Process for Obtaining Ohio Marriage Records

Ohio is one of the country’s most diverse states, with a history stretching back to pre-colonial times. That makes the study of genealogy there very interesting, and the demands on Ohio marriage records reflect it.

When President Jefferson admitted Ohio into the union as its 17th state in 1803, it was well short of the 60,000 population that would qualify it for admission under the so-called Northwest Ordinance. Congress made an exception because its population was growing so fast. Ohio’s later history fully justified its inclusion.

Ohio Marriage Records Have a Long History

The State of Ohio has a long history. People started to move here centuries ago, making it a challenge to track them and find someone if the records were not properly maintained.

Luckily, that is not the case in this state. Ohio marriage records and other vital information in the state has been registered since 1908. Even before that, there were two previous attempts made to enact legislation for this purpose--but it failed. Though these attempts might have failed, fragments of them can still be found. So, if you are lucky, you can perhaps access a marriage record from earlier than 1908 as well.

To access the marriage records in the State of Ohio, you will need to approach the local County Probate Clerk. In the state, you can also access other vital information such as birth and death records, and for this, you will have to approach the following authority:

Ohio Department of Health
Division of Vital Statistics
P.O. Box 15098
Columbus, OH 43215-0098

Searching for Ohio Marriage Records

For marriage records in Ohio that date before September 7, 1949, you have to ask the relevant Ohio County Probate Court if the OHS does not keep that county’s marriage records. Marriages records dating after September 7th 1949 are held by the OHS for Delaware, Franklin, Marion, and Tuscarawas counties. For other counties you have to approach the relevant County Probate Court.

Who Wants to Access Marriage Records in Ohio?

There may be many reasons why you might want to access the marriage records in Ohio. The most popular reason is for genealogy search. You might have had a great-grandfather or someone else in the family who came to the state and stayed here.

Perhaps you are making your family tree or trying to chart your roots, and so you want to track that missing great-grandfather, uncle, aunt or someone else in the family. Marriage records can help you in this quest. Often, such records work as the primary source of information where there was an eyewitness who recorded the incident.

Other than marriage certificates in the state, there could also have been some newspaper insertion advertising the marriage. You never know from where you can get the information you want. This is why you need to frequently search from various sources.

The Internet has also made it easier to search for and find marriage records in the State of Ohio and elsewhere in the U.S. You can easily search for Ohio marriage records, marriage licenses, marriage indexes, marriage announcements and many other genealogy records.

Any marriage certificate that was issued by the local or the state government can reveal much information such as the couple's address and even the maiden name of their mothers.

What to Do When You Want a Copy of a Marriage Record in Ohio

When you make a request for your copy of the marriage record, you need to provide some information. You need to provide as much information as possible to ensure that what you receive is accurate. Do not forget that there might have been two people with the same name. Thus, when you want a copy of the marriage license you need to provide the following information:

•    The husband’s full name (the last name should be in capital letters)
•    The wife’s full maiden name (the last name should be in capital letters)
•    The date when the marriage took place
•    The place where the marriage happened
•    Your relationship to the parties
•    You should state why you need access to the record
•    Your own address and name
•    Your own state and driver’s license number (this is necessary in some counties)
•    Your signature

Other Advice to Help You Access the Correct Marriage Records

•    Your application letter should be to the point and concise.
•    Never make more than just 1 or 2 requests at a time. Never include confusing family details.
•    It is always better to type the addresses and names in the letter.
•    Provide as much information as possible such as every name that could have been used, alternative spellings, nicknames etc.
•    Make a list of dates and types of events accurately (as much as possible). If it is difficult to specify the date, include the span of years that you want searched. Try to narrow it down to the maximum possible.
•    Include a self-addressed stamped envelope with the application.