Highland County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Highland County

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

Highland County, Ohio
Map
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Highland County Courthouse 105 N. High Street Hillsboro, Ohio 45133 Highland County Website

Highland County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1805	1867	1832	1804	1809	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

• Parent Counties: Formed from Adams, Clermont, and Ross Counties 18 February 1805.
• County Seat: Hillsboro

Description

The county was named for the topography which is hilly and divides the watersheds of the Little Miami and Scioto Rivers. It's county seat is Hillsboro and was founded May 1, 1805. It is located in the Southwestern area of the state.

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
Hillsboro (county seat)
Villages
Greenfield Highland	Leesburg Lynchburg	Mowrystown Sinking Spring
Unincorporated communities
Allensburg Belfast Berrysville Boston Bridges Carmel Dodsonville	East Danville Elmville Fairfax Folsom Hoagland Hollowtown Marshall	New Market New Petersburg Pricetown Rainsboro Samantha Sugar Tree Ridge Taylorsville
Census-designated places
Buford Highland Holiday	Rocky Fork Point
Townships
Brushcreek Clay Concord Dodson Fairfield Hamer	Jackson Liberty Madison Marshall New Market Paint	Penn Salem Union Washington Whiteoak

Neighboring Counties

Clinton County  • Brown County  • Adams County  • Pike County  • Ross County  • Fayette County

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

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
OHGenWeb
Ohio Gravestones
Tombstone Photos
Genealogy Trails
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

• Cemeteries of HIghland County, Ohio

• Many Cemetery Records for Highland 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 topic details.

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	5,766	—
1820	12,308	113.5%
1830	16,345	32.8%
1840	22,269	36.2%
1850	25,781	15.8%
1860	27,773	7.7%
1870	29,133	4.9%
1880	30,281	3.9%
1890	29,048	−4.1%
1900	30,982	6.7%
1910	28,711	−7.3%
1920	27,610	−3.8%
1930	25,416	−7.9%
1940	27,099	6.6%
1950	28,188	4.0%
1960	29,716	5.4%
1970	28,996	−2.4%
1980	33,477	15.5%
1990	35,728	6.7%
2000	40,875	14.4%
2010	43,589	6.6%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• Census Project
• 1820 United States Census $
• 1830 United States Census $
• 1840 United States Census $
• United States Census 1850 United States Census Population Schedules, 1850 - FamilySearch Historical Records
• U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 $ (Free Indexes)
• United States Census 1860 United States Census Population Schedules, 1860 - FamilySearch Historical Records
• 1860 United States Census $
• United States Census 1870 United States Census Population Schedules, 1870 - FamilySearch Historical Records
• United States Census 1880 (Index only) United States Census Population Schedules 1910 - FamilySearch Historical Records
• 1880 United States Census $
• 1890 Veterans Schedule $
• United States Census 1900 United States Census Population Schedules, 1900 - FamilySearch Historical Records
• 1910 United States Census $
• United States Census 1910 United States Census Population Schedules 1910 - FamilySearch Historical Records
• United States Census 1920 United States Census Population Schedules 1920 - FamilySearch Historical Records
• 1930 United States Census $
• 1930 Census of Merchant Seaman $
• U. S. Native American Enrollment Cards for the Five Civilized Tribes, 1898-1914 $

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.

The History of the Chillicothe Presbytery, From its Organization in 1799-1889

Churches of Highland County, Ohio

Topographic Map Church Features in Highland County, Ohio

Highland County, Ohio Churches

Many Church Records for Highland 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 topic details.

Court Records

• Many Court Records for Highland 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 topic details.
• Many Guardianship Records for Highland 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 topic details.

Funeral Homes

• Funeral Homes in Highland County, Ohio

History

Local histories are available for Highland 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

• Thompson, James Henry, The History of the County of Highland, in the State of Ohio: From Its First Creation and Organization, to July 4th, 1876, (Hillsboro, Ohio: Hillsboro Gazette Job Room, 1878). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($)(Indexed) FHL film 982232 Item 8

• Klise, J.W., The County of Highland: A History of Highland County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, (Madison, Wisconsin: Northwestern Historical Association, 1902). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FamilySearch Digital Library, FHL film 934865 Item 3

• Klise, J.W., State Centennial History of Highland County, Ohio, (Owensboro, Kentucky: Cook and McDowell Publications, 1980). FHL book 977.1845 H2k

• History of Ross and Highland Counties, Ohio: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, (Cleveland, Ohio: Williams Brothers, 1880). Digital copy at [FamilySearch Digital Library, FHL film 915745 Item 2; book 977.18 H2h

• Scott, Daniel, A History of the Early Settlement of Highland County, Ohio, (The Gazette, 1890). Digital copy at Google Books

• Folklore of Highland County, Ohio
• Historical Collections of Ohio by Henry Howe Vol. 1 1888

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.

• various years - community contributed deeds Courtesy OhioGenWeb

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)

• Ohio Maps 1866 - 1875
• Outline Map of Highland County Ohio $

Military

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

Revolutionary War

• Revolutionary War
  

Civil War

Civil War service men from Highland 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 Highland County.

- 1st Regiment, Ohio Cavalry, Company C, also known as "Pope's Escort" and "Shield's Body Guard", and Company H, which had many men from Hillsboro

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
• World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 $
  

World War II

• United States, World War II Draft Registratoin Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch
• Highland County, Ohio World War II Casualties Army and Air Force
• U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 $
  

General

• History of MIlitary Service of the U. S., and the State of Ohio
  

-Many Military Records for Highland 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 topic details.

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

• Many Naturalization and Citizenship Records for Highland 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 topic details.

Newspapers

Highland 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.

Online Newspapers

• before 1850 - Ohio newspaper abstracts before 1850
• 1857-1886 - The Highland Weekly News available at the Library of Congress - free.
• 1886-1914 - The News-Herald at the Library of Congress - free.
• various years - Highland County Newspapers available at Ancestry ($).
• various years - The Times-Gazette

Online Newspaper Abstracts
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

Historic Newspapers by Name

Search for newspapers by town or county name in these directories.

• Historic Highland County Newspapers listed at the Ohio Historical Society.
• Historic Highland County Newspapers listed at the Library of Congress.
  
• Historic Highland County Newspapers listed at Google News.
• Historic Highland County Newspapers listed at Ohio Newspaper Abstracts

Many Newspapers for Highland 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 topic details.

Obituaries

• Many Obituaries for Highland 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 topic details.
• Transcribed Obituaries for Highland county at Genealogy Trails

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 - community contributed wills Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• Many Probates for Highland 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 topic details.

Finding More Probate Records

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

Highland County Courthouse
114 Governor Foraker Place
Hillsboro, OH 45133
Phone: 937.393.1981

Probate Court has marriage and death records 1867-1909,
birth records to 1905 and probate records; County Health
Department has birth, marriage and death records from 1909;
Clerk Court has divorce and court recordsc from 1832,
some natturalization and adoption records; County Recorder
has land records

• Highland County Clerk of Courts
• Highland County Courthouse

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

• Adams Ohio Family History Center

For additional nearby Family History Centers, search online in the FHC directory. Put your town name in the top search box.

Libraries

• Highland County, Ohio Libraries
• Highland County Public Libraries

Societies

• Southern Ohio Genealogical Society of Highland County, Ohio
• Highland County Historical Society
• Greenfield Historical Society

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

• 1800-1950 - Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 1800-1850 Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• 1810 - Highland County tax list at Ancestry.com ($)

• Many Tax Records for Highland 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 topic details.

Finding More Tax Records

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

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 — index and images
• 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
• various years - community contributed birth records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• various years - community contributed birth records Courtesy OhioGenWeb

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
• 1803-1900 - Ohio Marriages on Ancestry.com $
• 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• various years - community contributed marriage records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• various years - community contributed marriage records Courtesy OhioGenWeb

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

• Many Vital Records for Highland 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 topic details.

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 Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007. 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.
• 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images
• 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 1959-2002 - Ohio Deaths at Ancestry.com $
• 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• various years - community contributed death records Courtesy OhioGenWeb Archives
• various years - community contributed death records Courtesy OhioGenWeb

Original Death Records on Microfilm

• Many Vital Records for Highland 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 topic details.

Finding More Vital Records

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

Websites

• Highland County, Ohio OHGenWeb
• Highland County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• 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.
• Highland County at Genealogy Trails
• Highland County OH Genealogy
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Ohio Genealogy Express, Highland County, Ohio
• Cyndi's List

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

Family History Library