Butler County Genealogical Resources  

Local Repositories and Resources
for Butler County, Ohio Historians and Genealogists

Hamilton Lane Library

300 North Third Street
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
(513) 894-7156  

Open Monday-Thursday 9-9, Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-5, Sunday 1-5

Refer to the web page:   http://www.lanepl.org/history.htm

The George Cummins Local History Room houses many items of interest to researchers. All available Butler County census microfilms and printed indexes can be found there. The library also has the most extensive collection of Hamilton, Ohio newspapers including:

Also available are many Hamilton City Directories, city, county, church, and business histories. The library is considered the foremost repository for historical and genealogical printed material related to Hamilton.

 The library also provides its patrons with a number of research databases which are accessible from the library. The databases include Ancestry.com, Archives USA, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library Family Search.

Smith Library of Regional History:
A Department of the Oxford Lane Public Library

15 South College Ave. 
Oxford, Ohio 45056 
(513) 523-3035

[email protected]
Open Monday-Friday 10-12 and 1-5, Thursday evenings 6-9, Saturday 10-1

The Smith Library of Regional History opened in 1981 and was named for William and Ophia Smith. Their published works and personal papers formed the nucleus of the collection. Financial gifts from the Smith family helped build this addition to the Oxford Lane Public Library. The Smith Library has materials on the history of the City of Oxford and surrounding townships, all of Butler County, Southwestern Ohio, and for some topics the entire State of Ohio. General historical studies on the Old Northwest Territory and the Ohio River Valley are also included. Emphasis is placed on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The collection is non-circulating. The collection includes but is not limited to the following:

Middletown, West Chester, Trenton Public Libraries

Middletown Branch

125 South Broad Street
Middletown, Ohio 45044
(513) 424-1251

Open Monday-Friday 9-9, Saturday 9-5, Sunday 1-5 (except during summer)

The Library houses the Genealogy and Ohio History Room. Emphasis is placed on Ohio as well as Kentucky, West Virginia and the colonial states. Resources include:

Sources for Genealogical Research: A Brief Tour of the Genealogy and Ohio History Room can be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the library.

Archives and Rare Books Department

University of Cincinnati Libraries
Blegen Library-Eighth Floor
Clifton West Campus
Cincinnati, Ohio

(513) 556-1959

Mailing Address:
Archives and Rare Books Department
P.O. Box 210113
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0113 

[email protected]
Open Monday-Friday 8-5

The library is home to the Ohio Network Collection which includes government records from eight counties in southwestern Ohio, including Butler County. The following Butler County records are available:

Butler County, Ohio Records Center and Archives

123 North Third St.
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
(513) 887-3437

[email protected]

Open Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM
Closed Weekends and Holidays
Please phone ahead before your visit.

The Records Center is the main repository for county records from such departments as Probate Court, County Recorder, Clerk of Courts, and County Commissioners. On most Tuesdays and Thursdays volunteers from local genealogical societies are available to assist researchers. The center also accepts mail requests when they are specific in nature. Requests should include names being researched, applicable dates, types of records being sought, and authorization for copying. The first five copies are complimentary and thereafter are .05 for each page. Fees for certifications and mailing are extra. Available records include:
 

Please keep in mind that this list is not all inclusive and that many more records are available. Contact the center for specifics.

Office of the Butler County Recorder

Administrative Center
130 High Street
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
(513) 887-3192

The Butler County Recorder has the following types of records on file: Most of these record types deal with land ownership and are useful for placing an ancestor in a given place at a given time. Other records of genealogical interest include corporation records and military discharge papers.

 Butler County Recorder: Danny Crank

Butler County Historical Society

327 North Second Street
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
(513) 896-9930

[email protected]
 

Open Tuesday-Sunday 1-4 p.m.

The museum and research library of the Butler County Historical Society are housed in the Benninghofen House, a restored mansion. The research library contains the following materials of interest to genealogists:
 

The staff of the society will also assist researchers who are unable to come to the library. They ask only that you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request.

Butler County Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument
One South Monument Ave.
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
(513) 867-5823

Open Monday-Friday 10-4, Saturday 11-3

Butler County Veterans On-line Database

The Monument was erected to "perpetuate the memory of the soldiers, sailors, and pioneers of Butler County." The building was dedicated in 1906 and built on the same land where Fort hamilton stood in the 1790's. The monument houses military displays and features an inscribed wall containing the names of early servicemen from the county.

Family History Centers
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

(to find a Family History Center near you, call 1-800-346-6044)


Fairfield Branch
4831 Pleasant Ave.
Fairfield, Ohio 45014
(513) 844-8866

Open Wednesday and Friday, 10-2; Tuesday and Thursday, 6-9 P.M.


Norwood Branch
5505 Bosworth Place
Norwood, Ohio 45212
(513) 531-5624

Open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 10-2; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 6-9

Montgomery/Blue Ash Branch (North Cincinnati)
8250 Cornell Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
(513) 489-3036

Open Tuesday 10-9, Wednesday 6-9 p.m., Thursday 10-2 and 6-9, Saturday 10-2

City of Hamilton Health Department

Hamilton City Health Department
1 Renaissance Center
345 High Street - Third Floor
(513) 785-7080  

This office has birth and death records from 1913 to the present for events occuring within the Hamilton City limits. The records are indexed alphabetically by year.

Butler County Health Department

301 South Third Street
(corner of Third and Ludlow)
(513) 863-1770 

Open Monday-Friday 8:30-4:00

Birth and death records for Butler County townships can be found at this office. Their records start in 1909. Uncertified copies of records can frequently be obtained free of charge.

City of Middletown Health Department

Middletown City Health Department
1 Donham Plaza
(513) 425-7851 

This office has birth and death records for events occuring within the Middletown City limits.

Butler County History Collaborative (Historical Sites)

Middletown Historical Society Canal Museum
1605 North Verity Parkway
Middletown, Ohio 
(513) 422-7161

Located along the historic route of the Miami-Erie Canal, the Canal Museum, a relocated lock tenders house, offers Middletown and Miami-Erie Canal history through artifacts, photographs, and videos.
 
 

Monroe Historical Society Museum
Main and Elm Streets
Monroe, Ohio 45050
(513) 539-7310


The Museum houses many displays and artifacts depicting the history of Monroe, platted in 1817, and the surrounding area.

Trenton Historical Society Museum
17-A East State Street
Trenton, Ohio 45067
(513) 988-9634

The Museum, located in the circa 1890 Adam Shafer house, displays exhibits relating to the development of Trenton, platted 1816, and the surrounding area.

Chrisholm Historic Farmstead
2070 Woodside Road
Hamilton, Ohio
(513) 867-5835

Open only for special events at this time
This home was built in 1830 by Christian Augspurger, leader of the local Amish-Mennonite settlement. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1873 with the present brick farmhouse being built by Samuel Augspurger in 1874.

Butler County Historical Society Benninghofen House
327 North Second Street
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
(513) 896-9930

Open Tuesday-Sunday, 1-4
This is the restored mansion of Hamilton industrialist, John Benninghofen. The Italianate style structure was the home of Benninghofen family members from 1874-1947. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Refer to the above for information on the Society library's holdings.
 

Lane-Hooven House
319 North Third Street
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
(513) 863-1389

This octagonal house is one of only four-hundred in the United States. Built in 1863 by Hamilton industrialist Clark Lane, the home is located in Hamilton's German Village. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
 

Elisha Morgan Farm Mansion
6181 Ross Road
Gilbert Farm Park
Fairfield, Ohio 45014
(513) 867-5300

Open by appointment only
This brick farm house was built in 1817 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original building was left intact but an addition to the house was completed in 1858 in the Greek Revival style.
 
 

Governor Bebb Cabin
1979 Bebb Park Lane (off State Route 126)
(513) 867-5835

The Cabin was the birthplace and boyhood home of Ohio's 19th Governor, William Bebb. Built in 1799, it is one of seven structures, including a covered bridge, which were moved to the park as part of the pioneer village.
 
 

McGuffey Museum
Spring and Oak Sts.
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-2232

The Museum honors William Holmes McGuffey, Miami University professor and compiler of the McGuffey Eclectic Readers. His readers educated generations and earned him the title "Schoolmaster to the Nation." The Museum is located in the house where McGuffey lived from 1833 to 1836.
 
 

Pioneer Farm and Museum
Hueston Woods State Park
Brown Road
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 523-8005

This farmhouse contains furniture, clothing, and toys typical of a 19th century family. The home was originally constructed in the early 19th century and is now under the care of the Oxford Museum Association.

Butler-Warren County African American Historical Society

4521 Poppy Drive (P.O. Box 715)
Middletown, Ohio 
(513) 424-1791

*Go Back to the Southwest Butler County Genealogical Society Main Page*

If you found these web pages to be informative, please consider becoming a member of the Southwest Butler County Genealogical Society. Your participation is needed to further the work of the Society.
 
 

This site was created by David J. Endres. Those with questions, comments, or additional information are encouraged to contact the compiler.

© 1998-2004 by David J. Endres
This site was created on July 4, 1998.
Updated on 25 June 2004.