Seneca County, Ohio Genealogy

United States

Ohio

Seneca County

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

Seneca County, Ohio
Map
Location of Ohio in the U.S.
Courthouse
Address	Seneca County Courthouse 103 S. Washington St. Tiffin, Ohio 44883-2352 Seneca County Website

Seneca County, Ohio Record Dates

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1867	1841	1867	1826	1821	1828	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

• Parent Counties: Formed from Huron County in 1820 (1824).
  
• County Seat: Tiffin
   

Description

The county was named after the Seneca Indian Tribe. It's county seat is Tiffin and was founded April 1, 1820. It is located in the Northcentral 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
Bellevue Fostoria	Tiffin(county seat)
Villages
Attica Bettsville	Bloomville Green Springs	New Riegel Republic
Unincorporated communities
Adrian Alvada Amsden Angus Berwick Caroline Carrothers Cooper	Cromers Fireside Frenchtown Iler Lowell Maple Grove Omar Reedtown	Rehoboth Rockaway Saint Stephens Siam Springville Swander Watson West Lodi
Census-designated places
Bascom Flat Rock Fort Seneca	Kansas McCutchenville	Melmore Old Fort
Townships
Adams Big Spring Bloom Clinton Eden	Hopewell Jackson Liberty Loudon Pleasant	Reed Scipio Seneca Thompson Venice

Neighboring Counties

Sandusky County  • Huron County  • Crawford County  • Wyandot County  • Hancock County  • Wood 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

1841 A courthouse fire may have damaged or destroyed some 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

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
Ohio Gravestones	WorldCat	Names in Stone
USGW Tombstones		Billion Graves
Billion Graves
OHGenWeb
OHGenWeb Tombstone Photos
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

Census

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	5,159	—
1840	18,128	251.4%
1850	27,104	49.5%
1860	30,868	13.9%
1870	30,827	−0.1%
1880	36,947	19.9%
1890	40,869	10.6%
1900	41,163	0.7%
1910	42,421	3.1%
1920	43,176	1.8%
1930	47,941	11.0%
1940	48,499	1.2%
1950	52,978	9.2%
1960	59,326	12.0%
1970	60,696	2.3%
1980	61,901	2.0%
1990	59,733	−3.5%
2000	58,683	−1.8%
2010	56,745	−3.3%
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.

Catholic

EXPLANATION ABOUT THE THREE CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN SENECA

Reed Assumption Church is sometimes mentioned as being in Reedtown, but it is really in the nearby country west of Reedtown, which is called the Reed area. There was a church, school, and cemetery that were called Reed Assumption until the parish was closed in 2005. The cemetery is still called Reed Assumption. The church building is still there, but not the school. No other buildings are left, except the church and maybe the rectory. The frame school was torn down in the 1960s (when a new school was built to serve the area and the parishes of St. Sebastian, Reed Assumption, and Marywood-St. Michaels. It was a public school system known as Seneca-Huron because St. Sebastian (Bismark) was in Huron County and Assumption (Reed) and St. Michael's (Franks) were in Seneca County. The public school system was formed earlier (late 1940s?) for financial reasons, but all the teachers were Catholic nuns and they had Mass and religion classes every day. The convent house was moved a mile or so away and is used as a private home. It is a few miles west of Reedtown. Reedtown is on a state highway and is a very small unincorporated village. The only remaining business is Reedtown Tavern and maybe a car/machine repair shop. However, quite a few homes are still there.

A couple miles away in the country is a place called Frank's Corner. This area is also known as Marywood. In the earliest times, it was called Thompson (Township). The church and the cemetery there were called St. Michael's. The cemetery is still known by that name, but when the Reed and Marywood parishes were closed, along with Bismark St. Sebastian, a few years ago, the three were consolidated into a new parish now known as St. Gaspar del Bufalo (yes, that is the way it is spelled). That parish uses the 1800's Gothic style church that was formerly St. Michael's. Quite a few homes are still located there.

These settlements and parishes are adjacent to each other and separated by only a few miles. Both parishes, as well as the adjacent St. Sebastian parish, to the east in Bismark, were very "tightknit" German settlements and remain such today, with many of the same family names since the mid 1800s.

• 1796–2004 Ohio, Diocese of Toledo, Catholic Parish Records, 1796-2004 at FamilySearch Historical Records – free. This collection includes images of parish registers recording the events of baptism, first communion, confirmation, marriage, and death in the Diocese of Toledo (Ohio), Roman Catholic Church. These records are accessed by browsing the images by county. In addition to traditional parish registers, this collection includes miscellaneous cemetery records, Books of the Elect, Professions of Faith, Sick Call registers, etc.
  

History

Local histories are available for Seneca 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

• Lang, William, History of Seneca County, From the Close of the Revolutionary War to July 1880, (Springfield, Ohio: Transcript Printing, 1880). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($)(Indexed); FHL film 1000340 Item 2

• Leeson, Michael A., History of Seneca County, Ohio: Containing a History of the County, Its Townships, Towns, Villages, etc., (Chicago, Illinois: Warner, Beers, 1886). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive; FHL film 1000340 Item 3

• A Centennial Biographical History of Seneca County, Ohio, (Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Co., 1902). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FHL film 1000341 Item 1

• Butterfield, Consul Wilshire, History of Seneca County: Containing a Detailed Narrative of the Principal Events that Have Occurred Since Its First Settlement to Present Time, (Sandusky, Ohio: D. Campbell, 1848). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive FHL fiche 6049497; book 977.124 H2b

• Baughman, Abraham J., History of Seneca County, Ohio: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People, and Its Principal Interests,(Seneca, Ohio: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive

• Seneca County Chapter, Ancestral Pioneer Men and Women of Seneca County, Ohio: Including Proven First Families, (Tiffin, Ohio: Ohio Genealogical Society. Seneca County Chapter, 1987). FHL fiche 6087943; book 977.1 A1 no. 265

• Seneca County Chapter, Seneca County, Ohio: History and Families, (Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Pub. Co., 1998). FHL film 1059481 Item 9; book 977.124 H2s

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.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)
• Family Maps of Seneca County, Ohio Genealogy (land patent maps) at HistoryGeo.com ($). Free surname search.

Military

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

Civil War

Servicemen from Seneca 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 Seneca County.

– 8th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company A

– 123rd Regiment, Ohio Infantry

Company D

Company I

Company K

• Lang, William, History of Seneca County, From the Close of the Revolutionary War to July 1880, (Springfield, Ohio: Transcript Printing, 1880). Digital copy at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($)(Indexed).

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

Seneca 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
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 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.
  

Finding More Probate Records

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

Repositories

Courthouse

Seneca County Courthouse
103 S Washington Street
Tiffin, OH 44883-2354
Phone: 419.447.0671

Probate Judge has birth, marriage, and probate, 
County Health Department has death records;
Clerk Court has divorce and court records from 1826;
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 Affiliate Libraries

• Findlay 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

• TIFFIN-SENECA PUBLIC LIBRARY

Societies

Seneca County Chapter Ohio Genealogical Society
P. O. Box 157
Tiffin, OH 44883-0841
Website

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

Finding More Tax Records

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

Birth

Online Birth Indexes and Records

• 1800-1962 - Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at ancestry.com ($)

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

• 1908-1964 - Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at ancestry.com ($)

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
• 1803-1860 - Records of Scioto County, Ohio at Ancestry.com ($)
• 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — 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, widowed or divorced; and occupation of deceased.
• 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
• Ohio Obituary Index

Finding More Vital Records

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

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Websites

• Seneca County, OH History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Seneca County OH 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.
• FamilySearch Catalog

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.