Sites with Searchable Databases

Court View 2000 - Historical Marriage License Index This index is part of the Probate Court of Cuyahoga County (Ohio) website. This is an online index to marriages recorded in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, from 1810 - April, 1998. There are 4 search options based on combinations of the bride's and groom's names. I found 23 definite matches and 5 probable matches my first visit. Be warned, I had to get a little creative to find some of them.

Court View 2000 - Public Access Also part of the Probate Court of Cuyahoga County website. Search for marriage license records from April 6, 1998 to the present here. Here you can also search for may other types of probate records. I don't know how far back they go. I found 1 definite match and 1 probable match in my first visit. Various search combinations.

Cleveland News Index-Subject search Part of the Cleveland Public Library site. You can get citation information for obituaries from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland Press from 1976 to the present by entering the name you are researching (surname, firstname) in the subject search box. Citation information from local news stories, feature articles and reviews from the Cleveland Plain Dealer (1983-June 1999), Cleveland Magazine (1983-present), Northern Ohio Live (Sept. 1990-present), and Ohio Magazine (Oct. 1990 to present) are also listed.

Cleveland Public Library Obituary File Another of the many wonderful services of the Cleveland Public Library. Here you will find transcriptions of the Cleveland Public Library's necrology files through 1975. The Databases & Links Library link at the top of the page will take you to an assortment of other databases accessible through the CPL. Beware, however, as some of them require a valid library CPL library card. The new Greater Access Library Card, available through Medina County, Cuyahoga County, Cleveland and other Northern Ohio library systems, allows access to all databases. Instructions for obtaining copies of obits are also on the CPL website.

The Cuyahoga County Recorder's Office has their files online from 1810 to the present with links to images of actual documents. I've managed to find a couple of deeds and a certificate of transfer for my grandparent's house in Maple Heights and several others. This database seems to be updated regularly.

Medina County Recorder's Office  has their backup indexes online and available for searching. After following the login instructions, click the Search button near the bottom of the User New - 2.00 window to bring up the Search Criteria window. For search tips follow the FAQ link on the left side of the page. Information is pretty current but I don't know how far back it goes. I found the index entry for my parents home purchase in 1972.

Medina County Auditor's Property Lookup I'm not sure how much genealogical information can be found here but it is interesting. Search by owner name, parcel number, ZIP, city or taxing district. Search results give a description of the property, owner's information, current and previous year's tax values, transfer information and a plan of the building. Transfers for the years 1999 - 2002 are also available as a separate search. Tax maps are also available for searching but a parcel number is helpful.

The Lorain County Probate Court records search allows a search of the index. I am not sure how far back it goes.

The Lorain County Recorder's Office document search requires free registration but allows a search of the indexes from May, 1992 to the present. Document images are available from 1996 to present.

The Ohio Historical Society The OHS has a searchable death certificate index for the years 1913-1944. Once you find your ancestor you can order a copy of the certificate from them. The Ohio Historical Society holds some birth certificates for individuals born in Ohio from 1867 to December 20, 1908; death certificates from December 20, 1908 to 1944; some marriage records prior to 1949 and so much more. Visit the site for details. It's definitely worth the time for those with ties to Ohio to take a look.

The Ohio Genealogical Society This site mainly contains information about the society and its library in Mansfield, Ohio. They have one database that is searchable by non-members (Miami Valley Genealogical Index) and two that are searchable by members only (OGS Bible Records Index and 1880 Ohio Federal Census Index). The library is very good, too. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area doing research.

The American Family Immigration History Center Search the records of Ellis Island for your immigrant ancestors that arrived between 1892 and 1924. You may also find ancestors returning from a visit to the homeland during this time. There are images of some of the manifests.

FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service Information packed LDS site. Here you can search for your ancestors in Web sites, LDS Ancestral Files, Pedigree Resource Files, and the International Genealogical Index. Locate a Family History Center in your area and prepare for your visit by searching their online catalog.

FreeBMD Free Births, Marriages, and Deaths, hosted by RootsWeb, is a project to provide free Internet access to the Civil Registration index information of England and Wales. Documents can be ordered following the instructions at GENUKI.

Ancestry.com This one is pretty much standard on everybody's Links page. It's a good one though. Membership is required for most of the databases, but some are free. The Social Security Death Index and Ancestry World Tree are among the free searches as is the Ancestry Library.

Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site The FamilyFinder Index and Internet FamilyFinder This one's pretty much standard, too. It's still worth mentioning, though. Search Social Security death records, census records, researched family trees, the Internet and much more.

Ellis Island Immigration Museum has lots of information.

Reunion.com and ClassMates.com Search for classmates or family and friends from your school or other schools.

Murphy's Public House Dennis Murphy's site "is dedicated to providing you a solid history on the Irish and German families of Ohio, the Great Lakes region and America." I enjoyed my first visit and return quite frequently.

Vital Records Information for the United States (vitalrec.com) This site contains information on how to obtain vital records from every state in the Union as well as some links to historical societies, genealogical societies, and state pages. I found it quite helpful.

GENUKI Lots of information for those researching ancestors from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Civil Registration in England and Wales page gives instructions on how to order documents.

Genealogy Crossword Puzzles

RootsWeb has tons of free genealogy stuff - databases, personal websites, society web pages, etc.