Guernsey County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel, where many of the county's early settlers came from. It is located in the South-eastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Guernsey County Administration Building 801 E. Wheeling Avenue Cambridge, Ohio 43725-2335 Phone: 740-432-9230 Guernsey County Website

Clerk Court has divorce records from 1850 and court records from 1810; Probate Judge has birth, marriage, and probate records; County Recorder has land records City-County Health Department has death 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

 * Williams, T.F.; Ohio, Guernsey County, biographies (in 1882); Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Portrait and biographical record of Guernsey County, Ohio : containing biographical sketches ... (Chicago: C.O. Owen; 1895) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library

Census Records

 * 1850 at FamilySearch
 * 1880 at FamilySearch
 * 1900 at FamilySearch
 * 1910 at FamilySearch

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African American


 * Vignettes of Early Guernsey County Black History at Akron Beacon Journal

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1790-1907 Land Records at OHGenWeb Archives
 * Deeds at OHGenWeb Archives
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * Sarchet, Cyrus P.B.; History of Guernsey County, Ohio, (Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen and Co., 1911). Volume 1 online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Volume 2 online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books
 * Wolfe, William G.; Stories of Guernsey County, Ohio: History of an Average Ohio County, (Cambridge, Ohio: W.G. Wolfe, 1943). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

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.

Civil War Civil War service men from Guernsey 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 Guernsey County.


 * -1st Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Company B, also known as "Laughlin's Cavalry"
 * -97th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies A and B

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

Newspapers

 * 1793-late 1900's at History Connection —  Select county.
 * 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * 1824-1835 An Index to names in the Guernsey Times, Cambridge, Guernsey Co., Ohio : 1824-1835  at FamilySearch.
 * 1895 1895 Marriage Licenses extracted from the Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian. at USGenWeb Project
 * Early-late 1900's Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
 * Newspaper Articles at OHGenWeb Project

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.
 * Wills Index at OHGenWeb Project
 * Wills at OHGenWeb Archives
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

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.
 * 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Birth

 * 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($) — Index
 * 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)

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.
 * 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1833-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1840-2001 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

Divorce

 * 1962-2007 Ohio, Divorce Abstracts, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)

FamilySearch Centers

 * Wintersville Ohio FamilySearch Center
 * Zanesville Ohio FamilySearch Center
 * Bellaire Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Moundsville-Marshall Cunty Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Guernsey County District Public Library 800 Steubenville Ave Cambridge, OH 43725-2354 740-432-5946 Website

Museums
Guernsey County Historic Museum 218 N 8th St Cambridge, OH 43725 Email: [mailto:guernseyhistory@yahoo.com guernseyhistory@yahoo.com] Website

Societies
Guernsey County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society 125 N 7th St Cambridge, OH 43725 740-432-9249 Facebook 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
 * The Guernsey County OHGenWeb Project
 * Guernsey County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project Guernsey County Ohio (main site)
 * – 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.