Ohio, County Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
The collection includes a name index and images of county birth records in Ohio. The time period and type of record varies by county.

The records are usually handwritten on pre-printed pages, bound into books. The books are in register style with multiple entries to a page. The records are generally well preserved, though some may have been lost because of fire or other disasters. Some of the records have been sent to the Ohio Historical Society. Some of the birth records may be delayed, and created from other types of records.

The collection covers the years 1841 to 2003.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information found in this collection may include:


 * Date birth was recorded
 * Full name of child
 * Child’s birth date
 * Place of birth, including city, country and state
 * Child's gender and race
 * Parents’ names, including mother’s maiden name
 * Parents' place of residence
 * Name of the person reporting the birth

Later records may also list the following:


 * Parents' birth dates and places
 * Parents' age
 * Parents' occupation
 * Name of attending physician or midwife

Coverage Table
A coverage table for this collection is available in the wiki article Ohio, County Birth Records, Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. Some of the images in this collection are only available for viewing if you are a registered FamilySearch user. You can register for a free FamilySearch account here. For additional information about image restrictions, please see the Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections page.

Ohio counties generally began keeping birth records in 1867, when Ohio passed a law requiring this. Physicians or county assessors in cities and townships created the birth records and then sent them to the country probate court. On December 20, 1908, a new state law required the county to send the birth records to the state. Most births that occurred in a county were probably recorded because of the legal requirement for registration.

The state required counties to begin recording births both to document the births and to track public health issues. A delayed registration allowed an individual whose birth had not been recorded to obtain a birth certificate, which was usually needed to receive certain government benefits.

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person.
 * The date and location of birth.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the County
 * 2) Select the Record Type, Date Range and Volume which takes you to the images.

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.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

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 the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * 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 the Person 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.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation: