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Ross  County

Ohio, USA

Ross Co. - Map of OH

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Introduction

593px-Seal_of_Ross_County_(Ohio)_svg

     Ross County is located in the Appalachian region of the state of Ohio, United States.  The county is named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania.    Its county seat is Chillicothe, which also served as the first capital of the State of Ohio from 1803 until 1816, except for an interval from late 1809 to 1812 when the state legislature met in Zanesville. In 1817, the state capital moved 40 miles north of Chillicothe to Columbus, the state's present capital city, because it was more centrally located.  

     Ross County was established on August 20, 1798 by proclamation of Arthur St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory.  It included a large part of what is now the State of Ohio. The establishment of Franklin County and the later organization of other counties reduced Ross County’s huge size in 1803.       Today, in addition to Chillicothe, Ross County encompasses sixteen townships and six villages. The County includes 687 square miles, the second largest in the state. 

     The following counties are adjacent to Ross: Pickaway County (north);  Hocking County (northeast);  Vinton County (east);  Jackson County (southeast);  Pike County (south);  Highland County (southwest);  and Fayette County (northwest).

 

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The following are names of persons, found within our databases as having been either born, married or died in this location. Names in dark red denote direct ancestral lines. To find out more about each surname listed click on the corresponding Link.

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families  (MMPS)

Boggs;   Cadwallader;   Callahan;   Eubanks;   Evans;   Hause;   Hixson; 

 Lease;   Melson;   Middleton;   Sherill;   Ross;   Sommers;   Vanderford

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families (BPQR)

 

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families  (DKPS)

Click on this link to find out more about each surname listed above as well as other surnames found within our three family databases.

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Ancestral 
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ancestral gen-sites

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Family History Notes

Map of the County

Gen-Site Profiles

Family History Notes

     In 1803 Ohio was admitted to the Union as the seventeenth state (and the first under the Northwest Ordinance).  By 1806 our Eubanks ancestors had moved from Fleming County, Kentucky to Mifflin Township in Ross County, Ohio.  This group would include our 6th great-grandparents John and Sarah (Vanderford) Eubanks along with several of their children and their families.  Most notable among this group were our 5th great grandparents Richard and Alice (Peachee) Eubanks, as well as two of John and Sarah’s other sons George Eubanks and William Eubanks, (our 5th great-grand uncles).  Around 1807 both John and Sarah Eubanks would pass away at the original homestead along Ohio Route 41 in Perry Township (now in Pike County).   This place is located near where the present day community of Cynthiana. This locale would become a part of Paxton Township by 1809 and upon the establishment of Pike County in 1815 this area fell into what is now Perry Township of Pike County.       Richard Eubanks is found on the Ross County tax lists from 1807 to 1810.  It is believed that Richard Eubanks passed away at this locale around 1810-13. George Eubanks is first found on the Ross County tax rolls in 1806.  Records show that, in 1807, he completed a transaction for 200 acres of land for $700.00.  This property was probably the aforementioned original homestead along Ohio Route 41 in Perry Township, Pike County.   As one of the early settlers to this area George quickly became active in the local community and in 1807 was one of several supervisors of highways.  On April 2, 1810, in a local election he is listed as one of several to do house appraisals.  In April 1811 he is named as one of two listers of taxable property and appraisers in Paxton Township. In the election of April 1813 he is elected as a trustee.

 

     Our extended Ross Family removed west from Virginia to Ohio prior to 1819.  According to the 1820 census Joshua Ross settled in that area of Ross County which now encompasses the townships of Paint and Twin.  Joshua and his wife Jane produced at least eight known off-spring between 1798 and 1820 one of whom is our 4th great-grandfather Joseph Ross. Joshua Ross continued to live in Paint Township until his death in 1842.

     In 1821 Joseph Ross married Anna Eubanks, daughter of Richard and Alice (Peachee) Eubanks, in nearby Highland County. It is most probable that Joseph and his family lived in Paint Township between 1823 and 1842 eight known children were born to them including our 3rd great-grandmother Elizabeth Ross.  Joseph Ross passed away in 1854, and is buried at the Bourneville Methodist Church Cemetery, in Twin Township. It is believed that Elizabeth Ross was born in Ross County around 1824. In 1843 she married James McVicker and lived in Washington Township, Hocking County, Ohio after their marriage.

Map of the county

Map of the County

The Red Starin the map designates the location of the seat of government for this county.  Yellow Stars designate seats of government in adjacent counties.   A Purple Dotshows the location of identified ancestral Gen-Site(s).   Blue Line shows county boundaries between 1810 and 1815.

Ross Co., OH (gen-sites)

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Gen-site profiles

Gen-Site Profiles

Chillicothe;   Bourneville Methodist Cemetery;

  Edmiston Cemetery;   Hixon Cemetery;   Paint Township; 

Chillicothe

LOCATION:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Erioll_world.svg/18px-Erioll_world.svg.png  Country: United States;  State: Ohio;  County: Ross;  Coordinates/Map: 39.33, -83.06     

DESCRIPTION OF GEN-SITE: Chillicothe a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio.  Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River.  The town's name comes from the Shawnee Chala·ka·tha, named after one of the five major divisions of the Shawnee people, as it was the chief settlement of that tribal division. It was after the American Revolution that most European settlement came to this area. Migrants from Virginia and Kentucky moved west along the Ohio River in search of land.  The Ross County Courthouse is located at 2 North Paint Street, Suite H, Chillicothe, OH 45601-3109

Ross County Court House

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ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE: see Family History Notes above.  

INTERNET WEB LINK(S):  Official Site of the City of Chillicothe Ohio

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Bourneville Methodist Cemetery

LOCATION:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Erioll_world.svg/18px-Erioll_world.svg.png  Country: United States;  State: Ohio;  County: Ross;  Coordinates/Map: 391707N  0830943W     

DESCRIPTION OF GEN-SITE: The cemetery is located on Upper Twin Road about 100 yards off of U.S. Route 50 in Twin Township, Ross County, Ohio. It is also known as the Old Bourneville or Twin Township Cemetery.  Bourneville Methodist Cemetery is no longer an active cemetery.  Bourneville is an unincorporated community in central Twin Township.  Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45617. 

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ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE: Joshua Ross (c.1775-1842) is buried here. There are other members of this family buried here, see Internments at Bourneville Methodist Cemetery.   See Family History Notes above.  

INTERNET WEB LINK(S): Bourneville Methodist Cemetery

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Edmiston Cemetery

LOCATION:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Erioll_world.svg/18px-Erioll_world.svg.png  Country: United States;  State: Ohio;  County: Ross;  Coordinates/Map: 39.278328N,  -83.289338W

DESCRIPTION OF GEN-SITE: Also known as Ziegler Cemetery, the cemetery is located in Paint Twp. southeast of Fruitdale.   The cemetery is on the southwest side of Pricer Ridge Road (Co. Hwy 20), near the intersection with Fordyce Road, (Twp. Hwy 18).  It is located in a thicket of cedar trees that are visible from the road.  The cemetery is about 50 feet by 75 feet and is partially enclosed wirh barbed wire.

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ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE: Joshua C. Ross (c.1834-1862) is buried here.

INTERNET WEB LINK(S): Find A Grave: Edmiston Cemetery;   Edmiston Cemetery, Paint twp., Ross county;   Edmiston Cemetery

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Hixon Cemetery

LOCATION:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Erioll_world.svg/18px-Erioll_world.svg.png  Country: United States;  State: Ohio;  County: Ross;  Coordinates/Map:  391816N  0831734W

DESCRIPTION OF GEN-SITE:  Also known as the Hixton-Sutton Cemetery. Hixon Cemetery is located in Buckskin Township on Turkey Ridge Road, one half mile east of Mt. Olive Road. From SR28 at Lyndon, take Lyndon -Salem Rd s of South Salem. Go on Mt. Olive Rd. TR47 and turn left near top of hill on Turkey Ridge Rd. Cemetery about 1/4 mi on right.  More than half of the stones in the cemetery are of common field stone, and about two dozen of them have no inscriptions.

 

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ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:   David Ross was buried here in 1869.    See also Internments at Hixon Cemetery. 

INTERNET WEB LINK(S): Hixon Cemetery; 

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Paint Township

LOCATION:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Erioll_world.svg/18px-Erioll_world.svg.png  Country: United States;  State: Ohio;  County: Ross;  Coordinates/Map: 39.273333N   -83.311111W

DESCRIPTION OF GEN-SITE: Topographically, this Paint Township enjoys the distinction of being the most irregular in outline in Ross county. The township was organized by the county commissioners on March 9, 1808, from territory then embraced within the townships of Buckskin and Paxton.  Buckskin creek flows nearly through the township, maintaining a southerly course until it reaches the west central portion, when it makes an abrupt turn to the eastward and empties into Paint creek just over the line in Paxton township. This is the principal interior stream. Paint creek forms the entire western boundary, and about half of the southern, leaving the township line near the mouth of Buckskin creek. Other small streams are Lower Twin, which drains the eastern end of the township for a short distance, and Cliff run, Core run and Whetstone creek, which cut through the hills in the interior, and are bounded, generally, by rugged bluffs instead of the usual fertile valleys.   The choice farming land of the township lies in the valleys of Paint creek, Buckskin creek and Lower Twin. The valleys of these streams are usually wide and fertile bottom lands, which, together, comprise about one-third of the township. But little level farming land is to he found along the small interior streams. The bluffs often rise abruptly from the very banks of the creeks and terminate in broken and hilly lands, of thin clay soil.  Fruitdale is the main village in the township, 100 years ago it was a station on the Ohio Southern railroad which crossed the western end of the township from northwest to southeast, with stopping places at Humboldt and Spout Springs, but no stations. But, notwithstanding the meager facilities within the boundaries of Paint township, the people are well provided for in the existence of nearby towns in adjacent territory, Greenfield, Bainbridge, South Salem and Bourneville being conveniently accessible at the four cardinal points.    The old Indian Ford across the Paint was a point to which the warrior's trails seemed to converge from all directions, and council fires burned in the adjacent camps on the margins of the stream. Long years before the white man entered the territory, this was a favorite rendezvous for the Indians in passing through the valley.   The honors of first settlement are due to the Woodbridge family, descendants of Jelahiel Woodbridge who was one of the original members of the Ohio company, organized in Boston, March 1, 1786.    Following settlers include Jacob Hare who emigrated from Virginia and settled in the northern part of Paint township during the year 1799. Jacob and Enos Smith, brothers, sought a home in the Scioto country in 1796.  John Gray came from Pennsylvania in the fall of 1799. He settled, temporarily, on Pee Pee creek, in Highland county; but early in 1800 he removed to Paint township, and settled on Twin creek.  Other early settlers in the Twin creek neighborhood, who located there prior to 1800, or in that year, were George Brown, George Walker, Thomas Mahan, Jacob Myers and Thomas McDonald. These families, with the Grays, constituted the settlers on Paint creek, within the bounds of the township in the year 1800.   Source: Ross County, Ohio History

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:   see Family History Notes above

INTERNET WEB LINK(S): Paint Township, Ross County, Ohio - Wikipedia;  Ross County, Ohio History;  Historic Map: Paint Township,1875

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Gazetteer of Places

 in This County

Changes of County Boundaries

Link to State-Wide Resources

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Gazetteer of Places

The list below will assist in your research regarding the matching of your ancestor’s birth, marriage, death dates and the place(s) within this locality at which these events may have occurred.

 

US Home Town Locator

Profiles for  69 cities, towns and other populated places in Ross County, Ohio

Map of Ross County Ohio

Ross County Physical, Cultural & Historic Features | Schools

Ross County ZIP Codes | Area Codes

Ross County Land - Property, Farms & Ranches

 

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Ross County, OH, United States

 for the following information: Overview – Map – Townships – Cities - Cemeteries

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Links To Populated Places Within This County

City & Villages : Chillicothe;  Adelphi;   Bainbridge;   Clarksburg;   Frankfort;   Greenfield;   Kingston;   South Salem

Townships: Buckskin;   Colerain;   Concord;   Deerfield;   Franklin;   Green;   Harrison;   Huntington;   Jefferson;   Liberty;   Paint;   Paxton;   Scioto;   Springfield;   Twin;   Union

·      Adelphi

·      Aldersons

·      Alexandria

·      Alma

·      Amsterdam

·      Anderson

·      Andersonville

·      Antonis

·      Austin

·      Bainbridge

·      Baum Village

·      Belleview Heights

·      Bethesda

·      Bourneville

·      Brewer Heights

·      Brownstown

·      Brownsville

·      Canada

·      Carey

·      Charleston

·      Chillicothe

·      City of Chillicothe *

·      City of Greenfield *

·      Clarksburg

·      Courtright

·      Deadman Crossing

·      Delano

·      Denver

·      Dills

·      Ebush

·      Eustis

·      Feightner

·      Frankfort

·      Franklin

·      Fruitdale

·      Greenfield

·      Greenfield

·      Greenland

·      Hallsville

·      Halltown

·      Harper

·      Harris

·      Harriskintown

·      Heglers

·      Higby

·      Hopetown

·      Humboldt

·      Jackson

·      Jarvis

·      Kingston

·      Kinnikinnick

·      Knockemstiff

·      Lattaville

·      Lickskillet

·      Londonderry

·      Lunbeck

·      Lyndon

·      Maple Grove

·      Massieville

·      Metzger

·      Minnehan Bend

·      Mooresville

·      Musselman

·      New Salem

·      Newingburg

·      Nipgen

·      North Fork Village

·      Pennyroyal

·      Pike Run

·      Pleasant Grove

·      Pleasant Valley

·      Poe Valley

·      Pride

·      Randall Terrace

·      Reeves Crossing

·      Renick

·      Renick Junction

·      Richmond Dale

·      Riton

·      Rittenours

·      Roxabell

·      Rupels

·      Schooley

·      Schrader

·      Seymoreville

·      Slate Mills

·      South Salem

·      Spargursville

·      Storms

·      Sulphur Lick

·      Summithill

·      Thornton

·      Three Locks

·      Thrifton

·      Tucson

·      Unionola

·      Vauces

·      View

·      Vigo

·      Village of Adelphi 

·      Village of Bainbridge 

·      Village of Clarksburg*

·      Village of Frankfort 

·      Village of Kingston 

·      Village of South Salem *

·      West Junction

·      Yankeetown

·     Yellowbud

Find Physical Features* Within This County

* includes but not limited to Cemeteries, Churches, Locales, Schools,

Military Installations;  Populated Places, Post Offices, Streams, and Trails

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County boundary changes

Historical Changes in the Boundaries of this County

     Conducting genealogical research in the United States requires an understanding of county boundaries.  As the population grew more counties were created to meet the public’s need for localized governments.  This phenomena was common in all states during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.  As such you must be sure that you are not looking for records in the wrong county or state. 

     The web-site for the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project provides interactive maps for all states. This Atlas is meant to be a resource for people seeking records of past events, and people trying to analyze, interpret and display county-based historical data like Land Records, Probate Records, Court Records, Tax Records, and Vital Records that document birth, death, and marriage.   Listed below are the boundary changes for this county, the dates they occurred, as well as the government statute that decreed the change.  To see actual changes in a mapping format follow this LINK to the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project .

ROSS COUNTY, OHIO: Map(s) and descriptions of Historical Boundary Changes

Click on thumbnail buttons for Map images

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20 Aug 1798 - ROSS created by the Northwest Territory from ADAMS, HAMILTON, and WASHINGTON.

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09 Dec 1800 - ROSS lost to creation of FAIRFIELD.

01 Mar 1803 - ROSS became a county in the state of Ohio.

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30 Apr 1803 - ROSS lost to creation of FRANKLIN.

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01 May 1803 - ROSS lost to creation of GREENE.

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01 May 1805 - ROSS lost to creation of HIGHLAND.

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01 Mar 1810 - ROSS lost to creation of FAYETTE and PICKAWAY.

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01 Feb 1815 - ROSS lost to creation of PIKE. 

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01 Mar 1816 - ROSS lost to creation of JACKSON.

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01 Mar 1818 - ROSS lost to creation of HOCKING and lost to JACKSON.

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01 Mar 1834 - ROSS gained from HOCKING.

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11 Jan 1839 - ROSS gained small area from JACKSON.

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07 Mar 1843 - ROSS gained small area from PICKAWAY in the town of Adelphi.

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01 Apr 1850 - ROSS lost to creation of VINTON.

Use this link to find more resources regarding the

Historical County Lines

historical changes of county boundaries in all 50 U.S. States.

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Links to More About This U.S. State

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State-Wide Resources

For more information about the U.S. State in which this county is located  click  on  these  LINKS:

 

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