Ohio Cuyahoga County Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
This collection includes records for the years 1813 to 1900.

Record History
County officials, usually the county clerk, began keeping records from the time the county was formed.

Why this Record Was Created
Each type of record within the county was created for a different purpose.

Probate records were used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. If the deceased had made a will, the probate process transferred the following from the deceased to an executor or executrix: the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title to heirs. If there was no will, the transfer went to an administrator or administratrix. A guardian or conservator was appointed if the deceased had heirs younger than 21 or if the heirs were incompetent due to disability or disease.

Delayed birth records created to formalize a birth record where none previously existed or to change information on an existing birth record.

Marriage records were created to legalize marital relationships and to safeguard the interest of the wife and other heirs.

Voter registrations were created to track those were eligible to vote and to ensure their right to vote.

Record Reliability
The death date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time of the probate proceedings are reliable, but realize that there is still a chance of misinformation. The records may omit the names of deceased family members or those who had previously received an inheritance. In some cases, the spouse mentioned in the will was not the parent of the children mentioned. Also, some wills do not name family members.

The birth and marriage records are usually reliable depending upon the reliability of the informant. Voter records are usually reliable however, there have been cases of fictitious names included in the registers.

Record Description
The records included in this collection are: • Probate case files (these are the majority of the records) • Delayed birth registration, corrections, and affidavits • Marriage records • Voter registrations

The probate records are usually loose, handwritten pages that have put together in an envelope called a packet. Vital records and voting registers are usually handwritten on preprinted pages.

Record Content


The biographical information found in the probate cases is: • Name of the testator or deceased • Names of heirs, such as spouse, children, other relatives, or friends • Name of the executor, administrator, or guardian • Names of witnesses • Dates the documents were written and recorded (used to approximate event dates since a will was usually written near the time of death) • Description and value of personal property or land owned by the deceased

The biographical information found in the delayed birth records is: • Child’s name • Birth date • Birth place • Child’s gender • Parent’s names • Parents residence • Mother’s age • Father’s occupation • Number of children of mother

The biographical information found in the marriage records is: • Names of bride and groom • Marriage date • Marriage place • Ages or birth dates • Birth place of bride and groom • Occupations • Parent’s names The biographical information found in the voter registrations is: • Name of voter • Address

How to Use the Record
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following: • The place where the event such as birth, marriage, or death occurred. • The approximate date the event occurred. • The name of the individual or individuals such as the names of the bride and groom, the infant, or the deceased.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example: • Use probate records to identify heirs and relatives. • You may be able to use the probate record to learn about adoptions or guardianship of any minor children and dependents. • Use the information in the probate record to substitute for civil birth and death records since the probates exist for an earlier time period. • You may be able to use the probate record to learn about land transactions. • Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information. • Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names. • Use the residence and names of the parents to locate census, church, and land records. • Use the occupations listed to find employment records or other types of records such as military records. • Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family. • The name of the officiator at the event may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. • Use a marriage number to identify previous marriages. • The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members. • Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom, this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. • Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. • When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Keep in mind: • The information in the 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 1900. • There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following: • Check for variant spellings of the surnames. • Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. • Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

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Related Web Sites
Cuyahoga County Ohio Offices

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Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Sources of This Collection
“Ohio Cuyahoga County Records, 1908-1974,” database, FamilySearch Historical Records, 2010; from Cuyahoga County Archives. “County Records.” Cuyahoga County Archives, Cleveland. FHL digital images. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

How to Cite Your Sources
For instructions on citing specific records or images within this collection.