Thank you for choosing The Lawrence Register as your genealogy and historical resource. We are proud of the fact that for over 25 years, it remains the oldest and largest site for Lawrence County, Ohio. The Lawrence Register is a website that is exclusive to Lawrence County, Ohio’s history and genealogy. Our purpose is to educate and assist our visitors about our county, especially those who do not have the means to make a personal visit.
TOWNSHIPS
Lawrence County, Ohio, is divided into fourteen townships which helps researchers to determine where their ancestors settled. The entire southern part of our county lies parallel with the Ohio River and borders the states of both Kentucky and West Virginia. Do not overlook the importance of streams, creeks, and other waterways that flow inward from the Ohio River, as that was the early means of transportation.
VITAL RECORDS
If you are looking for early births, deaths, marriages, wills, deeds, or divorces you will find those on our Vital Records link. These are only indexes and cover the years from 1817 to 1945, but in some cases, you will find later dates. Even though these are indexes, they will greatly improve your chances of finding the original document, as we have added links and additional information on how to obtain the copy.
PLACES
We will explore the names of places in Lawrence County, Ohio. Burlington, being the first county seat plays an important place in our settlement, along with Athalia, Proctorville, Bradrick, Chesapeake, South Point, Coal Grove, Ironton, and Hanging Rock. Because of these places are on the Ohio River, and adjacent to Kentucky, and early Virginia, (which is now West Virginia) there is much history to discover about the significance of researching the surrounding counties and states.
CHURCHES & SCHOOLS
Churches and schools played an important place in early history, most moved together from New England, Virginia, and other areas to establish new places to worship. Anti-slavery movements were a big reason many left southern states such as Virginia, the Carolinas, and Kentucky moving onto Lawrence County, Ohio. Because early Virginia and Kentucky were slave states, we became an important part of the Underground Railroad during those dark years.
EARLY POST OFFICES
Early Post offices were established in nearly every small community, which, in turn, there had to be an appointed postmaster. In cases where a genealogist is trying to establish where one’s ancestor lived, these accounts are priceless. Plus, this also helps us find those regions which no longer exist, which you can find on another page, “Early Places of Lawrence County, Ohio” of The Lawrence Register.
GEOLOGY
As early discoveries in the geological makeup in Lawrence County, Ohio were made, we will travel through the eyes of geologist Caleb Briggs and his important discovery of rich iron ores. His findings opened up a new town called “Ironton” which, because of its rich ground, exploded in creating new factories, lumber mills, blacksmiths, and much more. It was said that at one time 90% of supplies for building a home were found in the city of Ironton, Ohio.
BURLINGTON & IRONTON
We will then look back into the lives of the founders of Ironton, Ohio, and the process of moving our county seat from Burlington to Ironton in 1849-1850. We have researched the history of Lawrence County, Ohio, Children’s Home, Hospitals, Doctors, the Infirmary, Courthouse, Judges and early deeds, and other court records.