Belmont County, Ohio Genealogy
Guide to Belmont County, Ohio ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
Belmont County, Ohio | |
Map | |
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![]() Location of Ohio in the U.S. | |
Courthouse | |
Address | Belmont County Courthouse 101 Main St. St. Clairsville, Ohio 43950 Belmont County Website Phone: 740.699.2139 |
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Contents
- 1 Belmont County, Ohio Record Dates
- 2 Places/Localities
- 3 Resources
- 3.1 Bible Records
- 3.2 Biography
- 3.3 Business Records and Commerce
- 3.4 Cemeteries
- 3.5 Census
- 3.6 Church Records
- 3.7 Court Records
- 3.8 Emigration and Immigration
- 3.9 Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
- 3.10 Gazetteers
- 3.11 Genealogy
- 3.12 History
- 3.13 Land and Property
- 3.14 Maps
- 3.15 Military
- 3.16 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 3.17 Newspapers
- 3.18 Obituaries
- 3.19 Periodicals
- 3.20 Probate
- 3.21 Public Records
- 3.22 Repositories
- 3.23 Taxation
- 3.24 Vital Records
- 4 Websites
- 5 References
Belmont County, Ohio Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1867 | 1803 | 1867 | 1820 | 1800 | 1804 | 1820 |
- Parent Counties: Formed from Jefferson and Washington counties 7 September 1801.[2]
- County Seat: St. Clairsville
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for rom the French for "beautiful mountain" and refers to the scenery. It's county seat is St. Clairsville and was founded September 7, 1801. It is located in the Eastern Central area of the state.[3]
Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
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 | ||
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Villages | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
Census-designated places | ||
Townships | ||
Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Jefferson County • Harrison County • Guernsey County • Noble County • Monroe County • Marshall County Ohio 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]
1980 A courthouse fire may have damaged records.
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
- Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle.
- When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog.
- Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
For an extensive list of resources for Bible Records see Ohio Bible Records.
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 | ||
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information |
Census[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1810 | 11,097 | — |
1820 | 20,329 | 83.2% |
1830 | 28,627 | 40.8% |
1840 | 30,901 | 7.9% |
1850 | 34,600 | 12.0% |
1860 | 36,398 | 5.2% |
1870 | 39,714 | 9.1% |
1880 | 49,638 | 25.0% |
1890 | 57,413 | 15.7% |
1900 | 60,875 | 6.0% |
1910 | 76,856 | 26.3% |
1920 | 93,193 | 21.3% |
1930 | 94,719 | 1.6% |
1940 | 95,614 | 0.9% |
1950 | 87,740 | −8.2% |
1960 | 83,864 | −4.4% |
1970 | 80,917 | −3.5% |
1980 | 82,569 | 2.0% |
1990 | 71,074 | −13.9% |
2000 | 70,226 | −1.2% |
2010 | 70,400 | 0.2% |
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.
- various years - community contributed church records Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Belmont became part of the State of Ohio on 1 Mar 1803, having formerly been part of the Northwest Territory. It was served by the Ohio District Court from 1803 until 10 Feb 1855, when the court was divided into Northern and Southern districts. Belmont was part of the Southern District. On 3 Mar 1911, the court was further divided and was subsequently part of the Southern Eastern District. See Ohio District Court Jurisdictions for a chart of the Ohio counties and the district courts that served them. District and Circuit Courts had the same jurisdictions.
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 History[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Belmont 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.
- McKelvey, A.T. Centennial history of Belmont County, Ohio and representative citizens (Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. 1903) Digital version at Google Books; FamilySearch Digital Library. Indexed in “Index to McKelvey’s centennial history of Belmont County, Ohio, 1801-1901” (St. Clairsville, Ohio : Cumberland Trail Genealogical Society, 2001) FHL book 977.193 H22i..
- Poorman, Christian L., History of the Upper Ohio Valley: with family history and biographical sketches; a statement of its resources, industrial growth and commercial advantages, Vol. 2 (Madison, Wisconsin: Brant & Fuller, c1890) Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library; FHL book 973 H2hu v. 2.
- Caldwell J. A., History of Belmont and Jefferson Counties, Ohio (Wheeling, West Virginia : Historical Pub. Co., 1880) Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library;FHL microfilm 896779, Item 1.
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 some deeds, Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
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 Belmont 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 Belmont County.
- - 98th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Companies B and E
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]
Belmont 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
- 1855-1906 - Belmont County Newspapers death and marriages notices, Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
- 20th century - Obituary Index Courtesy of OhioGenWeb
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form
Finding More Ohio Newspapers
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Belmont County Ohio newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Belmont County, Ohio Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
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.
- various years - community contributed wills Courtesy of OhioGenWeb
- various years - community contributes wills Courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
Finding More Probate Records[edit source]
Additional probate records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Belmont 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]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Belmont County Courthouse
100 W Main Street
Saint Clairsville, OH 43950-1225
Phone: 740.699.2139
Court Clerk has divorce and court records from 1820.
County Health Department has burial records.
Probate Court has birth, marriage, death and probate records.[2]
Family Search 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 FamilySearch Centers, search online in the FHC directory.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Belmont County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library
308 East Main Street
Barnesville OH 43713
P O Box 285, Barnesville, OH 43713-0285
Phone: 740-425-1651
Website
Ohio Genealogical Society
611 State Route 97 West
Bellville, OH 44813-8813
Phone: (419) 886-1903
Email: ogs@ogs.org
Website
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]
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 ($) — index
Finding More Tax Records
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Belmont County, Ohio Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Marriages were usually recorded from the formation of the county and are held at the office of the County Probate Court. Divorce records are located with the county Clerk of Courts.
Any existing birth and death records from 1867 through December 19, 1908 are located at the County Probate Court. The Ohio Department of Health has birth records filed after December 20, 1908 and death records filed after January 1, 1954, while the Ohio History Connection houses death records from December 20, 1908 through December 31, 1953.
Birth[edit | edit source]
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1821-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This is an incomplete index of extractions of original records and of patron-submitted records. This index is not complete for any particular place or region. Information may have been previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.
- 1841-2003 - Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1867-1868 - Birth Records transcribed from probate court records, Courtesy of OhioGenWeb
- 1856 - some births Courtesy of OhioGenWeb
- 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
- various years - community contributed births courtesy of OhioGenWeb
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. 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 ($) — index
- 1970-2007 - Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
- various years - community contributed marriages most are pre-1900, Courtesy of OhioGenWeb
- various years - community contributed births courtesy of OhioGenWeb Archives
Original Marriage Records on Microfilm
Death[edit | edit source]
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.
- 1856-7 - Township Deaths Courtesy of OhioGenWeb
- 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 ($)
- 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
- 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- various years - community contributed deaths courtesy of OhioGenWeb
Original Death Records on Microfilm Finding More Vital Records
Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Belmont County, Ohio Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1962-2007 - Ohio Divorce Index, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at ancestry.com ($)
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Belmont County OHGenWeb
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Belmont County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Belmont County OH Genealogy
- Ohio Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Belmont 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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Belmont County, Ohio. Page 540 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ http://genealogytrails.com/ohio/belmont/ accessed 2/14/2017
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Belmont County, Ohio," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belmont_County,_Ohio, accessed 2 November 2018.