Formed February 24, 1846 from Richland, Wayne, Lorain, and Huron counties — named for Henry Clay's Kentucky estate · county seat Ashland. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Ashland County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube142 West Second Street, Ashland, OH 44805 · (419) 282-4209
Wills, estate administrations, guardianships, and marriage license applications.
142 W. 2nd St., Ashland, OH 44805 · (419) 282-4238
Deeds and land records, plus a scanned WPA-era Veterans Graves Registration book.
142 W. Second Street, Ashland, OH 44805 · (419) 282-4242
ashlandcounty.org/clerkofcourts
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
142 W. Second Street, Ashland, OH 44805 · (419) 282-4324
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
224 Claremont Avenue, Ashland, OH 44805
[email protected] · ashland.lib.oh.us/genealogy-and-local-history
Jointly maintained with the Ashland Co. OGS chapter — census records (1850–1930), obituary files, First Families files, and newspapers on microfilm (1852–2016).
420 Center St, Ashland, OH 44805 · (419) 289-3111 · [email protected]
Artifacts and local history collections at the Freer Home.
Freer Home, 1260 Center Street, Ashland, OH (formed 1970)
Separate from the Historical Society — publishes the "Pastfinder" quarterly.
1211 Claremont Avenue, Ashland, OH 44805 · (419) 282-4231
ashlandhealth.com — see Birth and Death Records
Certified birth/death certificates only — marriage and divorce records are at Probate Court instead.
Find A Grave — Ashland County and Interment.net — Ashland County.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Ashland County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Ashland County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Ashland County was formed in 1846 from Wayne, Richland, Huron, and Lorain Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:
Part of Ashland County lies in the Connecticut Western Reserve, land Connecticut kept when it gave up its western claims, sold privately through the Connecticut Land Company. There are no federal land patents here, so start with the earliest deeds at the county Recorder (or the parent county's Recorder).
Other parts of the county were federal Congress Lands or smaller special tracts. Where land was sold by the federal government, the first purchase appears as a federal patent.
Titles that covered Ashland County, historic and current, with where to search each one. Not every historic title has been digitized — several survive only on microfilm.
| Title | Years | Where to Search |
|---|---|---|
| The Ohio Union (Ashland) | 1849–1854 | Chronicling America |
| The Ashland Press | 1872–1920 | Chronicling America |
| Ashland Times-Gazette and the Ashland Press | 1921–1947 | Chronicling America |
| Ashland Times-Gazette | 1947–current | GenealogyBank, Newspapers.com; current at ashlandsource.com |
| Loudonville Times | 1920–2017 | Chronicling America catalog — check with Loudonville Public Library for later years |
| The Loudonville Democrat | 1879–1920 | Chronicling America catalog |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Ashland County, Ohio
Addresses and links last checked October 2026.
County guides, record walkthroughs, and brick wall breakthroughs. Subscribe on YouTube and tap the bell so new episodes find you.
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