Cuyahoga County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Description
Cuyahoga County was named after the Iroquoian word Cuyahoga, which means 'crooked river'. The name is also assigned to the Cuyahoga River, which bisects the county. It is located in the northern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Cuyahoga County Courthouse 1200 Ontario Street Cleveland, OH 44113 Phone: 216-443-7000 Cuyahoga County Courthouse

Probate Court has birth records 1859-1901 and death records 1868-1908; Western Reserve Historical Society has marriage records 1810-1941 and tax revenues 1819-1869; Marriage License Bureau has marriage records from 1810; County Courthouse has naturalization records 1818-1906 and probate records from 1810; Clerk Court has divorce records 1837-1925; County Administration Building has land records from 1810

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 Cuyahoga County:

Census Records
1930 Cuyahoga Census at Cuyahoga County, Ohio Genealogy and History

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
 * FamilySearch Places

Catholic
 * 1796-2004 — How to Use this Collection

Jewish
 * Cleveland's Synagogues at Cleveland Jewish History

Lutheran
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection. Also at Ancestry. ($)

Cleveland Churches, General
 * Cleveland Ohio Pastors and Their Churches by Laura Hine at Frequently Asked Questions for Genealogy Research in Cuyahoga County.
 * Cleveland Church Histories at Frequently Asked Questions for Genealogy Research in Cuyahoga County.
 * Cleveland Clergy to 1942 by Don O'Malley at Internet Archive

Directories

 * 1749-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Jewish
 * 1837-1934 Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Jewish Marriage Record Extracts at Ancestry ($)
 * 1964-2007 The Cleveland Jewish News Obituary Index at Ancestry ($)
 * Virtual Jewish World - Cleveland, OH at Jewish Virtual Library

Germans
 * Cleveland's German Businesses at Cleveland Memory
 * German Heritage in Cleveland at Cleveland Memory
 * Germans In Cleveland at ClevelandPeople.com
 * German Immigrants to Cleveland at Claire Gebben Author

Land and Property Records
The county fiscal office has digitized and indexed all property records on file with the county, from 1810 to Present. Searchable by name, parcel number or ID, or address. Can search in the index only or OCR/full text (names within a document) and index.

Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio: in three parts, general history of the county, history of Cleveland, history of the townships, with portraits and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers. By Chrisfield Johnson. (Cleveland, Ohio: D.W. Ensign Co, Leader Print. Co., 1879) Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * A History of Cleveland: Its Settlement, Rise, and Progress, 1796-1896. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * History of Strongsville, Cuyahoga County, Ohio; with illustrations. Berea, Ohio. Republican Printing Company, 1901. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Memorial record of the county of Cuyahoga and city of Cleveland, Ohio, Illustrated. The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1894. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * A history of Cuyahoga County and the city of Cleveland; v. 01. The American Historical Society, Chicago and New York, 1924. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Cuyahoga Falls sesquicentennial, 1812-1962. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Encyclopedia of Cleveland History from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. Digital articles of famous Cleveland area residents; social groups and clubs; descriptions of city and suburb life over the decades; history of specific city and suburb formation and boundary changes; historical images; and much more. Frequently updated.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 1788-1940 Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
 * 1852 Cuyahoga County 1852 landownership map index, online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1874 1874 Atlas of Cuyahoga County online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery
 * 1896 Defunct townships of Cuyahoga County, Ohio at Wikipedia
 * 1906 Cleveland Street Name Changes at Frequently Asked Questions for Genealogy Research in Cuyahoga County.
 * Converting pre 1906 addresses to post 1906 addresses in Cleveland at Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery
 * Cleveland Cartography at Cleveland State Univeristy
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at Soldiers and Sailors.com

Civil War Civil War service men from Cuyahoga 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 Cuyahoga County.


 * -1st Regiment, Ohio Light Artillery, Batteries B, E, and G
 * -1st Regiment, Ohio Infantry
 * Company E, also known as the Cleveland Grays
 * Company F, also known as the Hibernian Guards
 * -41st Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies A, D, E, H, I, and K
 * -54th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company H
 * -107th Regiment, Ohio Infantry - many men in this regiment were immigrant Germans from Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Companies B and E were raised in Cuyahoga County.

World War I
 * 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * Cuyahoga County Naturalizationsat OHGenWeb
 * Naturalization Petitions for the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division, Cleveland 1907-1946 at Fold 3 ($)
 * Naturalizations, 1867-Sept. 26, 1991 from the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division are also being made available for no charge through the National Archives' NextGen Catalog and a partnership with Fold3; search by an ancestor's name or by the name of district court. Can search within the specific series or in the entire NARA catalog.

Newspapers

 * 1793-late 1900's at History Connection —  Select county.
 * 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1882-1908 Berea Advertiser - full-text of more than 1,200 issues spanning 1882-1908 freely available in Google Newspaper Archive.
 * Early to late-1900's Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
 * Newspaper Articles at OHGenWeb Archives

Obituaries

 * 1964-2007 The Cleveland Jewish News Obituary Index at Ancestry ($)
 * Online Cleveland & Cuyahoga County, Ohio Death Records & Indexes at Death Indexes.com

Other Records

 * 1893-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Periodicals

 * Annals of the Early Settlers' Association of Cuyahoga County, Ohio from 1880-1899, online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Internet Archive

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1786-1998 Ohio Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry ($) — index and images.
 * 1813-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * Probate Records at OHGenWeb Archives

School Records
Courtesy of the Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery:


 * Cleveland School Memories
 * Additional Schools Publications
 * Cuyahoga County Schools at Old Ohio Schools.com

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records
 * 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($); Index
 * 1800-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1811 tax lists 1811 at OHGenWeb Archives.

Birth

 * 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
 * 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($) — Index
 * 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1871-1908 Cuyahoga County birth Returns at Fold3 ($) - index and images; search by year and father's surname; free access at Cuyahoga County Public Library with card.
 * 1898-1908  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($) — Index
 * 1918-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Marriage

 * 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1810-1973 Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Marriage Records and Indexes at Ancestry ($)
 * 1837-1934 Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Jewish Marriage Record Extracts at Ancestry ($)
 * 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($)
 * 1970-2007 Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at Ancestry ($)
 * Cuyahoga County Marriage Transcriptions at Summer's Place

Death

 * 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
 * 1833-1900 Coroner Case Files compiled by Cuyahoga West Chapter OGS at Department of Public Works
 * 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1840-1908 Ohio, U.S., Select County Death Records,1840-1908 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1854-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1908-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($) — 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 Abstract, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)

Archives
Cuyahoga County Archives 2905 Franklin Blvd Cleveland, OH 44113 216-443-7250 Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Solon Ohio FamilySearch Center
 * Westlake Ohio FamilySearch Center
 * Cleveland Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Western Reserve Historical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Cuyahoga County Public Library 2111 Snow Rd Parma OH 44134 216-398-1800 Website Cleveland Public Library 325 Superior Ave E Cleveland, OH 44114 216-623-2800 Website Case Western Reserve University 10900 Euclid Ave Cleveland, OH 44106 216-368-2000 Website Lakewood Public Library 15425 Detroit Ave Lakewood, OH 44107 216-226-8275 Website

Museums
African-American Museum 1765 Crawford Rd Cleveland, OH 44106 216-721-6555 Website Facebook

Maltz Museum of Jewish History 2929 Richmond Rd Beachwood, OH 44122 216-593-0575 E-mail:[mailto:info@mmjh.org info@mmjh.org] Website

Ukrainian Museum-Archives 1202 Kenilworth Ave Cleveland, OH 44113 216-781-4329 Website

South Euclid-Lyndhurst Historical Society and Museum Telling Estate Gatehouse 4629 Mayfield Rd South Euclid, OH, 44121-4018 216-970-2333 Email: [mailto:info@SE-Lhistory.org info@SE-Lhistory.org] Website

Societies
Western Reserve Historical Society Research Library in the History Center 10825 East Blvd Cleveland, Ohio 44106 216-721-5722 FamilySearch Wiki Website

Berea Historical Society 118 East Bridge St PO Box 173 Berea, OH 44017 440-243-2541 Email:[mailto:bereahistory@att.net bereahistory@att.net] Website

Cleveland Heights Historical Society P.O. Box 18337 Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 Email: [mailto:heightshistory@gmail.com heightshistory@gmail.com] Website

Greater Cleveland Genealogical Society P.O. Box 40254 Cleveland, OH 44140-0254 Email: [mailto:GCGS1972@gmail.com GCGS1972@gmail.com] Website

Lakewood Historical Society 13314 Detroit Ave Lakewood, OH 44107 216-221-7343 Email: [mailto:https://www.lakewoodhistory.org https://www.lakewoodhistory.org] Website

Shaker Heights Historical Society 16740 South Park Blvd Shaker Heights, OH 44120 216-921-1201 or 800-860-6078 Website

Slavic Village Historical Society 6804 Lansing Ave Cleveland, OH 44105 216-271-0691 Website Westlake Historical Society 1371-A Clague Rd Westlake, OH 44145 216-848-0680 Email: [mailto:claguemuseum@yahoo.com claguemuseum@yahoo.com] Website

North Olmsted Historical Society Frostville Museum 24101 Cedarpoint Rd North Olmstead, OH E-mail:[mailto:frostvillecindy@gmail.com frostvillecindy@gmail.com] Website

Cleveland Police Historical Society and Museum 1300 Ontario St Cleveland, OH 44113 216-623-5055 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 ($) - online databases
 * Cleveland Digital Libraryat Cleveland State University
 * Cuyahoga County at OHGenWeb
 * Cuyahoga County Research FAQs
 * Cuyahoga County History at Ohio American Local History Network
 * Cuyahoga County OH Genealogy at LDSGenealogy
 * Cuyahoga County Old Photos at FamilyOldPhotos.com
 * Cuyahoga County American History and Genealogy Project
 * Case Western Reserve University Digital Book Collection
 * Encyclopedia of Cleveland History at Case Western Reserve University
 * Cleveland State University Digital Library at Cleveland Memory.org
 * Cleveland State University Memory Project at Cleveland Memory.org
 * Cleveland District Round Table Regional Activities at USGenWeb
 * Cuyahoga County at Cyndi's List
 * Heritage Pursuit ($)
 * Rootsweb Resources for Cuyahoga County at Internet Archive
 * – 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.