As a native Buckeye, I grew up knowing the Delaware area as a prosperous northern suburb of Columbus. It was only in beginning to explore my family history in the 1990s that I started to know something of the history of the area.
Nearly all of my family lines (excepting some East European immigrants) came to the areas around Allen County, Ohio through one of four "clusters." The first is a cluster around Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio. These families tended to be Mennonite or Brethren (at least in their distant roots), and came to Ohio from Pennsylvania or, in many cases, from Pennsylvania via a several-decades-long sojourn in or around Rockingham County, Virginia. These lines intermarried frequently from the early 1700s to the early 1900s. The Blosser family has been my main line of inquiry in this area, along with Mericles, Stemens, Beerys, Millers, and Moyers.
A second "cluster" seems to have come up the Miami Valley from Cincinnati to the Dayton and Troy areas before coming further up the valley to West Central Ohio. Many of these families settled at Fort Amanda in the late 1820s. The Clawsons have been my main anchor family on this line, although I've done less work on the interlinkages. There are some clear points of overlap with the Fairfield cluster as well, most especially the Patton, Moyer, and Rinehart families. The Youngs are another part of this migration.
A third "cluster" that is less represented in my lines than some other natives of Allen County area centers around Ross County, Ohio. A number of my Van Wert County, Ohio families have their early Ohio roots in Ross and nearby counties, including the Priddys and the Tomlinsons. These families seem to have diverse roots in Virginia/North Carolina as well as Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Recently, I have been working more on what is potentially a fourth cluster, centering around Delaware County. I first stumbled onto this family through my paternal grandmother's line, the Meekers. "My" Meekers came to Amanda Township in southwest Allen County in the 1850s. For many years, I did not realize that they joined a number of relatives and relatives-by-marriage who had settled there as early as the 1830s (Culvers, Points, Places). These families then intermarried deeply with many of those who came via the Miami Valley route - the Clawsons, Sunderlands, Youngs, Pattons, etc. This "Delaware cluster" also has links to Fairfield County.
Further probing into these families has surfaced what I would call one of the most interesting multi-generational migration patterns that I've found in my research. Many of these families seem to have their roots in Connecticut before late 19th century migration to northeastern Pennsylvania (especially Luzerne County). Some families seem to have migrated in the mid-18th century from Connecticut to New Jersey, just across the border from NE PA. From Luzerne County, many of these families made their way to Delaware County, Ohio, some seemingly via northeastern Ohio's Western Reserve lands (with their own connections to Connecticut!). From there, many Delaware families migrated to Allen County, Ohio and some westward further to Illinois and Missouri.
What is becoming very interesting is the beginnings of connections between some of these clusters going as far back as 18th century New England. Perhaps more than ever before, I am seeing that people migrated with purpose. Although one branch of a family may have migrated toward New Jersey at an early date and another to Pennsylvania, this doesn't mean that their descendants will not mix again in Ohio a couple of generations later. The interweaving of various Clawson families is especially fascinating to me these days. But, as always, the more I know, the more questions I surface. And the more aware I am of how much bad information is out there...
Delaware County is proving to be one of the most challenging in my research in terms of records. The complete destruction of marriage records prior to 1835 makes it feel more like working in 18th century Pennsylvania. The fact that the entire Meeker family (those who remained in Delaware) seems to have disappeared without a trace from Delaware County cemeteries and most other records (besides census) between 1840-1880 is another puzzle. Was there at some point a family cemetery that was destroyed? Why does there seem to be a glaring absence of land and estate records, since it appears from the census that my ancestors had some property? These and many other questions remain, including intriguing naming patterns (Phoebe and Esther, anyone?). All of this is a good reminder that genealogy is, in the end, micro-history, or the surfacing of some greater story through the unraveling of our ancestors' lives.
More to come, or so I hope, on these various families.
Nearly all of my family lines (excepting some East European immigrants) came to the areas around Allen County, Ohio through one of four "clusters." The first is a cluster around Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio. These families tended to be Mennonite or Brethren (at least in their distant roots), and came to Ohio from Pennsylvania or, in many cases, from Pennsylvania via a several-decades-long sojourn in or around Rockingham County, Virginia. These lines intermarried frequently from the early 1700s to the early 1900s. The Blosser family has been my main line of inquiry in this area, along with Mericles, Stemens, Beerys, Millers, and Moyers.
A second "cluster" seems to have come up the Miami Valley from Cincinnati to the Dayton and Troy areas before coming further up the valley to West Central Ohio. Many of these families settled at Fort Amanda in the late 1820s. The Clawsons have been my main anchor family on this line, although I've done less work on the interlinkages. There are some clear points of overlap with the Fairfield cluster as well, most especially the Patton, Moyer, and Rinehart families. The Youngs are another part of this migration.
A third "cluster" that is less represented in my lines than some other natives of Allen County area centers around Ross County, Ohio. A number of my Van Wert County, Ohio families have their early Ohio roots in Ross and nearby counties, including the Priddys and the Tomlinsons. These families seem to have diverse roots in Virginia/North Carolina as well as Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Recently, I have been working more on what is potentially a fourth cluster, centering around Delaware County. I first stumbled onto this family through my paternal grandmother's line, the Meekers. "My" Meekers came to Amanda Township in southwest Allen County in the 1850s. For many years, I did not realize that they joined a number of relatives and relatives-by-marriage who had settled there as early as the 1830s (Culvers, Points, Places). These families then intermarried deeply with many of those who came via the Miami Valley route - the Clawsons, Sunderlands, Youngs, Pattons, etc. This "Delaware cluster" also has links to Fairfield County.
Further probing into these families has surfaced what I would call one of the most interesting multi-generational migration patterns that I've found in my research. Many of these families seem to have their roots in Connecticut before late 19th century migration to northeastern Pennsylvania (especially Luzerne County). Some families seem to have migrated in the mid-18th century from Connecticut to New Jersey, just across the border from NE PA. From Luzerne County, many of these families made their way to Delaware County, Ohio, some seemingly via northeastern Ohio's Western Reserve lands (with their own connections to Connecticut!). From there, many Delaware families migrated to Allen County, Ohio and some westward further to Illinois and Missouri.
What is becoming very interesting is the beginnings of connections between some of these clusters going as far back as 18th century New England. Perhaps more than ever before, I am seeing that people migrated with purpose. Although one branch of a family may have migrated toward New Jersey at an early date and another to Pennsylvania, this doesn't mean that their descendants will not mix again in Ohio a couple of generations later. The interweaving of various Clawson families is especially fascinating to me these days. But, as always, the more I know, the more questions I surface. And the more aware I am of how much bad information is out there...
Delaware County is proving to be one of the most challenging in my research in terms of records. The complete destruction of marriage records prior to 1835 makes it feel more like working in 18th century Pennsylvania. The fact that the entire Meeker family (those who remained in Delaware) seems to have disappeared without a trace from Delaware County cemeteries and most other records (besides census) between 1840-1880 is another puzzle. Was there at some point a family cemetery that was destroyed? Why does there seem to be a glaring absence of land and estate records, since it appears from the census that my ancestors had some property? These and many other questions remain, including intriguing naming patterns (Phoebe and Esther, anyone?). All of this is a good reminder that genealogy is, in the end, micro-history, or the surfacing of some greater story through the unraveling of our ancestors' lives.
More to come, or so I hope, on these various families.
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