Profile and History of the Town of Ohio, 1869-70


PROFILE AND HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF OHIO
from the Gazetteer and Business Directory of Herkimer County, N.Y. 1869-70




OHIO, named from the State of Ohio, was formed from Norway, as West Brunswick, April 11th, 1823. Its name was changed May 3d, 1836, and a part of Wilmurt was taken off the same year. It lies in the interior of the County, on the north border of the settlements. The surface is moderately hilly, with an elevation of from 700 to 900 feet above Mohawk River. A range of high steep hill extends through the north part. It is drained by West Canada and Black Creeks and their tributaries. The soil is a sandy loam with some clay, well adapted to grazing. The principal exports are cheese, potatoes, lumber and tanbark. Large crops of potatoes are raised which are famous in the market for their good quality. In the north-east part there are several thousand acres of forest, heavily timbered, and possessing an excellent soil.

Gray, (p.o.) situated partly in this town, contains a hotel, a cabinet shop, a blacksmith shop, a carriage shop and about a dozen dwellings on the Ohio side.

Ohio City, (Ohio p.o.) is a hamlet containing a Methodist church.

Dutch Settlement contains two churches.

There are ten saw mills in this town.

This town was settled previous to the close of the Revolutionary war, by ___ MOUNT, on lot 50 of the Jerseyfield Patent. During the war he was attacked by Indians and his two sons killed. He and his wife and daughter escaped and never returned to his farm. His buildings, including a mill on Mill Creek, were subsequently burned. The time of this occurrence is not known. Mr. David THORP moved to the MOUNT farm soon after the war and lived there many years. John MILLER, ___ WARNER, Aaron THORP, Harmanns VAN EPPS, and others were early settlers.

David THORP kept the first inn, and Ephraim ASH the first store, in 1820.

The infamous Tory, Walter N. BUTLER, was killed about two miles above the junction of Black and West Canada Creeks, near the line between Ohio and Russia, Dec. 30, 1781.

The population in 1865 was 928; its area is 33,513 acres.

There are seven school districts, employing the same number of teachers. The number of children of school age is 335; the number attending school 229; the average attendance 97, and the amount expended for school purposes during the year ending September 30, 1868, was $1,393.46.


Back to The Town of Ohio Page

Back to Herkimer/Montgomery Counties GenWeb

Back to New York State GenWeb

Back to USGenWeb


Last Updated: 3/30/00

Copyright ©1998 - 2000 Lisa Slaski
Copyright ©1997 - 2000 Martha S. Magill
All Rights Reserved.