Geauga County records are invaluable in tracing the history of a building.  They may be used as follows.

PLEASE NOTE:  It is the individual researcher’s responsibility to do this research.

A qualifying ‘CENTURY HOME’ or ‘CENTURY BUILDING’ must

• Retain an appearance that is readily recognizable and identifiable with the era during which the structure was build.
• Alterations and/or additions made to the structure must not detract from the intended design of the building.
• Owners of older structures should be aware that historic preservationists strongly discourage the installation of materials such as aluminum or vinyl siding.
• The Geauga County Historical Society urges owners to seek guidance from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office at the Ohio Historical Society or the National Trust for Historic Preservation before altering the facade of any century-old dwelling or other building.
• Owners of structures located within designated Historic Districts should contact their township or village offices for information on local regulation.

1. PRINT A COPY OF THE INSTRUCTIONS AND APPLICATION FOR A CENTURY PLAQUE.  These documents detail the qualifications for a century building and exactly what paperwork is needed for submission with the application.
    
2. CREATE A DEED CHAIN.  A “Deed Chain” is a list of the owners, date of transfer, acres, deed volume and page numbers tracing the land back at least 100 years. Click here for a Deed Chain Form.
   • Beginning with the your land information and from whom you purchased the land.
   • Continue to trace your land via purchases backwards through the 20th and 19th century until you reach the owner the land at least 100 years ago.
   • If a deed cannot be found, it may have been unrecorded or it may have gone through probate court with a will.
   • Deed indices and records are available at the following office:

    

   Deed Records in Geauga County
   Record	Years	Primary Formats Used	Location
   Index, vol. 1-4	1796 – 1873	Books	Archives and Records Center 12611 Ravenwood Drive Chardon, Ohio 44024 Phone:  440-279-1770
   Record, vols. 1-299	1796 – 1956	Books
   Index	1796 – present	Digital (Searchable Scans)	Recorder’s Office Courthouse Annex 231 Main Street, Suite 1-C Chardon, Ohio 44024 Phone:  440-279-2020
   Record, vols. 300 – current	1798-1956 (Microfilm) 1956 – 2004 (Books)	Books and Microfilm
   Recorded Documents	2004 – Present	Digital

    

   Probate Records in Geauga County
   Records	Years	Primary Formats Used	Location
   Indexes	1806-1990	Paper	Archives and Record Center 12611 Ravenwood Drive Chardon, Ohio 44024 Phone:  440-279-1770
   Records	1806 – 1955	Books/Paper
   Index	1990 – present	Digital	Probate Court 231 Main Street, Suite 200 Chardon, Ohio 44024 Phone:  440-226-4446
   Record	1955 – present	Paper	Contact Probate Court for permission to view these records at their office.

    

3. CONDUCT A TAX RECORD SEARCH.  Using the names found in the deed search, trace the tax record of the property in the Auditor and Treasurer’s tax duplicates/lists.  Record each year, page number, owner, tract, section, lot, buildings, acres, value and tax for the property. Click here for a Tax Record Worksheet.
   • Prior to 1973, tax duplicates/lists are arranged by year, then taxing district, then alphabetically by owner.  From 1973 to the present, they are aranged by year, then taxing district, then parcel numbers.
   • On early tax records, notations may include “H” for House, “B” for Barn, and “G” for Granary.  If a structure is not listed, record any substantial increase (approximately 50%) in property taxes.  This usually indicates construction or major improvements on the property.
   • Tax duplicates/lists are available at the following locations:

    

   Tax Records in Geauga County
   Record	Years	Primary Formats	Location
   Auditor’s Tax Duplicates	1810 – 1818	Books	Archives and Records Center 12611 Ravenwood Drive Chardon, Ohio 44024 Phone:  440-279-1770   NOTE:  The books are mostly used for research only.  They are too fragile and too large to handle.  Photocopies are made from microfilmed images.   NOTE:  The Auditor and Treasure have overlapping volumes because each department kept different versions.  The auditor recorded what taxes were owed and the treasure recorded payment received.
   Treasurer’s Tax Duplicates	1826 – 1922	Books
   Auditor’s Tax Duplicates	1810 – 1971	Microfilm
   Treasurer’s Tax Duplicates	1972 – 2006	Microfilm

    

4. CHECK ADDITIONAL RECORDS AVAILABLE FOR BUILDING RESEARCH IN THE ARCHIVES.
    
   

   Record	Years	Information Available
   Tax maps	1820 – 1870	Owner name and acreage only
   Decennial appraisals with maps	1870 – 1910
   Landowners map	1857	Includes some buildings
   Atlas maps	1874 and 1900
   Mechanics liens	1848 – 1930

    

5. RETURN THE COMPLETED APPLICATION WITH COPIES OF THE DEED AND TAX SEARCHES TO THE GEAUGA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.