Shelby County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Shelby County, Ohio ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Shelby County, Ohio | |
| Map | |
| |
 Location of Ohio in the U.S. | |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Shelby County Courthouse 129 East Court St. Sidney, Ohio 45365 Shelby County Website |
|---|---|
Contents
- 1 Shelby County, Ohio Record Dates
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 African American
- 2.2 Bible Records
- 2.3 Biography
- 2.4 Business Records and Commerce
- 2.5 Cemeteries
- 2.6 Census
- 2.7 Church Records
- 2.8 Court Records
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
- 2.11 Gazetteers
- 2.12 Genealogy
- 2.13 History
- 2.14 Land and Property
- 2.15 Maps
- 2.16 Military
- 2.17 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.18 Newspapers
- 2.19 Obituaries
- 2.20 Periodicals
- 2.21 Probate
- 2.22 Public Records
- 2.23 Repositories
- 2.24 Taxation
- 2.25 Vital Records
- 3 Websites
- 4 References
Shelby County, Ohio Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1825 | 1825 | 1825 | 1819 | 1819 | 1825 | 1820 |
- Parent Counties: Formed from Miami County in 1819.
- County Seat: Sidney
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named Isaac Shelby, a former governor of Kentucky. It's county seat is Sidney and was founded April 1, 1819. It is located in the West-central area of the state.[2]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
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: [3]
| Cities | ||
|
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| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Mercer County • Auglaize County • Logan County • Champaign County • Miami County • Darke County
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
- Black History of Shelby County, Ohio - Shelby County Historical Society
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
- Portrait and Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio ... (Chicago: Chapman Bros., 1892) online at FamilySearch Digital Library
Business Records and Commerce[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
| Online Grave Transcripts | Published Grave Transcripts | County Cemetery Directories |
| Family History Library | ||
| WorldCat | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos | ||
| See Ohio Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 2,106 | — |
| 1830 | 3,671 | 74.3% |
| 1840 | 12,154 | 231.1% |
| 1850 | 13,958 | 14.8% |
| 1860 | 17,493 | 25.3% |
| 1870 | 20,748 | 18.6% |
| 1880 | 24,137 | 16.3% |
| 1890 | 24,707 | 2.4% |
| 1900 | 24,625 | −0.3% |
| 1910 | 24,663 | 0.2% |
| 1920 | 25,923 | 5.1% |
| 1930 | 24,924 | −3.9% |
| 1940 | 26,071 | 4.6% |
| 1950 | 28,488 | 9.3% |
| 1960 | 33,586 | 17.9% |
| 1970 | 37,748 | 12.4% |
| 1980 | 43,089 | 14.1% |
| 1990 | 44,915 | 4.2% |
| 2000 | 47,910 | 6.7% |
| 2010 | 49,423 | 3.2% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records[edit | edit source]
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.
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
Miami Valley Genealogy Index is an Index to more than a half million pointers to records all over Miami Valley including Shelby County.
History[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Shelby 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.
The county is named after Kentucky's First Governor Isaac Shelby (1750-1826).[4]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Hitchcock, A.B.C., History of Shelby County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, (Chicago, Illinois: Richmond-Arnold, 1913). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library,Internet Archive; FHL film 962317; book 977.145 H2h
- History of Shelby County, Ohio: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: R. Sutton & Co., 1883). Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books; FHL film 20294
- A History of the Communities of Shelby County, Ohio, (Sidney, Ohio: printed for Citizens Baughman National Bank, 1976). FHL book 977.145 H2a
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1888-1919 - Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1977 - Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Shelby 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
Online Newspaper Abstracts
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate[edit | edit source]
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.
- 1825-1962 Shelby County Ohio list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills.
Finding More Probate Records[edit source]
Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Shelby 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).
Public Records[edit | edit source]
Repositories[edit | edit source]
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Shelby County Courthouse
129 E Court Street PO Box 809
Sidney, OH 45365
Phone: 937.498.7221
Clerk Court has court records from 1819; Probate Judge has birth, marriage, death and probate, records from 1825; County Recorder has land records from 1819[5]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory. Put your town name in the top search box.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Shelby County Historical Society
201 N. Main Street
Sidney, Ohio 45365
Online Genealogy Research Groups[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
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 ($) — index
Finding More Tax Records
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Shelby County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
Original Birth Records on Microfilm
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
- 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1800-1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — free; Index.
- 1800-1942 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Original Marriage Records on Microfilm
Death[edit | edit source]
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 decease
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Finding More Vital Records
Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Shelby 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).
Original Death Records on Microfilm
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Shelby County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Shelby County Ohio History & Genealogy on Facebook
- Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Shelby 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
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Shelby County, Ohio. Page 540-547 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 531-533.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Shelby County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/shelby/ accessed 2/27/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Shelby County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_County,_Ohio, accessed 15 January 2019.
- ↑ "List of Counties in Tennessee," Wikipedia.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Shelby County, Ohio. Page 545 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
