Formed December 9, 1800 from Ross and Washington counties · county seat Lancaster. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Fairfield County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube224 E. Main St., 3rd Floor, Lancaster, OH 43130 · (740) 652-7485
Wills, estate administration, guardianships, name changes, marriage licenses, and historical birth/death abstracts, 1867–1908.
210 E. Main St., Suite 205, Lancaster, OH 43130 · (740) 652-7100
Deeds, mortgages, plats, and military discharges. Indexes date to 1800; online document images from 1980 forward.
224 E. Main Street, Lancaster, OH 43130 · (740) 652-7360
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
108 N. High Street, Lancaster, OH 43130 · (740) 652-7020
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
219 N. Broad St., Lancaster, OH 43130 · (740) 653-2745
First-floor local history/genealogy room with census, marriage, cemetery, immigration, and military records, plus family histories, ancestral charts, and in-library Ancestry access.
503 Lenwood Dr., Lancaster, OH 43130 · (740) 653-2573
fairfieldgenealogy.org · Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 10am–4pm
A dedicated chapter library (a former public library branch) — not inside the main library. Holdings include WPA grave registration cards, obituaries, pre-1930 court records, and county death certificates from 1908 forward.
Do not confuse with fairfieldgenealogysociety.org — that domain is for Fairfield County, South Carolina.
105 E. Wheeling St., Lancaster, OH 43130 · (740) 654-9923
A different organization from the genealogical society above. Operates the Georgian Museum and Sherman House; its Archive Room holds photos, maps, and family genealogy files by member appointment.
1550 Sheridan Dr., Suite 100, Lancaster, OH 43130 · (740) 652-2800 ext. 2
Certified birth/death certificates; death records for December 1908–1970 events are available only through this office, not the state. Pre-1908 records: check the OGS chapter or Probate Court above.
Find A Grave — Fairfield County and Interment.net — Fairfield County.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Fairfield County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Fairfield County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Fairfield County was formed in 1800 from Ross and Washington Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:
Part of Fairfield County lies in the Refugee Tract, a strip set aside by Congress for Americans from Canada and Nova Scotia who supported the Revolution.
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 Fairfield 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio Eagle (later Lancaster Daily Eagle, then Eagle-Gazette) | 1807–1936 | Chronicling America (partial early runs); GenealogyBank |
| The Lancaster Gazette | 1826–1936 | Chronicling America (multiple digitized segments); GenealogyBank |
| Political Observatory, and Fairfield Register | 1810–1811 | Chronicling America |
| Lancaster Eagle-Gazette | 1936–current | Current at lancastereaglegazette.com; historic runs on Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Fairfield County, Ohio
Addresses and links last checked October 2026.
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