SUMMIT COUNTY CHAPTER of the Ohio Genealogical Society P O Box 2232 Akron OH 44309-2232  e-mail:  summitogs@yahoo.com

The Summit County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society has prepared the following information in an attempt to help you.  This is not meant to be an all-inclusive list, but rather, a list of records most often asked about.  All offices, except as noted, are open to public search during regular business hours, and are within walking distance of each other in downtown Akron.  These offices have a heavy workload, and are NOT equipped to do research or conduct extensive searches, especially by telephone.  However, many will send copies through the mail if you can provide the exact information required to locate the record and the proper copy fee.  Please include a long, self-addressed stamped envelope with your request.  Requests should be specific and to the point.  Limit your requests to 1 or 2 items per letter.

Disclaimer:  The Summit County Chapter, OGS, is not responsible for any changes in the information listed below.  Changes can be made, without notice, by any of the offices, at any time.  It is always best to call or write for current policies and copy fees.

SUMMIT COUNTY PROBATE COURT, Courthouse, 1st Floor
South High Street, Akron, Ohio  44308    Phone:  330.643.2330

Birth and Death Record Books from 1868 to 20 Dec 1908.  (Also see Summit County Health Departments below.)

Marriage Records from 1840 to Present.  [Indices for same, male and female.]  Certified Copies - $2.00 each.

Wills and Estates from 1840 to Present, on microfilm.  [Indices for same.]

Guardianships from 1840 to Present, on microfilm.  [Indices for same.]

Everyone entering the Courthouse must pass through a metal detector.
Uncertified copies are $.05 per page.  Certified copies are $1.00 additional.
Photocopies of birth and death records can not be made.  Certified typed records are $3.00.

Akron Health Department, Office of Vital Records
 368 South Main Street, Akron, Ohio  44308   Phone:  330.375.2976

Births or deaths which occurred within Akron city limits.  Certified Copy - $16.50.

Hours are 8:00 A.M. to 4:15 P.M., Monday through Friday.
[You may order online at www.ci.akron.oh.us/Health/datamanagement/index.htm,
or refer to www.vitalchek.com, then select the state and area.]

Barberton Health Department
571 West Tuscarawas Avenue, Barberton, Ohio  44203  Phone:  330.745.6067

• Births or deaths which occurred within Barberton city limits.  Certified Copy - $19.00.

Hours are 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday.
An Index presently covering Births and Deaths from 1960 to Present is available online.
[You may order online at www.barbertonhealth.org, then click on “Vital Statistics”,
or refer to www.vitalchek.com, then select the state and area.]

Summit County Health Departmen
1100 Graham Road Circle, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio  44224  Phone:  330.923.4891

• Births or deaths which occurred in all remaining areas of Summit County.  Certified Copy - $17.50.

Hours are 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday through Friday.

Land Records from 1840 to Present.

Indices for Land Records, for both Grantor [seller] and Grantee [buyer]

Duplicate Deeds for 1795 to 1840

[These Duplicate Deeds are for land now in Summit County, but where the Deeds were originally filed in parent counties of Stark, Medina, or Portage, between 1795 and the formation of Summit County in 1840.
Some Trumbull County Deeds are also on file.

Indices for Duplicate Deeds, for both Grantor [seller] and Grantee [buyer]

Soldiers’ Discharge Papers and Indices [Beginning with the Civil War]

Copies of Deeds are $2.00 per page.  Certification is $1.00 per Deed.
Copies of Soldiers’ Discharge Papers are free.

Civil and Criminal Records from 1840 to Present.

Divorce Records.

Scattered Naturalization Records starting in 1840’s.

[Many are missing, and the ones that exist may contain only name, date of filing, and date of final ertification.
Uncertified copies are 5 cents  per page.  Certification is $1.00 additional per page, not per document.

 This office is not open to public search.  Requests for Coroner’s Reports, from the late 1800s to the present,
 must be made in writing, whether in person or through the mail.  Name and year of death is required for a search.
 Reports filed within the last 7 years are at the office.  Reports filed before then require a one-week wait for copies
to be made.  Payment must be made at time of request.  Copies are $4.00 per autopsy report by mail; $3.00 per
autopsy report for walk-ins; and $1.00 per Investigator’s Report whether by mail or walk-in.
[Certification is included in copy cost.]

Special Collections   Reference Desk: 330.643.9030
                               E-mail: speccollections@akronlibrary.org
                               Website: www.akronlibrary.org/main-sc.html

Hours of Operation:   Monday through Thursday, 9 to 9; Friday, 9 to 6, Saturday, 9 to 5;
                               Sunday (year-round), 1 to 5.

The Special Collections Division at Main Library maintains genealogical materials for all states, with the primary focus on Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New England, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and Alabama.  Books include county histories, transcribed records, city directories, compiled family histories, military records, passenger and immigration indexes, maps, atlases and gazetteers.  The microform collection includes the U.S. Census for selected states, Summit County records, and Ohio death certificates and indexes, 1908-1954.  The Akron Beacon Journal, and other local newspapers, are available on microfilm.  A complete list of microform holdings may be viewed at the Special Collections website.  Free access to Ancestry Library Edition and home access to Heritage Quest is available.  Local history collections include church histories, high school yearbooks, and vertical files about people, places, and events in Summit County.  Special Collections also offers an e-mail newsletter, Past Pursuits.  Reference and photocopy requests are accepted via e-mail, mail, and telephone.  For more information, visit the Library’s website, or call Special Collections at 330.643.9030.

UNIVERSITY OF AKRON, Archival Services
225 South Main Street, Akron, Ohio  44325-1702   Phone:  330.972.7670

This facility is located in the old Polsky Building, and is open to the public for research Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., however, the staff will not research material for you.  The material is too numerous to mention, but contains records, many in their original form, for Ashland, Coshocton, Holmes, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, and Wayne Counties.
Copies are 10 cents per page for regular size paper.  Prices vary for other sizes.

 This facility is open to the public for research, and contains AIS Data Base; the 1992 IGI [International
 Genealogical Index]; the 1881 Census of England, Wales and Scotland; a Surname Fiche File; some Reference
 Materials; some Microfilm; and the Family History Library Card Catalog.  The staff will assist you, but will not
 research material for you.
 Hours of Operation:     Monday and Wednesday - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
                                  Tuesday and Wednesday - 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
                                  Saturday   - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  Provided by: SUMMIT COUNTY CHAPTER, OGS
        P O Box 2232
       Akron OH 44309-2232
       e-mail:    summitogs@yahoo.com
Compiled by: Marlene Diefendorf, September 1997
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