Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Darke County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Census records
- Agricultural Census 1850, 18601850; 1860
- Census 1820 to 19301820 to 1930
- Industrial Census 1820, 1850, 18701820; 1850; 1870
Marriages, births and deaths
- Births 1863-19081863-1908
- Deaths 1867-19051867-1905
- Marriage Records 1817-18781817-1878
- Mortality Schedule 1860, 18801860; 1880
Poor relief and institutions
- County Home Inmates 1856-19511856-1951
Court records
- Judgment Index & Reverse Index 1818-18531818-1853
- Supreme Court Minutes 1820-18511820-1851
- Supreme Court Records 1817-18501817-1850
Naturalization records
- Naturalization Records 1856-18731856-1873
Wills and estates
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected microfilm holdings from the Ohio Genealogical Society’s published 2012 inventory. This is a historical inventory: confirm that the film is still available, along with current visit, copying and access conditions, before relying on it. These are holdings at the society, not a complete county courthouse inventory. Census spans do not imply that every census survives; the 1890 population census is largely lost. Some original catalog titles contain historical terminology.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Darke County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county recorder, the probate court, the clerk of the court of common pleas and the Ohio History Connection, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county recorder
Deeds, mortgages and other land records.
- The probate court
Wills, estates and guardianships, marriage licenses, births and deaths registered from 1867 to 1908, and most naturalizations from about 1859 to 1906.
- The clerk of the court of common pleas
Civil cases, divorces, and naturalizations before about 1859 and after 1906.
- The Ohio History Connection
In Columbus: state records, death certificates, and county records at its archives and regional network.
- Ohio History Connection Archives & Libraryfree
The state's historical society archives and library in Columbus, with state and county records and death certificates.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Ohio, Darke" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Miami County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Miami County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1809, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Ohio's probate courts registered births and deaths from 1867 until statewide registration began in 1908, so for those years ask the probate court of the county.