GuidedResearch:Ohio Births Before 1867
This page will give you guidance and resources to find birth information for your ancestor in Ohio before 1867.
Records to search
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Online Resources
- Ohio County Births - Ohio, County Marriages - ($), Index and images
- Ohio Births and ChristeningsGoogle search for the names of the bride & groom & place of marriage
- | Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973
Additional Records with Marriage Information
Use these additional records to locate marriage information about your ancestor: | |
Newspapers Announcements | Includes marriage information such as wedding announcements or golden anniversaries. In 1870 more than 30% of the population of Cincinnati was born outside the United States. Non-English newspapers and periodicals were published for Germans, Swedes, Norwegians, Czechs and the Welsh.[1] Many marriage announcements were published. |
Church Records | May list maiden name of spouse as well as date and place of marriage |
Obituaries | Obituaries may include the name of the surviving spouse. More recent obituaries may also include the date and place of the marriage. |
Military Records | A widow's pension includes the name of the veteran and additional information to prove their marriage. |
Death Records | May include the name of spouse and whether married, widowed, or divorced |
Census Records | After 1850, censuses may list the first names of spouse; 20th Century censuses may include information such as number of years married |
Bible Records | May include dates of marriage as well as the maiden name of spouses |
Marriage in a different place - Gretna Greens
Cincinnati was an area where the normal restrictions on marriage did not get enforced. It has been called a "Gretna Green".[2] People from Ohio may have married in a different state for similar reasons.
Improve Searching
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Tips for finding marriages
Success with marriage records depends on a few key points.
- Your ancestor's name may misspelled. Try the following search tactics:
- Try searching using the spouse's name.
- Try searching spelling variations for your ancestor.
- Try different spelling variations of the first and last name of your ancestor.
- Try a given name search (leave out the last names)
- Expand the date range of the search.
- Try searching with the state name only instead of by county.
- If your ancestor's name is common, try adding more information to narrow the search.
Marriage in a different place - Gretna Greens
Cincinnati was an area where the normal restrictions on marriage did not get enforced. It has been called a "Gretna Green".[3] People from Ohio may have married in a different state for similar reasons. (link to United States Guided Research page)
Why the Record may not Exist
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Marriage registration was handled by the counties until 1949, when the state vital records office kept the records.
Known Record Gaps
Many Hamilton County (includes Cincinnati) marriage records were destroyed by a courthouse fire in 1884.[4]
Marriage in a different place - Gretna Greens
Cincinnati was an area where the normal restrictions on marriage did not get enforced. It has been called a "Gretna Green".[5] People from Ohio may have married in a different state for similar reasons.
References
- ↑ Luebke, Frederick C. "Ethnic Group Settlement on the Great Plains." Western Historical Quarterly 8:4 (1977): 405-430.
- ↑ Maki, Carol L. 2004. Ohio. In Red book: American state, county & town sources, edited by Alice Eicholz. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.
- ↑ Maki, Carol L. 2004. Ohio. In Red book: American state, county & town sources, edited by Alice Eicholz. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.
- ↑ Moore, Rosemary and Dwight A. Radford, "The Irish in Cincinnati." The Irish At Home and Abroad 1:1 (1993): 9-12.
- ↑ Maki, Carol L. 2004. Ohio. In Red book: American state, county & town sources, edited by Alice Eicholz. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.