Early Court Records

Court records are valuable for genealogy researchers who have run into a brick wall. There is a wealth of information included in these records, but one must be patient and persistent to find one’s ancestor’s name.

If you need proof that your ancestor was in Lawrence County, Ohio, in order to join OGS First Families, one of the documents accepted is Jurors, which will be found in early court Journals and Complete Records. You can find the index to the Journals Book 1 & 2 below, if you have any questions about these records please drop us an email or leave a comment on any of our posts.

The early court records, which are housed in the Clerk of Court’s office at the Lawrence County, Ohio courthouse [because of their frail condition],  cannot be handled. Familysearch.org has early records on its website.

Burlington Ohio Courthouse and Jail from early Lawrence County Ohio

 Early Courthouse and Jail from Burlington, Lawrence County, Ohio
Photo Courtesy of The Lawrence Register Archives



Chancery Records
The Chancery Records were housed in the Clerk of Courts in Lawrence County, Ohio courthouse. These may provide interesting information for the genealogist.

The following index is Volume 1 and covers the years 1843-1853. It was abstracted from a microfilm copy which was very difficult to read, so please remember there is a chance of human error in this index. To find these records, visit familysearch.org and search for Film # 008198781, in the image selector the Chancery Records begins on pages number 278 – 657.

Chancery Index 1843-1853 A – Z



Crimes & Incidents Reported in Newspapers

Read actual newspaper clippings taken from early newspapers about court proceedings in Lawrence County, Ohio, listed in chronological order from 1852 – 1914.

This is an incredible list gathered by Sharon M. Kouns as she carefully researched early newspapers about crimes, lawsuits, divorces, land transfers, and much more. To find a particular name, place, family, or crime we suggest using the “Ctrl + F’ keyboard shortcuts.

 

1852 – 1860
1861 – 1868
1869 – 1870
1871 – 1875
1876 – 1879
1880 – 1889
1890 – 1892
1893 – 1895
1896 – 1899
1900 – 1914
Deeds

https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/271414?availability=Family%20History%20Library

 

To view this and other land records, please visit familysearch.org

Early Court Entries 1817-1829 as Told by T.A. Walton

Thomas A. Walton wrote many stories about the early residents and historical facts concerning Lawrence County, Ohio, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The following links are the stories he printed from the first records concerning the organization of the county. Lawrence County, Ohio, did not have its courthouse built at this period, so the court proceedings were done from the home of Joseph Davidson at the county seat in Burlington, Ohio.

Early Court Officials

Lawrence County, Ohio, was taken from Gallia and Scioto counties in Southern Ohio and first met in the home of Joseph Davidson in Burlington, Ohio, then just ten days later our county was organized on March 24, 1817. It wasn’t until December 20, 1816, that Lawrence county became a geographic unit by the legislative act, which fixed its present boundaries.

Early Court Judges and Elected Officials were researched using courthouse records, newspaper articles, Howe’s History of Ohio, and other means of early resources.

 

Judges and Court Officials of Lawrence County, Ohio
Lawrence County, Ohio – First County Court
Early Lawrence County, Ohio Prisoners Sent to Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio

List of Early Prisoners from Lawrence County, Ohio, that were sentenced to the Ohio State Penitentiary 1834-1900 –  The original records were carefully read by Martha J. (Kounse) Martin. Please keep in mind, that some were faded and hard to read, and there may be errors. You can view the microfilmed copy online or at your local Family History Center.

At the Penitentiary –  Last week, we commissioned a special reporter to take a look at the boys now serving a term in the penitentiary from this county. He reports as follows…… Newspaper clippings about early prisoners and their stories inside the Penitentiary at Columbus, Ohio.

Journal 1 & 2 [Index] 1818-1830

We have indexed Journals 1 & 2 from the Court of Common Pleas for 1818-1830. Some of the other information found in these Journals are:

  • Naturalizations
  • Administration records
  • Guardianship
  • License to operate early Ferry and Taverns; License to become Ordained Ministers or attorneys.
  • If your ancestor was convicted of a crime, you could find the case listed under “The State of Ohio vs.—–”.
  • Appointments for Judges, Clerks, Justice of Peace, Commissioner, etc.
  • Intestate records of persons who died without a will but needed their goods, lands, etc. distributed to the heirs and debtors. In some cases, these records will give the date of death, living relatives, plus other info.
  • Revolutionary War Veteran claims

A    B   C    D    E – F   G   H – I       K    L       N – P   R    S    State of Ohio    T    W

NOTE: There is no index for letters Q, U, V, Y, and Z – [Martha]

Naturalizations

Please Note: To find early Lawrence County, Ohio, naturalization, one must research the old courthouse books. For instance, some of the indexes below were taken from the old Journals in the Clerk of Courts Office in Ironton, Ohio.

Before making a trip to Ironton, Ohio, Courthouse, be aware that these books are fragile and are not available for handling, but some of the records can be viewed on familysearch.org. Unfortunately, not all records have been digitized, but their website is a good place to check on any progress made.

In the links below are some of the indexes we have finished transcribing. Please check back often for new updates on this site. If you would like to help, please leave me a comment below.

Patrick O’Donnell Naturalization

1856 – 1878

1877 – 1888

1903 – 1906

Stover, Booker, and Hankins Family Court Records

[Transcribers notes:  By this court record, it is established and validated that the Father of Daniel Hankins Junior was Daniel Hankins Senior, who was at the time of this court record, residing in Upper Township, which has been validated with the 1830 Lawrence County, Ohio federal census.  

Copy of Microfilm document provided by Martha (Kounse) Martin, Manager, Briggs Lawrence County Library Hamner Room, on 12 July 2000. – Written by the late Ken Clark.]

 

State of Ohio vs Booker Smith and Daniel Hankins Jr.
Stovers vs Heplers for Petition for Partition
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