Lucas County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Historical Facts

 * Parent Counties: Formed from Wood and Sandusky Counties 20 June 1835.
 * County Seat: Toledo

Description
The county was named for Robert Lucas, 12th governor of Ohio, in 1835 during his second term. Its establishment provoked the Toledo War conflict with the Michigan Territory. It's county seat is Toledo and was founded June 20, 1835. It is located in the Northwest-central area of the state.

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:

Neighboring Counties
Ottawa County • Wood County • Henry County • Fulton County • Lenawee County, Michigan • Monroe County, Michigan

Boundary Changes
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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

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.

LDS Ward and Branch Records

 * Toledo

Directories
Fold3 ($) has Toledo City Directories 1864-1923 (3 yrs. missing) available online.

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
Archives, Libraries, and Museums Biographies Church Records Cemetery Records Court Records Histories Immigration/emigration/migration Maps Newspapers Societies

Local Histories

 * Waggoner, Clark, History of the City of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio, (New York, New York: Munsell & Company, 1888). Digital copy at Internet Archive Volume 1:, Volume 2:


 * Scribner, Harvey, Memoirs of Lucas County and the City of Toledo: From the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present, (Madison, Wisconsin: Western Historical Association, 1910). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive Volume 1:, Volume 2:, Volume 3:


 * Killits, John Milton, Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio, 1623-1923, (Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1923). Digital copy at

Maps

 * Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)

Military

 * 1888-1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War
Civil War service men from Lucas 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 Lucas County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Michigan Cavalry, Company E
 * - 100th Regiment, Ohio Infantry
 * Company A - many men from Toledo and and Perrysburg in Wood County
 * Company E - many men from Toledo and northern Fulton County
 * Company F - many men from western Lucas County, especially Waterville and Maumee
 * - 111th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies E and H

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1800-1977 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers
Online Newspapers


 * Toledo Blade, March 1869 - December 2007 - more than 24,000 issues digitized in the Google News Archive.

Online Newspaper Abstracts Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

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.

Courthouse
Lucas County Courthouse 700 Adams Street Toledo, OH 43624 Phone: 419.245.4000 Clerk Court has divorce and court records from 1850; Probate judge has birth records 1865-1908, death records from 1935, marriage and probate records; County Recorder has land records

Family History Centers

 * Toledo Ohio Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory. Put your town name in the top search box.

Societies
Toledo Genealogical Society P.O. Box 118068 Toledo, 43611 Toledo Area Genealogical Society

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

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)
 * 1888 - 1890  - Lucas County, Toledo Ohio Birth Records at ancestry.com ($)
 * 1891 - 1895 - Lucas County, Toledo Ohio Birth Records at Lucas County, Ohio, Blade Obituary Index ($)
 * 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

 * 1789-2013 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1800-1958 - at FamilySearch — free; Index.
 * 1800-1942 - at FamilySearch — index

Online Marriage Indexes and Records Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records
 * 1840-2001 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1894-1897 - Lucas County, Toledo Ohio Death Index at ancestry.com ($)
 * 1908-1953 - Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch.org. Records include such information as birth date of deceased, city, county, and state of death, name of spouse if married, names of parents, maiden name of mother, name of informant, if deceased was single, married, windowed or divorced, occupation of deceased.


 * 1970-2010  - Lucas County, Ohio, Blade Obituary Index at ancestry.com ($)
 * Swan Creek Cemetery Inscriptions at ancestry.com ($)

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Websites

 * Lucas County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Ohio Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Lucas County OH Genealogy
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.