John and Lydia Spracklin’s Life in Knox County, Ohio

In the last post, I used the tax and census records of Washington County, Ohio to get close to figuring out when Lydia stopped paying taxes in Washington County on the land in Knox County and came to conclusion that it happened about 1820.

Solomon Goss, her father, was on his own again on the land in Fearing Twp. in 1821.  Daniel Goss, the son and brother, appeared on the same page or not, depending on the year.  Solomon Goss (Jr) doesn’t appear till 1826. Solomon Goss (Jr) was to inherit the land.  I refer you to the post on the will of  Solomon Goss, dated December 2, 2012:  The Will of Solomon Goss 1810!

In the last post, I presented a study of the early years of the Solomon Goss family using the U.S. Census and Ohio Tax records at Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org.  This is the post dated March 14, 2013:  John and Lydia (Goss) Spracklin Migrate to Knox Co., Ohio!

The post dated March 6, 2013:  Lydia and John Andrews Spracklin Family, I shared a summary of the their children.  In that post I presented the 1830, 1840 U.S. Census and several Tax Records for Ohio 1825 and 1835.

Let’s revisit these and review them again with additional information:

1825 Ohio Tax Duplicate record

Index of the Ohio 1825 Tax Duplicate. 

pg. 36 –
Sylvanus Cook WN (Wayne) C 13 (There are several columns of Cooks listed pg. 36-37.);
pg 64 Beder Goss PG (Portage) C 45;
Daniel Goss KX (Knox) N 20;
Daniel Goss WS (Washington) N 59;
David Goss MN (Medina) N* 32;
David Goss PG (Portage) C* 44;
George Goss – See Fricker (maybe Pricker), John;
Henry Goss HC (Hocking) A 4;
John Goss PG (Portage) C* 44;
Levi Goss KX (Knox) N 19;
Martin Goss HC (Hocking) C 4,
Mary Goss KX (Knox) N 20;
Solomon Goss WS (Washington) N 59;
pg. 44 there are 8 Delano names but no Stephen;
pg. 89 there are many Kellar/Keller names listed, there are 10 John Kellers noted. One is listed in Keller, John MO (Monroe) C 20;
pg. 155 is listed a Spraelin, John KX (Knox) C 49.

Index of the Ohio 1825 Tax duplicate, compiled by Gerald M. Petty, 1981, FHLBook#977.1 R42 p. FHL#1597666.  

We do find John Spracklin in the 1830 U.S. Federal Census in Liberty Twp. which I presented below. There is a woman between the ages of 30-40 living with him.  I believe that it is reflecting three of their children:  Mary 6, Peter 4, and Solomon Goss is 2 years.

John Spracklin is listed as head 4th down from top. This is a statistical census and does not give the names of the family members living with him but it does give age ranges for male and female.

NOTE:  The comments following the numbers are my speculations, if you disagree that is okay with me.  Please comment if you have any thoughts.

Free White Persons – Males:
under age of 5 – lists 3  - Mary, Peter, Solomon Goss?
10-14 – lists 1  -  Ida?
20-29 – lists 1 – I do not know who this might be
40-49 – lists 1 – John himself, age 35?
Females:
5 to 9 – lists 1 - Ida?
30-39 – lists 1 – This is probably Lydia, age 34?

Under 20:  5

20 – 49:  3

Total:  8

Total of All – (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 8

1830 Peter and John Spracklin Appear

There is a listing for a Peter Spracklin in the 1830 U.S. Census living in Liberty Twp., Ohio. Peter is on the first line.   John Spracklin  is on the 4th line down.

Is this Peter the father or Peter the son?  Well I believe it is the father before he moves to Hardin County, Ohio and settles there.  The Peter who is John’s younger brother is living in Kensington, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1830 with 11 people and will later migrate to Trenton, New Jersey.

I will post in the future about Peter and Elizabeth’s children. My focus is on John and Lydia then each one of their children. Here is a quick list of Peter and Elizabeth’s family:  John, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth, Parmelia, Anna, Peter, Alfred and George.

Peter Spracklin (SR), 1830 U.S. Census Liberty Twp., Knox. Co., Ohio

Males: 
Males 15-19: 2 - George is in this age group.  Alfred would be 22 years old so he doesn’t fit? So who is the 2nd child?

Males 50-59: 1 – Peter Spracklin the father

Females

Females 50-59: 1 – Elizabeth Spracklin the mother

Under 20: 2

Total Free White:  4

All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 4

Source: 1830 U.S. Federal Census, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio, pg. 251, Roll #M19_134, Film#0337945, Image 505, Ancestry.com.  Peter Spracklin pg. 251, NARA #M19, Roll #134, FHL #0337945.  Peter Spracklin – Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Page 236, NARA M19, Roll #157, FHL #0020631.

Index of the Ohio 1835 Tax Duplicate Record has this information:

Sylvanus Cook WNESGC C 17;
Daniel Goss WSHBLP C* 25; 
David Goss PRTRND C 209; – Ebenezer Goss’ son living in Portage Co., Ohio
John Keller KNXWNE 7 235;  
Spracklin, John KNXLBR C* 161.

Source: Index of the Ohio 1835 Tax duplicate, compiled by Gerald M. Petty, 1987, FHLBook#977.1 R42 pg. 

I did  tax record research at the Ohio Historical Society on my trip in 2011 and found John Spracklin in Liberty Twp., in 1835, 1836, 1837.  When you look at the Tax Record films you get more detail.  There are two pages to these tax records.   This photo is page 1 and only a portion.

John Spracklin 1835 Tax Record

Caution:  These films were very difficult to read,  I was having trouble keeping the years correct.  I reviewed the film twice but still I am not happy with my recording of the data.  I would like to go back.

The most important part is the land description and it is the same one for all tax records for this time period for John Spracklin.  He adds more land in 1837 as he accumulates more.

1835 Tax Record:  John Spracklin, No. 18 Liberty, R 14, T6, Qtr. 2, E pt 3, 050 acres, value 075. 2nd line Lot 2, 100 acres, 2.2.5 – 2nd page 161 covers the taxes for a total of 0.63.8.

1836 Tax Record –  No. 18, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio, R14, T 6, Qtr 2, E pt 3, 050 acres, 075 value, R14, T6, 2, lot 2, 100 acres, 2.2.5 value, 2nd page 143 total taxes: 0.84.6.

1837: John Spracklin, R14, T6, qtr 2 E pt 3, 050 acre, 075 value, 2nd line R14 T6, qtr 2, 2, 100 acres, 225 value. 3rd line R14, T6, qtr 2, E pt 1, 050, 075, pg. 150 total tax 1st line 0.84.3, 2nd 2.53.1, 3rd line total tax 7.31.2

Source:  Ohio Historical Society – Tax duplicates (microform) 1809-1814, 1816-1838 Film #GR2532 1835-1837.

1840 Census, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio. Again this is statistical and only shows number of males and females living in the house, John is the 9th from the bottom of the page.

Males:
5-10 lists 1
10-15 lists 2
30-40 lists 1
40-50 lists 1 - John Spracklin about age 45?

Females:
under 5 – lists 1
5-10 lists 1
15-20 lists 1
40-50 lists 1 - Lydia about age 44?

Source: John Spracklin, 1840 U.S. Federal Census, Liberty Township, Knox Co., Ohio, Roll 406, Page 241, Image 486, FHL#0029169, Ancestry.com.  

In 1850 we finally get to a census that tells us something about the family.

Sadly this is the only census we see Lydia listed in.  She will die very soon in January of 1851.

Try searching using this spelling, “Spacklin,” to find him on Ancestry.com.

John Spacklin age 55, no occupation given, born in England
Lydia Spacklin, age 54, no occupation given, born in Ohio
Mary Spacklin, age 26, no occupation given, born in Ohio
Peter Spacklin age 24, Farmer, born in Ohio
Solomon Spacklin, age 21, blacksmith born in Ohio
*Daniel Spacklin, age 20, farmer, born in Ohio
Olive Spacklin, age 19, no occupation, born in Ohio
John, age 15, no occupation, born in Ohio
Lydia, age 12, no occupation, born in Ohio

Source: John Spacklin (Spacklin) Family, 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Liberty Twp., Knox Co., Ohio, No.84, 157, #79, [9] of Sept. 1850. L. V. Parke, NARA Roll M432_700, page. 79A, Image 682, Ancestry.com Image 28 browsing in Knox Co., Liberty Twp. 

So we know that John and Lydia (Goss) Spracklin migrated and settled on the land in Knox County, Ohio about 1820-1821 and raised their family.  The land in Knox County was bequeathed to Lydia in 1815 by her father Solomon Goss in a deed.  This land was to be bought and sold among the Spracklins, Goss and those families that married into these families.  The land was sold after the death of John in 1862 in deeds and in his estate papers.  More to come on John and Lydia (Goss) Spracklin.

*My 2nd great grandfather.

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John and Lydia (Goss) Spracklin Migrate to Knox Co., Ohio!

If you can’t use census you can try to see what the tax records tell you and study both comparing them.  Trying to find ancestors in early Ohio 1787 to 1840 is not easy.  I know because I have been studying Spracklin, Delano, Keller and other surnames to try and find family.

When did Lydia and John Spracklin migrate from Washington County, Ohio to Knox County, Ohio and settle on the land that her father Solomon Goss bequeath to his children?

During my trip to Ohio in August-September of 2011, I spent time at the Washington County Library Local History and Genealogy Annex where the genealogical library is located and staffed by volunteers of the Washington County Genealogical Society, who are members of the Ohio Genealogical Society.  These are great archives to visit and learn about for Ohio research.

Washing Co. Library Annex

They had original Treasurer’s duplicate journals for Washington County on a shelf under the window for access from 1810 to beyond 1836.

Treasurer’s  Duplicate Books

In these books were listings for taxes paid by Solomon Goss and his children. I did not have  a great deal of time so I did a rather poor job of photographing the pages of these books.

Much to my relief and saving me from my slovenly ways, the Family History Library, Familysearch.org has Ohio Tax Records for only a selected group of counties in Ohio:  Ashtabula, Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Guernsey, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Monroe, Trumbull, Washington (other), and Washington, Waterford Township.  They say they are about 17% complete.

An example of the Treasurer  Duplicate book pages

The photograph above is an example of the Treasurer’s Duplicates and the page is from the damaged book in between 1810 and 1825 in the picture of the books above. It is the brown looking item between these two larger books.

So I spent several hours studying what they had at Ancestry.com and online at Familysearch.org including the images.  Here are a few sources I used in preparation for my trip to Ohio in 2011, I am sure there are more.  (See Familysearch wiki on Ohio Taxation for more ideas – under Ohio Links on right side of this blog)

Sources:

1. “Early Ohio Tax Records,” compiled by Esther Weygandt Powers, Akron, Ohio 1971.  I found it at the Seattle Public Library.  Google Books has a copy but it doesn’t have all the pages for it is only a preview.  Fortunately it worked for me and the book is readily available to photocopy.

2. World Vital Records has this as well “Early Ohio Tax Record: Reprinted with The Index to Early Ohio Tax Records.”  If you have a subscription to this online archive go check it out.  It is possible that your local genealogical society has access for members.

3. If you try Ancestry.com you may find some of the tax lists mixed in with the early U.S. Federal Census because some did not survive for 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, so they used them to fill in for the missing U.S. Census.  If you do not have a subscription see your local library for a card.

State Census Records by Ann S. Lainhart is a good source for what census, state, federal and territorial were done for a given state like Ohio.  Worldcat had 929 hits for all 6 editions and at least 6 in my area.

William Dollarhide has a two volume set of books on Census and how to find them.  Census Substitute & State Census Records…” Volume 1 – Eastern States and Volume 2 – Western States, 2008, with Foreword by Leland K. Meitzler.

4. The Ohio Historical Society has Tax duplicates from 1806-1810 and 1809-1814, 1816-1838 on film at the historical society. If you go to their home page scroll down and click on the Archives/Library.  I was there in 2011 and looked at several of those films.  FHL films are from the Ohio Historical Society.

Caution:  They are rather difficult to read and not well identified by the years so you must take your time and take notes and copy carefully.  I had to do it twice to make sure I was recording the years correctly.  The research I did was on Spracklin, Delano and Keller surnames.

http://collections.ohiohistory.org/starweb/l.skca-catalog/servlet.starweb

5. Familysearch.org has “Tax Records of Ohio, 1801-1814 a series of microfilm.  They also have “Index of the Ohio 1825 and 1835 Tax duplicate,” in book form compiled by Gerald M. Petty, 1981, FHL Book #977.1R42, there is an 1812 version on 5 films.

This is a copy of one of the Familysearch tax records and only a piece of it.

1816 Portion of the tax record page showing the Goss Family

Here is the study I did this week trying to learn more about the movements of the Goss family.

Bon’s Census and Tax List Study of Solomon Goss, his children:  Elizabeth, Noah, Mary, Solomon Jr., Daniel, Levi, Lydia 1800 to 1832.  Please be aware that I did my best to be accurate.  I might have made a few mistakes it was tedious to do.

Year	Location	Source	Description	Detail of names
1800 U.S. Federal Census	Marietta Twp., Washington Co., Ohio	1800 U.S. Census at Ancestry.com – NARA	Number of male inhabitants age of 21. This is a name list	Solomon Goss
1801	Adams Twp., Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF #4022412 Image#00026 GS Film#945761	Solomon Goss
1802	Meritown Twp., Wash Co. Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF #4022412 Image#00066 GS Film#945761	Solomon Goss
1803 – August,	Washington Co., Ohio	US Territorial Census Wash Co., Ohio 1790-1890 – NARA Roll M1804, Roll 1 Ancestry.com	Hard to read list of male inhabitants and nothing else	Solomon Goss
1809	Fearing Twp., Washington Co.,	Ohio Census 1790-1890 Ancestry.com	Tax List	Solomon Goss
1810	No. Twp. Listed Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Census 1790-1890 Ancestry.com	Tax List No US Census for Ohio	Solomon Goss
1816	Big Run, Fearing, Wash Co., and Knox Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021667 Image#00058 GS Film #522501	Daniel (Belpre), Solomon SR (Fearing), Noah, Levi, Mary, Lydia, (Knox)

Here is the  1816 Tax Record.  Go to the chart above for the source information.  Solomon is the only one on Duck Creek while the children are all taxes for Knox Co., land.

Daniel Goss, Belpre, 
Acres in original tract: 4000
No. of Lot: 2
Luxury or Allotment: U.S. Military Lands
Situated R, T, S: 14, 6, 2
Quarter
City of: 100
Part or Corner Taxed: Undivided part of 450 acres N.E. corner
County: Knox
Original proprietors: Zaccheus Biggs
Tax D, O: 1, 50

Solomon Goss
Acres in original tract: 100
No. of Lot: 82
Luxury or Allotment: Duck Creek
Situated R, T, S: 8, 3, 18
Quarter
City of: 100
Part or Comer Taxed: 
County: Washington 
Original proprietors: Moses Williamson
Tax D, O : 1, 50

For Noah Goss, Levi Goss, Mary Goss, Lydia Goss
Acres in original tract: 4000
No. of Lot: 2
Luxury or Allotment: U.S. Military Lands
Situated R, T, S: 14, 6, 2
Quarter
City of: 100 acres for Noah, and Levi, 50 acres for Mary and Lydia
Part or Corner Taxed: Undivided part of 450 acres N.E. corner
County: Knox
Original proprietors: Zacheus Biggs
Tax D, O: 1, 50 for Noah and Levi only O 75 for Mary and Lydia

My study continues:

1817	Belpre Twp, Fearing, Wash Co. and Knox Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021667 Image#00195 GS Film #522501	Solomon SR (Fearing), Noah, Levi, Mary, Lydia, (Knox)Daniel Gofs, Belpre
1818	Unknown, Wash Co., Ohio County Land	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021667 Image#00334 GS Film #522501	Solomon SR (Fearing), Levi, Mary, Lydia, (Knox)Daniel Goss
1819	Duck Creek, Wash. Co. County Land	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021667 Image#00475 GS Film #522501	Solomon SR (Fearing), Levi, Mary, Lydia, (Knox)
1820 U.S. Census	Fearing, Wash Co., Ohio	U.S. Federal Census Aug 7, 1820 Ancestry.com	NARA Film M33_95, Image 233	See Below – Soloman Goss

The 1817 and 1818 Tax Records are almost exactly identical to the 1816 except in 1818 Noah disappears. So I skip to the 1819 Tax Record. Noah is gone from the 1819 record as well.

See my post dated November 15, 2011 – Noah Goss, A Mystery! I talk about the deeds of his acquiring the land in Knox Co., Ohio from his father and the sale which was about two month apart.

Solomon Goss
Acres in original tract: 100
No. of Lot: 82
Luxury or Allotment: Duck Creek
Situated R, T, S: 8, 3, 18
Quarter
City of: 100
Part or Corner Taxed:
County: Washington
Original proprietors: Moses Williamson
Tax D, O : 1, 50

For Levi Goss, Mary Goss, Lydia Goss (Noah is no longer listed and Daniel Goss does not appear till 1821 in the Belpre documents).
Acres in original tract: 4000
No. of Lot: 2
Luxury or Allotment: U.S. Military Lands
Situated R, T, S: 14, 6, 2
Quarter
City of: 100 acres for Noah, and Levi, 50 acres for Mary and Lydia
Part or Corner Taxed: Undivided part of 450 acres N.E. corner
County: Knox
Original proprietors: Zacheus Biggs
Tax D, O: 1, 50 for Noah and Levi only O 75 for Mary and Lydia

 Let’s take a look at the 1820 U.S. Census for Washington Co., Ohio

1820 US Federal  Census August 7, 1820  Soloman Goss

NOTE:  Elizabeth is married to Andrew Lake so she is not at home, Noah is about 38 years old, Mary is about 35 years old, Solomon Goss (Jr)  inherits the land in Fearing and married in 1812 to Polly Devol, Daniel lives in Belpre and is married to Lydia in 1813, Levi Goss is in New York or Ontario, Canada.  He was in the War of 1812.  He is about 27 years old.  See my posts about these children of Solomon Goss.

My notes:  The male sections are not as detailed as the females so it makes it hard to figure out who they might be.  Here I try seeing who might fit the numbers.  What do you think?

Free White Persons

Males 16 thru 25: 1 – John Spracklin 24 years old

Males 45 and over:  1 – Solomon himself?

Females under 10: 1

Females 16 to 25: 2 –  Lydia is 24 years old, who is the 2nd female?

Females 26 thru 44: 1 – Mary is 35 years old

Females 45 and over: 1  Olive Scott Goss – maybe, I think she had died before 1810 because she is not in Solomon’s will nor in the deeds records for the land in Knox Co. that he gives to his children.  So who could this be?

Foreigners not Naturalized:  1 – John Spracklin

Engaged in Agriculture: 2

Under 16: 1

Over 25: 3

Total Free White persons: 7

Total White, Slaves, Colored: 7

Maybe that is John Spracklin the one who is not Naturalized and that is why we don’t find him in the 1820 Census?

1821 Additional years: 1821,1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1838, 1840, 1842, 1843 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1850	Belpre, Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021667Image #00620GS Film #522501	Daniel Goss Belpre with new lands in Belpre
1821	E. Side, Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021667Image #00621GS Film #522501	Solomon Goss
1822	Unknown, Wash Co., Ohio County Land	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021668Image#00065GS Film #522502	Solomon Goss
1823	Unknown, Wash Co., Ohio County Land	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021668Image #00220GS Film #522502	Solomon Goss SR and Daniel Goss
1824	Unknown Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021668Image #00383GS Film #522502	Solomon Goss SR and Daniel Goss
1825	Unknown, Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021668Image #00550GS Film #522502	Solomon Goss SR and Daniel Goss

The rest of the children disappear after the 1820 U.S. Census and Daniel Goss continues through many years and eventually we see that Daniel moves to Belpre and is no longer listed with the Knox Co., lands.  Each of the children:  Elizabeth, Noah, Mary, Daniel, Levi sell their lands to someone else or a family member.  Lydia is the only one that keeps her 50 acres of the Knox Co. lands.

I have written posts on each of these children and I refer you to them for further details, see the Categories on the right side of this blog under SURNAMES – Goss, under Solomon Goss and you will find his children.

Here is the 1821 Tax Record for Washington Co., Ohio, Solomon is listed alone on the page.

E. Side, Washington, Ohio County Land,
Solomon Goss Duck Creek
Acres in the lot: 100
No. of Lot: 82
Situated R, T, S: 8, 3
Quantity&Rate 3: 100
Part or Allotment: 100 Duck Creek
Original Proprietors: Moses Williamson
State Tax: .50 cents
Road Tax: .25 cents
Total 75
Delinq
Remarks:

Daniel and Solomon appear on the same page but their land descriptions are very different for the 1824 Tax Record:

County Land,
Daniel Goss, Belpre,
Acres in the lot: 101 79/100
No. of Lot: 48
Situated R, T, S: 10, 1, 19.20
Quantity&Rate 3: 4
Part or Allotment:
Original proprietors: A. Coburn (Is this Asa Coburn his brother Solomon Goss (Jr.) with Polly’s family?
State Tax: 22
Road Tax: 1
Total 3 2
Delinq
Remarks:

Solomon Goss
Acres in the lot: 100
No. of Lot: 82
Situated R, T, S: 8, 3
Quantity&Rate 3: 100
Part or Allotment: 100 Duck Creek
Original Proprietors: M. Williamson
State Tax: .56
Road Tax: .25 cents
Total .81
Delinq

1826 (2)	Fearing Twp., Wash Co., Ohio Personal Property	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850 Familysearch.org	DF#4021679 Image #00103 & 00081 GS Film #534813	Solomon Goss Jr.
1827 (2)	Fearing Twp., Wash Co. Ohio,	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850Familysearch.org	DF#4021679Image #00409 & 00430 GS Film #534813 Ref 66 & 84	Solomon Goss Jr.
1829	Fearing Twp., Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850Familysearch.org	DF#4021669 Image#00070 GS Film: 522845	Solomon Goss Jr.
1830	Fearing Twp., Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records 1800-1850Familysearch.org	DF#4021669 Image#00367 GS Film: #522845	Solomon Goss Jr.
1832	Fearing Twp., Wash Co., Ohio	Ohio Tax Records1800-1850Familysearch.org	DF#4021670 Image#00084 GS Film: #522846	Solomon Goss

In the above chart we see the shift taking place.  Solomon Goss dies in 1825 and his son Solomon Goss (Jr) moves onto the land in Fearing Twp., stays there till about 1832 and sells the land and moves to Hardin Co., Ohio.  Daniel and Elizabeth are the only children that stay behind in Washington Co., Ohio. I have written several posts about Solomon Goss (Jr) and his family.  See the categories to the right under Surnames – Goss.

 Tax record for 1826:

Solomon Goss Junior
Acres 100
Lot 82
R T Sec: 8, 3, 18
[Aoof] 100/80
Horses
Part or allotment D.Cr.
Original proprietor M. Williamson
State Tax 16.0
County Tax 40.0
Road Tax 4.0
Town Tax 24.0
Total 84.0
Remarks

It is going to be wonderful when all these Ohio tax records are indexed and the images uploaded.  I am looking forward to Morrow, Knox, Franklin and several other counties to review for these records. So go and check out the Familysearch Ohio Tax records, remember they are only 17% complete.

When I copied my census/tax study to this post it squished and moved things around.  Here is a PDF of my Census Tax Record Study all in one:  CensusTaxStudyWashCoOhioEarly1800s

 

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The Ohio Historical Society!

The Ohio Historical Society Sign

On my trip in 2007 I had wanted to visit the Ohio Historical Society, but I  just didn’t have the time to do so because the trip had included the Federation of Genealogical Society Conference in Fort Wayne.  I would be using up a week to attend and do research at the Allen County Public Library which has a very big genealogical collection.  So I passed on it, but this time I was determined to go.

Ohio Historical Society

My first visit to the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) took place on August 18, 2011.  I had three days scheduled at OHS and I might return later on in the trip?

My route started with Warren Strett  to N 4th Street which goes one way north for quite a long time.  Be careful, Columbus has many one way streets.  Warren also changes from two-way to one-way for a block.  It was about 2 miles to the OHS.  I turned right onto E 17th Street and found Velma but the entrance is a little further down almost to the McDonald’s (on the right).  There is no signage till you are almost on top of the entrance and then you see the sign on the left. 

Now be careful again, for 17th is where the State Fair grounds are located and some major field the names escapes me because I was so focussed on the OHS.  If they are having an event they block the road off!  Big huge barricades at least going west on E 17th were up on Saturday.  I had to go north on 4th to E. Hudson and turn right and then onto Silver Street which became Velma Street.  Stay to the right and turn into the area where Lowe’s is or you end up on the freeway.  I knew about Velma from my first day and knew I could cut through and find the entrance to the OHS parking lot.  The problem is the railroad tracks and the freeway run along the area next to the OHS and you can’t turn west because the streets become dead ends till you get up to E. Hudson.  When I left the OHS later in the day on Saturday, I saw other cars going around the barricades???  Hmmm?  I suggest that you figure out several routes to the OHS just to be safe.

You enter the OHS building were the lower roof line is located to the left.  There is a museum but I didn’t have the time to spend exploring and a gift shop.  They are open 10 to 5 pm Wednesday to Saturday.  You have to sign in at the front desk and get a card.  You then walk down toward the museum area, turn right and right again and the elevators are tucked into this alcove like area.  Punch the 3rd floor button and you enter the lobby of the library/archives are.  Lockers are ahead of you and there are many.  You will need a quarter which goes into the inside black piece on the right side almost at the top.  The quarter is given back to you so if you need to get in and out of  the locker you can.  I found that my computer case will fit.  Sometimes the lockers are too small and you have to reduce what you bring.  Restrooms are past the lockers. 

The entrance to the library/archives is a scrolling metal gate far end of the lobby area before the lockers.  You can peer into the main Reading Room and see all the stacks of books, the reference desk, the sign for the Microfilm reading room, tables and more.  It is very nicely arranged! 

Ohio Historical Society Reading Room

They open at 10 am and you have to leave your computer case in the locker and bring your papers into the Reading Room and find a desk.  Some have power others don’t.  If you bring your digital camera you have to sign an agreement in the library/archives area.  No tripods are allowed or hand scanners.  They also do the photocopying, it is not self-serve.  If you do have copies made make sure they are okay because in other repositories I have had problems.  Court documents can be large and need to be reduced.  I do not know if they take back the article and not return it to you or not.  I didn’t get photocopies for I had my digital camera.   Oh, they are $.25 even the microfilm readers where you use a copy card.  I think you need one for both.

On Thursday I immediately started to order items from the stacks.  I had to learn what was to be ordered and what was not.  The librarians/archivists will tell you or you can ask if not sure.  They are very quick and bring things to the main area for you to view in a special area. They give you one item at a time. 

I looked at the actual original deed index books for Washington County for Grantor and Grantee.  They were wonderful.  Microfilm is great and I had looked at the Grantor version of this index at the Family History Library but these were the original index books.  There is something about looking at the read book in which the court clerk actually wrote things down that is so amazing.   I gently turned the pages. 

Now they don’t have everything from each county in Ohio. They do have seven Ohio Research Centers around the state for government records for various areas of the state.  So you do have to do your homework before you go there and it takes a little digging to figure out what they have or don’t and where the records might be located.  Some records are on microfilm of course.  At the bottom of the page from the catalog note whether it reads  ”can be paged” or “self-serve.”  This will guide you.  It will tell you if it is in the microfilm room.  Usually the GR numbers are on microfilm.  Other numbers like ones with BV are to be ordered unless there is another option.  

 As usual you have slight problems but that is typical of research.  I did pull a newspaper microfilm and it was a Scioto court book so I took that to the volunteer in the Microfilm room which is over to the left in the back of the Reading Room.  He was busy trying to figure out if the boxes got mixed up.  I also tried for a film and it was out for repair.  So there are some things to work around.  Their descriptions on the catalog pages are not real easy to figure out and unfortunately you have to order more films than you might need.  

I was looking at films for the Tax records and that was very confusing so it took me a little while to figure out how they had been filmed.  This is not OHS’s fault but the person who microfilmed them.  So you have to factor in time to interpret what you are looking at.  

They have wonderful treasures at OHS.  It was pretty exciting to look at a church record book (I am beginning to think they are rare) in handwriting with delicate pages.  I didn’t find my ancestors but I can surely appreciate it as a wonderful resource.  It was the Congregational Church in Randolph, Portage County, Ohio.  It was interesting because a John Seward wrote some entries.  How he fits into the Seward family I do not know?  Enos Seward married  Sarah Goss daughter of Philip and Mary Goss.  This John Seward sign his name as missionary from the Connecticut Religious Society.  The record started about 1810 and went to 1870?  OHS has some wonderful treasures!

The lobby of the archives/library 3rd floor

 I ordered some Preemptive certificates that reimbursed claimants for lands lost due to John Cleves Symmes bankruptcy regarding the Miami purchase (Symmes Purchase is another name).  All they had was the ones for the Cincinnati land office documents.  From the description it seemed like they had other land offices?  They were wonderful.  I was hoping to find Solomon Goss among them.  Now that would  have been a great find.  There were many names but no Solomon.  I know that a lot of the records from Symmes were lost and some were found in his home in after his death?  

Main Reading Room of the OHS

I did do newspaper research.  A lot of newspapers are on microfilm.  The numbers start at the far end of the Microfilm Room and come forward to the readers.  I am finding very little on my family.  I am beginning to think that the news is centered on the cities and not out in the country areas.  Some newspapers will have some obituaries, some gossip which mention someone is feeling poorly etc., marriages,  public notices like sheriff sales, land for sale from an estate, an administrator’s notices and I did find a murder in 1818 but it was south of the city.  It did mention the coroner examined the body!  I was frustrated to see that even if they had the newspaper it had big gaps in the issues.  Some were on microfilm and I observed a lady reading paper versions out in the main reading area.  Those I believe you have to order. I also saw another lady with what looked like a scrapbook of newspaper clippings.  They do have published abstracts of death notices books for some areas, newspapers and counties.   Before I do newspaper research I prepare a spreadsheet using Word with the names and death dates of the persons I am interested in.  This time I created a spreadsheet for each county with names and attached the catalogue spreadsheet of the newspaper I wanted to search to it.   I notices other researchers had similar papers they were using to do their searches. 

My three days were very busy but I feel that I accomplished a lot.  One of the librarians assisted me and verified that the murder of a certain fourth great grandparent was in the area of upper Marion County.  I will talk about that in another post.  The archivists are very nice and pleasant so ask your questions. 

If you are trying to do genealogical research in Ohio you might want to add the Ohio Historical Society to your list of places to do that research.  There is never enough time and I could have used one more day.  Although you do have to factor in that your brain gets real tired and your eyes hurt from the microfilm reader!  All-in-all I am pleased. 

If you get tired you can have fun pulling county books off the shelf and you don’t have to reshelve them!  They seem to have a wonderful city directory collection.  The furthest back for Toledo was 1858, which is pretty good.   I needed to get back to 1855 or 1856!  Don’t you just love genealogical research!

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Columbus, Ohio – Short North and More!

      Tuesday, August 16th was a day of travel.  It always takes me one day to get to the other side of the Continental United States.  This time I did the connection in Minneapolis which is very different.  I usually fly to Chicago and then to the final destination.  I walked almost the whole Minneapolis/St. Paul airport to get to my next flight and just handed the attendant my ticket for checking and walked right on.  No waiting at the gate.  My bags also arrived at Columbus, so I was happy.  Obtaining the rental car was unique.  Thrifty let me decide which economy car I wanted to drive so I got to choose.  I took the steel-gray Aveo and I was soon off to downtown Columbus.

Marcella's - Short North, Columbus, OH

     Driving along Broad street west towards the city I found myself viewing wonderful old stately houses with significant front yards on both sides of the street.  Most had porches with columns and several floors and there was a lot of brick and stone.  It took several blocks to get to the downtown area.  I turned north on 4th (23) and headed up to the neighborhood they call Short North!  I was told it means “short of downtown.”  I was also told it used to be scary but now it is filled with shops of clothes and specialty items along with art galleries.  Mostly it is filled with restaurants and lots of them.  They have these metal arches across the roadway.  To get to Short North you pass the rather new looking convention center which goes on for several blocks. 

     I found my B&B easily and proceeded to the parking area in the back and had to stop for a brown furry creature that looked almost like a beaver but was too small and didn’t have the flat tail.  It was contemplating crossing the road but decided to retreat and let me pass. 

50 Lincoln Short North B&B

     The B&B I had selected was 50 Lincoln-Short North.  It had its name slightly altered after being purchased in the past few years.  It is a stately brick building with roses and lovely landscaping surrounding it.  It is situated within walking distance of High Street and the many restaurants.  It took awhile for me to get situated in my room. The reason was the very steep stairs to the 2nd floor where my room was located.  Other than that, it is a lovely home.  There is a large area where the dining room is situated.  The kitchen is in the back.  There is a parlor off the dining room.  There are 2 floors with several rooms on each.  My room was lovely and had a desk!

      Once I had brought the luggage in, I headed out to explore and found Marcella’s.  The waitress seated me at the window and I realized later there was no window.  It was wide open to the street.  The restaurant was noisy and full.  I had a ravioli dish which was interesting.  The sauce was more of an oil than a cream sauce.  The ladies seated across from me were celebrating a birthday of one of their friends and they bought her a triple cream puff.  They also were singing to her quietly “Happy Birthday.” 

     As I sat there enjoying my meal I observed lots of motorcycles driving by, runners out for their exercise, a lady on a pink scouter who zipped by.  Couples were walking along and taxi’s were bringing people into the area.  It was very active.

Wedding Dress Shop

Dog Food and Treats Store Short North, Columbus, Ohio

     The walk back to the B&B was easy even though it was a tad muggy. 

     So Short North is just north of the downtown area where the Columbus Metropolitan Library is located on Grant and State Streets.  North is the Ohio Historical Society on 17th and a little past Velma about two miles maybe slight more.  If you want to go to the State Library that is close and then there are the courts in the downtown area.  Very easy to get around and I did not experience any traffic that wasn’t easy to handle even for a city. 

Short North, Columbus, Ohio

     I settled in for the night ready for my day of research at the Columbus Metropolitan Library.  Oh yes, I ran into my furry friend again on the path next to he B&B but he again decided to retreat to the backyard!

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