Formed April 1, 1820 from Shelby County · county seat Ottawa. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Putnam County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube245 E. Main St., Suite 301, Ottawa, OH 45875 · (419) 523-3012
Estate administration, guardianships, and marriage licenses.
245 E. Main St., Suite 202, Ottawa, OH 45875 · (419) 523-6490
Deeds, mortgages, liens, and other real-property records. E-recording services available.
245 E. Main Street, Suite 301, Ottawa, OH 45875 · (419) 523-3110
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
245 E. Main Street, Suite 201, Ottawa, OH 45875 · (419) 523-6686
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
136 Putnam Pkwy., Ottawa, OH 45875 · (419) 523-3747 ext. 210
Local history and genealogy collection housed in a dedicated center; a research brochure describing the holdings is available on the library's site.
PO Box 403, Ottawa, OH 45875 · meets at the library, 136 Putnam Pkwy.
Meets 4th Tuesday of the month (except July, August, December), 6:30pm, in the library's local history room.
201 E. Main St., Kalida, OH 45853 · (419) 532-3008
A separate organization from the OGS chapter above — based in Kalida rather than Ottawa, and focused on artifact and local-history preservation rather than research assistance.
256 Williamstown Rd., Ottawa, OH 45875 · (419) 523-5608
putnamhealth.com — Birth & Death Records
Certified births for anyone born anywhere in Ohio; certified deaths for events in Putnam County, 1909–present.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Putnam County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Putnam County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Putnam County was formed in 1820 from Shelby County. For records made before then, search the parent county:
Most of Putnam County's land was federal Congress Lands, surveyed in townships and sections and first sold through U.S. land offices. The first buyer of each tract received a federal patent.
Titles that covered Putnam 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kalida Venture | 1841-1865 | Chronicling America; Ohio Memory; GenealogyBank |
| Kalida Sentinel | 1855-1865 | Google News Archive; microfilm — Putnam County District Library |
| Putnam County Sentinel | 1865-present | Chronicling America (1865-1922+); NewsLibrary; current issues online |
| Ottawa Gazette | 1881-1928 | Microfilm only — Putnam County District Library |
| Putnam County Vidette (Columbus Grove) | 1873-present | Microfilm only — Putnam County District Library |
| Leipsic Free Press | 1878-1982 | Microfilm only — Putnam County District Library |
| Pandora Times | 1899-present | Microfilm only — Putnam County District Library |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Putnam 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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