Partition Record Abstracts
Volume 1 1812 – 1851
Partition Record Abstracts, Volume 1 was published by The Fairfield County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society in 1987. It has 71 pages.
When two or more persons held real estate as cotenants and they wanted to divide that property among them, a petition for partition (or division) was requested. The court or an impartial panel of men directed by the court divided the land in a equitable fashion and the separate parts were taken by each cotenant. Sometimes, however, the land could not be divided in an equitable fashion without damaging the property or its value and the court would order that the land be sold and the money received be divided among the cotenants.
The majority of partitions took place when property was left to heirs in a joint tenancy as a probate settlement.
The genealogical value of the partition record lies in the fact that these records usually contain, besides the description of land (and frequently a hand drawn map), the name of the deceased, the names of the widow and heirs, and the specific relationship of the heirs along with their place of residence. Sometimes the date of death of the deceased is given.
There is not a general index for partition records. Each volume of partition records may be indexed, but alphabetically by the name of the person seeking partition, not by the name of the deceased.
Generally, petition for partition was filed a year or two after the death of the deceased, but not always. Sometimes it was not filed for thirty or forty years.
The abstracts contain the name of the deceased whose property is being partitioned, the name of the widow if given, and the names of the heirs. Residences for some heirs are given also. For more complete information, it may be necessary to consult the actual partition records.
Partition records for Fairfield County are housed in the Court of Common Pleas on the third floor of the Hall of Justice.
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