Eligibility
Any member of OGS who is a direct descendant of an individual that settled in the area now encompassed by the State of Ohio between 1 January 1803 and 31 December 1820 may become a member of the First Families of Ohio (FFO).
All FFO society applications must be accompanied by proof of descent and the payment of a non-refundable application fee. Applications must first be approved by the appropriate lineage society committee and then by the Ohio Genealogical Society’s Board of Trustees.
Induction
The induction of new members into FFO is held at a special banquet during the annual OGS Conference. Inductees receive a certificate and medal, and those who prove their ancestors resided in Ohio in 1803 receive the FFO 1803 Bicentennial pin. This special commemorative pin, introduced in 2006, was created to honor pioneers in the state of Ohio and can be worn alone or on the FFO ribbon.
FFO members inducted before 2006 who have already proved that an ancestor resided in Ohio in 1803 may request an 1803 pin from the OGS Library in Bellville, one pin per member. A $2 shipping and handling fee should accompany each request.
Questions
Questions about First Families of Ohio may be directed to the FFO Chair, at [email protected].
Downloads
The application forms found here allow applicants to enter lineage information directly into the application fields. We recommend that applicants download and install Foxit Reader, a free and easy-to-use PDF document viewer for Windows that allows completed applications to be saved on your computer.
You may also contact OGS for an application form and rules by emailing [email protected] calling OGS at (419) 886-1903; or by mailing OGS, 611 State Route 97 West, Bellville OH 44813-8813.
Payment
Please pay online for all applications. They can be purchased as a group if you have more than one application. You must be a member to submit an application for a lineage society. If you are not already a member and logged in, it will take you to our membership page to join. Applicants under 20 may purchase a Youth Membership.
Search
You may search for your ancestor in Search Database to see if your ancestor is already listed in this lineage society (Currently Not Available), or you can browse a PDF of the list (members through 2025 and their ancestors).
FFO files are arranged by member number. If you are interested in obtaining copies from a specific FFO file, please refer to the member number. Click here for more information about the OGS Copy Service and instructions for ordering.
