FAQ's

Tax duplicates are records of taxes paid by individuals in Ohio. The tax duplicates were compiled by county auditors and sent to the Auditor of State. They list the property holders, the size in acres and location of their land (section, range, and township) and the rate at which the land was taxed. They do not contain information about family members or occupation.

Please note that Ohio exempted land sold by the Federal Government from taxation for 5 years from the date of sale. An individual purchasing land in 1803 would not appear on the Tax Duplicate until 1808.

After 1838, the Auditor of State collected this information as tax abstracts, which do not record individual tax payers.

Please visit our research guide for more information on conducting research at the Ohio History Connection.