Richland County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Description
Richland County was named for the fertile soil found there. The county is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Richland County Courthouse 50 Park Ave E Mansfield, OH 44902-1850 Phone: 419-524-2538 Richland County Website

Clerk Court has divorce and court records from 1815; Probate Judge has marriage and probate records; County recorder has land records

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

 * Baughman, Abraham J., A centennial biographical history of Richland County, Ohio (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co.; 1901). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, HathiTrust.

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


 * Ohio, Richland County, Minister's License records, 1846-1953 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.

Catholic
 * 1796-2004 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images.

Court Records

 * 1814-1828 Records of the Supreme Court for the County of Richland (Ohio), 1814-1828, index, at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
 * 1820-1852 Court records, 1820-1852 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.
 * 1852-1886 Journals 1852-1886, Richland County, Ohio for Richland Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.


 * Richland County Public Health Office of Vital Statistics, Mansfield, births and deaths since 1909.
 * Richland County Clerk of the Courts, civil, and criminal cases.
 * Richland County Recorder land records, DD-214 military discharges, veterans graves.
 * Richland County Coroner suspicious or unusual deaths.
 * Richland County Probate Court adoptions, birth, guardianships, mental commitments, name changes, probates and wills.

Directories

 * Farm journal farmers' directory of Richland County, Ohio, 1915, With a Complete Road Map of the county. (Philadelphia: Wilmer Atkinson Company; 1915) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library

Guardianship

 * 1883-1900 Record of indentures, 1883-1900 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1814-1927 Deed books, 1814-1913; deed index, 1814-1927 at FamilySearch Catalog; Scroll to Film/Digital Notes, then select the camera icon to view images.

Local Histories

 * Baughman, Abraham, A Centennial Biographical History of Richland and Ashland Counties, Ohio, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Pub. Co., 1901). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive.
 * Baughman, Abraham, History of Richland County, Ohio, from 1808 to 1908, (Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1908). Volume one online at FamilySearch Digital Library; Volume two online at Google Books, Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Graham, Albert Adams, History of Richland County, Ohio: (including the Original Boundaries.) Its Past and Present, (Mansfield, Ohio: A. A. Graham, 1880). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive.
 * Howe, Henry, History of Richland County, Ohio, 1813-1889, (Knightstown, Indiana: The Bookmark, 1977) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * M'Gaw, James F., Philip Seymour; or, Pioneer life in Richland County, Ohio: founded on facts, (Mansfield: Herald Steam Press Print, 1858) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, HathiTrust.
 * American Revolution bicentennial, 1776-1976 - history of Richland County, Ohio, (Mansfield, Ohio; Heritage Committee Mansfield-Richland County American Revolution Bicentennial Congress; 1976) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books.
 * Brinkerhoff, Roeliff, A Pioneer History of Richland County, Ohio, (Mansfield, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society. Richland County Chapter, 1993).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
 * Andreas, A. T., Atlas map of Richland County, Ohio, (Chicago, Ill.: 1873) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 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.

Civil War Civil War service men from Richland 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 Richland County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company I, also known as the Mansfield Guards
 * - 1st Independent Battery, Ohio Light Artillery, a battery is like a company in an artillery regiment.
 * - 102nd Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies C, D, and E

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 of cards.
 * 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Archives


 * All extant Richland County naturalization records, 1840-1970s, have been transferred to the Ohio Genealogical Society, MSS 136. Some very early naturalizations (1810s-1840s) also appear in the records of the Supreme Court of Richland County, a collection also at the Ohio Genealogical Society.

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 ($)
 * 1800-1929, Historical Richland County Newspapers, made available for free to the public by the Mansfield Richland County Public Library.
 * 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 — 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.
 * 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.
 * 1816-1838 for Richland County at FamilySearch; index. Organized by township and date; some volumes have an index in the first few pages.
 * 1839-1900 at FamilySearch; images only. Organized by township and date; some volumes have an index in the first few pages.

Birth

 * 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images.
 * 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; 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
County death records prior to 1908 are held at the Richland County Courts of Common Pleas, Probate Division. The Richland County Health Department, Vital Statistics Division has death certificates 1909 to the present.


 * 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

 * Mansfield Ohio FamilySearch Center
 * The Ohio Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Libraries
Mansfield-Richland County Public Library  Sherman Room (genealogy room) Main Library 43 W Third St Mansfield, OH 44902 419-521-3100 Website Marvin Memorial Library 29 W Whitney Ave Shelby, OH 44875-1252 419-347-5576 Website

Museums
The Richland County Museum 51 Church St West Lexington, OH 44904 419-884-2230 Website

Societies
Richland County Genealogical Society, a chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society The Ohio Genealogical Society (has a room within the OGS) 611 State Route 97 West Bellville, OH 44813-8813 419-886-1903 Website

Richland County Historical Society 310 Springmill St Mansfield, OH 44903 419-526-6524 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
 * Richland County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * The Richland County OHGenWeb Project, a member of The OHGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * – 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.