County Research Guide

Muskingum County, Ohio

Formed March 1, 1804 from Washington and Fairfield counties · county seat Zanesville. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.

Watch the Series

Muskingum County, Ohio Genealogy & History

Short episodes that walk through Muskingum County's records, one record type at a time.

Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look

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Where the records are

Muskingum County Probate Court

401 Main St., Zanesville, OH 43701 · (740) 455-7113

muskingumcountyoh.gov — Probate Court

Estates, guardianships, wills, and marriage licenses. Also holds births and deaths from 1867–Dec. 19, 1908, before the health department era.

Muskingum County Recorder

401 Main St., Zanesville, OH 43701 · (740) 455-7107

recorder.muskingumcounty.org

Deeds, mortgages, liens, and other recorded land/property instruments.

Muskingum County Clerk of Courts (Court of Common Pleas)

401 Main Street, Zanesville, OH 43701 · (740) 455-7104

clerkofcourts.muskingumcounty.org

Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.

Muskingum County Auditor

401 Main Street, Zanesville, OH 43701 · (740) 455-7109

muskingumcountyauditor.org

Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.

John McIntire Library — Genealogy Department

220 N. Fifth St., Zanesville, OH 43701 · (740) 453-0391 ext. 139

muskingumlibrary.org/research/genealogy

Second-floor Genealogy/Family History Center housing the OGS chapter's research collection — books, microfilm, and microfiche focused on Muskingum County families and history.

Muskingum County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society (MCCOGS)

PO Box 2427, Zanesville, OH 43702 · meets at John McIntire Library, 220 N. Fifth St.

mccogs.org

Chartered by OGS in 1976. Meets 3rd Saturday, 1pm, September–May (no meetings December), in the library's Genealogy Room.

Pioneer and Historical Society of Muskingum County

115 Jefferson St., Zanesville, OH 43701 · (740) 454-9500

muskingumcountyhistory.org · Wed–Fri 1–4pm, Sat 10am–1pm

A separate organization from MCCOGS above. Preserves county history and artifacts, including a large Weller Pottery collection, and operates the Dr. Increase Mathews House and Stone Academy museums.

Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department — Vital Statistics

205 N. 7th St., Zanesville, OH 43701 · (740) 454-9741

zmchd.org — Birth & Death Certificates

Births and deaths from December 20, 1908–present for the City of Zanesville and Muskingum County. Earlier records (1867–1908) are held at Probate Court instead.

Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.

Before Muskingum County existed

Muskingum County was formed in 1804 from Washington and Fairfield Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:

Land: U.S. Military District

Part of Muskingum County lies in the U.S. Military District, federal land set aside to pay Continental Army veterans of the Revolutionary War with bounty land warrants.

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.

More for Muskingum County

Newspapers of Muskingum County

Titles that covered Muskingum County, historic and current, with where to search each one. Not every historic title has been digitized — several survive only on microfilm.

TitleYearsWhere to Search
Zanesville Daily Courier1852-1915Chronicling America (select years 1884-1915)
The Muskingum News1886-1900sChronicling America (Library of Congress)
Zanesville Times Recorder1904-presentGenealogyBank; Newspapers.com; Ohio Memory (select years)
Zanesville SignalLate 1800s-1959Newspapers.com; microfilm — Muskingum County Library System
Zanesville Daily Times1880s-1904Microfilm only — Muskingum County Library System
Zanesville Gazette / Zanesville Aurora1810s-1850sMicrofilm only — Ohio History Connection / Muskingum County Library System

Download the Newspaper Research Log (PDF)

Printable Record Checklist

Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.

Brick Walls & Buckeyes emblem Brick Walls & Buckeyes brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Muskingum County, Ohio

Vital & Probate

Birth record (Health Dept. 1908+, or Probate earlier)
Death record (Health Dept. 1908+, or Probate earlier)
Marriage record (Probate Court)
Will / estate administration file
Guardianship record
Divorce or court case (Clerk of Courts)

Land & Property

Deed / land transfer (Recorder's Office)
Mortgage record
Lien record
Tax duplicate (Auditor, FamilySearch)
First land purchase or patent (BLM GLO or county deeds)

Community & Print

Newspaper mention (Zanesville Times Recorder)
Surname family file (John McIntire Library Genealogy Dept.)
Cemetery record / headstone photo
Museum artifact record (Dr. Increase Mathews House)
Census record

Addresses and links last checked October 2026.

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