Ohio Guided Research #1

Find Birth Info

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Choose one of the following date ranges that is closest to when you think your ancestor was born:

Before 1867 - limited records

After 1867

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Find Marriage Info

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Search a marriage record index

Try 1st:

• United States Marriages - Ohio, 1725-2013 at FindMyPast - Index and images

Try 2nd:

• Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013 at FamilySearch - Index and images

Try 3rd:

• Ohio, County Marriages, 1774-1993 at Ancestry - Index and images

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No marriage record for your ancestor?

• Search for Gretna Greens: Some couples traveled away from their county of residence to locations that had less restrictive marriage laws.
• Search substitute records: Sometimes marriage records do not exist. Use substitute records to obtain marriage information.
• Other reasons why you cannot find the marriage

Additional information

• Tips for finding marriages
• What do I do next?
• What do I learn from marriage record?

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Find Death and Burial Info

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Choose one of the following date ranges that is closest to when you think your ancestor died:

Before 1908

1908-present

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General Research Tips Success with birth, marriage and death records depends on a few key points.

• If your ancestor has a common name, extra reference points in the search query improve search options and success.
• Find your ancestor in each available census.
• Use indexes, but if the image is available, always look at the image to verify accuracy and see information not indexed.
• Where a person lived can be a great help to group individuals into their correct families.
• Dates in a person's life will point to various options for learning more about them. Even approximate dates for birth, marriage and death can help.
• Find at least two documents from independent sources to verify what you learn.
• Use maps - doing genealogy without a map is like painting with your eyes shut.