Shelby County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Description
Shelby County was named for Isaac Shelby (1750-1826), a former governor of Kentucky. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Shelby County Courthouse 129 E Court St PO Box 809 Sidney, OH 45365 Phone: 937-498-0011 Shelby County Website

Clerk Court has court records from 1819; Probate Judge has birth, marriage, death and probate, records from 1825; County Recorder has land records from 1819

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:

Biographies

 * Portrait and Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio ... (Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1892) online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive
 * People Index Page at Shelby County Historical Society

Cemeteries

 * Adams, Barbara; Mozley, Gene. Memorial records of Shelby County, Ohio, 1819-1975 (Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1977). Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Church Records

 * 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * Immigration Index Page at Shelby County Historical Society

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American
 * Black History of Shelby County, Ohio at Shelby County Historical Society

Native American
 * Indians Index at Shelby County Historical Society

Genealogies

 * Miami Valley Genealogy Index at Troy Historical Society

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * Hitchcock, A.B.C., History of Shelby County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, (Chicago, Illinois: Richmond-Arnold, 1913). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
 * History of Shelby County, Ohio: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: R. Sutton &amp; Co., 1883). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books.
 * A History of the Communities of Shelby County, Ohio, (Sidney, Ohio: printed for Citizens Baughman National Bank, 1976).
 * Pioneers Index Page at Shelby County Historical Society

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

Military Records

 * 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

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

 * 1888-present Minster Post/Community Post at Minister Historical Society - Newspaper covering communities within Auglaize, Shelby, Mercer, and Darke Counties
 * 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.

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.
 * 1825-1962 Shelby County Ohio Wills Records at SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills.

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 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index

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

 * 1765-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; selected counties, incomplete; includes, death, church, and cemetery records
 * 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

 * St Marys Ohio FamilySearch Center
 * Piqua Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Amos Memorial Main Branch 230 E North St Sidney, OH 45365-2733 937-492-8354 website

Museums
Fort Loramie Historical Association 37 N Main St PO Box 276 Fort Loramie, OH 45845 Facebook William A. Ross Jr Historical Center 201 N Main Ave Sidney, OH (937) 498-1653 E-mail:[mailto:shelbyhistory@embarqmail.com shelbyhistory@embarqmail.com] Website

Societies
Shelby County Historical Society 201 N Main St PO Box 376 Sidney, OH 45365-0376 937-498-1653 E-mail:[mailto:shelbyhistory@embarqmail.com shelbyhistory@embarqmail.com] 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
 * Shelby County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * Shelby County OHGenWeb
 * Shelby County, USGenWeb Archives
 * – 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.