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Union County:
county-home records, company collections & settlement history

Explore county-home records, company collections & settlement history, with source links and practical instructions for planning your research.

Addresses and access notes ↓

Union County, Ohio: repository locations and selected major roadsUS 33US 36US 42SR 4SR 7391,2,3Marysville4RichwoodN ↑≈ 5 miles
Selected repository locations for present-day orientation. Numbers match the research stops below. Select a marker to open its stop. Locations are approximate, not entrances or driving directions. Grouped numbers identify nearby repositories; use the address key for individual locations.

Explore local streets and repository locations ↗

Not sure where to begin? Build a free three-step research plan → Choose your question, period and records already checked.

Explore records coverage by year ↓

Community history groups and access notes · Additional collection references

Explore focused collection routes ↓

How to search and interpret selected collections ↓

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PLAN YOUR RESEARCH ROUTE

Match the stops to the repository

Several stops can lead to the same repository. Maps show selected verified locations, not every guide stop or every community represented in the records. Use each stop’s access instructions, including for online and out-of-county collections. Check access before traveling.

Other guide stops not shown on this map

These stops may be online collections, shared repositories or locations not yet confirmed for mapping. Follow the collection’s access instructions.

Map sources and limits

County outlines: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic boundaries . Selected major roads: 2024 TIGER/Line primary and secondary roads . Public repository addresses checked against the sources above, with approximate Census geocoder positions. Unmatched addresses and out-of-county repositories are listed in the key rather than assigned a guessed position. Markers identify contact locations, not collection coverage. Historical boundaries, township lines and current traffic conditions are not shown. Prepared November 3, 2026.

Sources checked October 23, 2026. Based on public institutional descriptions, not staff confirmation or an onsite visit. Confirm current access before traveling.

Bring one focused question.

Start with a name or place, approximate years, and the fact you want to establish. These are selected research starting points. A catalog, index, museum exhibit and original record provide different kinds of evidence.

STOP 01 / COUNTY RECORDS / HISTORICAL SERIES

Union County Records Center and Archives

Begin with the archive’s record-series descriptions.

What you can find

The archives preserves historical county records and provides departmental inventories and research resources, including probate and recorder series.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Contact 937-645-4177 before visiting 128 South Main Street, Marysville. Published public hours are Tuesday through Thursday.

A question you can ask

Ask which series contains the event and whether images, an index or an onsite volume are available.

Keep in mind

A departmental inventory does not mean every record is online. Confirm custody and retrieval before travel.

STOP 02 / INFIRMARY / RELIEF / VISITORS

Union County Home Records

Follow an institutional admission or a visiting relative.

What you can find

The inventory lists County Home registers, 1867–1974, Claibourne Township admission applications, 1922–1952, and visitors’ registers, 1877–1935.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use the inventory’s linked volumes where available, then ask the county archivist about restricted portions and copies.

A question you can ask

Ask for admission, discharge and visitor entries around the date, with the original volume and page.

Keep in mind

Registers before 1867 are reported lost. Medical information may be restricted; absence from the surviving run is not proof someone never received relief.

STOP 03 / INDUSTRY / GERMAN SETTLEMENT / SCHOOLS

Marysville Public Library Digital Collections

Search a workplace or settlement alongside the family name.

What you can find

Named collections include Davis Chair Company, Neuendettelsau German settlement, Irvin Chamberlin Henry’s World War I material, early directories and rural-school records.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Open the collection links from the library’s own directory. Contact the library for item context or materials not digitized.

A question you can ask

Ask for donor information and the original caption or document behind an image.

Keep in mind

Digital selections are not complete employment, settlement or school registers; read item-level descriptions.

STOP 04 / HOUSE HISTORY / MAPS

Richwood-North Union Public Library

Locate a family’s property in northern Union County.

What you can find

The Local History Room holds Union County maps, atlases and plat directories. The house-history guide connects these with tax maps and Sanborn maps.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Contact 740-943-3054 before a focused visit to 4 East Ottawa Street, Richwood. Start with the online research guide.

A question you can ask

Ask which atlas or directory covers the address before street names or numbering changed.

Keep in mind

A plat or tax map identifies property context, not necessarily residence or a complete legal boundary.

STOP 05 / CHILDREN’S HOME / OBITUARIES / CEMETERIES

Union County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society

Look for local indexes that broad databases may overlook.

What you can find

Free online collections include obituary indexing, birth registrations and corrections, a marriage registry for 1856–1860 and children’s-home records for 1884–1907. The chapter also identifies cemetery maps. In correspondence dated October 27, 2026, the chapter recommended its hardback Bouic Index in the library genealogy section and a collection of newspaper clippings kept in filing cabinets.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Use the Research and Online Collections sections. Some additional material and cemetery books require membership. Contact the chapter before visiting to confirm where and how to consult the printed index and clipping files; these recommendations do not establish online availability.

A question you can ask

Ask for the original record citation and whether related pages survive.

Keep in mind

Compiled indexes and transcriptions can omit detail. Confirm the meaning and coverage of each collection before treating a missing name as significant.

STOP 06 / CIVIL WAR / LOCAL HISTORY

Union County Historical Society

Use wartime newspaper abstracts as a starting point for original articles.

What you can find

The society makes a Union County Civil War newspaper abstract available, pointing researchers toward the underlying newspapers on microfilm.

Research details & a question to ask

How to begin

Consult the downloadable abstract, then contact the society at 937-644-0568 about supporting research or museum access.

A question you can ask

Request the full newspaper item, date and page through the holding library.

Keep in mind

An abstract selects and compresses the original. Verify names, wording and context on the newspaper page.

Keep the evidence and the next step.

Save the repository, collection title, dates, box or volume and page, link, and what you searched. Follow an index entry to the full record. Keep uncertain identifications separate from established relationships.

Explore the Ohio county map and directory

Know a collection we should include or an access detail to correct? Email hello@brickwallprotocol.com. Please include an official collection link when available.

UNION COUNTY / SELECTED RECORDS COVERAGE

Which collections cover your years?

Use these dated holdings to choose a next search. This is a selection of cataloged collections, not a complete inventory of Union County records.

A range is a lead, not a guarantee. Bars show the dates stated by the cited catalog or inventory. They do not establish uninterrupted coverage, complete reporting or online image access. Unmarked years mean not represented in this selection, not that records were destroyed. Indexes and abstracts still need to be followed to the underlying record.

Sources reviewed October 26, 2026. Blue shows cataloged holdings; rust identifies indexes or compiled publications where the source specifies them. Read the format label and access notes for each row.

microfilm

Children’s Home Admission Records 1884-1907

Listed years: 1884–1907.

Source, access and coverage limits

Ask the Ohio Genealogical Society library for this county and exact collection title, years and reel. Confirm current availability and copying arrangements before visiting. This is a library microfilm listing, not an online image collection.

Keep in mind: Inventory updated 2012, checked October 26, 2026. Bounds do not guarantee an unbroken run. The library has not reconfirmed these holdings; follow any index to the underlying record.

microfilm

Social Statistics Schedule 1860

Listed years: 1860.

Source, access and coverage limits

Ask the Ohio Genealogical Society library for this county and exact collection title, years and reel. Confirm current availability and copying arrangements before visiting. This is a library microfilm listing, not an online image collection.

Keep in mind: Inventory updated 2012, checked October 26, 2026. Bounds do not guarantee an unbroken run. The library has not reconfirmed these holdings; follow any index to the underlying record.

microfilm

Agricultural Census 1850, 1860

Listed years: 1850, 1860.

Source, access and coverage limits

Ask the Ohio Genealogical Society library for this county and exact collection title, years and reel. Confirm current availability and copying arrangements before visiting. This is a library microfilm listing, not an online image collection.

Keep in mind: Inventory updated 2012, checked October 26, 2026. Bounds do not guarantee an unbroken run. The library has not reconfirmed these holdings; follow any index to the underlying record.

Confirm the historical jurisdiction as well as the date. A record may be held outside today’s county, and an inventory’s ending year does not mean recordkeeping stopped.

Check historical jurisdiction → · Find collections for my years →

FOLLOW THE COLLECTION

Additional collection references

Official catalog descriptions checked October 25, 2026. These notes identify research routes, not completed name-level searches.

Ohio Reformatory for Women prisoner registers

Ohio History Connection lists Register of Prisoners, 1913–1943, State Archives Series 1677, and admissions/discharges for 1944–1955, 1961–1962 and 1967–1978, Series 1678. Register fields include admission information, conviction county and discharge details.

How to begin: Read the repository's guide before requesting access. The registers are chronological and unindexed; a prisoner number or receiving date is especially useful. The guide recommends contacting the institution for that identifying information.

What remains uncertain: Catalog date ranges are not continuous coverage for every type of record. These are institutional records, not a substitute for the sentencing county's court file. Confirm current access restrictions and service arrangements with the repository.

COMMUNITY MEMORY

Community history groups and research leads

Local communities can help identify a place, photograph or possible source. These independently run groups are community leads, not catalogued archives or BWP partners. Keep the contributor, date, basis for an identification and original source together. Ask permission before republishing photographs or private contributions.

Facebook identities and visible access information checked October 25, 2026. Verification here concerns the group, not the accuracy of its members’ posts. No groups were joined and no messages were sent.

Union County, Ohio History and Genealogy Research Group

Private, discoverable Facebook group

A local history and genealogy community identified on Facebook. Use it as a starting point for a focused question about a surname, place or possible record source.

Access and rules: Facebook identifies this as a private, visible group. Membership approval is controlled by its administrators. Read the current rules before posting. Posted rules restrict promotion, advertising or selling; keep research questions on topic. Answer the membership questions.

Verification limits: The group identity and visible access information were checked. Member contributions and specific holdings were not independently verified. Ask permission before reusing an image or private contribution.

Open Union County, Ohio History and Genealogy Research Group on Facebook

Follow a specific collection

Additional collection-level routes checked November 3, 2026. Confirm current access before visiting.

County Home admissions and visitors

Registers, township applications and visitor entries can connect residents with relatives and relief officials.

How to access it

Tuesday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; ask the archivist about the relevant volume.

Evidence limit: Earlier register is reported lost; some medical information is restricted.

Township justice and village government records

The 2024 report documents Claibourne and Jackson justice records, township minutes and bonds, Marysville ordinances, and Clerk civil/domestic files.

How to access it

Request a series-specific inventory and current availability before visiting.

Evidence limit: Transfer and digitization dates are not historical coverage dates. Township and municipal spans are not specified in the report.

Small businesses and household credit

Recorder series offer officers, partners and debtors beyond ordinary deeds.

How to access it

Consult the archival volumes with staff assistance.

Evidence limit: Each series has its own scope; a broad span does not establish uninterrupted survival.

Rural schools, industry and community photographs

Digital collections include rural schools, Fairbanks and Marysville yearbooks, Davis Chair Company and the Neuendettelsau settlement.

How to access it

Browse the library collection directory, then individual item descriptions.

Evidence limit: No complete school-year or photograph-date span is established by the directory.

Probate will index as a route to the original

The downloadable index supplies names, record types, volumes and pages.

How to access it

Use the index citation to request the underlying probate record. The county describes historical case access at Probate or public terminals at Archives and Recorder.

Evidence limit: An index hit is not an estate packet or proof of the full record content.

Richwood maps and landowner context

The Local History Room holds maps, atlases, plat material and directories; its research page links additional map tools.

How to access it

Consult the room and ask which edition fits the place and year.

Evidence limit: Published page does not supply edition-level holdings dates.

BEFORE YOU SEARCH

Understand the collection. Choose your next step.

Two selected collections, with practical ways to search and interpret the result. These are research suggestions, not findings about a particular person.

  1. Choose a source
  2. Check its limits
  3. Search and record
  4. Follow the next lead
Cataloged collection span

Home registers

What it can tell you
Admission registers can connect a person to an institutional stay.

Selected listed years: 1867–1974

Date overlap is a lead, not a guarantee of complete coverage.

How to search, request and interpret this collection

Coverage and gaps
The pre-1867 register is reported lost, and medical portions are restricted. A listed span does not prove complete admissions.

How to search
Record admission and departure separately from reported birth details and prior address.

How to retrieve it
Ask Union County Archives for the relevant County Home Register volume and available portions.

Practical access
Contact Union County Archives to confirm volume availability, visit arrangements and any restricted portions.

If nothing turns up
The pre-1867 register is reported lost, and medical portions are restricted. A listed span does not prove complete admissions.

Read the collection source ↗

Source review: 2026-11-04; repository description checked, individual entries not inspected. Search and interpretation suggestions are BWP guidance.

Then try this

Check the separate visitors register for possible associates.

Follow this research route →

Match collections to your research years →

Cataloged collection span

Visitors register

What it can tell you
Visitor entries offer leads to associates and their addresses.

Selected listed years: 1877–1935

Date overlap is a lead, not a guarantee of complete coverage.

How to search, request and interpret this collection

Coverage and gaps
A visitor is not necessarily a relative or resident of the home. No entry does not prove no relationship.

How to search
Record the visit date and named visitor; test any relationship using independent evidence.

How to retrieve it
Request Union County Home Visitors’ Register, 1877–1935, from the county archives.

Practical access
Contact Union County Archives to confirm volume availability, visit arrangements and any restricted portions.

If nothing turns up
A visitor is not necessarily a relative or resident of the home. No entry does not prove no relationship.

Read the collection source ↗

Source review: 2026-11-04; repository description checked, individual entries not inspected. Search and interpretation suggestions are BWP guidance.

Then try this

Compare the visit with the home register without assuming a family relationship.

Follow this research route →

Match collections to your research years →

HELP KEEP THIS GUIDE USEFUL

Know a collection we should include?

Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.

Suggest a correction or collection

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