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Archiver > OHTUSCAR > 1999-11 > 0942692922


From: Doug and Patti Ensor <>
Subject: [OHTUSCAR-L] Very Early Tax Records, etc.
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 11:08:42 -0800


Below are portions of two messages recently posted on this list on how to
potentially find ancestors in OH circa 1800. If I read these correctly, any
ancestors in the Tuscarawas region by 1800 should be found in the Washington
County census schedules for 1800 and 1803 which survived the D.C. fire.

If family histories state that specific people were in Tuscarawas County
(formed 1808), then the first census they would be in would be the 1810
schedule which was destroyed in the fire. Per the below, as an alternative
to the census, we should look for Tuscarawas County tax records which have
been microfilmed and are available for 1810, 1811, 1812-13, 1814 and 1816.

My questions to all readers:
Does anyone know the tax microfilm numbers and sources (LDS or other)? Maybe
more importantly, who had to pay taxes? What about families that were
working the land, but didn't have a house built yet? When did you pay taxes
and when didn't you? Not all residents owned the land they worked, so are
these folks listed anywhere?

Did people file land claims in 1800? Where and with whom were claims filed?
BLM records don't go back that far and don't cover the Tuscarawas County area.

Family histories state that my ancestors were in the OH area from the early
1790's, possibly even as early as 1770 (Abraham Douglass, a Scottish
immigrant). But I can't prove it with civil records as I can't find them.
Two brothers (James Jr. and Ebenezer DOUGLASS) claim to have been born in
Tuscarawas County in 1801 and 1802.

Their father, James Douglass (Sr.) married Catherine Margaret EVANS circa
1794-98. Both parents also were supposedly born in Ohio (18 Dec. 1774, and 7
April 1775, respectively) and were married to each other in Ohio, but I can
find no records.

James Douglass (Sr) moved with his wife and 8 children to Richland County OH
circa 1813.

Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.

Patti
_______________________________________________
Messages:
"Tuscarawas co. was formed from the parent co. of Muskingum in 1808.
Muskingum was formed in 1804 from the parent co. of Washington,Fairfield.
Washington was the original co. formed in 1788."

and

"The first census taken in Ohio in 1810 was almost totallly destroyed by
fire in Washington (DC). Schedules for Washington County for 1800, 1803 and
1810
survived and were published by Accelerated Indexing in book form: K. Habron
Adams. 1800-1810 EARLY OHIO CENSUS.

Most people use the Ohio tax records as a substitute. They are on
microfilm. See Carol Willsey Bell's OHIO GENEALOGICAL GUIDE for years
available for earch county. They are available for Tuscarawas County in
1810, 1811, 1812-13, 1814 and 1816."

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