Formed March 6, 1840 from Erie, Sandusky, and Lucas counties — named for the Ottawa (Odawa) people · county seat Port Clinton. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Ottawa County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube315 Madison St., Room 305, Port Clinton, OH 43452 · (419) 734-6830
Estates, guardianships, and marriage licenses. Probate and Juvenile Court are combined under one office in Ottawa County.
315 Madison St., Room 204, Port Clinton, OH 43452 · (419) 734-6730
co.ottawa.oh.us/273/Recorders-Office
Deeds, mortgages, and liens.
315 Madison Street, Room 304, Port Clinton, OH 43452 · (419) 734-6756
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
315 Madison Street, Port Clinton, OH 43452 · (419) 734-6742
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
328 Toledo St., Elmore, OH 43416 · (419) 862-3807 ext. 103
harriselmorelibrary.org — Local History & Genealogy
Obituaries, naturalization records, photographs, cemetery records, federal census, and local government records covering Ottawa, Sandusky, Wood, Lucas, and Erie counties. Built over 40+ years by longtime librarian Grace Luebke.
310 Madison St., Port Clinton, OH 43452 · (419) 732-3212
The county's main library — hosts the genealogical society's meetings in its Community Room and holds some Ohio Memory digital collections.
PO Box 193, Port Clinton, OH 43452
Active since 1969, one of OGS's older chapters. Meets 3rd Tuesday, 7pm (no meetings Jan/Feb/Jul/Aug/Dec), generally at Trinity United Methodist Church or the Ida Rupp Public Library.
126 West Third St., Port Clinton, OH 43452 · (419) 732-2237
theottawacountymuseum.org · seasonal hours, call ahead
A separate organization from OCOGS above, operated by the Port Clinton Area Heritage Foundation. An artifact- and photo-focused museum; the two groups collaborate informally but are not the same entity.
1856 E. Perry St., Port Clinton, OH 43452 · (419) 734-6800
ottawahealth.org/227/Vital-Statistics
Can issue any Ohio birth certificate, December 20, 1908–present. Deaths in Ottawa County, 1908–present. Earlier records (1867–1908) are generally held at the Probate Court.
Find A Grave — Ottawa County, Interment.net, and OhioGravestones.org.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Ottawa County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Ottawa County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Ottawa County was formed in 1840 from Erie, Sandusky, and Lucas Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:
Part of Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County News | 1865-1956 | Chronicling America (LOC); gap years microfilm — Ottawa County District Library |
| The Daily News | 1956-1969 | Chronicling America (LCCN sn89075280) |
| News Herald | 1969-present | GenealogyBank & NewsBank (recent); microfilm — Ida Rupp Public Library |
| Ottawa County Exponent | 1881-1991 | Chronicling America (partial run); microfilm — Ohio History Connection |
| Port Clinton Herald | pre-1969 | Microfilm only — Ida Rupp Public Library, Port Clinton |
| The Beacon | 1990s-present | thebeacon.net online archive (current issues only) |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Ottawa County, Ohio
Addresses and links last checked October 2026.
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