TIP: Marriage licenses are usually issued by the county government. If your ancestor was not married in Ohio, check the county in which that person lived to see what records may be online or available for copying.
No birth records were required by law before 1867. County Probate Courts recorded births between 1867-1908. The State of Ohio began issuing birth certificates on December 20, 1908.
TIP: Locate the local library where your ancestor lived and use their genealogy guides. These usually provide links to local resources not found elsewhere.
The State of Ohio began issuing death certificates on December 20, 1908. Prior to that date, death records were kept by the county or city in which the person died. There is a separate series for stillborn deaths.
TIP: Check the local public library in the area where your ancestor died. Many have put their obituary collections online. For example, the Obituary and Newspaper Index from Butler Area Public Library in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Cuyahoga County Archives is located at 3951 Perkins Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114. Contains original county records which are available for photocopying.
Index to above records available on RootsWeb. Images of documents are now appearing on FamilySearch.org; however, their index to the images is not yet available.