Athens County, Ohio Genealogy

United States Genealogy

Ohio

Athens County

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

Athens County, Ohio
Map
Location in the state of Ohio, United States Genealogy
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Athens County Courthouse 1 South Court Street Athens, Ohio 45701 Athens County Website

Athens County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1817	1867	1800	1792	1800	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

• Parent Counties: Formed from Washington 20 February 1805.
• County Seat: Athens

Description

The county was named for Athens, Greece. It's county seat is Athens and was founded March 1, 1805. It is located in the South Central area of the state.

Places/Localities

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
Athens (county seat) Nelsonville
Villages
Albany Amesville Buchtel	Chauncey Coolville Glouster	Jacksonville Trimble
Unincorporated communities
Beaumont Beebe Bessemer Big Run Burr Oak Canaanville Carbondale Doanville Frost Garden	Glen Ebon Guysville Hamley Run Hartleyville Hebardville Imperial Kilvert Lottridge Luhrig Mineral	Modoc New England New Floodwood Pleasanton Pratts Fork Redtown Shade Sharpsburg Torch Utley
Census-designated places
Hockingport Millfield New Marshfield	Stewart The Plains
Townships
Alexander Ames Athens Bern Canaan	Carthage Dover Lee Lodi Rome	Trimble Troy Waterloo York

Neighboring Counties

Washington County  • Morgan County  • Perry County  • Hocking County  • Vinton County  • Meigs County  • Wood County, West Virginia Genealogy

Boundary Changes

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

Bible Records

For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.

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		Genealogy Trails
Ohio Gravestones
OHGenWeb
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	2,791	—
1820	6,338	127.1%
1830	9,787	54.4%
1840	19,109	95.2%
1850	18,215	−4.7%
1860	21,364	17.3%
1870	23,768	11.3%
1880	28,411	19.5%
1890	35,194	23.9%
1900	38,730	10.0%
1910	47,798	23.4%
1920	50,430	5.5%
1930	44,175	−12.4%
1940	46,166	4.5%
1950	45,839	−0.7%
1960	46,998	2.5%
1970	54,889	16.8%
1980	56,399	2.8%
1990	59,549	5.6%
2000	62,223	4.5%
2010	64,757	4.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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, see Ohio Church Records.

General

• Athens County Ohio, Churches. Churches for Athens County from 1990 census and newspapers.

Finding Church Records at Other Repositories

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Adams County, Ohio Church Records in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).

Court Records

• Many Court records for Athens County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.
• Many Divorce records for Athens County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.

History

Local histories are available for Athens 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

• Walker, Charles Manning, History of Athens County, Ohio and incidentally of the Ohio Land Company and the first settlement of the state at Marietta… (Cincinnati: R. Clarke Co., 1869) Digital version at Google Books; Internet Archives; FamilySearch Digital Library; also available on microfilm at FHL film 547578 Item 2.
• Hildreth, Samuel P., Biographical and historical memoirs of the early pioneer settlers of Ohio : with narratives of incidents and occurrences in 1775 (Cincinnati : H.W. Derby, 1852) Digital version at Internet Archives; FamilySearch Digital Library; also available on microfilm at FHL film 1697699 Item 9.

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.

• 1804-1907 - Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio Early Land Records 1804-1807
• 1790-1907 - Bureau of Land Management Database original land purchasers from the Federal government Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

• Many Land records for Athens County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)
• Map of the Ohio Company's Purchase and of Athens County, Ohio Past and Present. Compiled and drawn by R. C. Phillips C. E. for Robert, Clarke and Co. Publishers of Cincinnati, Ohio by Act of Congress in the year 1869.
• Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio Sanborn Fire Maps. The Sanborn Company began making fire insurance maps in 1867.
• Athens County Road Map from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
• Athens County, Ohio Cemeteries, Cities, and Townships. This site provides maps, coordinates, nearby cities, nearby cemeteries and elevations.

Military

• 1819-1936 - Ohio, Athens County, Deceased Veteran Grave Registration Card File Index, 1819-1936 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1888-1919 - Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images

Revolutionary War

• Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio Revolutionary War Pensioners.

Civil War

Civil War service men from Athens County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Athens County.

-30th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company C

-36th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B and C

-116th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies I and K

War with Spain

• Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio Soldiers in the War With Spain 1898-1899.

World War I

• 1914-1918 Ohio, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1914-1919 Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1916-1920 Ohio, WWI Index and Return Cards, 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — index
• Genealogy Trails Athens County Ohio Military Men, 1917-1918 - Index

World War II

• Athens County WWII Soldiers Index.
• Genealogy Trails /Army_Enlistment_Records__1938_1946.htm Athens County Ohio Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946.
• Genealogy Trails History Group Athens County Ohio Young American Patriots 1941-1945. This site consists of a photo and personal information for each person listed.

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers

Athens 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

• The Athens News, Athens County Only Locally Owned Newspaper.
• The Athens Messenger. $
• The Athens Messenger and Herald. $

Online Newspaper Abstracts

• Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio The Athens Messenger Obituaries.
• 1864, 1925 - newspaper abstracts Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives

Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Probate

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.
  
• various years - Athens County, Ohio Will Index.

• Many Probate records for Athens County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog.

Finding More Probate Records

Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Athens 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).

County Courthouse

Athens County Courthouse
1 South Court Street
Athens, Ohio 45701
Phone: 740.592.3242

• Athens County Clerk of Courts
• Athens County Courthouse

Probate Judge has birth, marriage and probate records.
Court Clerk has divorce and court records from 1800.
County Recorder has land records.

Family History Centers

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.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Libraries

• Athens Ohio Family History Center

Libraries

Ohio University Alden Library. Their excellent manuscript collection includes church records, and business records. They also have county histories, biographies, and newspapers. It is like a second state archives.

Societies

• Athens County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.
• Athens County Historical Society & Museum Athens Ohio

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.

• 1800-1950 - Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• Athens County, Ohio 1810 Tax List.

More information at Ohio Tax Records - FamilySearch Historical RecordsFinding More Tax Records

Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Athens 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

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

Online Birth Indexes and Records

• 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1821–1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This is an incomplete index of extractions of original records and of patron-submitted records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. Information may have been previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
• 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry.com ($) — index

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage

Online Marriage Indexes and Records . 

• 1789-2013 - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — index and images. Name index and images of county marriage records acquired from local courthouses.
• 1800–1958 - Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Name index to marriage records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and some FamilySearch Centers. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
• 1800-1942 Ohio, Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — index
• 1803-1900 - Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 at ancestry.com ($)
• 1898-1912 - Ohio Marriages at ancestry.com ($)
• 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• 1970-2007 - Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
• Many Vital records for Athens County have been microfilmed or abstracted. Some of those copies are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. For a listing of their holdings, see the topic details from their catalog
• Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900.

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death

Online Death Indexes and Records

• 1840-2001 - Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1854–1997 - Ohio, Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free; Index. Name index to death and burial records from the state of Ohio. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. This set contains 2,535,556 records. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later.
• 1908–1953 - Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. Name index and images of Ohio statewide death certificates.
• 1908–1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 - Ohio, Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. Index of deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
• 1908-2007 - Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
• various years - Ohio Vital Record Batch Numbers by County. This is a guide to the index of Ohio Vital Records microfilmed and listed at familysearch.org. 
• 1913-1944 - Ohio Death Certificate Index searchable database Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection.
• 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 1958-2002 Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio Deaths
• 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
• 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Divorce

• 1962-2007 - Ohio Divorce Index, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
  

Divorce

Finding More Vital Records

Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Athens 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).

Websites

• Athens County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Athens County, OHGenWeb.
• Athens County, Ohio History and Genealogy.
• Athens County OH Genealogy
• Athens County Home/Infirmary 1857-1928.
• Athens County Public Libraries.
• Athens County Children's Home Index 1882-1911.
• Athens County Historical Society & Museum.
• Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio Physician and Dentist Directory, 1905.
• Athens County, Ohio Genealogy including Biograhies, 1820 Census Index, Town Officers, Land Records.
• Athens County, Ohio Genealogy Forum.
• Records Project, Athens County Public Record Information.
• Athens County, Ohio, Reference Materials. 

Websites

• Amesville
• Athens County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
• Athens County Towns
• Athens County, Ohio Genealogy and History. Information linking to the towns and township of Athens County, Ohio.
• Genealogy Trails Athens County, Ohio Township Biographies.

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