Stark County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Stark County

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

Stark County, Ohio
Map
Location in the state of Ohio
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Stark County Courthouse 101 West Tuscarawas St. Canton, Ohio 44702 Stark County Website

Stark County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1809	1867	1809	1809	1810	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

• Parent Counties: Formed from Columbiana County in1808 (1809).
  
• County Seat: Canton
   

Description

The county was named for John Stark, Revolutionary War General known as the "Hero of Bennington". It's county seat is Canton and was founded February 13, 1808. It is located in the North-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
Alliance Canal Fulton	Canton (county seat) Louisville	Massillon North Canton
Villages
Beach City Brewster East Canton East Sparta Hartville	Hills and Dales Limaville Magnolia Minerva	Meyers Lake Navarre Waynesburg Wilmot
Unincorporated communities
Avondale Belfort Cairo Crystal Springs East Greenville Freeburg Harrisburg Justus	Mapleton Marchand Marlboro Maximo McDonaldsville Middlebranch New Baltimore New Franklin	Newman North Industry Oval City Paris Pigeon Run Sippo Trump Waco
Census-designated places
Greentown North Lawrence	Perry Heights Richville	Robertsville Uniontown
Townships
Bethlehem Canton Jackson Lake Lawrence Lexington	Marlboro Nimishillen Osnaburg Paris Perry Pike	Plain Sandy Sugar Creek Tuscarawas Washington

Neighboring Counties

Summit County  • Portage County  • Mahoning County  • Columbiana County  • Carroll County  • Tuscarawas County  • Holmes County  • Wayne County

Boundary Changes

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

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 Tombstones		Billion Graves
Billion Graves		Epodunk
OHGenWeb
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.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Canton

Lutheran

• Records of the American Lutheran Church, Massillon, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).

Court Records

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Ohio, Stark County Court Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

History

Local histories are available for Stark 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

• Perrin, William Henry, History of Stark County: With an Outline Sketch of Ohio, (Chicago, Illinois: Barkin and Battey, 1881). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FamilySearch Digital Library Ancestry ($)(Indexed) FHL film 1036675 Item 1; book 977.162 H2p

• Blue, Herbert T.O., History of Stark County, Ohio: From the Age of Prehistoric Man to the Present Day, (Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clark Pub. Co., 1928). FHL film 1000343 Items 1-3

• Lehman, John H., A Standard History of Stark County, Ohio: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Pub. Co., 1916). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library FHL film 1036275 Items 2-3; book 977.162 H2L

• Danner, John, Old Landmarks of Canton and Stark County, Ohio, (Logansport, Indiana: B.F. Bowen, 1904). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library FHL film 1000342 Item 3; book 977.162 D3d v. 1

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.

Finding More Land Records

Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Stark 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 Stark 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 Stark County.

• Ohio Genealogical Society. Stark County Chapter. Special schedules of the eleventh census of the United States, 1890 : schedules enumerating union veterans and widows of union veterans of the Civil War for Stark County, Ohio. (North Canton, Ohio : Ohio Genealogical Society. Stark County Chapter, 1995),(FHL book 977.162 X2s 1890

- 4th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company F (also known as Canton Zouaves)

- 104th Regiment, Ohio Infantry , Companies A, B, and E

- 107th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies A, D, and H

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

Stark 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 Stark 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 Stark 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.
• 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.
  

Finding More Probate Records

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

Stark County Courthouse
110 Central Plaza S;
Canton, OH 44702-2219
Phone: 330.438.0796

County Health Department has birth records;
Probate Court has marriage and probate records;
Family Court has divorce records; County Recorder
has land records

A wiki article describing an online collection is found at:

Ohio, Stark County Coroner's Records - FamilySearch Historical 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

• Canton Ohio Family History Center (North Canton)

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

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. For more information see the wiki page Ohio 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 Stark 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

Birth

Online Birth Indexes and Records

• 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

Online Marriage Indexes and Records

• 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1800-1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — free; Index.
• 1800-1942 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death

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.
• Ohio, Stark County Court Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Finding More Vital Records

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

• Stark County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Stark County OH Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy Network Community on Google+
• Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• FamilySearch Catalog

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.