Washington County, Ohio Genealogy

Historical populations
	Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Washington County
	Washington County, Ohio
	Map
	; Location of Ohio in the U.S.
	Courthouse
Address	Washington County Courthouse; 205 Putnam St.; Marietta, Ohio 45750; Washington County Website

United States Genealogy

Ohio

Washington County

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

Cities
Belpre Marietta (county seat)
Villages
Beverly Lower Salem	Lowell Macksburg	Matamoras
Unincorporated communities
Archers Fork Barlow Bartlett Beavertown Beckett Bevan Bloomfield Bonn Briggs Caywood Churchtown Coal Run Constitution Cornerville Cow Run Cutler Dalzell Dart	Decaturville Deucher Dunbar Dunham Elba Equity Fifteen Fillmore Fleming Germantown Gracey Grandview Layman Leith Lower Newport Luke Chute Moore Junction Moss Run	Newell Run Oak Grove Patten Mills Pinehurst Qualey Rainbow Relief Sitka Stanleyville Tick Ridge Veto Wade Warner Watertown Whipple Wingett Run Yankeeburg
Census-designated places
Devola Little Hocking	Newport Reno	Vincent Waterford
Townships
Adams Aurelius Barlow Belpre Decatur Dunham Fairfield Fearing	Grandview Independence Lawrence Liberty Ludlow Marietta Muskingum	Newport Palmer Salem v Waterford Watertown Wesley

Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Monroe County • Noble County • Morgan County • Athens County • Wood County, West Virginia Genealogy • Pleasants County, West Virginia Genealogy • Tyler County, West Virginia Genealogy

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]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

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
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
Interment.net	WorldCat	Names in Stone
USGW Tombstones		Billion Graves
Billion Graves
OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos
Ohio Gravestones
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

Cemeteries Ohio Genealogy
Ohio Cemetery Records $
Ohio, Marietta Cemetery Records, 1788-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images

Census and Directories[edit | edit source]

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]

1810 - 1930 Ohio, Washington County Court Records, 1810-1930 at FamilySearch — images

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Marietta Times $

Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Washington 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.

Andrews, Israel Ward, Washington County, and the Early Settlement of Ohio, (Cincinnati, Ohio: P. G. Thomson, 1877). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($)(Indexed); FHL book 977.198 H2an

Hildreth, Samuel P., Biographical and Historical Memoirs of the Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, (Cincinnati, Ohio: H.W. Derby, 1852). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive,Ancestry ($)(Indexed); FHL film 1697699 item 9; book 977.198 D3h index

Dennis, James L., Washington's Darker Brother: One Hundred Years of Black History in Washington County, Ohio, 1788-1888, (Parkersburg, West Virginia: J.L. Dennis, 1986). FHL book 977.198 F2d

History of Washington County, Ohio, (Cleveland: H. Z. Williams & Bros., 1881). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Libary, Ancestry ($)(Indexed); FHL film 896631 item 1

Jordan, Wayne, The People of Ohio's First County, (Dayton, Ohio: Wright State University, 1989). FHL film 1704680 item 6

Andrews, Martin R., History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, (Chicago, Illinois: Biographical Pub. Co., 1902). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library,Google Books,Internet Archive; FHL book 977.198 H2a

Creigh, Alfred, History of Washington County: From Its First Settlement to the Present Time, (B. Singerly, 1871). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive

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]

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Military[edit | edit source]

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

War of 1812[edit | edit source]

Martin, Eleanor, Veterans, War of 1812 (Ohio, E. Martin 1992) page 34 FHL Book 977.1 A1

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Civil War service men from Washington 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 Washington County.

- 1st Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Company L

- 36th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies A, F, and G

Sams, Catherine J. (Catherine Jean Lewis). 1890 census, veterans & widows of the Civil War, Washington County, Ohio. (Caldwell, Ohio : F & L Enterprises, 1989) FHL Book 977.198 X2s
MIlitary Records for Ohio Counties
Daughters of the American Revolution. Marietta Chapter (Marietta, Ohio). Revolutionary soldiers buried in Washington County, Ohio : containing military records and short history of lives. Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973. FHL Collection
Civil War - Fallen Soldiers From Washington County, Ohio. Taken from The History of Washington Co., Ohio 1778-1881 by H. Z. Williams (Partial List - 624 Names)
1890 Census for Civil War Veterans & Widows - Duhham Twp, Washington County, Ohio

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]

Washington 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

NewsandSentinel

Online Newspaper Abstracts

Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

1884-2013 - Ohio, Washington County Newspaper Obituaries, 1884-2013 at FamilySearch — index
Obituaries and Death Notices

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.
Abstracts of wills and administrations of estates of Washington County, Ohio at Ancestry.com ($) Abstract
Abstract of Probate records, Washington County, Ohio at Ancestry.com($) abstract
Abstracts of Wills Administrations
Washington County Wills Estates
Abstract of Probate Records, Washington County, Ohio $
Abstract of Probate Records, Washington County, Ohio: Wills, Estates and Guardianships (1789-1855) $
Gateway to The West, Vol. II $

Finding More Probate Records[edit source]

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

Washington County Courthouse
205 Putnam Street
Marietta, OH 45740
Phone: 740.373.6623

Probate Judge has birth and death records from 1867
marriage and probate records from 1789
Clerk Court has
divorce and court records from 17
County recorder has
land records
Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.
(Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002),
Washington County, Ohio.
Page 546 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.

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.

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Parkersburg West Virginia 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[edit | edit source]

Washington County Public Libraries

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Washington County Chapter Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 2174
Marietta, OH 45750
Website
Email: WCCOGS@washogs.org

Washington County Historical Society
P.O. Box 103
Marietta, OH 45750
Email:WCHS
Telephone: 740-373-1788
Website

Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen Organized to perpetuate the memory of pioneer rivermen and river history. (Not a lineage-based organization)
The Ohio Historical Society Campus Martius
The Castle

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

Schools[edit | edit source]

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 Washington 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]

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[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
1789-1882 - Marriages 1789-1882
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 deceased.
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