Hamilton County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Hamilton County

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Cincinnati Organized: March 1, 1803 Parent County(s): Original County Neighboring Counties Boone (KY)  • Butler  • Campbell (KY)  • Clermont  • Dearborn (IN)  • Kenton (KY)  • Warren See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: Hamilton County chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

The county was named for the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. It is located in the South-western area of the state.

County Courthouse

Hamilton County Courthouse
1000 Main St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: 513-946-5656
Hamilton County Website

County Recorder and Auditor
138 E Court St
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1236
Phone: 513-946-4000
Recorder and Auditor

Probate Court
230 E Ninth St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: 513-946-3600
Probate Office

Probate Judge has marriage, burial and probate records;
County Health Department has death records;
Clerk Court has divorce and court records from 1900;
County Recorder has land records
Land records 1794-present, maps, Veteran's Grave Registrations. "Easy Reference List of Documents Recorded in the Recorder's Office" gives a complete list of available records.
Plats 1939-present. Property search is available on their website by name or address.

Hamilton County, Ohio Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1863	1808	1881	1900	1787	1790	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

1814, 1849, 1884 Courthouse fires may have damaged or destroyed some records. Lost census: 1810 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.

Boundary Changes

Parent Counties: Hamilton County was created 4 Jan 1790 as an original county in the Northwest Territory. Organized: 01 Mar 1803, Ohio became a state with Hamilton County as one of the original counties. County seat: Cincinnati Interactive Map of Ohio County Formation History (1790-1897) - animated maps illustrating Ohio county boundary changes Ohio Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library

Populated Places

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
Blue Ash Cheviot Cincinnati (county seat) Deer Park Fairfield (part) Forest Park Harrison	Indian Hill Loveland (part) Madeira Milford (part) Montgomery Mount Healthy North College Hill	Norwood Reading Sharonville (part) Springdale St. Bernard Wyoming
Villages
Addyston Amberley Arlington Heights Cleves Elmwood Place Evendale	Fairfax Glendale Golf Manor Greenhills Lincoln Heights Lockland	Mariemont Newtown North Bend Silverton Terrace Park Woodlawn
Unincorporated communities
Colerain Heights Mount Saint Joseph
Census-designated places
Blue Jay Brecon Bridgetown Camp Dennison Cherry Grove Coldstream Concorde Hills Covedale Delhi Hills Delshire Dent Dillonvale Dry Ridge Dry Run Dunlap Elizabethtown Finneytown	Forestville Fruit Hill Grandview Groesbeck Highpoint Hooven Kenwood Loveland Park Mack Miami Heights Miamitown Monfort Heights Mount Healthy Heights New Baltimore New Burlington New Haven	Northbrook Northgate Plainville Pleasant Hills Pleasant Run Pleasant Run Farms Remington Rossmoyne Salem Heights Shawnee Sherwood Sixteen Mile Stand Skyline Acres Taylor Creek Turpin Hills White Oak
Townships
Anderson Colerain Columbia Crosby Delhi	Green Harrison Miami Mill Creek (defunct)	Springfield Sycamore Symmes Whitewater

• List of Cincinnati neighborhoods

Resources

Bible Records

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

Biographies

• Cunningham, Frank. Big Dan: the story of a colorful railroader. (Desert News Press, Salt Lake City, Utah 1944) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Ford, Henry A, Ford, Kate B. History of Hamilton County, Ohio: with illustrations and biographical sketches. (Cleveland, Ohio: L.A. Williams & Co, 1884. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Hamilton County, Ohio online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find A Grave Interment Ohio GenWeb Tombstone Photo Project USGW Tombstone Transcription Project Ohio Gravestones.org Billion Graves Ohio, Cincinnati, Vine Street Hill Cemetery Index of Burials, 1851-1986 at FamilySearch
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find A Grave
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	14,692	—
1810	15,258	3.9%
1820	31,764	108.2%
1830	52,317	64.7%
1840	80,145	53.2%
1850	156,844	95.7%
1860	216,410	38.0%
1870	260,370	20.3%
1880	313,374	20.4%
1890	374,573	19.5%
1900	409,479	9.3%
1910	460,732	12.5%
1920	493,678	7.2%
1930	589,356	19.4%
1940	621,987	5.5%
1950	723,952	16.4%
1960	864,121	19.4%
1970	924,018	6.9%
1980	873,224	−5.5%
1990	866,228	−0.8%
2000	845,303	−2.4%
2010	802,374	−5.1%
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.

Directories

• Cincinnati Society Blue Book and Family Directory, containing the names of Householders with their residences and exact numbers; the names of adult members of each family, the Ladies reception day,; Together with a complete classification by street, suburbs and neighboring towns; names of the members of clubs; plans of theatres; personnel of the press; points of etiquette. Together with other information of local interest. (Peter G. Thomson, 1879). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Williams' Cincinnati directory and business advertiser, for 1849-1850 (Cincinnati, Ohio: Williams' and Company, 1849). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Williams' Cincinnati directory, city guide and business mirror for the Commencing June 1, 1862. Twelve Edition. (Cincinnati, Ohio: Williams' and Company, 1862). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• The Greater Cincinnati Telephone Directory - Summer 1946. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Cincinnati Telephone Directory - Summer 1953. Published by Cincinnati Bell Inc. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Cincinnati Telephone Directory - Summer 1956. Published by Cincinnati Bell Inc. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Cincinnati Telephone Directory - Summer 1957. Published by Cincinnati Bell Inc. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

• Dabne, Wendell Phillips. Cincinnati's Colored Citizens: Historical Sociological and Biographical (Cincinnati, Ohio: Dabney Pub. Co., C 1926) 977.178 F2 FamilySearch

Land and Property Records

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.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for this county. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see Ohio Local Histories.

• Ford, Henry A, Ford, Kate B. History of Hamilton County, Ohio: with illustrations and biographical sketches. (Cleveland, Ohio: L.A. Williams & Co, 1884). Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive.
• Cone, Stephen Decatur. A concise history of Hamilton, Ohio; v. 02 (George Mitchell Publisher, Middletown, Ohio, 1901) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Ohio Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS org
• Emerson, William D. 1847 Atlas, Map of Hamilton County, Ohio (C.S Williams & Sons, 1847) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library

Military Records

• 1888-1919 - Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War
Civil War service men from Hamilton 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 Hamilton County.

-11th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company K (Union Rifles)

• Burgess, Joe H. Hamilton County and the Civil War (1967) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Smith, William A., Smith, Ophia. Colonel A. W. Gilbert; citizen-soldier of Cincinnati (Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, 1934) Online at FamilySearch Digital Library.

World War I

• 1914-1918 Ohio, World War I, Enrollment Cards, 1914-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1914-1919 Ohio, World War I Statement of Service Cards, 1914-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1916-1920 Ohio, WWI Index and Return Cards, 1916-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1800-1977 Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.

Newspapers

Hamilton County newspapers often contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.

For more Ohio newspaper information see Ohio Newspapers and Obituaries.

• 1793-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county.
• Early-late 1900s Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.

Obituaries

• 1818-1920 Death Notices and Obituaries, 1818-1920 at Hamilton County Genealogical Society

Probate Records

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 Hamilton 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 ($) — index and images.
• 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
• 1791-1994 Ohio, Hamilton County Records, 1791-1994 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
• 1792-1883 Hamilton County Ohio Wills Records at SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills.
• 1791-1994 Hamilton County Probate Archival Category Records at Hamilton County Probate Court. Archive Search includes records of estates, wills, trusts, guardianships, marriages, minister's licenses, birth records, birth registrations and corrections, death records, naturalizations, Probate Court journal entries, and physician certificates, with all categories having widely varied time periods.

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

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.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

• 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index

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

• 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry ($) — Index

Marriage

• 1789-2013 Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1800-1942 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1800-1958 Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

• 1840-2001 Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1908-1932, 1938–1944, and 1958–2007 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007 at FamilySearch – How to Use this Collection; Index of deaths from the Ohio Department of Health in Columbus. Index provided by Ancestry.com.
• 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
• 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Divorce

• 1962-2007 Ohio, Divorce Abstracts, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007 at Ancestry ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Hamilton County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• 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

• Cherry Grove/ Eastgate Ohio Family History Center (Cincinnati)
• Cincinnati Ohio Family History Center (Cincinnati)
• Cincinnati Ohio East Family History Center (Montgomery)
• Fairfield/Hamilton Ohio Family History Center (Fairfield)
• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati)

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Hamilton County. For state-wide library facilities, see Ohio Archives and Libraries.

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
800 Vine St
Cincinnati, OH
45202-2009
513-369-6900
Website

Cincinnati History Library and Archives
1301 Western Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45203
513-287-7030
Website

University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books Library
8th Floor Blegen Library
PO Box 210113
2602 McMicken Circle
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0113
(513) 556-1959
Website

Museums

Heritage Village Museum
11450 Lebanon Rd
Sharonville, OH 45241
513-563-9484
Website

Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45203
513-287-7000/800733-2077
E-mail:information@cincymuseum.org
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Hamilton County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Ohio Societies.

Hamilton County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 15865
Cincinnati, OH 45215-0865
513-956-7078
Website

The Cincinnati Historical Society
800 E 17th Ave
Columbus OH 43211
614-297-2300/800-686-6124
Website

Websites

• Local Gov't Records by County at Ohio History Connection — Browse their list; records are not online.
• Custom Browse of Historical Collections at Ohio Memory — Use map or alpha bar to select county or place, then browse search options in left sidebar.
• Ohio Genealogical Society ($) — online databases
• Hamilton County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
• Hamilton County, Ohio GenWeb at OHGenWeb
• Greater Cincinnati Memory Project at The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County
• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.