From The Mahoning County Coordinator
Hello, I am MaryAlice Schwanke, the new Mahoning County coordinator. I do not live in the area, and can not help you with your research, but this site will be updated to include a search tool so you can see if there is information about your ancestor.
If you would like to help build this website, there are many volunteer opportunities, always contact me before getting started for specific instructions:
- If you own or have access to books or other materials related to Mahoning County, consider doing look-ups in them of ancestors for other researchers.
- Like to type? Consider helping to transcribe (type verbatim) obituaries, census rolls, books, etc. relating to Mahoning County.
- Live in the Mahoning County area and have a digital camera? Consider taking photos of landmarks, cemetery entrances and gravestones around the county.
- You could also survey a cemetery, which is recording inscriptions on headstones, noting location of stones, etc. This is a great project for scouts to earn a badge, or students for extra credit.
- Consider sharing information about your ancestors, it may help other researchers and you may find a distant cousin! Do not send information for living individuals, people born 1935 or earlier would be OK. Some ideas are Military records, obituaries, brief genealogies, photos, etc.
Thank you and enjoy your visit!
A Brief County History & Adjacent Counties
- Named for: Native American word meaning "at the salt licks"
Established: Act - March 1, 1846
2004 Population: 249,755
Land Area: 415.3
County Seat: Youngstown City
Mahoning County was formed on March 1, 1846, from Columbiana and Trumbull Counties. The two upper tiers of townships, taken from Trumbull County, include: Austintown, Berlin,Boardman, Canfield, Coitsville, Ellsworth, Jackson, Milton, Poland and Youngstown. Each is five miles square and was surveyed and sold as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve.
The lower tier of townships, taken from Columbiana County, includes: Beaver, Goshen, Green, Smith and Springfield. Each is six miles square and were surveyed as the Congress Lands Northeast by the federal government and sold through the Steubenville Land Office.
"There are fifteen townships in the county; the five southern most, viz., Smith, Goshen, Green, Beaver and Springfield, originally formed part of Columbiana, and the others the southern part of Trumbull, the last of which are within the Western Reserve. Area about 420 square miles."1
- Historical Collections of Ohio by Henry Howe 1888
Mahoning County's Ohio neighbors:
- Trumbull County (to the North)
- Portage (to the Northwest)
- Stark Counties (to the Southwest)
- Columbiana County (to the South)
Pennsylvania Neighbors You might have connections to:
- Lawrence (to the East)
- Mercer Counties (to the Northeast)
- Beaver County, (to the Southeast)
Archived surnames, queries, and researchers entered before September 1998
Updated Friday, September 07, 2007
Mahoning County Queries
Rootsweb's Message Board You can read & post new queries here