Licking County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Licking County

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

Licking County, Ohio
Map
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Licking County Courthouse Courthouse Square Newark, Ohio 43055 Licking County Website

Licking County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1875	1809	1875	1872	1800	1875	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

• Parent Counties: Formed from Fairfield County 30 January 1808.
• County Seat: Newark

Description

The county was named after the salt licks in the area. It's county seat is Newark and was founded March 1, 1808. It is located in the Mid-central area of the state.

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
Heath New Albany	Newark (county seat) Pataskala	Reynoldsburg
Villages
Alexandria Buckeye Lake Granville Gratiot	Hanover Hartford Hebron Johnstown	Kirkersville St. Louisville Utica
Unincorporated communities
Amsterdam Appleton Ben Boston Chatham Columbia Center Fleatown Fredonia Homer	Jacksontown Jersey Linnville Lloyd Corners Locust Grove Luray New Way Outville	Perryton Rain Rock Rocky Fork Toboso Union Station Wagram Welsh Hills Wilkins Run
Census-designated places
Beechwood Trails Brownsville	Etna Granville South	Harbor Hills Marne
Townships
Bennington Bowling Green Burlington Eden Etna Fallsbury Franklin Granville Hanover	Harrison Hartford Hopewell Jersey Liberty Licking Madison Mary Ann	McKean Monroe Newark Newton Perry St. Albans Union Washington

• Lima Township (defunct - merged in 1996 with Pataskala)

Neighboring Counties

Delaware County  • Franklin County  • Fairfield County  • Perry County  • Muskingum County  • Coshocton County  • Knox 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

1875 A courthouse fire on 2 April destroyed or damaged records. Records in the Recorder’s, Sheriff’s, Auditor's and Treasurer’s offices were saved. The marriage records between 1829-1839 were possibly completely lost in the fire. Some estate records also were burned in the fire. There are gaps in records for this county.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

• Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill. Online at: Family History Circle.
• When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle. Online at: Tennessee Genealogy Blog.
• Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Resources

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		Epodunk
OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos
Ohio Gravestones
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

Green-Beard Cemetery

• 1881-1962 - Ohio, Licking County, Hartford Township Records, 1881-1962 at FamilySearch — index and images

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, view the Ohio Church Records wiki page.

Finding More Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Licking County, Ohio Genealogy Church Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
  

Court Records

Harold Henderson composed a blog post describing his recent research at the courthouse in Licking County, Ohio. Many records were burned in a fire in 1875. Here is the link to his blog post titled Not Everything Burned -- Partitions and Mortgages in Licking County, Ohio.

midwesternmicrohistory

History

Local histories are available for Licking 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

• A Bicentennial History of Licking County, Ohio: 1808-2008, (Licking County Bicentennial Commission, 2008). FHL book 977.154 H2f

• Brister, E.M.P., Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County, Ohio, (Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1909). Digital copy at Google Books Volume 1:FamilySearch Digital Library Volume 2:FamilySearch Digital Library FHL film 1000323 Items 3 - 4; book 977.154 H2b v. 1-2

• Hill, Norman Newell, History of Licking County, Ohio, Its Past and Present, (Newark, Ohio: A.A. Graham & Co., 1881). Digital copy at Google Books FamilySearch Digital Library FHL film 908538 Item 1 (Volume 1) and 1697604 Item 1 (Volume 2); book 977.154 H2hi

• Smucker, Isaac, Centennial History of Licking County, Ohio, (Newark, Ohio: Clark and Underwood, 1876). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FHL film 496600 Item 1

Land and Property

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. =====Finding More Land Records===== Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Licking County, Ohio Genealogy Land and Property Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog(For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

• The Trumbull County Archives/Microfilm department has online maps and deed indexes
  

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

Revolutionary War

- Revolutionary War Veterans of Licking County, Ohio

Civil War

Civil War service men from Licking County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of Licking County.

- 1st Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Companies D and F

-113th_Regiment,_Ohio_Infantry, Companies D and F

• Miller, Charles D. Report of the great re-union of the veteran soldiers and sailors of Ohio held at Newark, July 22, 1878, under the auspices of the Society of the soldiers and sailors of Licking County, Ohio (Ann Arbor, Michigan : University Microfilms International - Books on Demand, 1972), FHL book 977.1 M25m

World War I

• 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
• 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

Licking 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 Historical Society. 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.
Online Newspapers
Online Newspaper Abstracts
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Probate

Probate records created after 1852 are held by the Licking County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court. From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. Most counties transferred all records to the Probate Court, but in some circumstances, Court of Common Pleas records should be searched for records prior to 1852. Most records are housed at the Licking County, Ohio Genealogy Courthouse. Some records are on microfilm at the Ohio Genealogical Society and the Family History Library. For more complete information about the location of county probate records see:

• Carol Willsey Bell, Ohio Wills and Estates to 1850: An Index (1981).  Carol Willsey Bell, Ohio Wills and Estates to 1850: An Index (Columbus, Ohio: the author, 1981).FamilySearch Digital Library - Free online copy.
  

See the wiki page Ohio Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.

Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.

Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only).

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.
  

Finding More Probate Records

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

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Repositories

Courthouse

Licking County Courthouse
20 S 2nd Street
Newark, OH 43058
Phone: 740.349.6062 

Probate Judge has birth, marriage and probate records;
County Health Department has death records; Clerk Court
has divorce records from 1876 and court records from 1872;
County recorder has land records

County Archives

Licking County Records and Archives Department
Mailing Address:
20 S. 2nd Street
Newark, OH 43055

Physical Address:
39 S. Buena Vista Street
Newark, OH 43055
Phone: 740.670.5121
Online Records Catalog

The office houses a selection of Licking County Government records dating from 1808 to the present and provides direction to customers researching county records.

Family History Centers

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

• For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

• Zanesville Ohio Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory. Put your town name in the top search box.

Libraries

• Licking County Library
  101 West Main Street
  Newark, OH 43055-5054
  Phone: 740-349-5510
  Library hours are Tuesday - Saturday 12:00 to 4:00 and Wednesday until 7:30 p.m.

Societies

• Licking County Genealogical Society
  Licking County Library
  101 West Main Street
  Newark, OH 43055-5054
  Phone: 740-349-5510
  Website
  The library has research on over 3000 Families of Licking County from 1808 to current. LCGS had received or has found information on over 6,000 military personal from the Revolution War to current-day military personnel that lived or passed through Licking County while in the military. We have a page on each one of them. (Donations of military personnel information welcomed.)
  LCGS has original Births, Marriage and Will books for Licking County, Ohio that can be copied for a fee. Many books of information on each of the townships, cemeteries, churches, schools, children homes, court records, pictures of people, places.

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

School Records

Jacksontown Alumni Book 1890-1959. Digitized book which includes the history of the school and numerous class photos.

Taxation

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

Finding More Tax Records

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

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Vital Records

Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Although Ohio enacted a statute in 1856 -1857 requiring registration of births, deaths and marriages, many counties did not comply. A second law was written in 1867 but, again, was not always followed. By 1908, the law was more clearly defined and kept. Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the Licking County, Ohio Genealogy 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 Historical Society houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.

Original marriage records are held at the office of the Licking County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court with divorce records located with the Licking County, Ohio Genealogy Clerk of Courts.

See also How to order Ohio Vital Records or order vital records electronically online.

Birth

Online Birth Indexes and Records Licking County Genealogical Society Library had the birth from 1875 to in the 1960's

• 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
• various years - community contributed birth records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives.

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

Online Marriage Indexes and Records

• 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1790-1950 - FamilySearch Historical Records For Licking County, the 1808-1951 database is variably extracted; often the Volume and Page number are not given. The "image numbers" given in the extracts refer to the image numbers in the microfilm, not to the image numbers as uploaded to Historical Records. The links to images from search results in the Historical Records for this County are wrong for at least Volumes 7 and 11, but the user can often find the wanted record by going to the next image in sequence. In Volume 7 the images are about 8 MBeach, and in Volume 11 about 5 MB each, so searchers with slow internet connections should be prepared for considerable load time.
• 1800-1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — free; Index.
• 1800-1942 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index
• various years - community contributed marriage records Courtesy 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
• 1881-1962 - Ohio, Licking County, Hartford Township Records, 1881-1962 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1908-1953 - Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch-Historical Records. Records include such information as birth date of deceased, city, county, and state of death, name of spouse if married, names of parents, maiden name of mother, name of informant, if deceased was single, married, widowed or divorced, occupation of deceased and disposition of remains.

Finding More Vital Records

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

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Websites

• Licking County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• Licking County OH Genealogy
• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• FamilySearch Catalog

Family History Library