The Court is able to provide assistance to area genealogists and citizens conducting research during all normal business hours of the Court, including Saturday mornings. Although the Court is not able to conduct extensive research, we are very happy to help provide guidance and information in locating records and specific information that may be useful to family researchers. Estates, guardianships, trusts, and marriage records are held as far back as 1840. We also hold birth and death records from 1867 through 1908.

We are in the process of creating an electronic Historical Marriage Index that is available through the Index section of our web site. Through the use of this and our General Index, the past 22 years of marriage records can be searched through our web site.

PRESS RELEASE
FROM: JUDGE BILL SPICER
DATE: October 7, 2008

SUMMIT COUNTY PROBATE COURT RECEIVES GRANT
Hundreds of thousands of historic records will be freely available online

Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, and the National Association of Government Archive and Records Administrators (NAGARA) announced on July 24, 2008, that Judge Bill Spicer and the Probate Division of the Summit County Common Pleas Court in Akron, Ohio, were awarded a 2008 Grant for the digitization of Summit County Marriage, Birth, and Death Records. The Court’s grant was one of only two awarded in 2008, and has an estimated value of $150,000. This significant grant will make it possible for Summit County to digitally preserve and provide free on-line access to select historical documents.

The project targets 1840 to 1980 marriage records for over 550,000 individuals, birth records prior to 1908 for over 46,000 individuals, and death records prior to 1908 for over 22,000 individuals. A free, searchable name index linked to the digital images of the original records will be made available to the public through the Probate Court’s web site www.summitohioprobate.com and the grant partners’ sites.

"As a result of the grant, our web site, which was chosen as one of the 10 best in the country by the National College of Probate Judges, will now have the added distinction of being a model for the state and country for accessing historical Court records,” said Judge Spicer. “Not only will it improve access, but by reducing the need to see the often-fragile originals, it will make the Court’s job of preserving hundreds of thousands of original records easier. The project is a far-sighted and important effort in preserving local history. On behalf of the Court and the citizens of Summit County, I thank the project sponsors for selecting Summit County Probate Court as its 2008 Grant recipient.”

This is the first year that this national grant was offered. It is sponsored by Ancestry.com and FamilySearch, and administered by NAGARA. Under the grant, FamilySearch will digitize the original documents on-site in the Summit County Courthouse by the end of 2008 and Ancestry.com will create an electronic index linked to the images. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2009.

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization that maintains the world's largest repository of genealogical resources. Patrons may access resources online at FamilySearch.org or through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. and is registered in the United States of America and other countries.

About Ancestry.com

With 26,000 searchable databases and titles and nearly 3 million active users, Ancestry.com is the No. 1 online source for family history information. Since its launch in 1997, Ancestry.com has been the premier resource for family history, simplifying genealogical research for millions of people by providing them with many easy-to-use tools and resources to build their own unique family trees. Ancestry.com is part of The Generations Network, Inc., a leading network of family-focused interactive properties, including www.myfamily.com, www.rootsweb.com, www.genealogy.com and Family Tree Maker. In total, The Generations Network properties receive nearly 8.5 million unique visitors worldwide. (© comScore Media Metrix, March 2008.) To easily begin researching your family history, visit www.ancestry.com.