Our Court's Past . . . And Present

Births and deaths . . .

Adoptions for families and protections for the elderly . . .

Our probate courts are there for Ohio's citizen's throughout their lives and are there to mark their passing

Established by the Ohio Constitution of 1851, Lucas County Probate Court took over the responsibilities, formerly held by the 6th district court, for the settling of estates, the appointment of guardians for minor heirs and for other juvenile matters. After the elections of 1852, Charles I. Scott settled in as the first judge of the newly created probate court. Though much has changed (the establishment of independent juvenile courts, for example), much has remained the same.

The records of the Lucas County Probate Court offer a unique number of assets for those doing genealogical research. While other offices provide a record of property owners and the taxes that they paid, and the journals of the other courts preserve a record of conflicts (both civil and criminal) arisen and resolved, only the probate courts were charged, from before the civil war to shortly after the turn of the century, with keeping a running tally of the births of new citizens and the deaths of departed ones. When you add to these resources, our courts jurisdiction in the issuance of marriage licenses, you have an invaluable tool for the tracing of Lucas County's citizenry.

Our Court's Resources

The records that our court has that we believe will best serve the genealogists are:

-Birth records
-Death records
-Marriage records
-Estates and will records
-Birth registrations and corrections

Birth Records

Our court has birth records from 1867 to 1908. We have two indexes that list in alphabetical order everyone who's birth in Lucas County was properly registered. The books have the following information:

-Name in full
-Date of birth
-State, county and city
-Gender
-Race
-Father's name and mother's maiden name
-Residency of parents
-By whom the birth was reported

Death Records

We have death records from 1867 to 1908. They include the following information:

-Name in full
-Date of death
-Marital status
-Age
-Birth place
-Place of death
-Occupation
-Father's name and mother's maiden name
-Race
-Cause of death
-Place of residence
-By whom reported

Marriage Records

We have marriage records from 1835 to the present. They are indexed by the names of both parties. The volumes have the following information, their format has changed slightly over time as follows:

Volume's 1 - 5

-Bride and groom name
-Date
-Minister's name

Volume's 6 - 7

-Bride and groom name
-Previous marital status
-Minister's name
-Who filed the application (bride, groom or parent of minor)

In the back of these books, church marriages are recorded in the following manner:

-Bride and groom name
-Date of marriage
-Minister's name

Volume's 8 - Present

-Bride and groom name
-Date of application
-Bride and groom birth dates
-Residency of bride and groom
-Occupation
-Places of birth
-Father's name and mother's maiden name
-Previous marital status
-Minister to perform ceremony

Certificates of Marriage contain the following:

-Date
-Names
-Minister's name
-Date solemnization was filed

Volume's 136 - 248 have Supplemental Marriage License Applications that have the following additional information:

-Bride and groom name
-Reason previous marriage ended (death, divorce)
-Jurisdiction which solemnized marriage
-Date on which previous marriage ended
-Application number
-Names of minor children (if any)

Estates

We have an index on microfiche up to 1985 and on computer from 1986 up to the present. Administration Dockets have estates from 1835 to 1967 (208 volumes). These volumes have the following information:

-Name in full
-Date of death
-Next of kin
-Listing of all filings

Will Records

We have an index on microfiche and also on dockets from 1835 to 1890. They contain the following information:

-Transcripts of actual wills of decedents
-Listing of all probate filings
-ALL wills that have been probated are also on microfiche.

Birth Registrations / Corrections

 We have dockets running between 1941 through 1968. These books record corrections of birth certificates and late registrations of birth. Late registrations of birth are used for people whose births were not registered upon their birth. Both applications have the following information:

-Child's name
-County of birth
-County of residence
-Place of birth
-Gender
-Single, twin or triplet birth
-Months of pregnancy
-Date of birth
-Where mother stayed during pregnancy
-Marital status of mother
-Name
-Race
-Occupation
-Birthplace of parents
-Age of parents at time of birth
-Other children born to this mother or still births
-Attending physician or midwife

Miscellaneous Dockets

These docket books run from 1891 to 1986. As the name implies, these dockets hold cases that are not estates, trusts or guardianships.

Our court also has a variety of other records of interest, perhaps more to the general historian than to the genealogist. Our court presided over the impeachment of a Toledo Streets Commissioner, issued dance permits for Lucas County's Townships and kept a record of licensed nurses, doctors and ministers at various times in its history. To this day the Lucas County Probate Court is charged with keeping a record of our community's licensed chiropractors, appoints members to a number of boards and commissions including members to the Board of Directors of the Metro Parks.

Please visit the Ohio Obituary Index for a free index to over 1,300,000 obituaries, death & marriage notices & other sources from Ohio from the 1800's to the present day.

We hope that this web page has been an informative and helpful introduction to our Lucas County Probate Court, it's work and it's history.

Click here for a printable version

Back to Top