Three playlists built to help you research smarter, not just longer — where to look online, what Ohio's record sets actually contain, and how to plan the search itself.
No record James Murray left names his parents, and his father's records never name him. See how five independent clues, census tallies, migration, siblings' sworn statements, naming patterns, and DNA, proved him the son of William Morrow (Murray) and Eleanor Piper anyway. Part of The Morrow Family Files; earlier: Why Your Ancestor Isn't in the Records (And How to Find Them) (Rachel P. Murray) · She Married Twice and Her Family Forgot Her First Husband (Sarah Elizabeth Murray).
Births, deaths, marriages, wills, land, census, and newspapers: key Ohio dates, which office has what, and the state-level archives.
Probate, Clerk of Courts, Recorder, Auditor, and Health Department: which office keeps wills, marriages, divorces, deeds, and tax lists, and the 1852 rule.
Virginia Military District, Western Reserve, Seven Ranges, Ohio Company, and more, with a county map and where each district's first land records are.
Websites, databases, search tricks, and free tools that make online genealogy research faster and more accurate — practical, tool-by-tool guidance.
A closer look at Ohio's actual record sets — probate, land, tax, vital, and court records explained one collection at a time, so you know what each one can and can't tell you.
Approaches and strategy for tackling Ohio research problems — how to plan a search, work around missing records, and think through a brick wall step by step. New videos added regularly.
Free cheat sheets (PDF): War of 1812 Records: Where to Find What · Revolutionary War Records: Where to Find What · Civil War Pension Records: Where to Find What · Family Reconstruction Worksheet · Family Group Sheet · Holiday Family History Interview Guide
Printable census worksheets: A form for every U.S. census from 1790 to 1950, with research tips on every page. Get the Census Research Worksheets
Watch with the cheat sheets: I Investigated a 170-Year-Old Case: Reading a War of 1812 Pension File · Finding Marriage Proof in Military Files: Reading a Revolutionary War Pension File · How to Find Civil War Pensions: Researching the Murray Brothers · Stuck on Your Ancestors? The Ohio Research Strategy That Actually Works
A–Z roster of Warren County men who served 1861–65, each linked to regiment, gravesite, pension card, and death record, with the 1885–86 Lebanon Gazette “Warren County in the War” series. Notes where the old county histories got a man wrong.
2,500+ pages of births, marriages, deaths, divorces, cemetery and church records, tax maps 1853–1931, military and pension records, probate and bastardy cases, and an index to Howe's History. Browse the scanned obituaries by section; the site search can't read them.
Word-for-word transcription of the Jackson County edition: soldier surnames A–Z, soldier dead, regimental sections, and seven G.A.R. posts.
Free veterans-burial indexes by era, the largest over 37,000 names, scanned WPA veteran grave cards, Potter's Field burials 1901–1981, and a 1791 Fort Recovery roster.
Alphabetical transcription of the Montgomery County edition of Military History of Ohio, including residents who enlisted elsewhere.
Name index to the 1883 History of Hocking Valley by township, with transcriptions added on request, plus births, deaths, cemeteries, census, newspapers, and obituaries for a county with few records online.
Athens County probate estate packets 1805–1914, marriage indexes 1805–1947, wills 1814–1915, obituaries 1900–2016, and histories for nine southeastern counties. Limited hours; call ahead. Staff research $15/hour.
An interactive map of Ohio's county formation history — watch the state's county lines get carved and re-carved decade by decade. One of the best ways to actually see the "parent county" problem, not just read about it.
A free digital collection built by the Ohio History Connection and libraries statewide — historic photos, letters, maps, and newspapers from every corner of Ohio, fully searchable.
Ohio's official historical society — home to the State Archives, research library, and the largest single collection of Ohio county and state records outside the courthouses themselves.
A strong genealogy and local history collection for Franklin County and central Ohio, with in-library access to major genealogy databases at the Main Library downtown.
The statewide parent organization behind nearly every county chapter mentioned in our county research guides — chapter directory, library, and conferences.
The Adams County Library's genealogy department page — local history holdings and research help for one of Ohio's oldest counties.
These research playlists sit alongside the channel's county-by-county Ohio genealogy project and the other standalone series.
County guides, record walkthroughs, and brick wall breakthroughs. Subscribe on YouTube and tap the bell so new episodes find you.
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