Researching Your Ohio Ancestors

When we think of settling the West, our minds will often turn to the broad expanses of the American West that conjures up scenes of broad prairies and herds of buffalo and antelope. Such was not the case in the First American West. We also may think of the Canadian provinces of the same name. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, Britain ceded land that would eventually comprise the Northwest Territory. Just five years later, the first settlers would leave their homes in New England and begin their journey to the “Territory Northwest of the River Ohio”, and establish their first city – Marietta. Eventually the states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota would be included.

Note: This is not geared toward LDS members. Ohio was the first gathering place of the LDS Church. Eventually, those who joined with the its membership eventually found themselves displaced into Missouri and Illinois before their trek to Utah.

Many Midwestern and Plains states have superb state census records. Learn about the indexes, the many personal details these censuses include, locating the censuses, and alternate sources. The lecture includes many specific examples from these enumerations, provides an overview of state censuses for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri�

The northeastern lands of Ohio are aptly named “The Firelands”, and “The Western Reserve”. How did they come to be called that? And, what connection do they have to the northeastern states? “Ohio fever” brought a lot of settlers to the state following the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. A section…

From Wisconsin to Missouri, many free online resources are available if you know where to look. This class will explore where to find and how to use these resources. Creative techniques for finding future sites will also be discussed.

The first state formed from the Old Northwest Territory, Ohio is a state with both the rectangular survey system and metes and bounds. Discover the difference between the two surveys. Explore the development of Ohio through county formation, land sales and land offices.

Formed from the Common Pleas Court, the Probate Court offers birth, death, marriages, wills, estates, inventories, naturalizations, and licenses. Learn the dates for vital records in Ohio as they pertain to the court.

After the American Revolution and before the War of 1812, the United States consisted of sixteen states. Through the Land Ordinance of 1785, the Greeneville Treaty, and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Ohio became the first state opening the United States to westward expansion. Discussion includes: Background; Major treaties; Battles…

Learn the types of records created during the probate process. Analyze probate information for further clues in your genealogical research. Compare different types of published abstracts of Ohio wills and estates.