Formed March 23, 1850 from Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, and Ross counties — Ohio's second-to-last county and its least populous · county seat McArthur. Repository addresses, online record links, and a free printable record checklist below.
Short episodes that walk through Vinton County's records, one record type at a time.
Formation · Settlers & Migration · Probate · Land · Tax · Churches · Newspapers · Where to Look
Watch on YouTube100 East Main Street, McArthur, OH 45651 · (740) 790-7003
vintoncounty.com/vinton_government/juvenileprobate-court
Probate records from 1867, marriage records from 1850, wills, estates, guardianships, and pre-1908 birth/death records.
100 East Main Street, McArthur, OH 45651 · (740) 596-4314
recorder@vintoncountyohio.gov · vintoncounty.com/vinton_government/recorder
Deeds, mortgages, land records, and military discharge records since 1850.
100 E. Main Street, McArthur, OH 45651 · (740) 596-3001
Divorces, civil suits (including partition suits that divide land among heirs), and Common Pleas journals. Before 1852, this court also handled wills and estates.
100 E. Main Street, McArthur, OH 45651 · (740) 596-4571 ext. 7007
Current tax lists and property transfer records. Early tax duplicates are on FamilySearch and at the Ohio History Connection.
120 North Market Street, McArthur, OH 45651 · (740) 596-5691
Vinton's public library. No dedicated genealogy room — the Historical & Genealogical Society below is the primary local resource.
207 South Sugar Street, McArthur, OH 45651 · (740) 596-0253 · vchistoricalsociety@outlook.com
Open Wed–Fri, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (call ahead)
Home of the Homer C. Pierce Genealogical Library — family histories and local artifacts. Also serves as the county's Ohio Genealogical Society chapter.
31927 State Route 93, McArthur, OH 45651 · (740) 596-5233
vintcohd@vintonohhealth.org · vintonohhealth.org/vitals
Certified birth/death certificates for recent events; pre-1908 records are referred to the Probate Court above.
Find A Grave — Vinton County and Interment.net — Vinton County cemetery transcriptions.
Not sure which office has what? See Which County Office Holds What.
Many Vinton County record books are filmed and free to view at FamilySearch (free account required).
In Full-Text Search, add Vinton County, Ohio as the place to find names inside handwritten deeds, wills, and court books. How to use it.
Vinton County was formed in 1850 from Gallia, Athens, Ross, Jackson, and Hocking Counties. For records made before then, search the parent counties:
Part of Vinton County lies in the Ohio Company Purchase, land bought by the Ohio Company of Associates, the New England veterans who founded Marietta in 1788. The first titles came from the company, so start with the earliest deeds at the county Recorder (or the parent county's).
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 Vinton 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 |
|---|---|---|
| M'arthur Democrat | 1853-1865 | Chronicling America (Library of Congress) |
| The Vinton Record | 1866-1891 | Chronicling America; Ohio Memory (1866-1874) |
| Democratic Enquirer / McArthur Enquirer | 1867-1884 | Chronicling America (Library of Congress) |
| Vinton County Democrat | 1879-1884 | Chronicling America (Library of Congress) |
| McArthur Democrat-Enquirer | 1884-1970 | Chronicling America (partial); microfilm — McArthur Public Library |
| Vinton County Courier | 1971-present | Microfilm only — McArthur Public Library / Ohio History Connection |
Fill in what you're looking for, print it, and take it with you to the courthouse or library.
Brick Walls & Buckeyes
brickwallsbuckeyes.com · Vinton 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.
Subscribe on YouTube