Formed December 26, 1822 from parts of Cuyahoga, Huron, and Medina counties, operational January 1824 — named by settler Heman Ely for the French province of Lorraine · county seat Elyria. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Lorain County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTubeJustice Center, 225 Court St., Room 611, Elyria, OH 44035 · (440) 329-5175
Estates, guardianships, and marriage licenses (marriage applications by appointment only — call (440) 329-5295 to schedule).
226 Middle Ave., Room 102, Elyria, OH 44035 · (440) 329-5148
Deeds, mortgages, liens, and veterans' discharge documents.
225 Court Street, 1st Floor, Elyria, OH 44035 · (440) 329-5000
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
226 Middle Avenue, 2nd Floor, Elyria, OH 44035 · (440) 329-5207
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
Lorain Main Library: 351 W. Sixth St., Lorain, OH 44052 · (440) 244-1192
lorainpubliclibrary.org — Genealogy · elyrialibrary.org — Genealogy
Lorain County has two separate library systems worth checking — Lorain Public Library (Ancestry Library Edition, FamilySearch access, local newspaper microfilm) and Elyria Public Library, which as county seat maintains its own genealogy and local history page.
PO Box 865, Elyria, OH 44036
Active — formed from a 1982 merger of two earlier local groups. Meets virtually on the 2nd Monday of the month, 7pm.
Lorain County History Center, 284 Washington Ave., Elyria, OH 44035 · (440) 322-3341
lchs.org · Tue–Fri 10am–4pm, free admission
A separate organization from the genealogical society above, founded 1889. Operates two sites — the History Center (with a research library) and The Hickories, a guided-tour house museum. LCHS's own site lists the genealogical society as an outside resource, confirming the two are distinct.
9880 S. Murray Ridge Rd., Elyria, OH 44035 · (440) 322-6367
Births and deaths from 1908 forward for most of the county — but the City of Lorain, and possibly Elyria, may maintain vital records through their own separate city health departments. Call ahead to confirm the right office before a visit.
Find A Grave — Lorain County, Interment.net, and OhioGravestones.org.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Lorain County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Lorain County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Lorain County was formed in 1822 from Huron, Cuyahoga, and Medina Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:
All of Lorain 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).
Titles that covered Lorain 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Elyria Independent Democrat | 1852-1877 | Chronicling America (free, full-text searchable) |
| Elyria Courier | 1846-1854 | Chronicling America (free, full-text searchable) |
| Elyria Daily Reporter | 1898-1901 | Chronicling America (free, full-text searchable) |
| Wellington Enterprise | 1879-1899 digitized | Chronicling America (1879-1886, 1899); microfilm — Herrick Memorial Library |
| Chronicle-Telegram | 1919-present | GenealogyBank, Newspapers.com; microfilm — Elyria Public Library |
| Lorain Journal (Morning Journal) | 1922-present | GenealogyBank, Newspapers.com; microfilm — Lorain Public Library |
| Oberlin News-Tribune | 1870s-2018 | Digitized to ~1890 — Oberlin College Archives; microfilm — Oberlin Heritage Center |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Lorain 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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