Organized April 30, 1803 from Ross County · county seat Columbus. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Franklin County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube373 S. High St., 22nd Floor, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 525-3894
probate.franklincountyohio.gov
Wills, estates, guardianships, adoptions, name changes, marriage licenses (1803–present), and birth/death records 1867–1908.
373 S. High St., 18th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 525-3930
recorder.franklincountyohio.gov
Deeds, mortgages, plats, and other real-property legal instruments; online search portal at franklin.oh.publicsearch.us.
345 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 525-3600
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
373 S. High Street, 21st Floor, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 525-5700
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 645-2275
columbuslibrary.org/history-genealogy
One of the largest genealogy collections in the U.S. — city/county directories, a microfilm room with 20+ historic newspapers, Camp Chase Civil War prison records, and central Ohio cemetery indexes.
96 S. Grant Ave., Columbus, OH 43215 (housed at the library above) · (614) 849-1239
fcghs-oh.org · office hours Sundays 1–4pm
Active since 1970. Cemetery records, surname research, and a Pioneer Families lineage database. Not to be confused with the unrelated Franklin County Genealogical Society in Mt. Vernon, Texas.
Columbus Historical Society: 717 W. Town St. · (614) 224-0822 · columbushistory.org
Ohio History Connection (state archives): 800 E. 17th Ave. · (614) 297-2510 · ohiohistory.org
Two distinct organizations from the genealogical society above — the Columbus Historical Society is city-focused, while the Ohio History Connection is the statewide archive and holds Ohio Memory's digitized newspapers.
240 Parsons Ave., Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 645-7331
columbus.gov — Birth or Death Certificate
Certified birth records (any Ohio county) and Franklin County death records, 1908–present. Records before 1908 are at the Probate Court above.
Find A Grave — Franklin County and Central Ohio Grave Search (centralohiogravesearch.com).
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Franklin County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Franklin County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Franklin County was formed in 1803 from Ross and Wayne Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:
Part of Franklin County lies in the Virginia Military District, land Virginia set aside for its Revolutionary War veterans. It was surveyed in irregular metes and bounds, and the first owners' records follow a warrant, entry, survey, and patent trail.
Part of Franklin 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.
Part of Franklin County lies in the Refugee Tract, a strip set aside by Congress for Americans from Canada and Nova Scotia who supported the Revolution.
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 Franklin 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio State Journal (Columbus) | 1825–1959 | Chronicling America and Ohio Memory |
| Ohio Monitor (Columbus) | 1825–1836 | Chronicling America |
| Der Westbote (Columbus, German-language) | 1863–1871 | Chronicling America |
| The Columbus Dispatch | 1871–current | Current at dispatch.com; historic runs on Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank |
| The Columbus Citizen-Journal | 1959–1985 | Check NewspaperArchive or GenealogyBank |
| The Lantern (Ohio State University) | 1881–current | Ohio State University Libraries digital archive; current at thelantern.com |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Franklin 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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