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Ohio County History and Information
County History | Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Church & Cemeteries | Genealogy Related Sites |
Ohio County Facts

Ohio County was created on January 15, 1844 becoming effective March 1, 1844 and was formed from Dearborn County. The origin of this county was undoubtedly due to the County Seat contest in Dearborn County. The question arising as to the constitutionality of its organization has been waived to meet the convenience of the public.  Ohio County is the smallest county in the State of Indiana, coming in at 86.7 square miles. The County was named for the Ohio River. The County Seat is Rising Sun. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Ohio County are Dearborn County (north), Boone County, Kentucky (east), Switzerland County (south), Ripley County (northwest).

Ohio County is divided into 4 Civil Townships as follows: Cass, Pike, Randolph and Union. Cities, Towns and Communities include Aberdeen, Bascom Corner, Bear Branch, Blue, Camp Shor, Cofield Corner, Downey Corner, French, Hartford, Milton, North Landing, Pate, and Rising Sun.

 

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

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Records at the Ohio County Courthouse

See Also Indiana Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

NOTE: The date listed for each category of record is the earliest record known to exist in that county. It does not indicate that there are numerous records for that year and certainly does not indicate that all such events that year were actually registered. See also the Ohio County Courthouse History

   Ohio County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1844 , Probate Records from 1844 and Court Records from 1844 and is located at 413 Main Street, PO BOX 185 (mailing address), Rising Sun, IN 47040; Pho: (812) 438-2610, Fax: (812) 438-1215
   The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a ministerial officer who is the custodian of the Clerk's record and seal, issues process, accepts filings of commencement of actions in litigation, enters judgments and orders of the court, receives money in his official capacity, makes certified copies of record, issues many miscellaneous licenses, and keeps a record of all wills and matters of trust in probate proceedings.

   Ohio County Recorder has Land Records from 1844 and is located at 413 Main Street, Rising Sun, IN 47040; Pho: 812-438-3369.
   The county recorder's function is to maintain permanent public records involving a wide variety of instruments. These documents detail transactions involving real estate, mining, personal property, mortgages, liens, leases, subdivision plats, military discharges, personal bonds, etc. Generally, all of these instruments are recorded either for giving legal public notice of their existence or for safekeeping and future reference. The recorder maintains and preserves all legal documents affecting title to real property.

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

   Ohio County Health Department has Birth / Death Records from 1882 and is located at 117 Sixth Street, Rising Sun, Indiana 47040; (812) 438-2551

Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • Indianapolis Newspaper Index, 1848-1991: Select articles from 1848-1888 Indianapolis daily newspapers; heavily focused on deaths and marriages. Select articles from 1898-1991 about people, places, events, and topics in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. Extremely limited for deaths; no coverage of marriages.  Card file also available in the Microforms Area, second floor.
  • Reference & Government Services CD Collection: Database to allow searching of the hundreds of CDs from the federal government and other sources, part of the collections of the Reference & Government Services Division.
  • Ohio County, Indiana Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Indiana Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

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Ohio County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Indiana

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Some documents are just too important to wait 6 weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!

  • Birth Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains birth records that occur in Indiana since Oct 1907 to the present. Prior to October 1907, records of birth are filed only with the local health department in the county where the birth actually occurred.
    • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • In Person: The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $10.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait time is less than an hour.
    • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • Death Certificates: The Division of Vital Records and Statistics maintains death records that occur in Indiana since 1900 to the present. Prior to 1900, records of death are filed only with the local health department in the county where the death actually occurred. For deaths occurring from 1900 to 1917, the city and/or county of death is required in order to locate the record.
    • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Make your check or money order payable to "Indiana State Department of Health". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • In Person: The ISDH Vital Records office is located at 6 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The office is open for walk-in requests from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., Monday through Friday (excluding official State Holidays). The cost for the first certificate is $8.00 and $4.00 for each additional copy. Average wait Time is less than an hour.
    • Processing Time: 5 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
      • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
  • Marriage Certificates: Certified copies of marriage certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the Clerks of the Circuit Court in the county where the marriage was granted. Fees vary.
  • Divorce Certificates: Certified copies of divorce certificates are not available from the State Health Department. They are available from the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.

Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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Ohio County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Ohio County, Indiana are 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Ohio County, Indiana are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

  See Also Statewide Records that exist for Indiana

Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Indiana Census, 1790-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 (Northwest Territory) Federal Census Index; 1807 State Census Index; 1810 Wayne County Census Index; 1812 Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
  • Ohio County, Indiana Census Books at Amazon.com

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Ohio County Maps & Atlases

   Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

  You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
   You can view rotating animated maps for Indiana showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at County Maps

Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Maps. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Ohio County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Indiana

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

   The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Ohio County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

   Records of county taxes were kept as early at 1842, although most were discarded. Remaining ones would be at the county courthouse. National Archives-Great Lakes Region has records of the Internal Revenue Service for Indiana for 1867 to 1873. These are tax assessment records, arranged by district and then chronologically.

Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Ohio County, Indiana Tax Books at Amazon.com

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Ohio County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Indiana Genealogical Addresses

   The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

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Ohio County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Indiana

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

   There are many churches and cemeteries in Ohio County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Ohio County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Baptist records are found at Franklin College (in Franklin); Methodist at DePauw University (in Greencastle); Mennonite at Goshen College (in Goshen); Presbyterian at Hanover College (in Hanover); Disciples of Christ at their historical society in Nashville, Tennessee; and French Catholic at Vincennes University in the Byron R. Lewis Collection. There are also Catholic church histories and records at the Catholic Archives, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. Quaker records are at Earlham College (at Richmond).

   The commissioner's office of each Indiana county may have burial records for soldiers, sailors, and marines. If available, the records should include name, age, date of enlistment, discharge date, and death date. Records begin about 1862.

The Indiana State Library holds records of inscriptions from some Indiana cemeteries. The "Indiana Cemetery Locator File," compiled by the Genealogy Division, is an alphabetical listing of cemeteries, indicating the location in the state and the designation in the Genealogy Division of the Indiana State Library where inscriptions may be found.

Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Search Online Click Here to Search Indiana Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

   When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Ohio County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Ohio County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History

1849 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Gazetteer," published by E. Chamberlain

Ohio County, named after the river on whose borders it is situated, was organized in 1844. It is bounded on the north by Dearborn, on the east by the Ohio, on the south by Switzerland, and west by Ripley. It is the smallest county in the State, and contains only ninety square limes. The civil townships are four in number, viz: Randolph, Union, Cass and Pike. The population is, at this time, about 6,000. The face of the country, with the exception of some large and fine bottoms on the Ohio and Laughery, is very hilly, yet in general not so uneven that it cannot be cultivated. The soil is uniformly good; on the bottoms, hill sides and tops, well adapted to corn, wheat, oats, etc., and in the interior especially so, to grass. Beech, walnut, ash and sugar predominate near the streams while oak and hickory are found in other places. About half the county has been cleared and is in cultivation, and the most of it is well farmed. The surplus articles exported are taken to a southern market mostly, and consists of hogs, cattle, horses, sheep, mules, flour, hay, and all kinds of marketing, and their value is estimated to amount to $250,000 annually.

There are in the county six gristmills, propelled by water, two do. By steam, eleven sawmills, one cotton manufactory employing about 100 hands, one woolen do., one iron foundry and finished shop, two large distilleries, one printing office, twenty-five stores, twelve groceries, ten warehouses, six lawyers, ten physicians, fifteen preachers, and about 275 mechanics, principally carpenters, coopers, shoemakers, and other trades most in demand. The products of the manufactories are estimated at $110,000 a year. The Methodists have good churches in Rising Sun and Hartford, and others in the country. The New and Old School Presbyterians also have churches in Rising Sun, and the former, one in Cass Township. The Universalists have one in town, and the Reformed Baptists also one, with another in Union Township. The taxable land in the county amounts to 50,000 acres.

This county, after a long contest, was formed, no doubt, in violation of the constitution; but the convenience of the public, from local situation, appearing to require it, it has been submitted to.

1938 Adams County Retrospect - Based on "Indiana Review," published by the State Legislature

Ohio is the smallest county in the state, having an area of only 85 square miles. It is located at the southeast corner of the state, bordering Ohio. Typically southern Indiana Hill Country, its rugged surface is marked by several ranges of hills. The soil is fertile and agriculture is the chief industry. Transportation is provided by the Ohio River, flowing along the southern border, and by automobile and bus, since there is no railroad.

Rising Sun, the only incorporated town has a population of 1,379. The total county population in 1890 was 4,955; 1900, 4,724; 1910, 4,329; 1920, 4,024; 1930, 3,747. Ohio County is divided into four townships.

Rising Sun, an Ohio River town, is twenty-four miles west of Cincinnati. It has no railroad, but bus and mail lines have been established between here and the closest railroad station, at Aurora. Although it is chiefly a center for agricultural products, bricks, chairs, flour, and clothing are also manufactured. Rising Sun is a shipping and receiving point for the surrounding territory, being connected by boat with Lawrenceburg, Cincinnati, and Louisville.

The smallest county is the state had two manufacturing establishments, according to figures of the 1935 federal census.

The county had 549 farms averaging 98.6 acres each. The value of these was $1,993,620. According to livestock figures, the county had 12,130 head. The total tax valuation for the county in 1936 was $2,560,535.

Courthouse History

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