Ross County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Ross County

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

Ross County, Ohio
Map
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Ross County Courthouse 2 N. Paint St. Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 Ross County Website

Ross County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1798	1867	1798	1797	1797	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

• Parent Counties: Formed from Adams and Washington Counties in 1798.
  
• County Seat: Chillicothe
   

Description

The county was named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania. It's county seat is Mansfield and was founded August 20, 1798. It is located in the Southcentral 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
Chillicothe (county seat)
Villages
Adelphi Bainbridge	Clarksburg Frankfort	Kingston South Salem
Unincorporated communities
Alma Anderson Austin Deadman Crossing Denver Fruitdale Greenland Hallsville Harper Higby Hopetown Humboldt	Kinnikinnick Lattaville Londonderry Lyndon Massieville Mooresville Musselman Nipgen North Fork Village Plano Pride	Roxabell Schooley Slate Mills Spargursville Storms Summithill Thrifton Three Locks Tucson Vigo Yellowbud
Census-designated places
Andersonville Bourneville	Richmond Dale
Townships
Buckskin Colerain Concord Deerfield Franklin Green	Harrison Huntington Jefferson Liberty Paint	Paxton Scioto Springfield Twin Union
Ghost towns
Knockemstiff

Neighboring Counties

Pickaway County  • Hocking County  • Vinton County  • Jackson County  • Pike County  • Highland County  • Fayette County

Boundary Changes

For animated maps illustrating Ohio county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Ohio County Boundary Maps" (1788-1940) 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

Ross County, Ohio family Bible records, vol. 1

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.

• Cemetery Index Ohio Genealogy Express
• Cemeteries of Ross County Linkpendium
• Many Cemetery Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

Census and Directories

• Census
• Census Records
• Ross County Ohio Census
• U. S. City Directories (Chillicothe) $
• Canton, Ohio 1914 City Directory
• 1820 United States Census $
• 1830 United States Census $
• 1840 United States Census $
• United States Census (Mortality) 1850
• U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 $
• United States Census, 1850
• United States Census 1850
• United States Census, 1860
• United States Census 1860
• 1860 United States Census $
• United States Census, 1870
• United States Census 1870
• United States Census, 1880 (Index only)
• United States Census 1880
• 1880 United States Census $
• United States Census, 1900
• United States Census 1900
• 1910 United States Census $
• United States Census 1910
• United States Census, 1920
• United States Census 1920
• 1930 United States Census $
• 1930 Census of Merchant Seamen $
• The 1803 Census Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.
• Many City Directories Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

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.

• Bible & Church Records
• Churches
• Ross County, Ohio Churches
• Topographic Map Church Features in Ross County, Ohio
• Many Church Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

Finding More Church Records

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ross 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

• Gateways to the West $ (Includes Territorial Court Order Book, 1798-1799, 1799-1800, Index to Estates and Guardianships 1797-1820).
• Many Court Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups

• Many Minority Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

Funeral Homes

• Funeral Homes in Ross County, Ohio

History

Local histories are available for Ross 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

• Bennett, Henry Holcomb, The County of Ross: A History of Ross County, Ohio, From the Earliest Days, (Madison, Wisconsin: S.A. Brant, 1902). Digital copy at Google Books Ancestry ($)(Indexed) FHL film 599261 Item 2; book 977.182 H2b

• Evans, Lyle S., A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Civic and Social Development, (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1987). Digital copy at Google Books FamilySearch Digital LibraryAncestry ($)(Indexed) FHL fiche 6087727 and 6087728; 977.182 H2e v. 1-2

• Finley, Isaac J. and Rufus Putnam, Pioneer Record and Reminiscences of the Early Settlers and Settlement of Ross County, Ohio, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Robert Clarke, 1871). Digital copy at Internet Archive FHL film 824057 Item 3

• History of Ross and Highland Counties Ohio, (Cleveland, Ohio: Williams Bros., 1880). Digital copy FamilySearch Digital Library FHL film 915745 Item 2; book 977.18 H2h

• Perkins, George, Pioneer Sketches, Life in the Northwest Territory and Ross County, Ohio: 1600s-1896, (Chillicothe, Ohio: Ross County Genealogical Society, 1999). FHL book 977.182 H2p

• Articles & Stories
• Biographies
• Histories
• Biographies extracted from The County of Ross: by Henry Holcomb Bennett 1902
• County History
• Biographical Sketches
• Many History Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

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.

• Land Records
• Land Patent Search
• U. S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 $
• Many Land Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

Finding More Land Records

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ross 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)
• Ross County Ohio Maps
• Map of Ross County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels
• Many Maps for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

Military

• 1888-1919 - Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images

General

• Many Military Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.
• Military Records
• Military Records for Ohio Counties

Civil War

• Civil War service men from Ross 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 Ross County.

- 1st Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Company M

- 1st Regiment, Ohio Heavy Artillery, Company B

- 106th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company F

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
• 1917-1918 - World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 ($)
  

World War II

• United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
• U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 ($)
• Ross County, Ohio World War II Casualties Army and Air Force
  

Naturalization and Citizenships

• 1800-1977 - Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — index and images
• Naturalization at RootsWeb
• Many Naturalization and Citizenship Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.

Newspapers

Ross 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

• Obituaries
• Chillicothe Gazette

OnlineNewspaperAbstracts

• Bainbridge Banter $
• Obituary Collection: Chillicothe Gazette $
• Obituary Index, Ross County, Ohio

Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Probate

Probate records created after 1852 are held by the Ross 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 Ross 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.
• Many Probate Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.
• Wills and Probate Records

Finding More Probate Records

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ross 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

Ross County Courthouse
2 N Paint Street
Chillicothe, OH 45601
Phone: 740.702.3085

Probate Judge has birth, marriage, death and probate records;
Clerk Court has divorce records from late 1800’s and court records;
County Recorder has land 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

• Chillicothe 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

• Ross County Libraries

Societies

Ross County, Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 6352
Chillicothe, OH 45601-6352
Telephone: 740-773-2715
Email:rcgs@bright.net
Website

Ross County Heritage Center
45 West Fifth Street
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
Telephone:740-773-1896 Library
Society 740-772-1936
Email:info@rosscountyhistorical.org
Website

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

Schools

• Schools
• Ross County School Districts

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. For more information see the wiki page Ohio Taxation.

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

• Ohio Tax Records 1816-1838

Finding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ross 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 Ross 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 Ross County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court with divorce records located with the Ross 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

• 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)
• Birth Records 1867-1908
• 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

Online Marriage Indexes and Records

• 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1798-1849 - Marriages 1798-1849
• 1800-1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — free; Index.
• 1800-1942 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index
• 1803-1900 - Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 $
• Orena V. Grant genealogical collection at ancestry.com ($)
• Marriage Records
• at Ross County, Ohio marriage records at at ancestry.com ($)

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

• Many Divorce Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details

Death

Online Death Indexes and Records

• 1840-2001 - Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1908-1953 - Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953. Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch. 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, windowed or divorced, occupation of deceased.
• 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 2002 - Ohio Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 2002 $
• Death Records
• Gateway to the West $ (Marriages from 1798-1809)
• Many Vital Records for Ross County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see topic details.
• Orena V. Grant genealogical collection at ancestry.com ($)

Finding More Vital Records

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Ross 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

• Ross County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Ross County OH Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county. *Search This Site
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Ohio Genealogy Express
• Ross County, Ohio Chamber of Commerce
• Ross County, Ohio Genealogy Trails
• Ross County, Ohio Genealogy Forum
• Cyndi's List
• Records Project Ross County Public Record Information Online
• WikipediA Ross County, Ohio
• Profile for Ross County, Ohio