The Jackson clerk who told the researcher to possibly check Ross or Franklin counties wasn't that far off the mark--she really wasn't just trying to get rid of another pesky genealogist. Jackson Co was not formed until 1816, and of course there were people there before then. That is when you need to know what townships your people may have lived in, as Jackson was formed from parts of Scioto, Gallia, Athens and Ross counties. Therefore, prior to 1816, records of Jackson co people are in the parent counties. (She was off the mark about Franklin, though, as it was part of Ross Co--not the other way around.) You will find land records, marriages, wills & estates, divorces, real estate tax lists, criminal & civil cases, guardianships and such from the formation of each county only--so for Jackson, these start in 1816, for Vinton co they do not start until 1850. As has been stated several times recently on the list, OH did not keep birth and death records until 1867 (with a few exceptions--for instance, Pickaway co has some for 1856). These were kept at the county level until Dec 20, 1908--why they didn't wait 11 more days until 1909, the govt only knows <g>. Sometimes the names of parents are given on these early death records, but usually only for infants. However, there are notable exceptions, so it pays to check. I have an ancestor who died in Chillicothe in 1902 at the age of 90, and the names of her parents were given, including her mother's maiden name. Also, marriage license applications did not require the names of parents until 1899, unless either the bride or groom was underage and then a guardian was required to give consent. It would probably save courthouse employees a lot of time if they had some kind of a guide sheet so that they knew th ese things <g>. Plus, they would not aggravate as many people, who now think they are getting the brushoff or being flat-out lied to.