Probate Court Records 
Birth Records
Birth records begin in 1867 in most Ohio counties. A few counties recorded births during 1856-1857, but not all. They are found recorded in large journals, and may or may not be indexed. Some counties keep a card file index to birth records (Scioto County maintains this system) or in Index books, but the original record should be consulted. There may be very incomplete or inaccurate information in the index/cards. The information asked for birth record entries contain: name of child, gender, parents' names, place of birth (oftentimes merely the township, if outside city limits), date of birth and name of the person reporting the birth. After 20 Dec 1908, they are recorded with the State Department of Health, and on the local level are found in the office of the City or County Health Department.
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Case Files Packets
Case file packets, when they are available, provide the best method of finding all the material relating to an estate. In some counties, these have been microfilmed and the originals have been destroyed. In other counties they are not available at all.
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Death Records
Death records begin in 1867 in most counties in Ohio. A few counties recorded deaths during the years 1856-1857, but these are not always available. The records were kept in the Probate Court office until 20 Dec 1908, after which the State Department of Health received their administration. On the local level, they are also found at the County or City Board of Health from 1908 to the present. The information asked during the early times were: name, date of death, place of death, age, marital status, place of birth, name of parents, occupation, residence at the time of death, cause of death, and name of person reporting the death. It should be stressed, however, that these records are not always accurate, as the data provided may have come from ministers, doctors, tax assessors, relatives (grandchildren, cousins, etc.), and may be based on the reporting individual's knowledge of the deceased. Rarely are the names of parents given for an adult (unless provided by a direct family member), and sometimes not even for children. Generally, these records are found recorded in large volumes. They may be kept in alphabetical order, or they may be recorded by township. They may or may not be indexed; if an index exists, it is either on cards in a file or contained within an index book.
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Estates Index
Most counties maintain a general index to descedant's estates, which may cover wills, intestate matters, sale of real estate, insanity, change of name and guardianships. When using the index, be sure to copy all references given, such as case file number and docket and page numbers. Many times the case file packet is missing, and it will be necessary to turn to the docket to find where the case was recorded in various Journals. A few counties do not have a comprehensive index to estates before 1865, and it is necessary to consult the index in each volume of Probate journals.
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Marriage Records
In Ohio, these begin with the formation of each county. For years prior to the county's formation, a genealogist must go to the parent county (the county from which the current county was divided--for Pike County, formed in 1815, the parent county primarily Ross County). Usually, before circa 1860, marriage license applications and marriage records were recorded in separate books. In some counties, the licenses no longer exist (due to fire, flood, etc.; Adams Co. being one example). Usually, the early marriages only give the names of bride and groom, date of marriage and who performed the ceremony. Rarely will parents' names be given, unless one or both of the parties are underage, in which case consent must be given. About 1860, the marriage license and the minister's returns were combined and recorded in one volume, and a standard form was used. Beginning circa 1900 (some earlier, some later depending on the county) names of bride and groom, age at last birthday, place of birth, place of residence, occupation, parents' names, minister or justice of the peace who performed the marriage should be recorded. (Note: occasionally the parents listed for the bride may not have been entered at the time of the record's creation and are added later, often erroneously!) Present-day marriage records often contain much more information, and in the case of second marriages, also contain data about children born to the previous marriage. It is also a wise procedure to cross-reference any variant spellings you may find, since many of our early ancestors could not read or write. The recorder for the marriage record would record the name as it sounded, not as it actually was (or should be) spelled (e.g., Cottle, Cotel, Cattle, Kattel, Caudill, etc.).
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