Wayne County, Ohio Genealogy

Historical populations
	Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Wayne County
	Wayne County, Ohio
	Map
	; Location in the state of Ohio, United States Genealogy
	; Location of Ohio in the U.S.
	Courthouse
Address	Wayne County Courthouse; 428 West Liberty St; Wooster, Ohio 44691; Wayne County Website

United States Genealogy

Ohio

Wayne County

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

Ohio Online Genealogy Records

Coordinates: 40.83°0′N 81.89°0′W / 40.83°N 81.89°W / 40.83; -81.89

Cities
Orrville Rittman	Wooster (county seat) Norton
Villages
Apple Creek Burbank Congress Creston	Dalton Doylestown Fredericksburg Marshallville	Mount Eaton Shreve Smithville West Salem
Unincorporated communities
Aukerman Blachleyville Burton City Cedar Valley Centerville Devil Town East Union Easton	Funk Golden Corners Honeytown Jefferson Johnsons Corners Lattasburg Maysville	Millbrook Moreland Overton Pleasant Home Reedsburg Springville West Lebanon
Census-designated places
Kidron New Pittsburg	Sterling
Townships
Baughman Canaan Chester Chippewa Clinton Congress	East Union Franklin Green Milton Paint	Plain Salt Creek Sugar Creek Wayne Wooster

Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]

Medina County • Summit County • Stark County • Holmes County • Ashland County

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

In 1828, the first courthouse that had been erected (1818) in Wayne County, Ohio was burned. It is reported that many records and papers were destroyed in this fire. ^[4]. There is no known listing of the specific records and papers that were destroyed. On Tuesday, May 20, 1969, the current courthouse experienced fire damage. ^[5]. No listing of any records that may have been damaged or destroyed is known to exist.

No known copies of Wayne County, Ohio Tax records from the 1850s and 1860s exist. The only exceptions are a few years that do exist in the early 1860s of Wooster, Ohio. These are photocopies only. No original records or microfilmed copies of these tax records are known to exist.

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Business Records and Commerce[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

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 Tombstone Photos
Ohio Gravestones
See Ohio Cemeteries for more information.

Church Records[edit | edit source]

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.

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center available through the Wayne County Public Library, Genealogy and Local History Department's website.

History[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Wayne 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.

Douglass, Benjamin, History of Wayne County, Ohio: From the Days of the Pioneers and First Settlers to the Present Time, (Indianapolis, Indiana: R. Douglas, 1878). Digital copy at Google Books, Internet Archive, FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($)(Indexed), FHL book 977.161 H2d

Bowen, B.F., History of Wayne County, Ohio, (Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen & Co., 1910). Digital copy at Google Books FHL film 1000350 items 1-2

Howe, Henry, History of Wayne County, Ohio: 1796-1889, (Knightstown, Indiana : Bookmark, 1997), Reprint, 1898. FHL book 977.161 H2hh

Hauenstein, Edward Harry, A History of Wayne County in the World War and in the Wars of the Past, (Wayne County History Co., 1919). Digital copy at Google Books Internet Archive

Wayne County History Book Committee, A History of Wayne County, Ohio, (Dallas, Texas: Taylor Pub. Co., 1987). FHL book 977.161 H2h

Wayne County Historical Landmark Committee, Historic Heritage of Wayne County, Ohio, (Wooster, Ohio: Wayne County Historical Society, 1976. FHL book 977.161 H2L

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Maps of Ohio (1788-1940)

Military[edit | edit source]

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

Civil War[edit | edit source]

Servicemen from Wayne 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 Wayne County.

- 4th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (3 months, 1861), Company E (also known as Given Guards) with many men from Wooster.

- 41st Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company C

- 102nd Regiment, Ohio Infantry , Companies F, H , and I

- 107th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, Company C, especially from the town of Wooster

- 166th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard), Company G

World War I[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Wayne 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
Through the generosity of many donors, several Wayne County, Ohio newspapers are now available online.

The Community History Archive of the Wayne County Public Library
Newspapers available through the Ohio Historical Connection, Ohio Memory Project
- Wayne County Democrat - 31 issues, sporadic and incomplete
- Wooster Daily News: 1906-1913, 1917-1920
- Wooster Daily Republican: 1917-1920

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

The most up-to-date obituary index for Wayne County, Ohio Newspapers may be found through Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library Ohio Obituary Index.

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate[edit | edit source]

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.

Finding More Probate Records[edit source]

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

Public Records[edit | edit source]

Repositories[edit | edit source]

Wayne County Courthouse
107 W Liberty Street; PO Box 407
Wooster, OH 44691-4850
Phone: 330.287.5590

Probate Court has birth and death records 1867-1908, marriage records from 1813 and probate records from 1812; Board of Health has birth and death records from 1908; Common Pleas Court Clerk has divorce and court records from 1812; County Recorder has land records from 1812.^[6]

Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

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

Wooster 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[edit | edit source]

Fredericksburg Community Library
108 South Mill Street
PO Box 24
Fredericksburg, Ohio 44627
Phone: 330.695.2420

Orrville Public Library
230 North Main Street
Orrville, Ohio 44667
phone: 330.683.1065

Wayne County Public Library
Genealogy and Local History Department
220 West Liberty Street
PO Box 1349
Wooster, OH 44691
phone: 330.262.0916
email: genealogy@wcpl.info

Museums[edit | edit source]

The Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center opened in 2018. It is located across from the Wayne County (OH) Fairgrounds at 199 Vanover Street, in Wooster, Ohio.

The Ken Miller Supply Oil & Gas museum is located at 7920 Shreve Rd (State Route 226) north of Shreve, Ohio.

Societies[edit | edit source]

The Wayne County Historical Society is located at 546 East Bowman Street in Wooster, Ohio. It was originally part of the Wooster Public Library and Museum located at 304 North Market Street in Wooster, Ohio. The Wayne County Historical is only one of many local historical societies in the county.

The Connecticut Western Reserve Genealogy was a part of northeast Ohio originally intended for settlement by Revolutionary War refugees from Connecticut.^[7] The former Connecticut Western Reserve lands were in the modern counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Trumbull fully, but also in parts of Ashland, Mahoning, Ottawa, Summit, and Wayne counties in Ohio.

The Research Library at the Western Reserve Historical Society History Center is the premier repository for Cleveland, Ohio and Connecticut Western Reserve history material. One of the principal strengths is its manuscript collections.^[8] The WRHS collection has original land records, genealogies of New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, biographies, histories, and family Bibles.^[7]

Online Genealogy Research Groups[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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 Wayne 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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Online Birth Indexes and Records

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

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage[edit | edit source]

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
1970-2003 Ohio, Marriages, 1970 - 2003 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm

Death[edit | edit source]

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, windowed or divorced, occupation of deceased.
1908-1932, 1938-2018 Ohio, Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 at Ancestry.com ($) — index and images