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Ashtabula County OHGenWeb » Ashtabula County History

Brief History


Ashtabula was formed June 7, 1807, from Trumbull and Geauga, and organized January 22, 1811. The name of the county was derived from Ashtabula river, which signifies, in the Indian language, Fish river. For a few miles parallel with the lake shore it is level, the remainder of the surface slightly undulating, and the soil generally clay. Butter and cheese are the principal articles of export, and in these it leads all other counties in the amounts produced. Generally not sufficient wheat is raised for home consumption, but the soil is quite productive in corn and oats. In 1885 the acres cultivated were 129,992; in pasture, 150,152; woodland, 62,223; lying waste, 3,700; produced in wheat, 234,070 bushels; corn, 382,238; oats, 677,555; apples, 587,385; pounds butter, 1,042,613; and cheese, 354,400. School census, 9,441; teachers, 543. Area 720 square miles, being the largest county in Ohio. It has 191 miles of railroad.


County Population as of 1880

Townships and Census Townships and Census
1840 1880 1840 1880
Andover 881 1168 Monroe 1326 1459
Ashtabula 1711 5522 Morgan 643 1223
Austinburg 1048 1208 New Lyme 527 893
Cherry Valley 689 698 Orwell 458 973
Conneaut 2650 2947 Pierpont 639 1046
Denmark 176 697 Plymouth 706 780
Dorset 0 613 Richmond 384 1011
Geneva 1215 3167 Rome 765 668
Harpersfield 1399 1116 Saybrook 934 1384
Hartsgrove 553 798 Sheffield 683 688
Jefferson 710 1952 Trumbull 439 960
Kingsville 1420 1621 Wayne 767 835
Lenox 550 820 Williamsfield 892 974
Colebrook 0 956 Windsor 875 964

Historical Collections of Ohio
By Henry Howe

Vol. I – 1888
Ashtabula County page 261

Ashtabula County OHGenWeb » Ashtabula County History