4th Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Companies F and I
 * -99th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B and E


 * Civil War Rosters
 * Men In the Civil War Allen County, Ohio
 * Civil War Casualties from Allen County, Ohio (this site contains burials from many states) A Virtual Cemetery created by: Brent Reidenbach.Description: Thanks to previous research by Ronald Kunz, this is a listing of Civil War casualties that were from Allen County, OH. (189 Records)
 * A Roster of Captains, First Lieutenants, Second Lieutenants, and Non-commissioned Officers and Privates from Allen County can be found in History of Allen County p. 325 - 372.
 * Allen County War Casualties (Includes Persian Gulf, Vietnamese, Korean, WWI, WWII, CIVIL War &amp; Spanish Mexican Casualties)

World War I


 * 1914-1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1914-1918 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1916-1920 - at FamilySearch — index
 * The Unreturning Brave (from WWI) published in 1925
 * List of Dead Heroes Whose Bodies Rest in Allen County

Miscellaneous


 * The names of the soldiers buried in different cemeteries of Allen county whose graves were decorated May 30, 1907

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800-1977 - at FamilySearch — index and images

County Museum has naturalizations 1851-1929.

Newspapers
Online Newspapers Online Newspaper Abstracts Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form


 * 1847-1910 - Newspaper Articles Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Obituaries

 * Search Engine for the Obituary Index to the Lima News

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1786 - 1998 Ohio Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $


 * 1789 - 1996 at FamilySearch.org — images


 * 1790–1967 - at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This collection consists of probate records and estate files from county courthouses in Ohio. The content and time period varies by county, with more records being added as they become available. This Collection will include records from 1789 to 1996. Currently, (September 2012) the collection is only searchable by browsing the images. A list of Fires that have destroyed records in the courthouses of several counties are listed on the Record Description page.


 * 1857-1878 - Allen County Probate Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

County Courthouse
Allen County Courthouse 301 N Main Street Lima, OH 45801-4456 Allen County Website Phone: 419.223.8513


 * Probate Court  has births and deaths from 1867, marriages from 1831, and probate records.
 * Court Clerk  has divorces and court records from 1831.
 * County Museum  has naturalizations 1851-1929.

Family History Centers
Lima Ohio Family History Center. For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory.


 * St Mary Ohio Family History Center

Libraries

 * Lima Public Library

Societies

 * Allen County Ohio Genealogy Society P. O. Box 1104 Lima, Ohio. [ldcarder2@woh.rr.com]
 * Allen County Museum and Historical Society 620 W. Market St. Lima, Ohio 45801 419-222-9426 [mailto:acmuseum@wcoil.com acmuseum@wcoil.com]

Including the Elizabeth M. MacDonell Memorial Library for genealogical and historical research

Online Genealogy Research Groups

 * U.S. Midwest Genealogy Research Community - FamilySearch Facebook Research Group
 * Ohio Ancestors - FamilySearch Community group, must have a free FamilySearch account to join
 * U.S. and Canada Genealogy Research - FamilySearch Community group, must have a free FamilySearch account to join
 * U.S. and Canada Genealogy Research - FamilySearch Community group, must have a free FamilySearch account to join

Taxation
1834 Tax Lists


 * Amanda and Auglaize Townships
 * Bath and Deuchoquette Townships
 * German and Jackson Townships
 * Marion, Perry and Wayne Townships

Taxpayers--Personal Property


 * 1800-1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1881 - Allen County Tax List August 25, 1881 Taken from the Allen County Democrat. Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)
 * 1821–1962 - at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This is an incomplete index of extractions of original records and of patron-submitted records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. Information may have been previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
 * 1841-2003 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($) Original Birth Records on Microfilm
 * 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry.com ($) — index

Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records


 * 1789-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1800–1958 - at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Name index to marriage records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and some FamilySearch Centers. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later
 * 1803-1900 - Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 at ancestry.com ($)
 * 1836-1852 - 1836-1852 Pioneer marriages, Not all inclusive
 * 1836-1893 - Allen County Marriages Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
 * 1854 - 1854 Taken from Lima Democratic News
 * 1852-1860 - 1852-1860 Marriages from the Lima Dailey News
 * 1860 - 1860 Marriages from the Lima Democratic News
 * 1861-1862 - 1861-1862 Marriage Books and Partial book B
 * 1889-1893 - 1889-1893 Marriage Licenses
 * 1898-1912 - Ohio Marriages at ancestry.com ($)
 * 1970-2007 - Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
 * 1900 - 1900 Allen County Republican Gazette Marriages
 * Marriages with no date

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1840-2001 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1854–1997 - at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Name index to death and burial records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 2,535,556 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
 * 1908–1953 - at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. Name index and images of Ohio statewide death certificates.
 * 1908–1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 - at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. Index of deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
 * Transcribed from Allen County newspapers of those who died in Allen and surrounding counties.
 * 1908-1959 - Ohio Death Records Courtesy of OhioGenWeb
 * 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
 * 1915-1986 - Ohio Deaths Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Divorce

 * Divorce Petitions and Decrees

1876 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 | 1885 | 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898-1899 |


 * Divorce Petitions and Decrees for Allen and Van Wert Counties, and Surrounding Areas, 1898-1900

1898-1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1905-1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1900 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 |


 * 1962-2007 - Divorce Index, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
 * 1876-1919 - Additional Divorce Records Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Websites

 * Allen County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The [ 1880 Business Patron’s References] is divided by town and township, each section has a unique set of information about their patrons.
 * Allen County OH Genealogy
 * The Allen County OHGenWeb Project, a member of The OHGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Allen County
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Allen County