Formed July 29, 1797 from Washington County — one of Ohio's original Northwest Territory counties · county seat Steubenville. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Jefferson County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube301 Market St., 4th Floor, Steubenville, OH 43952 · (740) 283-8593
jeffersoncountyprobatejuvenile.com
Wills, estates, guardianships, adoptions, name changes, and marriage licenses.
301 Market St., Steubenville, OH 43952 · (740) 283-8566
jeffersoncountyoh.com/recorder
Deeds, mortgages, oil & gas leases, easements, and military discharge records.
301 Market Street, Steubenville, OH 43952 · (740) 283-8510
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
301 Market Street, Steubenville, OH 43952 · (740) 283-8511
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
Schiappa Branch, 4141 Mall Dr., Steubenville, OH 43952 · (740) 264-6166
steubenvillelibrary.org/findinfo/history
4,400+ genealogy items, 1,000+ reels of newspaper microfilm, and a growing digitized newspaper database covering 1806–1888.
125 S. 5th St., Steubenville, OH 43952 · (740) 283-8567
jeffcochapter.com · meets quarterly at the Schiappa Branch
Its own dedicated research library, separate from the public library. Runs a cemetery restoration/transcription project.
426 Franklin Ave., Steubenville, OH 43952 · (740) 283-1133
jeffcountyhistorical.org · Wed & Thu 10–3, Mar–Nov
A different organization from JCCOGS above, though it maintains its own genealogical library within the museum — worth checking both.
Guy M. Tate Building, 500 Market St., 6th Floor, Steubenville, OH 43952
Birth certificates from 1876, death certificates from 1908. Records before those dates: Ohio History Connection or Probate Court.
Find A Grave — Jefferson County and the JCCOGS Cemetery Restoration Project.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Jefferson County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Jefferson County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Jefferson County was formed in 1797 from Washington County. For records made before then, search the parent county:
All of Jefferson County lies in the Seven Ranges, the first land surveyed under the Land Ordinance of 1785, laid out in townships and sections and sold by the federal government.
Titles that covered Jefferson 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Western Herald (and Steubenville Gazette) | 1806-1844 | Microfilm only — FamilySearch Library; Jefferson Co. OGS index |
| Jefferson Democrat and Farmers' & Mechanics' Advocate | 1831-1833 | GenealogyBank |
| True American (Steubenville) | 1855-1861 | Chronicling America (1855-58); Ohio Memory; GenealogyBank |
| Steubenville Weekly/Daily Herald | 1840s-1926 | GenealogyBank; NewspaperArchive.com; microfilm — Schiappa Library |
| Steubenville Weekly/Daily Gazette | 1865-1925 | Microfilm only — Public Library of Steubenville & Jefferson Co. |
| Steubenville Herald-Star | 1898-present | NewspaperArchive; Ancestry; current at heraldstaronline.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 · Jefferson County, Ohio
Addresses and links last checked October 2026.
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