Ohio Birth Certificates

Enter a name to search for Ohio birth certificates. This website was created to provide genealogists with access to Ohio birth certificates.. Additional information on how to obtain Ohio birth certificates is available below.

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Birth certificates contain information about a person's birth, including the date of birth, place of birth, sometimes the names of the mother and father, and even the physician who attended the birth. Birth certificates issued by state and local governments will often include the place of residence, and the mother's maiden name.

Birth certificates can be used to establish a person's date and place of birth. Most birth certificates provide the mother's maiden name. Birth certificates are often required to obtain other documents, licenses or to prove eligibility.

This webpage gives you access to all of the online databases containing Ohio birth records, Ohio birth ceritificates, Ohio birth notices, Ohio birth indexes, and other related Ohio genealogy records.

Birth records have long been used to help with genealogy research. They are considered to be "primary source" records, because the information is recorded by an eye witness, at the time the birth takes place. The Internet has allowed people to store birth records into various online archives. This has brought access to online birth records much more easier for genealogy researchers.

Newspapers frequently publish notices of births, and in addition to birth certificates, are a popular source of research by genealogists. Newspapers typically do not announce the names of the newborn, but list the sex of the child, the names of the parents, the place and date of birth.

On this page you will find the most comprehensive databases containing birth records of Ohio. We also suggest searching for "Ohio birth records" using Google.com, which will yield all such databases.

Search Ohio Birth Certificates

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How to Obtain Ohio Birth Certificates

Ohio statewide vital records registration began in 1908. Two previous attempts to enact such legislation were largely unsuccessful, though fragments exist. Check the local county Probate Clerk for these earlier records.

For more information on birth records - Dec. 20, 1908 to the present write:

Bureau of Vital Statistics
Ohio Department of Health
246 North High Street, 1st Floor
Columbus, OH 43216

State office has had birth records since December 20, 1908. The State Office has death records that occurred after December 31, 1945. A searchable index to records from 1913 to 1927 is also available via the Internet at http://www.ohiohistory.org.

Personal check or money order should be made payable to Treasury, State of Ohio. Cost for copy is $15.00. To verify current fees, the telephone number is (614) 466-2531. This will be a recorded message.

Death records that occurred December 20, 1908-December 31, 1944, can be obtained from the Ohio Historical Society, Archives Library Division, 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211-2497.

For earlier birth and death records, write to the Probate Court in the county where the event occurred.

Recommended Genealogy Websites

• DistantCousin.com - online genealogy databases, births, deaths, obituaries, military, others...

• CousinConnect.com - provides an online database of genealogy queries. Perform a surname search to find other Ohio genealogy researchers, possible distant relatives, lost family members, etc.

• Death-Records.net - look up death records from their Social Security Death Index search engine, and learn how to obtain SS-5 forms.

• SexOffenderRegistry.net - enter your ZIP code to find out how many registered sex offenders are in your neighborhood.

• Interment.net - look up the names of veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery using records provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

• BirthDatabase.net - Search for birth records using their online birth records search engine, and learn how to obtain birth certificates

• MarriageDatabase.com - Look up marriage records by entering a person's name into their search engine, plus get additional information on marriage certificates.

• ObituaryDatabase.com - Newpaper obituaries can be searched using their search engine, and you can browse other obituary websites with the collection of links.

• CityDirectoryRecords.com - Enter a surname into their city directories search engine to find persons living in a city during the late 1800's and early 1900's