Wayne County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Description
Wayne County was named in honor of General Anthony Wayne, the victor at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. The county is located in the east-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wayne County Courthouse 428 West Liberty St Wooster, OH 44691 Phone: 330-287-5590 Wayne 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:

Bible Records
The Wayne County Public Library has some Bible Records. Most of the Bible records included in the collection are copies of the family pages. The library owns very few of the actual Family Bibles.

Business, Commerce, and Occupations
The Wayne County Public Library has been compiling brief histories of businesses in Wayne County. Visit the Organization Portal of the Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center to view some information on historical businesses in the county.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Early court records may be found on microfilm at the Wayne County Public Library. Most of these records have been digitized and are available through FamilySearch.

Directories
Directories available at the Wayne County Public Library.

Funeral Homes

 * Auble Funeral Home - Orrville
 * Auble-Gillman Funeral Home - Rittman
 * Custer-Glenn Funeral Home & Cremation Services - Wooster
 * Gresser Funeral Home - Orrville
 * Matteson Funeral Home - West Salem
 * McIntire, Bradham, & Sleek Funeral Home - Wooster
 * Murray Funeral Home - Creston, Fredericksburg
 * Roberts Funeral Home - Wooster
 * Schlabach Funeral Home Ltd - Shreve
 * Spidell Funeral Home - Mt. Eaton
 * Zak-Thacker & Monbarren Funeral Home - Dalton, Doylestown

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * Douglass, Benjamin, History of Wayne County, Ohio: From the Days of the Pioneers and First Settlers to the Present Time, (Indianapolis, Indiana: R. Douglas, 1878). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive, Ancestry (Indexed) at Ancestry ($)
 * Bowen, B.F., History of Wayne County, Ohio, (Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen &amp; Co., 1910). Online at Google Books, Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Howe, Henry, History of Wayne County, Ohio: 1796-1889, (Knightstown, Indiana Bookmark, 1997), Reprint, 1898.
 * Wayne County History Book Committee, A History of Wayne County, Ohio, (Dallas, Texas: Taylor Pub. Co., 1987).
 * Wayne County Historical Landmark Committee, Historic Heritage of Wayne County, Ohio, (Wooster, Ohio: Wayne County Historical Society, 1976.
 * Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Migration

 * Many residents of Wayne County relocated to Northwestern Ohio, Indiana, and points further west during the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s.
 * Many residents followed what is now the US Route 30, State Route 3, US Route 250, and Interstate 77 when moving into Wayne County.
 * Many residents relocated to Wayne County from Southeastern Ohio and West Virginia in search for jobs.

Military Records

 * 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * Hauenstein, Edward Harry, A History of Wayne County in the World War and in the Wars of the Past, (Wayne County History Co., 1919). Online at Google Books, Internet Archive

Civil War Servicemen from Wayne 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 Wayne County.


 * - 4th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company E (also known as Given Guards) with many men from Wooster.
 * - 41st Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company C
 * - 102nd Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies F, H , and I
 * - 107th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company C, especially from the town of Wooster
 * - 166th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard), Company G

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 1900s at History Connection —  Select county.
 * 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * Early-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
 * 1906-1920 Wooster Daily News: 1906-1913, 1917-1920 at Ohio Memory
 * Wayne County Democrat - 31 issues, sporadic and incomplete at Ohio Memory
 * The Community History Archive at Wayne County Public Library

Obituaries

 * Ohio Obituary Index at Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library.

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

Vital Records
Original records of Wayne County births, marriages and deaths for 1856-1857 are housed at the Wayne County Public Library.

Birth

 * 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1918-1953 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.
 * 1908-1932, 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 ($) — index and images
 * 1913-1944; 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1918-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Divorce

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Wooster Ohio FamilySearch Center
 * Wayne County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Fredericksburg Community Library 108 S Mill St PO Box 24 Fredericksburg, OH 44627 Phone: 330-695-2420 Website Orrville Public Library 230 N Main St Orrville, OH 44667 Phone: 330-683-1065 Website Wayne County Public Library Main Library 220 W Liberty St Wooster, OH 44691 Phone: 330-262-0916 Email: [mailto:genealogy@wcpl.info genealogy@wcpl.info] Website Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center

Museums
Wayne County Historical Society Museum 546 E Bowman St Wooster, OH 44691 Phone: 330-264-8856 Website Facebook

Societies
Wayne County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 856 Wooster, OH 44691-0856 Email: [mailto:waynecogs@gmail.com waynecogs@gmail.com] Website Western Reserve Historical Society Research Library in the History Center 10825 East Blvd Cleveland, OH 44106 Phone: 216-721-5722 FamilySearch Wiki article Website Wayne County Chapter, OGS PO Box 856 Wooster, OH 44691 Email: [mailto:waynecogs@gmail.com waynecogs@gmail.com] Website Wayne County Historical Societies by communities 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
 * Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center available through the Wayne County Public Library, Genealogy and Local History Department's website.
 * Wayne County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * USGenWeb Archives for Wayne County.
 * USGenWeb project. 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.