OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Ohio County Formation Information *********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. *********************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by R. F. Page rpage1@ibm.net March 4, 1999 *********************************************************************** List subscribers: I've noticed in the last several digests that the question of alteration in the make-up of counties can be an issue in genealogical research. For those in Ohio (particularly the southwestern counties) the following is offered: Adams County was formed in 1797 from Hamilton County Brown County was formed in 1817 from Adams and Clermont counties Butler County was formed in 1803 from Hamilton County Clermont County was formed in 1800 from Hamilton County Hamilton County was an original county, formed in 1790 Highland County was formed in 1805 from Adams, Clermont & Ross counties Montgomery County was formed in 1803 from Hamilton County Preble County was formed in 1808 from Butler and Montgomery counties Ross County was formed in 1798 from Adams and Washington counties Washington County was an original county, formed in 1788 Warren County was formed in 1803 from Hamilton County. These counties are near or border on each other. No changes have occurred in these counties since those recorded above. The last changes in any Ohio counties occurred in 1851 when the number reached 88. Ashland, Auglaize, Defiance, Fulton, Lake, Mahoning, Morrow, Noble, Summit, Vinton and Wyandot were counties formed from 1840 to 1851. Further, for those whose search pre-dates the formation of counties or the counties which were formed out of territories, the following may be helpful: 1784 The Virginia Military district Southwestern Ohio, east of Hamilton County (Symmes Purchase), Ohio River South: includes part or all of the following: Butler, Preble, Montgomery Counties as far North as central Hardin County. Clermont, Warren, Greene, Clarke, Champaign, Logan, Hardin, Union, Madison, Fayette, Pickaway, Clinton, Ross, Highland, Pike, Brown, Adams, Scioto. 1786 The Seven Ranges Mid-east Ohio along the Ohio River including part or all of the Following: Carroll, Harrison, Tuscarawas, Guernsey, Noble, Washington, Monroe, Belmont, Harrison, Jefferson 1786 The Connecticut Western Reserve The entire Northeast Ohio corner including part or all of the following: Lorain, Ashland, Medina, Summit, Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Portage, Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula. 1787 The Ohio Company, first purchase Southeastern most Ohio corner along the Ohio River. Includes part or all of the following: Meigs, Gallia, Washington, 1792 The Firelands North Central Ohio, bordering on Lake Erie. Includes part or all of Erie, Huron, Ashland. 1792 The Ohio Company, second purchase Small 'L'shaped section lying North and West of the Ohio Co. first purchase: Includes all or part of the following: Morgan, Perry, Vinton, Meigs. 1792 The Donation Tract Small rectangle due East of Ohio Company second purchase, including part or all of the following counties: Washington, Noble, Morgan. 1794 The Symmes Purchase Southwest-most corner of Ohio, due East of the Virginia Military District: Includes all or part of the following: Hamilton, Butler, Warren 1795-1798 The French Grants Tiny section along the South Central part of the States bordering the Ohio River. Includes part or all of Scioto & Lawrence Counties. 1795-1802 Congress Lands South Central Ohio bordered by the Virginia Military District, The Ohio Co. purchases and the Seven Ranges. Includes part or all of the following: Fairfield, Franklin, Pickaway, Hocking, Ross, Vinton, Jackson, Pike, Scioto, Lawrence, Gallia, Perry, Morgan, Muskingham, Guernsey, Noble. 1796-1802 U. S. Military District Central Ohio, between the Northern Virginia Military District and to the East, the Seven Ranges. Includes part or all of the Following: Marion, Delaware, Franklin, Licking, Morrow, Knox, Muskingham, Coshocton, Holmes, Tuscarawas, Guernsey, Noble. 1798-1801 Congress Lands South West corner of Ohio along the Indiana border. Includes part or all of the following: Mercer, Darke, Shelby, Miami, Preble, Montgomery, Butler, Hamilton, Warren. 1798 The Refugee Tract A very small section South of The U.S. Military District and east of North Central Virginia Military District. Includes part or all of the following: Franklin, Licking, Fairfield, Perry. 1799-1804 Congress Lands Stretching from far East Central Ohio to Central Ohio. Includes part of all of the following: Crawford, Richland, Morrow, Ashland, Wayne, Holmes, Summit, Portage. 1802-1805 Congress Lands North of Symmes Purchase and West of the Virginia Military District. Includes parts of the following: Logan, Shelby, Miami, Champaign, Clarke, Montgomery, Butler, Warren, Greene. 1805 Two Mile Reserve A tiny square in the middle of Sandusky County in North Central Ohio. 1805 Twelve Mile Reserve A square section of land from the Michigan Survey, Lucas and Wood Counties, Ohio. 1819 Congress Lands Bordering on Indiana and stretching over the top of the Virginia Military District, in West central Ohio. Includes part or all of the following: Van Wert, Mercer, Putnam, Allen, Auglaize, Shelby, Hardin, Hancock, Seneca, Wyandot, Marion, Crawford, Morrow Counties. 1820-1821 Congress Lands Northwestern corner of Ohio, bordering Michigan and Lake Erie: Includes part or all of the following: Williams, Defiance, Paulding, Putnam, Henry, Fulton, Lucas, Wood, Hancock, Sandusky, Seneca, Ottawa. 1836 The Michigan Survey A long narrow rectangle in the Northwestern corner of (what is now) Ohio Includes parts of the following: Williams, Fulton, Lucas, Ottawa. For example, any reference in family documents to 'emigration to the Firelands, Ohio Territory' should take you to North central Ohio counties, up by Lake Erie. Herm Fagley has additonal notations to this material: 1. Ohio was in the NORTH WEST TERRITORY til the 1802-03 winter. ADAMS and Clermont Counties are older than Ohio,the state. 2. I've read many times HIGHLAND CO was created from,in part,Clermont Co., in 1805,without ever seeing any of the sw Highland Co names in CLERMONT records. 3. JEFFERSON CO-Stubenville,surely was in the"7 RANGES". When Gen Harmar'S ARMY burnt the squatters there was when my GEORGE BROWN and JOHN SAPP moved to KY. 4. 1794 LISTED FOR SYMMES PURCHASE-Cincinnati- is like saying the day you pay off your morgage is the day you settled in your house. XMAS 1788 was the 1st settlement, at Columbia,of SYMMES me. Jan, 1789 was the settlement of the site of Cincinnati,and the settlement at NORTH BEND, of JUDGE SYMMES, himself. 3 armies marched north from CINCINNATI by 1794-the 1st 2 to defeat. 1789 GEN HARMAR'S; 1791 GOV -GEN ST CLAIRs; 1794 GEN WAYNE hd a modest victory; 1795 was TREATY OF GREENVILLE,and lasting peace. Indians attacked forts within modern Cincinnati after the 1794 victory,and before the mid-1795 treaty. People still built forts, in places, the 1795-96 winter. This table of territories, grants and county formations sometimes gets skewed when transmitted. If you receive one and wish to have an 'unskewed' copy, send me an e-mail address and I will send a MS Word attachment. R. F. Page, subscriber rpage1@ibm.net Denver