Formed March 24, 1803 from Adams County — named for the Scioto River · county seat Portsmouth. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Scioto County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube602 7th St. #201, Portsmouth, OH 45662 · (740) 355-8360
sciotocountycourt.com/scioto-county-probate-court
Wills, estates, guardianships, adoptions, name changes, and marriage licenses.
602 7th St., Room #110, Portsmouth, OH 45662 · (740) 355-8304
Deeds, land records, mortgages, and liens.
602 Seventh Street, Room 205, Portsmouth, OH 45662 · (740) 355-8218
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
602 Seventh Street, #103, Portsmouth, OH 45662 · (740) 355-8324
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
1220 Gallia St., Portsmouth, OH 45662 · (740) 354-5688
Family history/surname files, microfilmed census (1820–1930), births/deaths 1856–1954, marriage records 1803–1911, court records 1801–1906, city directories from 1856, cemetery indexes, and in-house Ancestry Library Edition and NewspaperArchive.com access.
PO Box 812, Portsmouth, OH 45662
Active — meets bimonthly (2nd Saturday) at the Portsmouth Public Library. Distinct from both historical organizations below.
1810 House: 1926 Waller St., Portsmouth, OH 45662
Three separate organizations serve this county: the genealogical society above, the Historical Society (which runs the 1810 House/Kinney Homestead museum), and the newer Scioto County Heritage Museum. Call ahead to confirm hours for either museum.
Easy to conflate all three — verify which one holds the records you need before visiting.
Scioto County Health Dept.: 612 6th St., Suite D, Portsmouth, OH 45662 · (740) 355-8358
Portsmouth City Health Dept.: 605 Washington St., Portsmouth, OH 45662 · (740) 353-5153 ext. 224
The county office issues births 1908–present (any Ohio birth) and deaths 1931–present outside Portsmouth city limits. The city office separately holds Portsmouth births/deaths from about 1909. Records not held locally route to the Ohio Department of Health or Ohio History Connection.
Interment.net — Scioto County and OhioGravestones.org, plus the library's own Early Cemetery Index and Greenlawn Cemetery Records.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Scioto County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Scioto County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Scioto County was formed in 1803 from Adams County. For records made before then, search the parent county:
Part of Scioto 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 Scioto County lies in the French Grant, land Congress granted to the French settlers of Gallipolis.
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 Scioto 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth Gazette | 1818-1820s | Microfilm only — Scioto County Public Library, Portsmouth |
| Portsmouth Tribune (and Clipper) | 1848-1853 | Chronicling America (Library of Congress) |
| Portsmouth Inquirer | 1849-1855 | Chronicling America (Library of Congress) |
| Portsmouth Times | 1903-1978 | Chronicling America; Ohio Memory |
| Portsmouth Daily Times | 1852/1894-1999 | Chronicling America (1894-1963); Google News Archive; OldNews.com |
| Early Scioto Co. titles / obit-marriage index | 1800s-1900s | Scioto County Public Library Local History Early Newspaper Index |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Scioto 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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