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Tuscarawas Co.

Ohio, USA

 

Introduction

Researching by Surname

Ancestral Gen-Sites

Researching by Location

Gen Tool-Kit

Website Resources

Image Gallery

Contact Information

 

 

 

Introduction

 

 

    Tuscarawas County is a county located in the eastern part of the state of Ohio. Its county seat is New Philadelphia.  Its name is a Delaware Indian word variously translated as "old town" or "open mouth".  Tuscarawas County was formed from Muskingum County on Feb. 15, 1808.

     In 1761, missionaries from the Moravians, set out from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to set up a mission in the Tuscarawas Valley. (This is also known as the Renewed Church of the United Brethren.)   Christian Frederick Post and John Heckewelder met with Chief Newcomer (Netawatwees) of the western Lenape, also known as the Delaware.  He invited them to the village he founded, Gekelemukpechunk (present-day Newcomerstown, Ohio. He granted the missionaries permission to build a cabin near the junction of the Sandy Creek and Tuscarawas River, in present-day Stark County. They were forced to abandon the mission in 1763 during the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years War).

    At the request of Chief Newcomer (Netawatwees), in 1771 David Zeisberger returned to found some missions in the valley. In the spring of 1772, near the present site of New Philadelphia, Ohio, Zeisberger along with five converted Indian families established Schoenbrunn (beautiful spring). They built a school house and a chapel. In August of that year, John Heckawelder brought an additional 250 converted Lenape Christians, who expanded the village of Schoenbrunn.

They established a second settlement, roughly 10 miles, called Gnadenhutten (cabins of grace). On October 17, 1772, Zeisberger conducted the first religious service at Gnadenhutten.  In 1776, Chief Netawatwes donated land for another settlement, Lichtenau (meadow of light), near present-day Coshocton, then the principal Lenape village in the region.

     Counties that lie adjacent to Tuscarawas are: Stark County (north);  Carroll County (northeast);  Harrison County (southeast);  Guernsey County (south);  Coshocton County (southwest);  Holmes County (northwest)

 

Researching by surname

Researching
by Surname

The following are names of persons, found within our databases,

as having been either born, married or died in this location.

To find out more about each surname listed above click on the corresponding Link.

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families

Gardner;   Johnson;   Schooley

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families

 

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families

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

This link will also lead you to surname resources at Rootsweb, and information about the world-wide distribution of a surname.

Free Genealogy Surname
 Search From Google

Use this free genealogy site to help you get the best genealogy searches from Google™ by using your family tree, for your research. It will create a series of different searches  using tips or "tricks"

that will likely improve your results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about  this  or  any  other  Surname. 

Where in the World do These
 Surnames Come From?

Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of any surname.  You can get greater

detail for any of the maps by clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in.

Ancestral 
Gen-Sites

ancestral gen-sites

Family History Notes

Map of the County

Gen-Site Profiles

Family history notes

Family History Notes

 

     Both the Isaac Gardner and James Johnson families both arrived near the present town of Freeport in, in Jefferson County, Ohio around 1803-04. Many records referring to these families are probably based upon church documents rather than civil records.   This along with the changing county boundaries during the period between 1800 and 1820 has produced some confusion as to the locations of various events.

     In 1808 this area became a part of Tuscarawas County, and by 1813 had become Freeport Township in Harrison County, Ohio.  There is little doubt that both pioneer families became closely knit as they worked to tame this wilderness area.   In 1817 Isaac’s daughter Anne married Samuel Schooley in Harrison County.  By 1820 they had settled in Perry Township, Tuscarawas County, which is contiguous to Freeport Township.  Isaac Gardner probably lived in Freeport up to at least 1817 when he and his eldest son Miley removed about 5 to 10 miles southwest to settle in Monroe Twp., Guernsey County.  This location is situated on the southern boundary of Tuscarawas County.  Both households are found in the 1820 Census at this location.  In 1823 Disbury Johnson, son of Griffin, and grandson of the aforementioned James Johnson married Nancy Lucynthia Gardner, daughter of the aforementioned Isaac.  This event took place in Guernsey County and thus created a formal kinship between both families.  In 1827 Disbury Johnson came to Tuscarawas County from his home in Harrison county when he purchased 3.04 acres of land in the town of Gnadenhutten, on July 30, 1827.  On four other occasions between 1830 and 1835 he purchased a total of 325.8 acres of land in Tuscarawas County.   Isaac Gardner passed away in 1827 in either Guernsey or Tuscarawas.

     Around 1841 or 42 Disbury and his father Griffin moved west into Illinois.  From here Disbury moved on across the Mississippi River into Missouri.  It is most probable that some of Isaac Gardner’s descendents also accompanied this group.  For example Abner Davis Gardner, the youngest of Isaac’s offspring, is known to have married a Sarah Johnson, at Crawford County, Missouri in 1842.  

 

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). 

NOTE: for a better view of this map use the following ZOOM feature -

from the keyboard you can increase or decrease the zoom value in 10% increments.

To zoom IN, press Ctrl and the  + (plus) button. To zoom OUT, press Ctrl and the - (minus)  button.  To restore the zoom to 100%, press Ctrl and the 0 (zero) button.

Gen-site profiles

Gen-Site Profiles

Freeport Township (1804-1813);  Gnadenhutten;   New Philadelphia,  

Freeport Township (1804-1813)

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Ohio;   County:Tuscarawas

;  Coordinates/Map: 40.45, -81.47; 

Places: Freeport;  Smyrna (u.p.)

NAME / DESCRIPTION:  Freeport Township is one of the fifteen townships of Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 763 people in the township, 365 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.  Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships: Washington Township – north;  Moorefield Township – east;  Flushing Township, Belmont County – southeast;  Londonderry Township, Guernsey County – south;  Washington Township, Guernsey County – southwest;  and Perry Township, Tuscarawas County – northwest.  Freeport is the only township in the county to border Guernsey County.  The village of Freeport is located in central Freeport Township.

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

INTERNET WEB LINK(S):  Freeport Township, Harrison Co., OH - Histopolis;  Freeport Township, Harrison County, Ohio - Wikipedia;  Freeport Presbyterian Cemetery  

Gnadenhutten

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Ohio;   County: Tuscarawas;

Coordinates/Map: 40.360833, -81.431667; 

NAME / DESCRIPTION:  Gnadenhutten is a village located on the Tuscarawas River in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States and is Ohio's oldest existing settlement. The population was 1,280 at the 2000 census.

Gnadenhütten was founded as a settlement of German Americans and Lenape Native Americans affiliated with the Moravian Church. This community remained neutral during the American Revolutionary War, but ninety-six of them were massacred in 1782 in the Gnadenhütten massacre by American revolutionaries in retaliation for raids carried out by other bands.

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

INTERNET WEB LINK(S):   Gnadenhutten, Ohio - Wikipedia;  Gnadenhutten Massacre - Ohio History Central; Gnadenhutten; Gnadenhutten, Ohio OH Community Profile

New Philadelphia

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Ohio;   County: Tuscarawas;

Coordinates/Map: 40.489444, -81.447222

NAME / DESCRIPTION:  New Philadelphia is the county seat of  Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, 71 miles south of Cleveland on the Tuscarawas River. It was first incorporated in 1808.

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

INTERNET WEB LINK(S):   City of New Philadelphia, Ohio;  New Philadelphia, Ohio - Wikipedia

 

populated places

Researching
by Location

Gazetteer of Places

 in This County

Changes of County Boundaries

Link to State-Wide Resources

Where in the World

are My Ancestors?

gazetteer

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.

 

Profiles for 43 cities, towns and other populated places in Tuscarawas County Ohio

Map of Tuscarawas County Ohio

Tuscarawas County Physical, Cultural & Historic Features

 

 

Tuscarawas County ZIP Codes | Area Codes

Tuscarawas County Land - Property, Farms & Ranches

 

Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States

Details | Resources | Townships | Cities | Cemeteries

Links To Populated Places Within This County

Cities

Villages

Townships

Unincorporated communities

Find Physical Features* Within This County

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

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

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 .

Map of 1810 - 1813 County Boundaries

 (in black)

15 Mar 1808 - TUSCARAWAS created from MUSKINGUM.

11 Feb 1809 - TUSCARAWAS gained from JEFFERSON.

01 Mar 1810 - TUSCARAWAS lost to creation of COSHOCTON.

01 Feb 1813 - TUSCARAWAS lost to creation of HARRISON.

20 Jan 1824 - TUSCARAWAS lost to creation of HOLMES; HOLMES not fully organized, part attached to    TUSCARAWAS for administrative and judicial purposes.

04 Jan 1825 - HOLMES fully organized, detached from TUSCARAWAS.

01 Jan 1833 - TUSCARAWAS lost to creation of CARROLL and lost to HARRISON.

04 Feb 1848 - TUSCARAWAS gained small area from STARK.

Links to More About This U.S. State

State-Wide Resources

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

 

Where in the world

Where in the World
are My Ancestors?

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK

MAPS

GAZETTEERS

to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and other helpful  resources  that will assist you in discovering Ancestral Locations. 

 

Gen Tool-Kit

gen tool-kit

Our “Gen-Tool Kit” has been primarily designed for those researchers who may be traveling to this location to perform on-site studies of their family history, or to just visit some of the interesting historical sites located in the area.  It can be very satisfying to mix research with sightseeing at historical and scenic spots.  Such activity not only gives you an understanding of the land but a needed break from intense research sessions.  When visiting an ancestral county for genealogical research we’ve found that the three most important places to visit are the county courthouse; the county library; and the county historical and/or genealogical societies.  It is also good to plan ahead by contacting any site you intend visiting in order to ascertain where it is and when it will be open.  This is especially true with regard to historical and genealogical societies.  We hope that the following information will provide you with a better idea of what resources are available, within this county, to the family historian.

Cemeteries

County History

Libraries, Museums

& Archives

Maps and Gazetteers

 County Records

Societies

(History & Genealogical)

Cemeteries

Cemeteries

·        Cemeteries of Tuscarawas County

·        Newcomerstown Cemetery Department

·        Photographs of Tuscarawas County Cemeteries

·        The Political Graveyard

·        Sugarcreek Cemeteries

·        Tuscarawas County Cemetery Transcription & Photo Project

·        Tuscarawas County Cemeteries

·        Tuscarawas County Cemetery Index

·        Tuscarawas County Cemetery List

·        Tuscarawas County Cemetery Project

·        Tuscarawas County Cemetery Registration

·          Tuscarawas County Index Ohio Cemetery Photo Project

History

History

Your LINK to the Historical Places and Districts in TUSCARAWAS County

·                          A Brief History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio

·                          History of Tuscarawas County

·                          National Register of Historic Places

·                          Tuscarawas County  Henry Howe, 1888

·                          Tuscarawas County Bibliography

·                          Tuscarawas County Historical Markers

·                          Tuscarawas County History 
Tuscarwas County Courthouse History 

·                          Baltic History

·                          Barrs Mills, Ohio

·                          Bolivar History

·                          Dennison & Uhrichsville History

·                          A Brief History of Dover

·                          Dover History 

·                          Gnaddenhutten, Ohio

·                          History of Gnadenhutten

·                          Gnadenhutten History

·                          New Philadelphia History

·                          New Philadelphia History

·                          New Philadelphia, Ohio

·                          Newcomerstown History

·                          Newcomerstown, Ohio

·                          Schoenbrunn, Ohio

·                          Strasburg History

·                          Sugarcreek History

·                          Zoar History

·                          Zoar, Ohio

·                          Old Order Amish Settlement

·                          Primitive Baptist Churches

·                          United Methodist Church, Steubenville District

·                          Zoarites

Libaries, Museums, Archives

Libraries, Museums & Archives

·        Dennison Depot Railroad Museum

·        Family History Library Holdings

·        Gnadenhutten Historical Park and Museum

·        The Olmstead Collection

·        PERiodical Source Index Search

·        The Reeves Home and Museum Dover, Ohio

·        Schoenbrunn  Zoar, Ohio

·        Tuscarawas County Libraries

·        Tuscarawas County Libraries

·        Zoar Village 

Maps and Gazetteers

Maps and Gazetteers

·        Canal Dover, Tuscarawas County, Ohio 1899

·        Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Stark and Tuscarawas counties  1872

·        Combination atlas map of Tuscarawas County, Ohio

·        Quad List of Mill, Ohio

·        Quad List of Rush, Ohio

·        Quad List of Sugar Creek, Ohio

·        Quad List of Tuscarawas, Ohio

·        Tiger Map Server Browser

·        Tuscarawas County – 1895

·        Tuscarawas County 1875

·        Tuscarawas County 1908

·        Tuscarawas County Gazetteer

·        Tuscarawas County Post Offices

·        Tuscarawas County Post Offices  1846

·        Tuscarawas County Topo Maps and Aerial Photos

·        Villages & Towns 

 

County Records

Records

·        All Departments below are in the Tuscarawas County Courthouse 172 North Broadway, New Philadelphia, OH 44663; Phone: +1-216-364-8811, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.tuscarawas.oh.us/.

·        Tuscarawas County Clerk of Probate Court has Marriage Records from 1808, Birth / Death Records from 1867-1908 and Probate Records from 1809 and is located at 101 East High Avenue, New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663; Phone: (330) 365-3266, Fax: (330) 364-3190

·        Tuscarawas County Recorder has Land Records from 1808 and is located at 125 East High Avenue, New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663; Phone: (330) 365-3284, Fax: (330) 365-3281

·        Tuscarawas County Clerk of Court of Common Pleas has Court Records from 1808 and is located at 101 East High Avenue, New Philadelphia, Ohio 44663; (330) 365-3217, E-mail: [email protected]

·        Tuscarawas Co. Census Records

·        Tuscarawas County Census Index

·        Tuscarawas County Federal Census Index

·        Census Search - 1880  Tuscarawas County

·        Tuscarawas County on Reel 1885 – 1930 U.S. Census

·        Tuscarawas County on Reel 1886 – 1930 U.S. Census

·        Fiat St. Peters' Congregation Church

·        Livingston's Law Register, 1851  Tuscarawas Co.

·        Land Patent Search 

·        Fort Laurens     

·        List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 

·        Tuscarawas County, Ohio  World War II Casualties

·        Chronicling America  Tuscarawas County    

·        Tuscarawas County – Newspaper Abstracts

·        Obituary Extracts  1898-1909    

·        Obituary Extracts  1910-1919    

·        Obituary Extracts  1820-1929    

·        Obituary Index  Individuals born in Tuscarawas County

·        R. K. Lindsey Funeral Home  Dennison, Ohio

·        The Times-Reporter  Dover-New Philadelphia, Ohio

·        Duplicate of Resident Proprietor's Lands in Tuscarawas County  - 1816

·        First Tax List  1808-1809

·        Partial 1811 Tax List 

·        Tuscarawas County Vital Records 

Societies

Societies (Historical & Genealogical)

·        The Baltic-Area Historical Society 

·        Catholic Record Society  of the Diocese of Columbus

·        Dover Historical Society  

·        Gnadenhutten Historical Society 

·        Historic Canal Dover Association 

·        Ragersville Historical Society 

resources Website
Resources

 

This search engine may

provide you with additional

information to assist with

your research about this topic.

General Resources

Locality Specific Resources

FREE Records

and Databases

Our Genealogy Reference Library

General Resources

General Resources

·        GenealogyLinks.net

·        Family History 101

·        The USGenWeb Project

·        United States Research Wiki – Family Search

·        Kindred Trails.com

·        Genealogy Trails History Group

·        Family Search,  USA IGI Batches, Localities

·        Birth & Marriage Records Indexes for USA

·        Record Search - Family Search.org

·        Genealogy.com: Resources by county

·        Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

·        Genealogy Forum: U.S. States

·        Rootsweb.com – U.S. Message Boards

·        Cyndi's List – United States Index

·        USGenWeb Archives

·        Data Base Collections at Ancestry.com$

·        MyGenealogist.com

·        Access Genealogy

·        Histopolis.com – Collaborative Genealogy and History

·        DistantCousin.com - archive of genealogy records

·        Searchable Death Indexes & Records

·        Census Finder –Free Census and other Records

·           Locality Specific Resources

·        Locality Specific Resources

·        Tuscarawas County Genealogy Links

·        Tuscarawas County (Family History 101.com)

·        Tuscarawas County USGenWeb

·        Tuscarawas County Research Wiki

·        Kindred Trails.com – Tuscarawas County

·        Genealogy Trails History Group – Tuscarawas County

·        Tuscarawas County, Genealogy Forum

·        Rootsweb Message Board – Tuscarawas County

·        Cyndi's List - U.S. – Ohio - Localities

·        USGenWeb Archives – Tuscarawas County

·        Ohio Data Collection - Ancestry.com $

·        MyGenealogist.com – Tuscarawas County

Free Records & Databases

FREE Records
 & Databases

All of the records and databases we’ve collected are FREE and can be accessed and searched online without having to pay for a subscription.   We have divided our collected into 14 record types as follows: Biographical; Birth; Cemetery; Census & City Directories; Church; Court; Death; Immigration & Naturalization; Land; Marriage; Military; Newspapers; Occupational; and Tax Records.    We try not to list any sites that have only a few records for the purpose of getting you to a website that will charge a fee to actually see the record beyond just a name.  

This Link will take you to our

collections of FREE Records.  

Genealogy Reference Library

Our Genealogy 
Reference Library

The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books.   Here you may find books about the history and records of this county and other places such as towns and churches.  The collection also contains research works about military units and personnel during America’s wars, in addition too resource texts about the ethnic and religious groups who may have settled in this locality.

This Link will take you to

our collections of reference books.  

Click on these links to visit some of the websites we really like!!

Gallery

Image Gallery

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a variety of localities.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives.

Tuscarawas Co. Courthouse 172 N. Broadway, New Philadelphia

Use this LINK to see the picture

gallery  that pertains to this location.

If you have any photographs or other images relating to this 
 county, we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

Free Image Search
help from Google

Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. A Click on this button will link you to the Google Images Search page.   Enter  the

topic you are searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well as the website to which it is linked.

 

Contact Information 

Contact information

Email

Snail mail:

Fred
889 Dante Ct.
Mantua, NJ 08051

USA

Email

Pony Express:

Tom
6484 Riverstone Dr

Sooke, BC V9Z 0Y7

Canada