Formed March 1, 1805 from Greene and Franklin counties · county seat Urbana. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Champaign County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube200 North Main Street, Urbana, OH 43078 · (937) 484-1028
Wills, estate records, guardianships, adoptions, name changes, and historically older birth/death record filings.
1512 South US Hwy 68, Suite B200, Urbana, OH 43078 · (937) 484-1630
Deeds, land records, and mortgages — useful for tracing land ownership and migration.
200 N. Main Street, 1st Floor, Urbana, OH 43078 · (937) 484-1046
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
1512 S. U.S. Highway 68, Suite B300, Urbana, OH 43078 · (937) 484-1600
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
1060 Scioto Street, Urbana, OH 43078 · (937) 653-3811
champaigncountylibrary.org/genealogy
Vertical files, microfilm of Urbana-area newspapers back to the 1820s, a free digital newspaper archive (1822–2020s), Probate Court birth/death records 1867–1909, and Ancestry Library Edition.
809 E. Lawn Ave., Urbana, OH 43078 · (937) 653-6721
champaigncountyhistoricalmuseum.org · Tue–Fri 10–4, Sat 10–2
Artifacts, photos, documents, and a local history archive with a searchable catalog.
The Champaign County Genealogical Society (OGS chapter) appears disbanded — direct genealogy inquiries to this museum and the library instead.
1512 US Hwy 68, Suite Q100, Urbana, OH 43078 · (937) 484-1605
champaignhd.com — Vital Statistics
Certified birth/death certificates for events within the last 10 years; older records route to the County Clerk of Courts.
Find A Grave — Champaign County and OhioGravestones.org's Champaign County listing.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Champaign County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Champaign County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Champaign County was formed in 1805 from Greene and Franklin Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:
Part of Champaign County lies in the Virginia Military District, land Virginia set aside for its Revolutionary War veterans. It was surveyed in irregular metes and bounds, and the first owners' records follow a warrant, entry, survey, and patent trail.
Other parts of the county were federal Congress Lands or smaller special tracts. Where land was sold by the federal government, the first purchase appears as a federal patent.
Titles that covered Champaign County, historic and current, with where to search each one. Not every historic title has been digitized — several survive only on microfilm.
| Title | Years | Where to Search |
|---|---|---|
| Urbana Daily Citizen | 1883–current | Chronicling America (through ~1963); current at urbanadailycitizen.com; also Champaign County Public Library digital archive |
| Urbana Daily Times | 1893–1910 | Chronicling America |
| Champaign Democrat | 1880–1913 | Chronicling America; GenealogyBank |
| Urbana Daily Democrat | 1914–1928 | Chronicling America |
| Ohio State Democrat (Urbana) | 1855–1858 | Chronicling America |
| Champaign County Public Library digital newspaper archive | 1822–2024, multiple titles | champaigncounty.advantage-preservation.com — free, broader range than Chronicling America |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Champaign County, Ohio
Addresses and links last checked October 2026.
County guides, record walkthroughs, and brick wall breakthroughs. Subscribe on YouTube and tap the bell so new episodes find you.
Subscribe on YouTube