Knox County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Knox County

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

Knox County, Ohio
Map
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Knox County Courthouse 106 East High Street Mt. Vernon, Ohio 43050 Knox County Website

Knox County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1803	1867	1810	1808	1808	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: Mount Vernon

Description

The county was named for Henry Knox, an officer in the American Revolutionary War who was later the first U.S. Secretary of War. It's county seat is Mount Vernon and was founded March 1, 1808. It is located in the 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
Mount Vernon (county seat)
Villages
Centerburg Danville Fredericktown	Gambier Gann	Martinsburg Utica
Unincorporated communities
Amity Ankenytown Artanna Bangs Batemantown Brandon Five Corners Green Valley	Greer Hunt Jelloway Knox Lock Lucerne Millwood Monroe Mills	Morgan Center Mount Liberty North Liberty Palmyra Pipesville Rich Hill Waterford Zuck
Census-designated places
Apple Valley Bladensburg	Howard
Townships
Berlin Brown Butler Clay Clinton College Harrison Hilliar	Howard Jackson Jefferson Liberty Middlebury Milford Miller	Monroe Morgan Morris Pike Pleasant Union Wayne
Ghost towns
Rossville

Neighboring Counties

Richland County  • Ashland County  • Holmes County  • Coshocton County  • Licking County  • Delaware County  • Morrow County

Boundary Changes

Knox County gave up land for the formation of Morrow County in February 1848.  The townships of Chester, Franklin and South Bloomfield went to Morrow County.

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

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

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 Tomestones		Billion Graves
Billion Graves
OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos
Ohio Gravestones
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

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.

History

Local histories are available for Knox 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 for General Henry Knox (1750-1806), Revolutionary War hero, and the nation's first Secretary of War.

The first white man known to have passed through this area was John Stilly, a white captive of a native tribe, who crossed through in 1779. The "frontier character" Andrew Craig is believed to be the first permanent white settler—arriving before Ohio became a state and remaining until it became "too crowded" about 1809.

The first settlers who remained in the area were mostly from Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Many of these earliest settlers arrived between 1800-1808, attracted by inexpensive, but fertile, military land.

Local Histories

• Lorey, Frederick N., History of Knox County, Ohio: 1876-1976, (Mount Vernon, Ohio: Knox County Historical Society, 1976). FHL book 977.152 H2L

• Norton, A. Banning, A History of Knox County, Ohio, from 1779 to 1862 Inclusive: Comprising Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes and Incidents of Men Connected with the County from Its First Settlement, (Columbus, Ohio: R. Nevins, 1862). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FamilySearch Digital Library Ancestry ($)(Indexed) FHL film 1000322 Item 1

• Hill, N.N. Jr., History of Knox County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, (Mt. Vernon, Ohio: A. A. Graham, 1881). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FamilySearch Digital Library Ancestry ($)(Indexed) FHL film 599259

• Williams, Albert B., Past and Present of Knox County, Ohio, (Indianapolis, Indiana: B. F. Bowen & Co., 1912). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FHL film 1000322 Items 4-5

• Knox County Black History Digital Archives (Kenyon College), African-American History in Knox County, Ohio

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.

• 1790-1907 - Bureau of Land Management database Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• 1813-1814 - Early Settlers of Knox County list of land owners and residents taken from the Ohio Register, 1813-1814. Courtesy OhioGenWeb

Finding More Land Records

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Knox 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

Civil War

Civil War service men from Knox County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment)that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Knox County.

- 30th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company A

- 4th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company A (also known as Knox County Guards) and Company B (also known as Union Guards).

For information about these companies, such as muster out rolls, see History of Knox County, Ohio, Its Past and Present starting with p. 290

- 96th Regiment, Ohio Infantry

Company A, roster 

Company B, roster

-125th 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

Naturalization and Citizenship

• 1800-1977 - Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox 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.
• 1808-1832 - Early Settlers, Probate Settlements, 1808-1832 Courtesy OhioGenWeb

Finding More Probate Records

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

Knox County Courthouse
111 East High Street
Mount Vernon, OH 43050-3453
Phone: 740.393.6788 

County Health  Department has birth records from 1908,
death and burial records; Probate Judge has marriage records
from 1803 and probate records; Clerk Court has divorce and 
court records from 1810; County Records 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

• Mount Vernon 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.

Societies

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

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 Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox County, Ohio Genealogy Probate Court with divorce records located with the Knox 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 ($)
• 1800-1882 - Knox County, Ohio, Vital Records, 1800-1882 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1887 - 1887 Knox County births partial list taken from microfilm. Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)
• 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
• 1800-1882 - Knox County, Ohio, Vital Records, 1800-1882 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1800-1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — free; Index.
• 1800-1942 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index
• 1820-1890 - Some submitted marriages from various records Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• various years - community contributed marriage records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death

Online Death Indexes and Records

• 1800-1882 - Knox County, Ohio, Vital Records, 1800-1882 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1840-2001 - Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1867-1908 - Knox County, Ohio Death Records Courtesy OhioGenWeb
• 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.
• various years - community contributed death records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives

Finding More Vital Records

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

• Knox County OHGenWeb
• Knox County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• Knox 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