Knox County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Knox County, Ohio ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military 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 |
---|
Contents
- 1 Knox County, Ohio Record Dates
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biography
- 2.3 Business Records and Commerce
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.9 Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
- 2.10 Gazetteers
- 2.11 Genealogy
- 2.12 History
- 2.13 Land and Property
- 2.14 Maps
- 2.15 Military
- 2.16 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.17 Newspapers
- 2.18 Obituaries
- 2.19 Periodicals
- 2.20 Probate
- 2.21 Public Records
- 2.22 Repositories
- 2.23 Taxation
- 2.24 Vital Records
- 3 Websites
- 4 References
Knox County, Ohio Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1810 | 1808 | 1808 | 1820 |
Description[edit | edit source]
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.[3]
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: [4]
Cities | ||
|
||
Villages | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
Census-designated places | ||
Townships | ||
Ghost towns | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Richland County • Ashland County • Holmes County • Coshocton County • Licking County • Delaware County • Morrow County
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biography[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 |
Family History Library | ||
WorldCat | ||
Billion Graves | ||
OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos | ||
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information. |
Census[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1810 | 2,149 | — |
1820 | 8,326 | 287.4% |
1830 | 17,085 | 105.2% |
1840 | 29,579 | 73.1% |
1850 | 28,872 | −2.4% |
1860 | 27,735 | −3.9% |
1870 | 26,333 | −5.1% |
1880 | 27,431 | 4.2% |
1890 | 27,600 | 0.6% |
1900 | 27,768 | 0.6% |
1910 | 30,181 | 8.7% |
1920 | 29,580 | −2.0% |
1930 | 29,338 | −0.8% |
1940 | 31,024 | 5.7% |
1950 | 35,287 | 13.7% |
1960 | 38,808 | 10.0% |
1970 | 41,795 | 7.7% |
1980 | 46,304 | 10.8% |
1990 | 47,473 | 2.5% |
2000 | 54,500 | 14.8% |
2010 | 60,921 | 11.8% |
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]
History[edit | edit source]
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.[5]
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.[6]
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[edit | edit source]
- 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[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.
- 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
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1888-1919 - Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
Civil War[edit | edit source]
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 [7]
- - 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
- Company A, roster
- Company B, roster
- -106th Regiment, Company D
- -125th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company F
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]
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 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 Indexes and 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[edit source]
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 Places Search).
Public Records[edit | edit source]
Repositories[edit | edit source]
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
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[8]
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]
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]
- 1800-1950 - Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Finding More Tax Records
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Knox County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Marriages were usually recorded from the formation of the county and are held at the office of the County Probate Court. Divorce records are located with the county Clerk of Courts.
Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the County Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954, while the Ohio History Connection houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)
- 1800-1882 - Knox County, Ohio, Vital Records, 1800-1882 at ancestry.com ($)
- 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1887 - 1887 Knox County births partial list taken from microfilm. Courtesy OhioGenWeb
- 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)
- 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
- various years - community contributed birth records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
Original Birth Records on Microfilm
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
- 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1800-1882 - Knox County, Ohio, Vital Records, 1800-1882 at ancestry.com ($)
- 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
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- various years - community contributed marriage records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
Original Marriage Records on Microfilm
Death[edit | edit source]
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1800-1882 - Knox County, Ohio, Vital Records, 1800-1882 at ancestry.com ($)
- 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.
- 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
- 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 Places Search).
Original Death Records on Microfilm
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Knox County OHGenWeb
- Knox County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Knox County OH Genealogy
- GenWeb 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), Knox 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), [FHL book 973 D27e 2002].
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Knox County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/knox/ accessed 2/17/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Knox County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knox_County,_Ohio, accessed 20 December 2018.
- ↑ "Henry Knox," Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Knox.
- ↑ A. Banning Norton. A History of Knox County, Ohio, from 1779 to 1862 Inclusive. Columbus: Richard Nevins, Printer (1862)
- ↑ Norman Newell Hill, History of Knox County, Ohio, its past and present (Tucson, Ariz: W.C. & Cox Co., 1974). p. 305
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Knox County, Ohio. Page 543 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.