We have entered our 250th birthday year as a nation, and what a great year it will be! Celebrations, commendations, and commemorations will abound as we recall the past 250 years of events and changes.
Around the nation, many county 250th Anniversary committees have been meeting and planning for several years, including Ashtabula County. Be watching for scheduled events and activities in which you can be a part.
Our county is unique in two ways when it comes to firsts, and we can celebrate that fact this year. Ashtabula County was the first county settled on the Western Reserve and the first settled in all of Northern Ohio. This distinction allowed foundational beginnings of a settlement to occur here such as in government, economy, growth, places of worship, and education.
In this column, I plan to explore individuals and events that have shaped our community and county since it was formed. Revolutionary War soldiers have had very little focus in writings or memorials, but they will have their “moment to shine” this year.
I recently discovered a site from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), which shows the content of a 1921 study done by the organization in which they took all the pension rolls of Revolutionary War soldiers and listed them alphabetically.
Not only are the soldiers’ names listed, but also the county they were from, the battles they fought in, whether they were injured or killed, their wife, children, place of enlistment and death date. Many of the names also list the place of burial.
The survey was then printed into a book and distributed free to libraries in each county. I was so overwhelmed with this information that I had long looked for but until now did not know of its internet access, that I went name by name, looking for Ashtabula County soldiers. I then printed off the Ohio list to try to find more information about as many as possible.
Some of the names even list the soldier as being buried on private family property. Who knows how many of these soldiers who came to our county to settle and raise their family are buried in unmarked graves or under headstones lost over time?
Another great project taking place for our 250th anniversary is the Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Project sponsored by the America 250-Ohio and the Ohio History Connection. If you type in the project name, you will find this site that includes names by county and then takes you to a map of all our county cemeteries, and where that person is buried. It will give the birth and death rate, headstone information and a few details. The site asks for contributions and the portal will remain open until the spring of 2026. This is a great opportunity for readers to find a lost Revolutionary War veteran or to have him included in the search. If you do not know how to find the information you are looking for, please contact the society number listed below and we will help you.
When I read that the book had been given to every library at the time of printing in 1921, I mentioned it at a meeting of the Jefferson Historical Society. While I was talking, I glanced across at the rare and old book section in the resource room where the meeting was being held. I did a double take as I thought I saw the spine of the book I was talking about. I quickly got up and to my amazement, there was the very book I had spent time, ink and effort to print off. It can only be used as private study when you copy from it as it can only be reprinted publicly with permission from the organization.
Throughout this year of 2026, I plan to write of as many of the men, our early settlers, as possible. They came to a wilderness and turned it into our home. It is hard to imagine, but in 1798, just 22 years after our independence, there were only about 15 families living on the entire Western Reserve.
Ten were at Youngstown, three at Cleveland and two in Mentor. By the following year of 1799, 125 people lived on the Western Reserve with 25 of them living in present day Ashtabula County. During that harsh winter of 1799-1800, more folks would come or babies born making the population double to 50 souls living within Harpersfield, Conneaut, Austinburg, Windsor and Monroe. By 1811, when our county was officially organized, there would be 1,000 persons living in our county.
Who were those brave souls, many who came from New York and Connecticut, who either came alone and brought their families later, or made the trek with their families in tow? These men had fought for our nation’s independence and were looking for a new life. We have them to thank for their bravery, their ingenuity, their desire, their commitment.
I will be writing the stories of the former Revolutionary War soldiers who came from the five townships mentioned first. If you have a Revolutionary War soldier in your family’s history, I would love to hear from you and include your story. If you would like to look up a name, you can contact me at the Jefferson Historical Society and set up a date for you to look through the book mentioned. The society building is closed until March, but we have volunteers who are always ready and willing to help search for you.
During our 200th anniversary of our county, I wrote a year-long series on Ashtabula County pioneers who came here 200 years ago or about that time. I heard from many families who shared their stories. I will be including those in this series also. If you are a descendant of a pioneer family who settled in Ashtabula County, I would love to include your information in this series also. I have a thick notebook of all the families who sent in information along with their photos. Please contact me at onesouthernwriter@gmail.com or leave a message at the Jefferson Historical Society, 440-576-5333.
