County Research Guide

Paulding County, Ohio

Formed April 1, 1820 from Darke County, part of the old Black Swamp region · county seat Paulding. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.

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Paulding County, Ohio Genealogy & History

Short episodes that walk through Paulding County's records, one record type at a time.

Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look

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Where the records are

Paulding County Probate Court

115 N. Williams St., Suite 202, Paulding, OH 45879 · (419) 399-8256

pauldingjuvenilecourt.com — Probate Court

Estate administrations, guardianships, marriage licenses, adoptions, name changes, delayed birth registrations, and corrections to birth records.

Paulding County Recorder

115 N. Williams St., Room 103, Paulding, OH 45879 · (419) 399-8275

pauldingcountyrecorder.com

Deeds, mortgages, liens, and other real estate records; online searchable deed index available.

Paulding County Clerk of Courts (Court of Common Pleas)

115 N. Williams Street, Room 104, Paulding, OH 45879 · (419) 399-8210

pauldingcommonpleas.com/clerk-of-courts.html

Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.

Paulding County Auditor

115 N. Williams Street, Paulding, OH 45879 · (419) 399-8242

pauldingcountyauditor.com

Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.

Paulding County Carnegie Library — Genealogy Department

205 S. Main St., Paulding, OH 45879 · (419) 399-2032

pauldingcountylibrary.com/genealogy

Obituary card file, cemetery inscriptions, birth index, family histories, and digital archives of historical newspapers and yearbooks. The first Carnegie-funded county library in the U.S., established 1916.

Paulding County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society

Meets at the Carnegie Library, 205 S. Main St., Paulding, OH 45879

pauldingcountyogs.org

Meets 2nd Wednesday of March, June, September, and December, 6:30pm, in the library meeting room. Publishes local research books.

Paulding County History Museum (formerly John Paulding Historical Society)

600 Fairgrounds Dr., Paulding, OH 45879 · (419) 796-7269

facebook.com/jphsmuseum

A separate organization from the OGS chapter above. Three exhibit buildings, chartered 1977; renamed from John Paulding Historical Society in 2024.

Paulding County General Health District — Vital Statistics

800 E. Perry St., Paulding, OH 45879 · (419) 399-3921

pauldingcountyhealth.com — Birth & Death Certificates

Births anywhere in Ohio from 1908–present (statewide access), and Paulding County deaths from 1908–present.

Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.

Before Paulding County existed

Paulding County was formed in 1820 from Darke County. For records made before then, search the parent county:

Land: Congress Lands

Most of Paulding County's land was federal Congress Lands, surveyed in townships and sections and first sold through U.S. land offices. The first buyer of each tract received a federal patent.

More for Paulding County

Newspapers of Paulding County

Titles that covered Paulding County, historic and current, with where to search each one. Not every historic title has been digitized — several survive only on microfilm.

TitleYearsWhere to Search
Paulding County Gazette1878-1888Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
Paulding Journal1856-c.1870sOldNews.com; microfilm — Paulding County Carnegie Library
The Payne Reflector (and Press-Review)c.1880s-1967Chronicling America (LOC); OldNews.com
Sherwood Chronicle1958-1968Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
Grover Hill News1947-1973Microfilm only — Paulding County Carnegie Library / Ohio History Connection
Paulding Progress1949-1987Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
Paulding County Progress1987-presentOhio Memory; publisher/library archives; recent issues via NewspaperArchive

Download the Newspaper Research Log (PDF)

Printable Record Checklist

Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.

Brick Walls & Buckeyes emblem Brick Walls & Buckeyes brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Paulding County, Ohio

Vital & Probate

Birth record (Health Dept. 1908+, or Probate earlier)
Death record (Health Dept. 1908+, or Probate earlier)
Marriage record (Probate Court)
Will / estate administration file
Guardianship record
Divorce or court case (Clerk of Courts)

Land & Property

Deed / land transfer (Recorder's Office)
Mortgage record
Lien record
Tax duplicate (Auditor, FamilySearch)
First land purchase or patent (BLM GLO or county deeds)

Community & Print

Newspaper mention (Paulding County Progress)
Surname family file (Carnegie Library Genealogy Dept.)
Cemetery record / headstone photo
Museum artifact record (Paulding County History Museum)
Census record

Addresses and links last checked October 2026.

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