Lake County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Lake County, Ohio ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
Coordinates: 41.82°0′N 81.24°0′W / 41.82°N 81.24°W
| Lake County, Ohio | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Ohio, United States Genealogy | |
 Location of Ohio in the U.S. | |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Lake County Courthouse 47 N. Park Place Painesville, Ohio 44077 Lake County Website |
|---|---|
Contents
- 1 Lake 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 Records
- 2.21 Public Records
- 2.22 Repositories
- 2.23 Taxation
- 2.24 Vital Records
- 3 Websites
- 4 References
Lake County, Ohio Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1867 | 1840 | 1867 | 1840 | 1839 | 1853 | 1820 |
- Parent Counties: Formed from Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties 20 March 1840.[2]
- County Seat: Painesville
Description[edit | edit source]
The county name was derived from its location on the southern shore of Lake Erie.[3] It's county seat is Painesville and was founded March 6, 1840. It is located in the Northeastern area of the state.[4]
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: [5]
| Cities | ||
|
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| Villages | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Ashtabula County • Geauga County • Cuyahoga County
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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.
Note: Painesville Twp. records to after 1900 were damaged or lost due to flooding.
Resources[edit | edit source]
| Adopt-a-wiki page | |
| This page adopted by: Lake County Genealogical Society who welcome you to contribute. | |
| Adopt a page today | |
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Lake County OHGenWeb Website
See History Hall . . . Website
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 | ||
| Lake Co. Gen. Society | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| OHGenWeb | ||
| OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos | ||
| See Ohio Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1840 | 13,719 | — |
| 1850 | 14,654 | 6.8% |
| 1860 | 15,576 | 6.3% |
| 1870 | 15,935 | 2.3% |
| 1880 | 16,326 | 2.5% |
| 1890 | 18,235 | 11.7% |
| 1900 | 21,680 | 18.9% |
| 1910 | 22,927 | 5.8% |
| 1920 | 28,667 | 25.0% |
| 1930 | 41,674 | 45.4% |
| 1940 | 50,020 | 20.0% |
| 1950 | 75,979 | 51.9% |
| 1960 | 148,700 | 95.7% |
| 1970 | 197,200 | 32.6% |
| 1980 | 212,801 | 7.9% |
| 1990 | 215,499 | 1.3% |
| 2000 | 227,511 | 5.6% |
| 2010 | 230,041 | 1.1% |
| 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.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[edit | edit source]
Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Kirtland
Congregational[edit | edit source]
- early to 1907 - First Church, Congregational, Painesville Courtesy OhioGenWeb
Lutheran[edit | edit source]
- Records of Resurrection Lutheran Church, Painesville, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).
Episcopal[edit | edit source]
- 1834-1874 - St. James Episcopal Church includes membership list and baptisms. Courtesy OhioGenWeb
other church information[edit | edit source]
- various years - General church information includes minister lists and some family Bible records. Courtesy OhioGenWeb
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Naturalization Records - An Alphabetical Abstract of the naturalization petitions from Lake County Probate Court (1860-1906) and Lake County Common Pleas Court (1906-1975). This includes Declarations of Intention and petitions that failed for a variety of reasons. Naturalizations between 1840 and 1860 were done in a variety of courts, which will be abstracted later.
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Lake County, Ohio Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Ohio Local Histories.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Riddle, Albert Gallation, History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Pioneers and Most Prominent Men, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Williams Bros., 1878). Digital copy at Google Books FHL book 977.133 H2wiL
- Western Reserve Historical Society, Lake County Chapter, Lake County History, (Ohio: Western Reserve Historical Society, Lake County Chapter, 1941). Digital copy at Ancestry ($)(Indexed) FHL book 977.1334 H2Lc
- Stith, Bary Oyler, Lake County, Ohio: 150 Years of Tradition, (Northridge, California: Windsor Publications, 1988). FHL book 977.1334 H2s
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
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Civil War service men from Lake 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 Lake County.
- - 1st Regiment, Ohio Light Artillery, Battery C
- - 11th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company E
- - 105th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies D and K
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]
Lake 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
- various years - index to Ohio Newspapers Courtesy OhioGenWeb
- various years - Select issues ofEvening and Morning Star available at BYU Digital Collections. Click on newspaper in box on right.
- various years - Painesville Telegraph and Telegraph Republican available at GoogleNews
- various years - community contributed newspaper articles Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
Online Newspaper Abstracts
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Index 1822-current available
Morley Library Obituaries 1822
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[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.
- 1806-1940 - OhioGenWeb Probate records and indexes Links to online probate, guardianship, estates and other probate records available on the Lake County OhioGenWeb pages. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1840-1846 - Lake County Probate Record Index Vol. A: 1840-1842; Vol. B: 1842-1846. Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives.
- various years - community contributed wills Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives.
Finding More Probate Records[edit source]
Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Lake 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]
Lake County Courthouse
47 North Park Place
Painesville, OH 44077-3414
Phone: 440.350.2657
Clerk Court has court records from 1840
25 North Park Place
Painesville, OH 44077
Probate Judge has marriage and probate records
25 North Park Place, rear
Painesville, OH 44077
County Recorder has land records[6]
105 Main Street
Painesville, OH 44077
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 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]
Morley Library--Best collection of local genealogical materials.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Lake County History Center
415 Riverside Dr.
Painesville, OH 44077, USA
Telephone: 440 639 2945
Fax: 440 639 2947
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
The Connecticut Western Reserve Genealogy was a part of northeast Ohio originally intended for settlement by Revolutionary War refugees from Connecticut.[7] The former Connecticut Western Reserve lands were in the modern counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Trumbull fully, but also in parts of Ashland, Mahoning, Ottawa, Summit, and Wayne counties in Ohio.
The Research Library at the Western Reserve Historical Society History Center is the premier repository for Cleveland, Ohio and Connecticut Western Reserve history material. One of the principal strengths is its manuscript collections.[8] The WRHS collection has original land records, genealogies of New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, biographies, histories, and family Bibles.
Other Societies
Lake County Genealogical Society This site contains links to their projects, which have a lot of information in them. Lake County Cemetery Inscriptions to 2003, Naturalization Index 1860-1975, Biographies, Index to LakeLines, Memorials and Activities.
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 ($) — index
Finding More Tax Records
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Lake County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Marriages were usually recorded from the formation of the county and are held at the office of the County Probate Court. Divorce records are located with the county Clerk of Courts.
Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the County Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954, while the Ohio History Connection houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1867-1908 - Lake County birth records births from the Probate Court. Courtesy OhioGenWeb
- 1867-1908 - Corrected and Delayed birth records index Courtesy OhioGenWeb
- 1867-1908 - Birth Records for Perry Township Courtesy OhioGenWeb
- 1867-1908 - Registrars Birth Report miscellaneous non-probate births. Courtesy OhioGenWeb
- 1881-1900 - Birth Notices index to birth notices in the Painesville Telegraph Courtesy OhioGenWeb
- 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
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, free.
- 1800-1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — free; Index.
- 1800-1942 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index
- 1810-1840 - Cuyahoga County Probate and Marriage Index 1810 to Current This includes Willoughby Township in Lake County until 1840 when it splits off from Cuyahoga. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1806-1840 - Geauga County Marriages 1806-1953 This includes the current Lake County until 1840 when it splits off from Geauga. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1833-1842 - Mormon Vital Records Extraction
from Early Publications 1833 - 1841] Marriages and Deaths abstracted from "Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine" from original Latter-day Saint newspapers of the day. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1840-1915 - Marriages - Lake County Probate Marriage Records Index 1840-1915. This index includes marriages from Vol. A-K, and 12-14 and part of 15. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1986 to present - Lake County Marriage Index Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Original Marriage Records on Microfilm
Death[edit | edit source]
|
Online Death Indexes and Records
Death records 1867-1908 now searchable on FamilySearch
- 1833-1842 - Early Mormon Vital Records Marriages and Deaths abstracted from "Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine" from original Latter-day Saint newspapers of the day. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1840-2001 - Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1867-1908 - Probate Deaths Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1867-1908 - Registrar's Death Report miscellaneous non-probate deaths, Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1867-1908 - Perry Township Death Records 1867-1908 Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1897 - Willoughby Township Mortuary Report Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1908-1953 - Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953 Free name indexes and images at FamilySearch. Records include such information as birth date of deceased, city, county, and state of death, name of spouse if married, names of parents, maiden name of mother, name of informant, if deceased was single, married, widowed or divorced, occupation of deceased.
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Finding More Vital Records
Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Lake 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]
- 1806-1839 - Geauga Divorces 1806-1839 An abstract of the divorce proceedings of the Ohio Supreme Court at Geauga County, mostly residents of what is now Lake County. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1822-1898 - Index to Divorces in the Painesville Telegraph This index from Lake County Historical Society covers 1822-1849 and some up to 1898. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
- 1878-1881 - Proceedings in Common Pleas Journal J This court volume covers 1878-Feb 1881 and lists over 60 couples applying for divorces. Courtesy OhioGenWeb.
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Lake County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Lake County OH Genealogy
- FamilySearch Catalog
- OHGenWeb - The GenWeb site has many databases, biographies, vital records, etc.
- Lake County birth records 1867-1908.
- Lake County Genealogical Society projects page with the cemetery inscriptions, naturalizations and other information.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Lake 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].
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lake County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_County%2C_Ohio accessed 2/22/2017.
- ↑ Genealogy Trails History Group, “Lake County, Ohio Genealogy and History”, http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/lake/ accessed 2/22/2017.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lake County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_County,_Ohio, accessed 23 December 2018.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Lake County, Ohio. Page 543 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ William Dollarhide, and Ronald A. Bremer, America's Best Genealogy Resource Centers (Bountiful, UT: Heritage Quest, 1988), 89. At various repositories (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 J54d.
- ↑ Family History and Genealogical Research in Western Reserve Historical Society (accessed 11 March 2015).
