Ohio Summit County Vital Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of Summit county birth and death records to be produced in a joint venture with the Summit County Common Pleas Court (Probate Division), FamilySearch and TGN. This collection covers the years 1821 to 1997.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The record content varies by record type. It may include any of the following pieces of information: • 3

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * The location or date of the event

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records. (Make sure that if it’s a marriage article, you take the word marriage out, if it’s a birth article, take the word birth out, etc.)
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses. Witnesses were usually family members
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking for, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Ohio.
 * Ohio Guided Research
 * Ohio Record Finder
 * Ohio Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Ohio Research, 1880-Present

Citing this Collection
A citation is a note where you found information. Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Using citation allows others to find the same records.