Ashtabula County, Ohio Genealogy

United States Genealogy

Ohio

Ashtabula County

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

Ashtabula County, Ohio
Map
Location in the state of Ohio, United States Genealogy
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Ashtabula Co. Courthouse 25 West Jefferson Street Jefferson, Ohio 44047 Ashtabula County Website Phone: 440.576.3637

Ashtabula County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1811	1867	1800s	1800	1811	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

• Parent Counties: Formed from Geauga and Trumbull Counties 10 February 1807.
• County Seat: Jefferson

Description

The county was named for a Native American word meaning "river of many fish." It's county seat is Jefferson and was formed June 7, 1807. It is located in the Northeastern area of the state.

Places/Localities

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:

Cities
Ashtabula	Conneaut	Geneva
Villages
Andover Geneva-on-the-Lake Jefferson (county seat)	North Kingsville Orwell	Roaming Shores Rock Creek
Unincorporated communities
Dorset Eagleville Footville	Kelloggsville Kingsville Pierpont	Unionville Williamsfield Windsor
Census-designated places
Austinburg Edgewood
Townships
Andover Ashtabula Austinburg Cherry Valley Colebrook Denmark Dorset Geneva Harpersfield	Hartsgrove Jefferson Kingsville Lenox Monroe Morgan New Lyme Orwell Pierpont	Plymouth Richmond Rome Saybrook Sheffield Trumbull Wayne Williamsfield Windsor

Neighboring Counties

Lake County  • Geauga County  • Trumbull County  • Erie County  • Crawford County  • Mercer County

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating Ohio county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Ohio County Boundary Maps" (1788-1888) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Resources

Bible Records

For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.

Cemeteries

Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Online Grave Transcripts	Published Grave Transcripts	County Cemetery Directories
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
Interment.net	WorldCat	Names in Stone
USGW Tombstones		Billion Graves
Billion Graves
Ohio Gravestones
OHGenWeb
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information

• Some Cemeteries in Ashtabula County with photos and transcriptions can be found on the Ashtablula County Genealogy Society's Website.
  

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	7,382	—
1830	14,584	97.6%
1840	23,724	62.7%
1850	28,767	21.3%
1860	31,814	10.6%
1870	32,517	2.2%
1880	37,139	14.2%
1890	43,655	17.5%
1900	51,448	17.9%
1910	59,547	15.7%
1920	65,545	10.1%
1930	68,631	4.7%
1940	68,674	0.1%
1950	78,695	14.6%
1960	93,067	18.3%
1970	98,237	5.6%
1980	104,215	6.1%
1990	99,821	−4.2%
2000	102,728	2.9%
2010	101,497	−1.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Ohio denominations, see Ohio Church Records.

History

Local histories are available for Ashtabula County, Ohio Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Ohio Local Histories.

Local Histories

• Large, Moina W., History of Ashtabula County, Ohio (Topeka-Indianapolis [Indiana] : Historical Pub. Co., 1924) Digital version of Volume 1 at FamilySearch Digital Library; Volume 2 at FamilySearch Digital Library[. Also available on microfilm at [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/98413 FHL film 934876 Items 2-3.
• Williams, William W., History of Ashtabula County, Ohio: with illustrations and biographical sketches of its pioneers and most prominent men (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Williams Bros., 1878) Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library. Also available on microfilm at FHL film 934875 Item 5.

Land

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Ohio Land and Property for additional information about early Ohio land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)

Military

• 1888-1919 - Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1914-1919 - Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1914-1918 - Ohio, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — index and images

• Civil War
  Civil War service men from Ashtabula 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 Ashtabula County.

- 1st Regiment, Ohio Cavalry. Company F

- 105th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company G

• World War I

• 1916-1920 - Ohio, WWI Index and Return Cards, 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — index

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1800-1977 - Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

Ashtabula County, Ohio Genealogy newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.

To access newspapers, contact public libraries, Ohio Genealogical Society chapters, college or university libraries, the Library of Congress, Google News, or the Ohio Memory. The Ohio Genealogical Society Obituary Database is another source of newspaper information.

For more Ohio newspaper information see the Newspaper Guides on the wiki page Ohio Newspapers and Obituaries.

Online Newspapers The Star Beacon Ashtabula, Ohio 4626 Park Ave. Ashtabula, OH 44004
Online Newspaper Abstracts

• various years - some newspaper articles Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
• various years -  newspaper clippings from Farm Book 1 & 2 containing marriage and obituary notices and social events Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Obituaries

• 1858-2021 - Web: Ashtabula County, Ohio, Obituary Index, 1858-2012at Ancestry.com ($)

Probate

From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. After 1852, records are held by the {{{1}}} County Probate Court. Records include wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only). The records may give the decedent's date of death, name of spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

See Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records. Online Probate Records

• 1786 - 1998 Ohio Wills and Probate Records 1786-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1789 - 1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — images
• 1790–1967 - Ohio, Probate Records, 1790-1967 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This collection consists of probate records and estate files from county courthouses in Ohio. The content and time period varies by county, with more records being added as they become available. This Collection will include records from 1789 to 1996. Currently, (September 2012) the collection is only searchable by browsing the images. A list of Fires that have destroyed records in the courthouses of several counties are listed on the Record Description page.
  
• 1798-1892 - Wills and probate records Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Finding More Probate Records

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ashtabula County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).

Repositories

Courthouse

Ashtabula County Courthouse
25 W Jefferson Street
Jefferson, OH 44047
Phone: 440.576.3637

Probate Court has birth and death records 1867-1908, marriage records from 1811 and probate records from 1880’s.
County Health Department has birth and death records from 1909.
Court Clerk has divorce records from 1811 and court records from 1800’s.
County Recorder has land records from 1800.

Western Reserve Historical Society

The Connecticut Western Reserve Genealogy  was a part of northeast Ohio originally intended for settlement by Revolutionary War refugees from Connecticut. The former Connecticut Western Reserve  lands were in the modern counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Trumbull fully, but also in parts of Ashland, Mahoning, Ottawa, Summit, and Wayne counties in Ohio.

The Research Library at the Western Reserve Historical Society History Center  is the premier repository for Cleveland, Ohio and Connecticut Western Reserve history material. One of the principal strengths is its manuscript collections. The WRHS collection has original land records, genealogies of New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, biographies, histories, and family Bibles.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Ashtabula Ohio Family History Center

Societies

Online Genealogy Research Groups

• 
  
• U.S. Midwest Genealogy Research Community - FamilySearch Facebook Research Group
• Ohio Ancestors - FamilySearch Community group, must have a free FamilySearch account to join
• U.S. and Canada Genealogy Research - FamilySearch Community group, must have a free FamilySearch account to join

Taxation

Ohio tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties.

• 1800-1950 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — index and images

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

• 1816-1838 Duplicate tax records : 1816-1838 (Do a click here or scroll down to specific years and click on camera)

• 1858-1894 Sheriff returns for land tax sales, 1858-1894

Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ashtabula County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).

Vital Records

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Marriages were usually recorded from the formation of the county and are held at the office of the County Probate Court. Divorce records are located with the county Clerk of Courts.

Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the County Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954, while the Ohio History Connection houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.

Birth

Online Birth Indexes and Records

• 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1821–1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This is an incomplete index of extractions of original records and of patron-submitted records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. Information may have been previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
• 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry.com ($) — index

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

Online Marriage Indexes and Records

• 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images. Name index and images of county marriage records acquired from local courthouses.
• 1800–1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Name index to marriage records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and some FamilySearch Centers. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
• 1800-1942 Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index
• 1803-1900 - Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1898-1912 - Ohio Marriages at ancestry.com ($)
• 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• 1970-2007 - Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1886-1908 - Some Ashabula marriages Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death

Online Death Indexes and Records

• 1840-2001 - Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1854–1997 - Ohio, Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Name index to death and burial records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 2,535,556 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
• 1908–1953 - Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. Name index and images of Ohio statewide death certificates.
• 1908–1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 - Ohio, Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. Index of deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
• 1908-2007 - Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
• 1911-1952 - Some county deaths Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
• 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Divorce

• 1962-2007 - Ohio Divorce Index, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
  

Finding More Vital Records

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ashtabula County, Ohio Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).

Websites

• A great source for transcribed records pertaining to Ashtabula County, Ohio, is the Ashtabula County site at USGenWeb. The site contains a multitude of databases, including obituaries, probate, military, tax lists,marriages as early as 1811, squirrel hunter records and many more -- all searchable through the main page.

• Another website with multiple databases of transcribed records is Genealogy Trails. The Ashtabula County section includes many marriages, births from 1867, obituaries & death records. Not all databases are complete.

• FamilySearch Catalog
• Ashtabula County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Ashtabula County OH Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.