User:RogersBA/Sandbox OH 8

United States

Ohio

Brown County

Guide to Brown 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: Georgetown Organized: March 1, 1818 Parent County(s): Adams, Clermont Neighboring Counties Clermont  • Warren  • Clinton  • Highland  • Adams  • Mason (KY)  • Bracken (KY) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

County Information

Description

The county was named for Major General Jacob Brown, an officer in the War of 1812 who was wounded at the Battle of Lundy's Lane. It is located in the South Western area of the state.

County Courthouse

Brown County Courthouse
101 S Main St
Georgetown, Ohio 45121
Phone: 937-378-3100
Brown County Website

Probate Judge has birth, marriage and probate records from 1800’s.
County Health Department has death records from 1800’s.
Court Clerk has divorce and court records from 1800’s.
County Recorder has land records.

Brown 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
1867	1818	1867	1818	1818	1817	1820
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1908. General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

1977 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.

Boundary Changes

Parent Counties: Formed from Adams and Clermont counties 27 December 1817. The County was founded March 1, 1818. County Seat: Georgetown 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:

Villages
Aberdeen Fayetteville Georgetown (county seat)	Hamersville Higginsport Mount Orab	Ripley Russellville Sardinia
Unincorporated communities
Arnheim Ash Ridge Bardwell Boudes Ferry Brownstown Centerville Chasetown Crosstown Decatur Eastwood	Ellsbury Feesburg Fincastle Fivemile Greenbush Hiett Levanna Locust Ridge Macon Maple	Neals Corner Neel New Harmony New Hope Redoak Upper Fivemile Vera Cruz Wahlsburg White Oak White Oak Valley
Census-designated places
Lake Lorelei	Lake Waynoka	St. Martin
Townships
Byrd Clark Eagle Franklin Green Huntington	Jackson Jefferson Lewis Perry Pike Pleasant	Scott Sterling Union Washington

Resources

Bible Records

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

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Brown County, Ohio online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find A Grave OHGenWeb Interment.net OH Tombstone Transcription Project Billion Graves Ohio Gravestones
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.	%±
1820	13,356	—
1830	17,867	33.8%
1840	22,715	27.1%
1850	27,332	20.3%
1860	29,958	9.6%
1870	30,802	2.8%
1880	32,911	6.8%
1890	29,899	−9.2%
1900	28,237	−5.6%
1910	24,832	−12.1%
1920	22,621	−8.9%
1930	20,148	−10.9%
1940	21,638	7.4%
1950	22,221	2.7%
1960	25,178	13.3%
1970	26,635	5.8%
1980	31,920	19.8%
1990	34,966	9.5%
2000	42,285	20.9%
2010	44,846	6.1%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• 1820 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
• 1830 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
• 1840 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
• United States Census, 1850 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880 at Ancestry ($)
• United States Census, 1860 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• 1850 United States Federal Census, 1860 at Ancestry ($)
• United States Census, 1870 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• United States Census, 1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• United States Census 1880 at Ancestry ($)
• 1890 Veterans Schedule at Ancestry ($)
• United States Census, 1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• 1910 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)
• United States Census, 1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• United States Census, 1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
• 1930 United States Federal Census at Ancestry ($)

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.

Funeral Homes

• Megie Funeral Home, with recent obituaries

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.

• 1818-1829 Brown County deeds at OHGenWeb Archives
• Brown County Land Records at OHGenWeb Project

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.

• Morrow, Josiah, The History of Brown County, Ohio: Containing a History of the County, Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc., General and Local Statistics, Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men, History of the Northwest Territory, History of Ohio, Map of Brown County, Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, Etc., Etc. (Chicago: W. H. Beers & Co., 1883) Digital version at Google Books; FamilySearch Digital Library
• Williams, Byron, History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio: from the earliest historical times down to the present. (Milford, Ohio: Hobart Pub. Co., 1913.) Digital version at Google Books; 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
• 1914 County Map for Brown and Clermont Counties at Rootsweb.com
• Map of Brown County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels at Wikimedia Commons
• Brown County at David Rumsey Map Collection
• Maps of Brown County at Wikimedia Commons

Military Records

• 1888-1919 Ohio Soldier Home Records, 1888-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
• 1861-1917 United States Civil War and Later Pension Index, 1861-1917 at FamilySearch

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.
• 1917-1918 World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)

World War II

• 1938-1946 U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 at Ancestry ($)
• 1942 United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at FamilySearch
• Brown County, Ohio World War II Casualties Army and Air Force at Access Genealogy

Naturalization and Citizenship

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

Newspapers

Brown 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 1900's Newspapers at Ohio History Connection — Select county.
• Early to late-1900's Newspapers at Ohio Memory — sort by County, City, Time Period, and more.
• Brown County Newspapers at OHGenWeb Project
• The Democratic Standard Newspaper at Newspapers.com

Obituaries

• Gen Web Ohio Obituary Database

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 Brown 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 ($); Index and images
• 1789-1996 Ohio Probate Records 1789-1996 at FamilySearch.org — How to Use this Collection.
• 1817-1858 Brown County, Ohio Will Testators at Sampubco.com
• 1818-1886 Wills at OHGenWebArchives; Index
• Wills at OHGenWeb Project

School Records

• Ohio Schools at Rootsweb

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.

• 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.

• Vital Records at OHGenWeb Archives

Birth

• 1800-1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 at Ancestry ($)
• 1821–1962 Ohio, Births and Christenings, 1821-1962 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1841-2003 Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1908-1964 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1964 at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1998 Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998at Ancestry ($); index
• Various dates Brown County Births at OHGenWeb Project

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.
• 1803-1900 Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900 at Ancestry ($)
• 1898-1912 Ohio Marriages at Ancestry ($)
• 1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970-2003 at MyHeritage ($); index
• 1970-2007 Ohio Marriage Index, 1970, 1972-2007 at Ancestry ($)
• Various dates Marriages at USGenWeb Project

Death

• 1840-2001 Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection.
• 1908-1932, 1938-1944, 1958-2002 Ohio Deaths at Ancestry ($)
• 1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry ($); index and images
• 1909 Brown County, Ohio 1909 Deaths at Genealogy Trails
• 1913-1944, 1954-1963 Ohio Death Index, 1913-1944, 1954-1963 at MyHeritage ($); index

Divorce

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

Research Facilities

Archives

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

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

• Georgetown Ohio Family History Center

Libraries

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

Brown County Public Libraries -Georgetown Library
200 W Grant Ave
Georgetown, OH 45121
937-378-3197
Email: marysheltonlibrary@gmail.com
Website

Museums

John Rankin House
6152 Rankin Hill Road
Ripley, OH 45167
800-752-2705
Website

John P. Parker Museum
300 North Front Street / P.O. Box 246
Ripley, Ohio 45167
937-392-4188
Website

The Ulysses S. Grant Homestead Association
219 East Grant Ave
Georgetown, OH, 45121
877-372-8177
Website

Riley Museum
219 North Second Street
Ripley, OH 45167
937-392-4660
Website

Societies

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

Brown County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
PO Box 83
Georgetown, OH 45121-0083
Email: br.co.genealogy@gmail.com
Website

Brown County Historical Society
PO Box 238
Georgetown, OH 45121-0238
937-446-3226 or 937-378-2355

The John P. Parker Historical Society
300 North Front Street / PO Box 246
Ripley, OH 45167-0246
513-242-4521
Website

Brown County Genealogical Society
200 East Cherry Street
Georgetown, OH 45121-0083
937-378-2746
Facebook

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
• Brown County Ohio at Maggie's World of Courthouse Dust & Genealogy Fever, Ohio Counties; via Rootsweb
• Brown County OH Genealogy at LDS Genealogy
• Brown County, Ohio History and Genealogy at Rootsweb
• Brown County at Cyndi's List
• OHGenWeb Project at OHGenWebProject
• OHUSGenWeb Archives
• 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.