Ohio Free Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


Vital records like the Ohio marriage records are important, as the documents would contain helpful information of the persons indicated in the marriage. These also establishes the eligibility for benefits and services such as spousal support, social security, pension and even death benefit.

For people who want to request for a certified copy of the marriage records, they may do so by visiting the county probate clerk responsible for the record. For basic information, the person can request for an abstract or index where they can find the marriage records. The Vital Office contains thousands of marriage indexes that one can check out. The index or abstract starts from the 1950s up to today. In person search is allowed; however, one should make an appointment before being allowed access. Fees may apply as well.

In Ohio, marriage records are obtainable from the county probate court where the marriage license was issued. One can also obtain copies of marriage returns, minister license records as well as marriage consents for minors by their parents. Each county also has their own marriage index. To preserve the marriage records, which date back to 1900, the Family History Library microfilmed marriage records dating as far back as 1910.

As each county has their rules and regulations, it is important to call the county before heading there or making a request. In the County of Franklin for example, individuals can request for records through online, in person or through standard mail. Payments for the records start at $2. Transaction fee costs about $1 and if the person requesting wants the records mailed, they have to add an additional of $.46 for every 4 indexes or abstracts that they request. Expedite shipping depends on the person's location. The county accepts only cash or money order or cheques and does not accept credit cards. The person requesting should make sure to fill in all pertinent information or details for the department to return with the report that one needs.

In other counties such as the Belmont County, individuals asking for marriage records should send their request via mail. They should include a cheque or money order, marriage details and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Each certified copy is priced at $3. The procedure is different on the other hand with the Clark County. Clark County allows the person requesting for information to check the database him or herself, though they have to know the details in order to open it.

For those looking for records of marriage online, there are convenient ways to do it as well. Some counties such as the Hamilton County in Ohio provides an online search service where one can look for marriage records that date back from 1817 up to the present. Some marriage records might be lost due to fire and water damage though some may have been saved and recreated. To make researching easier, consider checking out the marriage indexes in the county probate or from an online vital records database. This would ensure that you would know where you have to go to request for information.




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