Portage County was created on February 10, 1807 and was formed from Trumbull County. The County was named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and the Tuscarawas River Rivers. The County Seat is Ravenna.
Portage
County is located about 30 miles southeast of Cleveland. The
county is an old Indian portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas
Rivers.
The largest city in the county is Kent, home of Kent State University, which
became a state university in 1935. Ravenna, named after an Italian city, is the
county seat. In Hiram is Hiram College, called Western Reserve Eclectic Institute
before 1867. James A. Garfield graduated from here.
Mayor's Office has birth, death & burial records; Probate Judge has marriage & probate
records; Clerk of Courts has divorce & civil court records from 1820; County
Treasurer has land records.
Clerk
of the Common Pleas Courts has divorces
prior to Sept. 7, 1949 (and after the 1860's) in the state
of Ohio are recorded in the office of the county clerk of courts
of the county where the divorce was granted (dating back to
the creation of the county.) 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.
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 Portage County Courthouse 203 West Main Street, Ravenna, OH 44266; Phone: +1-330-297-3553, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.portage.oh.us/ . NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Portage County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1808, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1803 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: (330) 297-3870 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.).
Portage County Recorder has Land Records from 1795 and is located 449 S Meridian Street, Ravenna, OH 44266; Phone: 330-297-3553, Fax: 330-297-7349 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.
Portage County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1809 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: Phone 330-297-3644 Fax: 330-297-4554, *Toll Free 1-800-772-3799 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Portage County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Portage County Court Records by clicking the link below:
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.
Click Here to Search Ohio 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.
Ohio did not make it a law to keep birth records until 1867.
Ohio made it a law to record births in 1867. County probate courts kept birth records between 1867 and December 19, 1908. There is no statewide index to birth records from 1867 through December 19, 1908. Go to the list of county probate court birth records held at the Ohio Historical Society. If the Ohio Historical Society does not hold a county's birth records, please contact the county's probate court.
Ohio Department of Health,
Vital Statistics,
225 Neilston Street,
Columbus, Ohio 43215;
(614) 466-2531. Same-day service available to walk-in customers (for Ohio birth and death records only).,
P.O. Box 570,
Jefferson City, MO 65102, Please allow up to approximately 3 weeks to 6 months for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. They have the following records:
Birth & Death Certificates: The state of Ohio began issuing certificates for births on December 20, 1908. The Ohio Department of Health holds birth certificates for the state of Ohio from December 20, 1908 to the present. The Vital Statistics Office maintains statewide Death Certificates from 1954 to the present. Individual health departments in the county or city where the death took place keep certificates for their local area (not statewide).
Cost: $16.50 per certificate, payment is payable to the Treasurer State of Ohio. The cost for each authentication is $5.00 payable to the Secretary of State of Ohio. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $16.50 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
Processing Time: 3-6 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Marriage & Divorce Certificates:
The State of Ohio Vital Statistics Office maintains the abstracts of marriages and divorces that occurred in Ohio from January 1, 1954, to present. Abstracts are brief forms that list limited information extracted from the original marriage licenses or divorce decrees. This limited information is used for index purposes and the filing of the marriage or divorce within the State of Ohio. We do not have marriage licenses or divorce decrees on file, only abstracts. An abstract is not a marriage license or divorce decree. Please contact the following agencies: Marriage License - County Probate Court; Divorce – County Clerk of Court
To request a certified copy of a marriage license contact the Recorder of Deeds in the county where the license was obtained.To request a certified copy of a divorce decree contact the Circuit Clerk in the county where the decree was granted.
Cost: Include a fee of $3.00 per 10 year search per last name with request. Allow 4 to 6 months for the search. Please do not send cash in the mail.
Processing Time: Allow 4 to 6 months for the search
by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY. Mail your search request to: Ohio Department of Health,
Vital Statistics,
246 N. High Street, 1st Floor,
P.O. Box 15098,
Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098
Order In Person: Same day service is available to walk-in customers. This is the fastest way to obtain a birth certificate. When you arrive, you will complete an application and pay the $16.50 required fee. Walk-in address is Ohio Department of Health,
Vital Statistics,
225 Neilston Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: (614) 466-2531. You can also obtain the birth/death record from the city or county health department office where the event occurred, provided there is no court or legal action. You may download the application and submit it in person or by mail to the nearest local health department. Order By Mail: Turn around is estimated at 3 to 6 weeks from the day the request is received. However, people are urged to allow sufficient time for delivery for all birth/death records. Mail a check or money order of $16.50 for each certified certificate. Do not send cash. Mail to the following address: Ohio Department of Health,
Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 15098,
Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098. Please include return address on envelope and application form. Order On-Line: To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by on-line purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek
The Ohio Historical Society Archives/Library has most birth records before 1908 and copies of original death certificates on microfilm for the period December 20, 1908 through 1953.
Below is a list of online resources for Portage County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Portage County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Ohio Obituaries Index 1830s-present - mostly Northwest counties (over 800,000 names) includes obituaries from these Ohio counties: Allen, Auglaize, Belmont, Defiance, Erie, Gallia, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Logan, Lorain, Miami, Ottawa, Paulding, Ross, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Washington, Wayne, Wood & Wyandot - coverage varies by county - also see the links below (copies of the obituaries can be ordered for a fee)
MOLO Obituary Index includes obituaries from newspapers in Ashland County (Loudonville), Coshocton County, Holmes County and Stark County (Massillon)
Click Here to Search Ohio 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Portage County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Portage County Census Records by clicking the link below:
Ohio Census, 1790-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 (Northwest Territory) Federal Census Index; 1800 Federal Census Index (Washington County); 1810 Washington County 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; Early Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule.
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 Ohio 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 Ohio showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries.
Below is a list of online resources for Portage County Maps. Email us with websites containing Portage County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Ohio 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 Portage County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Portage County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Ohio (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
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 Portage County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Portage County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
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 Portage County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Portage County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Portage County Chapter, OGS, PO Box 821, Ravenna, OH 44266; Portage County Chapter, OGS meets at the Portage County Historical Society Museum, 6549 North Chestnut St., Ravenna, OH on the third Saturday of the month at 2:00pm. Meetings are nine times a year: January through June and September through November. No meetings in July and August or December; at least one field trip in the spring in place of the meeting.
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.
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.
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.
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 Portage County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Portage County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of Ohio obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a Ohio newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Ohio.
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 Portage County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Portage County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
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.
On February 10, 1807, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Portage County. It originally was a portion of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The county was named for the Indian portage between the Cuyahoga and the Tuscarawas Rivers.
Portage County is located in northeastern Ohio and covers 492 square miles. The county has grown in recent years, as residents of nearby Cleveland in Cuyahoga County have moved to Portage and surrounding counties to escape the busyness of the city. Between 1990 and 2000, Portage County’s population increased by 6.6 percent to a total of 152,061 residents in 2000. Ravenna is the county seat and the fourth largest community in the county, with 11,771 residents in 2000. Kent is the county’s largest urban center, with a population of 27,906 people in 2000. Portage County averages 309 residents per square mile.
Portage County is overwhelmingly rural, with only three percent of the county deemed to be urban, but most residents earn their livings by working in manufacturing, sales, or government positions. Farming ranks a distant fifth. Many residents also work at Hiram College or Kent State University. The county’s average income was 24,146 dollars per person in 1999, with 8.7 percent of the population living in poverty.
Ravenna is the county seat of Portage County. Benjamin Tappan, Jr., was the community’s first permanent resident. Ravenna was founded in 1799, and Tappan named the town after Ravenna, Italy. The community grew quickly, having approximately 1,200 residents in 1846. That same year, the town also contained four churches, ten stores, one private school, and two newspaper offices. Ravenna residents were especially well-known for the high quality of carriages that they manufactured. During the early nineteenth century, Ravenna was also home to Jesse Grant, a tanner and father of United States President Ulysses S. Grant.
Ravenna continued to grow during latter part of the nineteenth century. In 1880, 3,255 people resided in the town, with nearly one-third of the residents being school-aged children. By 1890, the population had increased to 3,417 people. In 1886, two newspaper offices, eight churches, and two banks existed in the town, as well as several manufacturing establishments. Most businesses provided services or products to farmers in the surrounding countryside. The community’s largest employers were the Quaker Mill Company, which produced oatmeal, and the Ravenna Glass Company, which primarily made glass bottles, with eighty-three employees apiece. With two railroads passing through Ravenna, the town also became an important agricultural center, shipping crops across the United States.
Ravenna continued to prosper during the twentieth century. During World War II, Ravenna was the site of the Ravenna Arsenal. Workers at the Ravenna Arsenal produced more weapons for the war effort than at any other plant in the United States. More than 14,000 Ohioans found employment here during World War II. The arsenal eventually included 1,371 buildings encompassed on 21,418 acres. The complex ceased arms production at World War II’s conclusion. The plant also began making fertilizer. With the Korean War’s outbreak, the Ravenna Arsenal began production of arms again, now under the control of the Firestone Company. In 1957, the Arsenal ceased munitions production, only to begin to manufacture arms again with the Vietnam War. Much of the Ravenna Arsenal is now the Ohio National Guard's Ravenna Training and Logistics Site, with the Ohio National Guard using the Ravenna Arsenal for training.
Despite the economic successes for many Ravenna inhabitants, problems did exist in the community. These problems reflected wider trends in Ohio and helped to portray Ravenna and Ohio in a negative light. During the 1970s and the early 1980s, a number of teachers’ strikes occurred in Ohio. Low wages, poor benefits, and the lack of state funding upset the teachers, prompting them to go on strike until school districts and the State of Ohio responded to their demands. Teachers struck in several municipalities. The Ravenna teachers remained on strike the longest. Their strike actually was the longest teachers’ strike in United States history. The teachers not only protested outside of schools or administration buildings; they also picketed outside of school officials’ and board members’ homes. Authorities arrested numerous teachers. These strikes caused a negative image of Ohio, causing non-residents to view the state and local governments, as well as teachers, as being uncaring about education and children. As a result of this view, numerous businesses and people refused to relocate to Ohio.
