Organized March 1, 1817 from Gallia and Scioto counties · original county seat Burlington, moved to Ironton in 1851. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Lawrence County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube111 S. 4th Street, Ironton, OH 45638 · (740) 533-4343
Estate/probate records, guardianships, adoptions, name changes, marriage licenses, and birth corrections. Pre-1908 birth records are also handled here rather than at the Health District.
Lawrence County Courthouse, 111 S. 4th Street, Suite 21, Ironton, OH 45638 · (740) 533-4314
lawrencecountyohiorecorder.org
Land and deed records, mortgages, and other recorded instruments.
111 S. Fourth Street, Ironton, OH 45638 · (740) 533-4355
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
111 S. Fourth Street, Ironton, OH 45638 · (740) 533-4310
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
321 S. 4th Street, Ironton, OH 45638 · (740) 532-1124
County vital statistics back to 1868, census records, newspaper archives back to 1850, local histories, cemetery records, and free in-branch Ancestry.com access. Genealogy room open Wed–Sat only.
506 S. 6th Street, Ironton, OH 45638 · (740) 532-1222 · [email protected]
An 1880 house museum with local artifacts and history. Open Sat/Sun 1–4pm April–mid-December; off-season by appointment.
P.O. Box 1035, Proctorville, OH 45669
lawrencegenealogy.org · [email protected]
Chartered 1984. Maintains member-compiled courthouse record indexes and offers research assistance. Mail/online contact only — no storefront or public phone line.
2122 S. 8th Street, Ironton, OH 45638
lawcohd.org — see Birth and Death Certificates
Certified copies of Ohio births and deaths, 1908–present, $25/copy. Vital Statistics hours M–F 8:30–12:00 & 1:00–3:30. Pre-1908 births route to Probate Court above.
800 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43211 · (614) 297-2510
ohiohistory.org/research/archives-library
Statewide vital records indexes, naturalization records, and military service records. Some vital-records research requests are listed as temporarily suspended on their site — check current status before mailing a request.
Find A Grave — Lawrence County, Interment.net — Lawrence County, and the locally-run Lawrence Register cemetery index. For unmapped rural cemeteries, township trustees are often the best contact.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Lawrence County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Lawrence County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Lawrence County was created from Gallia and Scioto Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:
Part of Lawrence County lies in the Ohio Company Purchase, land bought by the Ohio Company of Associates, the New England veterans who founded Marietta in 1788. The first titles came from the company, so start with the earliest deeds at the county Recorder (or the parent county's).
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 Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ironton Register | 1850-1908 | Chronicling America (LOC), free full-text search |
| The Irontonian | 1874-1928 | Microfilm only — Briggs Lawrence County Public Library |
| Ironton News | 1899-1937 | Chronicling America (LOC), free full-text search |
| Ironton Tribune | 1928-present | Chronicling America (1942-1963); Newspapers.com (1960-2004) |
| Ironton Weekly/Semi-Weekly Register variants | 1850s-1900s | Ohio Memory (Ohio History Connection) newspaper collection |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Lawrence 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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