Portal:Local history

Local History Portal

Wayne County, Ohio Online Resource Center Portals Organization • Genealogy • Local History

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Welcome to the Wayne County Public Library Local History Portal.

Township History

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Churches

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The Genealogy and Local History Department of the Wayne County Public Library has updated several new pages on the wiki. An ongoing task is to have a listing of all known churches in Wayne County, Ohio from its settlement in 1808 to present day. The Wayne County, Ohio Churches (Table) has recently been updated.

The First Baptist Church in Wooster was originally known as Bethany Baptist Church and was founded in 1812. Prior to Bethany Church, it was known as the "Regular Baptist Church of Jesus Christ". This first congregation met in a blockhouse used to protect the first settlers from the Indigenous peoples. Some of the first known Baptists who moved to Wooster were David and Lydia Kimpton and Philip B. Griffith. They were here in 1810. In 1811, Ezekial and Hannah Jones and family settled in same area.

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Did you know...

Did you know the house that is on the corner of Beall Ave and High St in Wooster was built in 1861? The house was owned by only two different families. The first owner was Anthony Wright. When he died, the house was deeded to his only daughter, Sarah Elizabeth (Wright) Quinby. It left the family when Sarah sold the property to William and Mary Fike in 1908. When William and Mary Fike died, the house passed down to their only daughter, Elizabeth Lorson. It remained in her position until she sold it to the Noble Foundation Inc in 2007.

The deed to the house was transferred a couple more times since 2007 and is currently used as a Pathway House.

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There are many resources available in our department. Our department has newspapers on microfilm dating back to 1822. This resource may be very time consuming but very rewarding. Newspapers dating before 1870s do not include much local news. You may find the occasional marriage or death announcement. You may find listings of estate sales and legal notices that may provide clues to other resources to consider.

As the turn of the 20th century approaches, the local newspapers were social columns. Such items as births, marriage, and death announcements may be listed. Also, you may find information on who is visiting who and where the visit takes place. Information about military, and community involvement may be found. Wayne County School Reunions, family reunions, and information pertaining to local churches and businesses may be mentioned.

Through the years, many newspapers articles have been clipped on specific topics. Some of these may be found in the lateral files. Other clippings may be found in a variety of 3-ring notebooks and organized according to subject. Information on historical businesses may be found in the business collection and township articles in the township notebooks. Some of the information will become available through the Wayne County (OH) Wiki. }}

About Local History Portal

The local history portal focuses on history of Wayne County, Ohio including township histories and information pertaining to the towns and cities of long ago through present day. It is the desire to provide information on businesses, churches, schools, residences, non-profit organizations, military information and many other components of history. When available, digital images will be uploaded to the Wayne County (OH) Wiki to enhance the experience of our researchers. However, to compile a comprehensive history of Wayne County, Ohio, it takes time and volunteers--both of which are in great demand. If your are interested in helping "populate" the local history portal, please contact Deb in the Genealogy and Local History Department. General information regarding the history of Wayne County, Ohio may be found by choosing one of the record types listed in the "Main" tab. For images pertaining to local history, see the other two tabs: Digital Collection and Historical Atlas. To go directly to a township page, use the search field and type in the full township name, full county name, and full state name. Do not use abbreviations. For example,if you are interested in finding information on Plain Township, type in "Plain Township, Wayne County, Ohio". If you are interested in finding information on a town or city in Wayne County, type in the search field the full name of the town and the full name of the state. For example, if you are interested in information on Doylestown, type "Doylestown, Ohio".