Lucas County, Ohio Genealogical Records Information

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OH Court, Land & Wills

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Lucas County History and Information

Lucas County Facts

Lucas County was created on June 20, 1835 and was formed from Wood and Sandusky Counties . The County was named for Governor Robert Lucas, who called out the militia to defend the area from Michigan, which claimed it as its own.. The County Seat is Toledo . See also County History for more historical details.

The Health Department has Birth & Death Records from 1908-Present, see the Vital Records section for more details. For birth and death records prior to Dec. 20, 1908, contact the Probate Court of this county.

Counties adjacent to Lucas County are Monroe County, Michigan (north), Essex County, Ontario (northeast), Ottawa County (southeast), Wood County (south), Henry County (southwest), Fulton County (west), Lenawee County, Michigan (northwest).

Lucas County Municipalities Include Maumee, Oregon, Sylvania, Toledo, Berkey, Harbor View, Holland, Ottawa Hills, Swanton, Waterville, Whitehouse. Townships Include Harding, Jerusalem, Monclova, Providence, Richfield, Spencer, Springfield, Swanton, Sylvania, Washington, Waterville. Other localities Include Monclova, Neapolis, Providence

The Lucas County Official Government Website
Search the Ohio USGenWeb Archives
Lucas County, Virginia History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

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.

Records at the Lucas County Courthouse

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.

All Departments below are in the Lucas County Courthouse 700 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43624; Phone: +1-419-213-4777, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://co.lucas.oh.us/ . NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Lucas County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1835, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1835 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (419) 213-4775
The Probate Court handles the following administrative functions: the probating of wills, estate administrations (full estates and releases from administration), trusts, guardianships of incompetent adults and minors, commitment hearings for the mentally ill and mentally challenged, adoptions, birth corrections, name changes, delayed birth registrations, custodial accounts, lost heir accounts, order disinterments, and issues marriage licenses. In addition, the Court tries litigation issues in all the above matters. A unique aspect of the Probate Court is that the Probate Judge is the ex-officio Clerk of Courts, thus, the Court performs all the duties as its own Clerk of Courts (indexing, filing, docketing, etc.).

Lucas County Recorder has Land Records from 1808 and is located at the courthouse, Suite 700. Phone Number: (419) 213-4400
In Ohio, the Recorder, as an elected official, is charged by law with the exacting duty of keeping certain specific records which may include: deeds, mortgages, financing statements, easements, leases, federal tax liens, personal tax liens, military discharges, powers of attorney, mechanics liens, plats, recognizance liens, partnerships, living wills, zoning resolutions, etc.

Lucas County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1835 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (419) 213-4777
The Clerk of Courts of Common Pleas is responsible for various administrative and ministerial duties in conjunction with the Court of Common Pleas. These duties include filing, docketing, indexing, and preserving all court pleadings for civil, felony criminal and domestic relations cases. The Clerk of Courts must also follow procedure required by law and issues writs to carry out Court orders. Some of these writs include summons, subpoenas, warrants to arrest and to convey to penal institutions, and signing the death warrant in capital cases. The Clerk is responsible for the receipt and disbursement of all money paid into the court system. Other services provided by the Clerk of Court of Common Pleas are accepting bonds, recording notary commissions, administering oaths, keeping naturalization records, and recording and retention of coroner records.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include:Ohio Land Records and Ohio Early Land Ownership Records.

Click Here to Search Ohio 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.

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

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Ohio Marriages: Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly
Ohio Marriages, 1803-1900: This database contains records of marriages that took place in Ohio between 1803 and 1900.
Lucas County, Ohio Court Books at Amazon.com
Ohio 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.

Lucas County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Tax records for Ohio began as early as 1800. The archives section of the Ohio Historical Society has a collection of original Ohio tax lists from the state auditor's office. They include lists from the county's organization to 1838, usually arranged by county and township. They are not indexed. County courthouses hold various tax records that have not been inventoried. They are in the office of the county auditor or the county records manager. The FHL has microfilm copies of all known extant tax records 1800-38 for Ohio.

The National Archives-Great Lakes Region retains numerous federal tax records for Ohio. These include assessment books for 1867-73 and corporate and personal records for District 10, Toledo, and District 11, Columbus.

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

Lucas County, Ohio Tax Books at Amazon.com

Lucas County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Ohio 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 Lucas County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Lucas County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Lucas County Chapter, OGS, 325 N. Michigan St., Toledo, OH 43624-1614; Lucas County Chapter, OGS meets at the Toledo-Lucas County Library, 325 N. Michigan St., in downtown Toledo on the third Saturday of each month, except July, August, and December at 1:30pm., E-mail: lucasco@juno.com
Lucas County Local History and Genealogy, 325 N Michigan St, Toledo, OH 43624; 419-259-5233
Toledo Area Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 352258, Toledo, OH 43635-2258
Toledo-Lucas County Health Dept., 635 N. Erie St., Toledo, OH 43624; (419) 213-4100
Wolcott House Museum Complex, 1031 River Road, Maumee, OH 43537
Office Open Mon.-Fri., 9am-5pm, 419-893-9602
Toledo-Lucas Co Public Library, 325 N Michigan St, Toledo, OH 43624; 419-259-5200
Lucas County/Maumee Valley Historical Society, 1031 River Road, Maumee, OH 43537; 419-893-9602
Local Ohio Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
Ohio Historical Society, Archives-Library Division,1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211; Telephone: 614-297-2300
The Ohio Historical Society Archives/Library is, by law, the archives for the State of Ohio. As such, we collect, preserve, and make available to the public, documents pertaining to the operation of state and local governments.
Ohio Genealogical Society, 713 S. Main St, Mansfield, OH 44907-1644;(419) 756-7294, [EMAIL]
Columbus Metropolitan Library, Genealogy Division, 96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215. 614-645-2ASK (2275);The Genealogy Division holds microfilm; printed, typescript, and manuscript collections, including family and local histories; atlases; cemetery records; city directories; military records; censuses and census indexes; and transcribed records provided by the Ohio chapters of the DAR.
Ohio Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Ohio Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Lucas County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search Ohio 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 Lucas County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Lucas County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Religion in Ohio was an early and important factor in settlement. The first Moravian mission was established in 1772. Presbyterians and Quakers were in the state at an early date, the latter having established forty-three monthly meetings and settlements between 1801 and 1883. The Presbyterians founded seventeen towns between 1784 and 1799. Baptists, Congregationalists, several reformed groups, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, United Brethren, Methodists, and Catholics arrived prior to 1850. By 1890 the latter two denominations were the largest in the state. The Methodist circuit in Ohio was organized in 1798, with circuit riders traveling from log cabins to camp meetings across the territory. In 1831 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints migrated from New York to Kirtland in Lake County. No thorough survey exists of any of the holdings of individual churches in Ohio, although many are on microfilm through the FHL. The Ohio Genealogical Society is presently undertaking a church records survey.

According to the Ohio Genealogical Society, the majority of Ohio counties have published cemetery records in one form or another. They suggest contacting local societies or one of the major genealogical libraries in the state.

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

Ohio Cemetery Records: Extracted from the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly
Lucas County Probate Court Online Search (recent) includes Toledo
Toledo-Lucas County Public Library - Blade Obituaries Index 1990-present
Lucas County, Ohio Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
Lucas County, Ohio Church Books at Amazon.com

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search Ohio 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 Lucas County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Lucas County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Lucas County ] [ Ohio ] [ Main Page ]
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OHIO Family Group Sheets
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Ohio Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Genealogical Document Search and Retrieval Service
Lucas County, Ohio Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

On June 20, 1835, the Ohio government established Lucas County. Residents chose the name Lucas in honor of Robert Lucas, the governor of Ohio. Lucas County was part of the territory that came under dispute between Ohio and Michigan during the "Toledo War." The Ohio government tried to solidify its claim over the disputed land by creating Lucas County. Previous to the Toledo War, Lucas County was the sight of the Battle of Fallen Timbers. In 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated an alliance of Ohio's Indian tribes, solidifying white control over the majority of Ohio.

Lucas County is located in the northwestern portion of Ohio. The county's northern border helps form Ohio's boundary with Michigan. The county seat is Toledo, which is the county's largest population center, with 313,619 residents in 2000. The county's next largest community is Sylvania Township, with a population of approximately 25,600 people in 2000. The county experienced a slight decrease in population between 1990 and 2000, reducing the total population to 455,054 residents. This decrease was primarily due to people leaving the busyness of Toledo behind to move to quieter neighboring counties. An average of 1,338 people live in each of Lucas County's 340 square miles.

Urban areas comprise eighteen percent of Lucas County's land mass. Most residents find employment in service-oriented and sales positions, with manufacturing jobs ranking a distant third. During the late nineteenth century, Toledo was known as the "City of Glass" for its numerous glass-producing facilities. The city was also the home of the Willys-Overland Company, the largest manufacturer of jeeps during World War II in the United States. The county's average income was 27,361 dollars per person in 1999, with 13.6 percent of the population living in poverty.

Toledo, the county seat of Lucas County, is located in the northwestern part of Ohio. It is part of an area known as the Great Black Swamp. Most settlement in this region was delayed until after Ohio obtained statehood because of conflicts with Native Americans. Toledo itself was incorporated in 1836, and it was built on the site of a former stockade, Fort Industry, which was built in 1800. Originally, there were two separate towns named Lawrence and Vistula. When the Wabash and Erie Canal was mapped out in 1836, the location of Toledo was chosen as one of the termination points. The population of the two towns merged and created the new community of Toledo. By 1840, Toledo had a population of 1,322 people.

Although the canal would bring significant business to Toledo, the community still struggled in its early years. Many of its residents suffered from epidemics that spread rapidly in the region in 1838 and 1839. Finally, the canal was opened in 1845. The canal made the town a growing seaport along Lake Erie, and much commerce traveled through Toledo. In addition to the Wabash and Erie Canal, Toledo was connected to the cities of Cincinnati and Dayton by way of the Miami and Erie Canal.

When railroads began to emerge as a key form of transportation in Ohio in the second half of the nineteenth century, Toledo became a destination for a number of railroad lines. In addition, a number of industries began to emerge in the city, including furniture companies, carriage makers, breweries, railroad manufacturing companies, and glass companies, among others. The Libbey Glass Works was located in Toledo and helped to make the community known as the "City of Glass." By 1880, Toledo boasted a population of more than fifty thousand people, making it one of the largest cities in the state.

Many immigrants began to settle in Toledo by the late nineteenth century, attracted to the city because of the factory jobs available and the city's accessibility by rail and by water. Although Toledo offered many economic opportunities, it also illustrated many of the problems associated with urban life during this time period. Toledo became the target of Progressive reformers in the late 1800s. Among them was the town's mayor, Samuel M. "Golden Rule" Jones, who was elected in 1897. During his time in office, Jones worked to improve conditions for the working class people of his community. The mayor opened free kindergartens, built parks, instituted an eight-hour day for city workers, and did much to reform the city government. Although Jones was not very popular among businessmen and the wealthier members of Toledo society, he was very popular with the average citizens and was reelected as mayor for three additional terms. Jones died in office in 1904, and his successor, Brand Whitlock, continued his reform efforts.

Toledo continued to grow, both in terms of population and industry, in the early twentieth century. As a result of its manufacturing interests, the city suffered high unemployment rates during the Great Depression. As World War II began, however, Toledo's industries began to focus on wartime production, and unemployment concerns disappeared. Toledo made a unique contribution to the war effort. Home to the Willys-Overland Company, this firm began producing jeeps in 1941.

In the 2000 census, Toledo's population was 313,619.

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