What do former U.S. President William Henry Harrison and Nicholas Longworth have in common besides being early local settlers and politicians? They were involved in an estate settlement here in 1815. The proof of that is one of more than 1 million Hamilton County documents – some dating to 1791 – now available online from the Probate Court that will be a boon to genealogy buffs, history researchers and anyone trying to see what happened to great grandpa’s belongings when he died.
The newly available documents, some 219 years old, include birth, death, marriage, estate, naturalization and other records.
The documents are as mundane as guardianship records from the late 18th century to tidbits that mark personal moments of Hollywood stars.
One of the interesting documents rediscovered during the digitization was the marriage license – much of it handwritten – of Spencer Tracy.
The noted actor was 23 when he was married Sept. 12, 1923, in Cincinnati. The Milwaukee resident listed his occupation, his parents’ names and that this was his first marriage. In a Catholic ceremony, Tracey married Louise Treadwell, 24, an actress from New Castle, Pa., who listed her home as the Sinton Hotel in downtown Cincinnati.
The Probate Court is teaming with the University of Cincinnati, which stored some of the old Probate Court records after courthouse fires, to complete the project.
All of the work to place the 1.1 million documents online was done by Probate Court workers except for the $95,000 cost of a private contractor to digitize each page.
To see 1.1 million Hamilton County court documents such as birth, death, marriage, estate, naturalization and other records – some dating to 1791 – go online to www.probatect.org, and click on Records Search, then Archive Search. Look for the names in the index records, make a note of the volume and page number and then enter the volume and page number on the search page. It’s easy and a terrific resource for anyone doing research in Ohio.
Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer, December 30, 2009
My sister ( twin) I would like to see her will
Where did your twin sister die? To see her will, you would need to go to the probate office or courthouse for the area in which she passed.