Research
Scioto County Public Library in Portsmouth
A great place to start your Scioto County Research is the Public Library in Portsmouth located at 1220 Gallia Street.
You can search their online catalog:
https://ovlc.tlcdelivers.com/?config=ppl#/
*A search for "genealogy" on 12 Jul 2026 came up with 5,397 search results!
You can check out the Genealogy Image Collection:
https://www.sciotolibrary.org/history/
Or you can visit in person and discover the wonderful resources that SCCOGS houses there!
SCCOGS Newsletters and Publications
The SCCOGS Newsletters are another potential source of information. >>>Members have access to all digitized issues online. You can reach them by logging in to the Members Area.
SCCOGS has _____ publications for sale. These can be purchased by using our Publications Order Form and following the directions on it to submit your order and payment.
Online Research
When searching online, it is always a good practice to visit the FamilySearch Research Wiki page for Scioto County, Ohio:
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Scioto_County,_Ohio_Genealogy
As of 12 Jul 2026, there are 92 results when you check their Catalog for materials specific to Scioto County, Ohio.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/results?q.place=Scioto%2C%20Ohio%2C%20United%20States
*There are more if you start with the search techniques taught by Dana Palmer and also search images! [Instructions will be added soon.]
The Card Catalog at Ancestry.com when searched for Scioto County, Ohio, only shows 4 databases, but two of those are for The Portsmouth Daily Times!
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/catalog/?location=2641_38_2
*Remember, these databases are just Scioto County, using the above techniques will give you greater results.
Online Books
Pioneers of Scioto County, Ohio: Being a Short Biographical Sketch of Some of the First Settlers of Scioto County, Ohio, Comprising Such Historical Matter and Anecdotes of the Early Settlement of the County as Could Be Collected at the Present Time
by James Keyes (1801-1883)
Reprint of 1880 Edition Published 1987 by SCCOGS
Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/pioneersofscioto00keye_0/page/n3/mode/2up
A History of Scioto County, Ohio: Together with a Pioneer Record of Southern Ohio
by Nelson W. Evans, A. M. (1842-1913)
Published 1903
Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/historyofsciotoc01evan/page/n3/mode/2up
HathiTrust:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=dul1.ark:/13960/t7np5qd3x&view=1up&seq=1
Scioto Sketches; An Account of Discovery and Settlement of Scioto County, Ohio
by Henry Towne Bannon (1867-1950)
Published 1920
Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/sciotosketchesa00banngoog/mode/2up
A History of Scioto County, Ohio, 1986: A Narrative Account of Its Beginning, Its Development, and Its People
Published 1986 by the Portsmouth Area Recognition Society
FamilySearch Books:
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/866734/
Early Court Records of Scioto County, Ohio
by Caryn R. (Fuller) Shoemaker, C. G. R. S.
Published 1979
Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/earlycourtrecord0000cary
*Must be borrowed, but renews automatically with continued use.
Directory of Portsmouth and Scioto County – 1899
Published by J. W. Mitchell and W. H. McCall
Internet Archive:
https://archive.org/details/directoryofports00mitc/page/n5/mode/2up
Online Maps
Map of Ohio (1788-1940) at MapofUS.org
Scioto County and Its Neighbors at Internet Archive
https://web.archive.org/web/20040915074843/www.scioto.org/Scioto/Locations/neighborhood.html
Township Map at RandyMajors.org
https://www.randymajors.org/civil-townships-on-google-maps?fips=39145&labels=show
Map of Scioto County, Ohio, Showing the Sub-Division into Four Original Townships in 1803 at SciotoLibrary.org
https://www.sciotolibrary.org/history/items/show/22431
Map of Scioto County Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels at Wikimedia Commons
Townships at SciotoCountyOH.com
https://www.sciotocountyoh.com/townships
Townships at SciotoCountyEngineer.Org
https://www.sciotocountyengineer.org/scetownships.html
Maps and Land
There were two versions of "A map of the Indian towns, villages, camps and trails in the Virginia Military District and south-western Ohio" that can be accessed online. The first (dark background with light printing) was found in the Digital Collection at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and the second (light background with dark printing) was found at the Ohio History Connection. Unfortunately, the Ohio History Connection seems to have removed that version from their site. However, they do have a very nice "Indian Trails and War Roads in South-Western Ohio" map that has spectacular detail.