Center for Archival Collections

Helps by County

Established: 12 February 1820 County Seat: Van Wert
Geographical Names Newspapers Local Government Records	Indexes Churches Online Resources

 Geographical Names (active post offices in bold)

Townships

Newspapers

Newspapers are useful to genealogical research because of the obituaries and community news appearing in them. The following communities published newspapers with information relating to Van Wert County residents. To see the CAC's holdings for each title, go to the Guide to Newspaper Holdings, select the letter the city name begins with and scroll down or use your browser's search function to locate the description of the newspapers. Newspapers may also be located at your local public library or at the Ohio Historical Society.

 Local Government Records

Counties, townships, and cities all keep records of interest to family historians. Probate Court records include Births and Deaths (first recorded in 1867), marriages, wills, and guardianships. Naturalization records may also be found here as well as in the Court of Common Pleas. For a full listing of offices, see Van Wert County Guide to Local Government Records .

Researchers interested in contemporary records, or any record not listed here on the CAC's inventories should contact the Van Wert County Courthouse for more information.

 Indexes

Search the BGSU Libraries online catalog for Van Wert County, Ohio histories and atlases. The following indexes have been compiled and are available for use at the Center for Archival Collections.

• An Index to History of Van Wert County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, T.S. Gilliland, 1906. CAC OG F497.V2G436 1984
• Van Wert County, Ohio, Cemetery Inscriptions. CAC OG F497.V2V36 198-

Most local government record volumes are indexed at the front of each volume. Some separate indexes have been prepared and form part of the local record series. These include:

• Estates--Assignments and Trusts, 1839-1933, 1r (#30)

 Online Resources