Mt. Vernon County Seat – Knox Co., Ohio

 I visited Mt. Vernon from August 26 to September 2, 2011.  I am home now but I will continue to post highlights about the trip and archives that I visited and hopefully it will assist you in your research in these areas of Ohio.

Records Annex, Knox County, Ohio

Mt. Vernon is the county seat for Knox County, Ohio.  The courthouse is located just down from the Records Annex  at 117 High Street in Mount Vernon (Hwy 36) and not far from the round-about in the center of Mt. Vernon.   The Recorder’s office (for deeds) is on the floor when you enter through the main door.  The Record Center is in the basement.  I suggest you visit both for court documents such as probates, court records and more.  The clerks are all helpful and very nice.  The Recorders office has the indexes and books right out there for you to access.  The first index to 1843 contains a listing of old deeds.  I asked the clerk behind the counter and was told they go all the way back in the first book to 1803.  They will let you take photographs. 

Deed Index, Knox County, Ohio

I  tried to dig deep into early Knox County history looking for Kellers, Delano, Askins and more.  I have already studied the Spracklins and associated surnames of the children so I am confident I have them covered.  I decided this time to emphasize the other surnames. 

The Knox County History and Genealogical Society is also located at 117 High Street  in a room in the basement area right across from the Records Center office.  They have updated their website so you might want to check it out.   They are very small but I noticed that there was change from my last visit and they had been busy.  They have an obituary file, family histories, have books and more.  They are also very helpful.  Hours are short so check the website.  They are in the process of updating the cemetery books done by R. DeLauder so keep and eye out because they will make them even better.  Unfortunately they have to rebuild the database because the company that printed the books went out of business.  They could use volunteer help. 

Public Library of Mount Vernon & Knox County

The Mt. Vernon Public Library  (Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County) is located on Sugar Street and Mulberry St.  There is parking in the back of the library.  You can enter on Sugar (a narrow ramp up to the parking) or try Mulbery which is one way going south.  I visited the History room in the Mount Vernon Library which is heavy on Knox County sources.  They also have Mount Vernon newspapers on microfilm, family histories, city directories, school yearbooks and more.  It is worth a visit.  I spent two hours one day and another hour on another day at the library checking sources for obituary readings, plat maps and more. 

History Room of Library, Mt. Vernon, Ohio

The Mound Cemetery, one of the oldest in Knox County, is just north of the public library and even if you don’t have family buried there I suggest you visit it.  It is amazing, for there are a lot of huge, I mean huge, monuments in this cemetery.  I was overwhelmed by it.  You know me, I have seen a lot of cemeteries on my travels but this was awesome.  So once again get a map from the Delauder publications (Knox county books) so you can find the graves you are interested in and that may still be a challenge.  I will feature this cemetery in another post in the future. There are Kellers buried in Mound Cemetery.

Overview - Mound Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, Ohio

My recommendations are that if you want to do genealogical research in Knox County then you need to visit the Knox County Historical Society, Knox County History and Genealogical Society, the Mount Vernon Public Library and the Courthouse Annex and include the Morrow County Genealogical Library Annex as well.  Each has sources to offer and is worth a little of your time.  Now they might duplicate what each other has but because of the short hours of some of these respositories you may have to revisit a book or source and you will find it at one or the other location. 

I would like to encourage those of you with Knox and Morrow County roots, including the surrounding counties,  to submit some form of our family history:  copy of a bible, chart, booklet, reports to the historical society and genealogical societies.  It is really needed!!!!  I would also like to encourage you to volunteer your help if you live in the area or join as a member and learn about the people who built this State of Ohio.

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A Visit – Knox, Morrow and Licking County, Ohio

My goal in 2007 was to visit Knox County which was also close to Morrow County and I could pay my respects to several of my Spracklin and Keller ancestors.  To see their graves and be in the area where they lived and walk on the earth and wonder about their lives is pretty awesome.  It seems to me that since 2007 Mt. Vernon has grown a bit.  There is much more traffic than I recall and she seems to be growing in the form of a star with spokes.  As I came down Hwy 13 I started to remember and spotted the turn off on Green Valley Road to the cemetery.  

It was rush hour traffic in Mt. Vernon and there were big trucks trying to maneuver the tight streets so it took a little time to get to the center round-about of Mt. Vernon and I remembered that it was sort of fun to go through that intersection.  Hwy 36 has little jogs in it so you do have to pay attention but after a while you get with the program.  HA!  They were having a fair in the center part of the town round-about on Saturday which was gone by the mid-afternoon.  I didn’t dally to figure it out. 

Mount Vernon, Knox County, Ohio

I was so happy to find Fiesta Mexicano and learned there are two of them.  We had eaten there the last visit.  A very popular restaurant in Mt. Vernon and tasty.  It is to the west of the center of town just look for the bright orange building.  You do have to go down the stairs into this older version to get to the restaurant.  There is angle parking out on the street or in the parking lot to the east of the building.  It was crowded for lunch both times I went there.   Good food is essential to doing genealogical research and I had been having challenges in finding good restaurants.  They are closed on Monday.   There are other restaurants that I have been discovering Bob Evans was okay, Jake’s was really good apparently they have 1/2 price hamburger night.  Several locals had gathered to take advantage of it.  I did try the Friendly’s and their fish and chips was not bad.   There is a Krogers and Walmart as well.

Mount Vernon the eastern side

My plan was to spend a week in the Mount Vernon area so I used my condo points for the Apple Valley Resort to the east of town about ten minutes on Hwy 36.  I didn’t have a problem finding them although the streets are a bit tricky.  I later learned that you go north on Monroe Miller Road  (up and down) and drive a couple of miles to Floralwood Road and turn right onto it till you get to Apple Valley Road and turn right again and in about a mile the resort comes up on your right.  My condo was huge with two bedrooms and great big living room. 

Apple Valley Units

I did try to encourage a couple of cousins to come and join me but they opted out.  Apparently it is popular for it has a golf course, pool, a lake and is really set up for families.  It is not fancy as a resort goes compared to our Hawaiian condo but it works and it is peaceful.  I had them turn the gas fireplace on and it was cozy!  I have two TV’s one in the living room and one in the master bedroom.  It has a full kitchen but they give you minimal stuff.  I have WiFi and cell phone reception which I was not sure I would.   I believe anyone can rent one of the units which are all on one floor but they do have rules.  My hubby and I own a time share in Princeville, Kauai that we can turn to points and stay in other places so it doesn’t cost us as much and our investment is starting to pay for itself?  I share these tips with my readers because it isn’t always easy to find descent lodging.  I did spot a Motel 8, a Holiday Inn Express on Hwy 36 on the east side of town in the business area.   There is the Mt. Vernon Lodge on 229 and the Curtis Inn on the round-about which both look promising.  There are other places as well in Mt. Vernon.

Apple Valley Sign

The Knox County Historical Society is open on Saturday 2-4 pm but when I arrived they were having a speaker and it went on for some time.  I wandered through the museum and most of what I saw was probably late 1800′s and to the present.  Paul Lynde the comedian had a section of the museum.  I really liked him and enjoyed his performances.  He was born in Mt. Vernon and they were celebrating his life.  They had his Thunderbird and you could climb in and sit in it.  I took a quick look at their family history files but didn’t find anything.  As far as I could tell they had cleaned up a bit but let’s just say that this society is not as organized as the Portage County Historical Society. Now they probably know their county history and since I have not spent a great deal of time at the KCHS I am only giving my first impressions.  They have updated their website so you might give a look.  My advice, call ahead and make an appointment.  Since I had already visited them back in 2007 I figured I was good.  

Knox County Historical Society

 

Paul Lynde's Thunderbird

I was helping a cousin so I headed down to Granville, Licking County, Ohio to the Old Colony Burial Ground.  It turned out to be quite a little side trip.  It was Saturday and they were having a fair in the middle of the town so that caused a major traffic problem.  I did find the Old Colony Burial Ground down Main Street.  They have on the side of the shed the list of names of those buried in the cemetery and then next to the list a burial map with names and numbers.  Very cool.  There is a published reading of this cemetery as well.  I will talk about this cemetery in a future post for I was on the trail of Mary Santee and Messingers.  Oh, this Granville in Ohio is huge compared to the Granville in Massachusetts that I visited in April of 2011.  There is a history of this Ohio Granville and it talks about the Granville, MA people who went there.  I may have an opportunity to return this week because I was not happy with my visit.    Because of the fair I missed the Granville Historical Society and didn’t visit it but it does exist.  I did get lost on the way back to Mt. Vernon and ended up in Newark.  Gee, I thought that was in New Jersey?  Ah the fun of travel!

Old Colony Burying Ground, Granville, Ohio

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