On July 13, 1787, the Northwest Ordinance (Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North-West of the River Ohio) was adopted by the Confederation Congress. It was the document used to set up government for the Northwest Territory, to devise a process for future statehood for land in the territory, and to list the rights of individuals. The 3 phases to reach statehood were to set up government as described in the ordinance, be inhabited by 5,000 free males who have reached age 21, and to have a population of 60,000. You can read a transcript of the Northwest Ordinance on the NARA website here (https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/northwest-ordinance)

 

The 1800 Federal Census was authorized on February 28, 1800, and was to be completed in nine months. It showed that 45,365 people lived in the area which would become Ohio. It was projected that the area would quickly reach 60,000 inhabitants. Clermont County was founded on December 6, 1800; it was the 11^th county in the Northwest Territory.

 

The Enabling Act of 1802 was signed by President Thomas Jefferson on April 30, 1802. It allowed for a state to be formed from the lands in the eastern division of the Northwest Territory. The inhabitants could name their state, write their constitution and set up their government, so they could be admitted as a state. To determine representation to the state assembly, a census of free males over the age of 21 would be conducted. You can read a transcript of the Enabling Act on the Ohio History Central website here (https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Enabling_Act_of_1802_(Transcript))

 

The list of names of heads of households and the number of free males over the age of 21 who lived in Clermont County in May, 1802, still exists! There were five townships at the time: O’Bannon (soon called Miami), Ohio, Williamsburg, Washington, and Pleasant. A transcript of the census can be found on our Resources page here (https://www.ccgsoh.org/upload/files/Resources/Census/1802_Clermont_County_Census.pdf)

 

The transcript was taken from documents at the Library of the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio. These documents are only one example of the items which may be helpful to Clermont County researchers that can be found there. Others include:  census records from 1819, tax records (1801-1802), treasurer's receipts (1801-1805), papers relating to the Court of Common Pleas, sheriff, and justice of the peace, lists of merchants and their capital (1831), and poll books (1863) containing votes of qualified voters of Clermont County who were in the military service of the United States. Visit their website at https://www.wrhs.org or contact the Western Reserve Historical Society Library to find out about in person research or about their Research Services here (https://www.wrhs.org/contact/?doing_wp_cron=1647286313.3791339397430419921875) In addition, there is also a microfilm copy of the above documents at the Doris Wood Branch Library.

 

All links were accessed on March 18, 2022.

Paige Craig, CCGS Webmaster

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