Created June 7, 1807 from Geauga County and organized in 1810 · county seat Cleveland. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Cuyahoga County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube1 Lakeside Ave. West, Cleveland, OH 44113 · (216) 443-8785
Wills, estate administration, guardianships, adoptions (sealed), marriage licenses (from 1810), and name changes.
1200 Ontario Street, Justice Center Courts Tower, Cleveland, OH 44113 · (216) 443-7951
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
2079 E. Ninth Street, 3rd Floor, Cleveland, OH 44115 · (216) 698-6486
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
2079 E. Ninth St., 4th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44115 · (216) 443-7020
cuyahogacounty.gov/fiscal-officer
Deeds and land records from 1810 forward. Cuyahoga eliminated its separately elected Recorder in 2010 — recording now falls under the appointed Fiscal Officer, so don't search for a standalone "Recorder's Office."
525 Superior Ave., Louis Stokes Wing, 6th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44114 · (216) 623-2864
cpl.org/center-for-local-and-global-history
Census records, city directories, historical Cleveland newspapers, obituary and cemetery indexes, and Ohio local histories and manuscripts.
6675 Brecksville Rd., Independence, OH 44131
The county's most established OGS-affiliated chapter, 40+ years running. Note that Cuyahoga has several sub-regional chapters instead of one countywide society — also see the East Cuyahoga County Genealogical Society (eastcuyahogaogs.org) and the Southwest Cuyahoga County Chapter, OGS. Confirm current activity before visiting, as small chapters' schedules change.
10825 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106 · (216) 721-5722
The region's largest history research library — roughly 250,000 books, tens of thousands of newspaper runs, and extensive manuscript and photo collections. A separate organization from the genealogical societies above.
Cleveland residents: Cleveland Dept. of Public Health, 601 Lakeside Ave., Room 122 · (216) 664-2317
Cuyahoga County itself does not hold birth/death certificates — each city or township (Cleveland, Lakewood, Parma, etc.) has its own vital records office for events occurring there. Identify the specific municipality first. Records before 1908 route to the Probate Court above.
Find A Grave — Cuyahoga County and OhioGravestones.org — Cuyahoga County, including Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland's largest with 100,000+ burials.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Cuyahoga County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Cuyahoga County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Cuyahoga County was created from Geauga County. For records made before then, search the parent county:
All of Cuyahoga County lies in the Connecticut Western Reserve, land Connecticut kept when it gave up its western claims, sold privately through the Connecticut Land Company. There are no federal land patents here, so start with the earliest deeds at the county Recorder (or the parent county's Recorder).
Titles that covered Cuyahoga 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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) | 1842–current | Chronicling America and Ohio Memory (historic); GenealogyBank/Newspapers.com; current at cleveland.com |
| Cleveland Leader | 1854–1917 | Chronicling America |
| Cleveland Gazette | 1883–1945 | Chronicling America (1883–1892 digitized) |
| Cleveland Call and Post | 1927–current | Microfilm/ProQuest via library subscription (Cuyahoga County Public Library); current at callandpost.com |
| Cleveland Press | 1878–1982 | Microfilm only — Cleveland State University's Michael Schwartz Library or Cleveland Public Library |
| Cleveland Jewish News | 1964–current | Current at clevelandjewishnews.com |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Cuyahoga 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.
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