Mercer County, Ohio Genealogy

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

Description
Mercer County was named Hugh Mercer, an officer in the American Revolutionary War. The county is located in the west-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Mercer County Courthouse 101 N Main St PO Box 28 Celina, OH 45822 Phone: 419-586-6461 Mercer County Website

Probate Judge has birth and death records 1867-1908, Marriage records from 1830 and probate records from 1829; Clerk Court has court records from 1824; 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:

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

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records

Local Histories

 * Scranton, S.S., History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, (Chicago, Illinois: Biographical Pub. Co., 1907). Digital copy at Google Books, FamilySearch Digital Library
 * Gilberg, Bronsart H., History of Mercer County, Ohio, (Fort Wayne, Indiana: Allen County Public Library, 1989).
 * Alig, Jocye L., Mercer County, Ohio, History (Celina, Ohio: Mercer County Historical Society, 1980).

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
 * Township and Plat Maps at Historic Map Works
 * Surrounding County Map (1868-1872) at David Rumsey Maps
 * 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.

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

 * 1888-present Minster Post/Community Post at Minister Historical Society - Newspaper covering communities within Auglaize, Shelby, Mercer, and Darke Counties
 * 1793-late 1900's at History Connection —  Select county.
 * 1793-2009 Ohio Newspapers, 1793-2009 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
 * Early-late 1900's Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
 * Community History Archive at Coldwater Public Library
 * Newspaper Archive at Minster Historical Society

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.

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 ($) — Index
 * 1918-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1959-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1959-1998 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Marriage

 * 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 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

 * 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.
 * 1854-1997 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1908-1953 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
 * 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 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
 * 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
Coldwater Public Library 305 W Main St Coldwater, OH 45828-1604 419-678-2431 Website Fort Recovery Public Library 113 N Wayne St PO Box 309 Fort Recovery, OH 45846 419-375-2869 Website Mercer County District Public Library Main Branch 303 N Main St Celina, OH 45822-1698 419-586-4442 Website Rockford Carnegie Library 162 S Main St PO Box 330 Rockford, OH 45882 419-363-2630 Website

Museums
Mercer County Historical Museum Celina 130 E Market St Celina, OH 45822 419-586-6065 Website Fort Recovery State Museum 1 Fort Site St PO Box 533 Fort Recovery, OH 45846 419-375-4649 800-283-8920 Website The Shrine of the Holy Relics 2291 St Johns Rd Maria Stein, OH 45860 419-925-4532 E-mail:[mailto:info@mariasteinshrine.org info@mariasteinshrine.org] Website

Societies
Mercer County Chapter of OGS PO Box 437 Celina, OH 45822 E-mail:[mailto:mercerogsonline@gmail.com mercerogsonline@gmail.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
 * Mercer County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * – 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.