Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Franklin 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, 1860, 18701850; 1860; 1870
- Census 1820 to 19301820 to 1930
- Industrial Census 1820, 1850, 18701820; 1850; 1870
Wills and estates
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Consents, Probate Court, 1955-19571955-1957
- Marriage Records Male Index, Probate Court, 1803-19181803-1918
- Marriages 1803-18651803-1865
- Marriages 1862-1866, v. 8-91862-1866
- Marriages 1885-1888, v. 18-191885-1888
- Marriages 1921-1925, v. 80-811921-1925
- Marriages 1922-1923, v. 84-851922-1923
- Marriages 1926-1928, v. 97-981926-1928
- Mortality Schedule 1860, 18801860; 1880
Naturalization records
Newspapers and directories
Court records
- Ohio Penitentiary Record of Escapes 1834-1928; Register of Prisoners 1829-18551834-1928; 1829-1855
Tax records
- Tax Records 1801, 1806, 1807, 18091801; 1806; 1807; 1809
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
- Franklin 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, Franklin" 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: Ross County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Ross County
Later formed partly from Franklin County: Champaign County, Delaware County, Knox County, Madison County, Pickaway County, Richland County, Union County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1803, 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.