A New Guide for Emigrants to the West

by John Mason Peck

Ohio

—Is bounded on the north by lake Erie, and the State of Michigan, east by Pennsylvania and the Ohio river, south by the Ohio river, which separates it from Virginia and Kentucky, and west by Indiana. The meanderings of the Ohio river extend along the line of this State 436 miles. It is about 222 miles in extent, both from north to south, and from east to west. After excluding a section of lake Erie, which projects into its northern borders, Ohio contains about 40,000 square miles, or 25,000,000 acres of land.

Divisions.—Nature has divided this State into four departments,—according to its principal waters.

1. The Lake country, situated on lake Erie, and embracing all its northern part. Its streams all run into the lake, and reach the Atlantic ocean through the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

2. The Muskingum country, on the eastern side, and along the river of that name.

3. The Scioto country, in the middle,—and,

4. The Miami country, along the western side.

For civil purposes, the State is divided into seventy-five counties, and these are again subdivided into townships. Their names, date of organization, number of square miles, number of organized townships, seats of justice, and bearing and distance from Columbus, are exhibited in the following

Table.
Counties.	When organized.	Square Miles.	No. of Townships.	Seats of Justice.	Bearing and distance from Columbus.
Adams,	1797	550	10	West Union,	101 s.
Allen,	1831	542	—	Lima,	110 n. w.
Ashtabula,	1811	700	27	Jefferson,	200 n. w.
Athens,	1805	740	19	Athens,	73 s. e.
Belmont,	1801	536	16	St. Clairsville,	116 e.
Brown,	1818	470	14	Georgetown,	104 s.
Butler,	1803	480	13	Hamilton,	101 s. w.
Carroll,	1833	[A]	[A]	Carrollton,	125 e. n. e.
Champaign,	1805	417	12	Urbana,	50 w. n. w.
Clark,	1818	412	10	Springfield,	44 w.
Clermont,	1800	515	12	Batavia,	96 s. w.
Clinton,	1810	400	8	Wilmington,	60 s. w.
Columbiana,	1803	[A]	[A]	New Lisbon,	150 e. n. e.
Coshocton,	1811	562	21	Coshocton,	68 n. e.
Crawford,	1826	594	12	Bucyrus,	60 n.
Cuyahoga,	1810	475	19	Clevelnad,	140 n. n. e.
Dark,	1817	660	10	Greenville,	93 w.
Delaware,	1808	610	23	Delaware,	24 n.
Fairfield,	1800	540	14	Lancaster,	28 s. e.
Fayette,	1810	415	7	Washington,	38 s. w.
Franklin,	1803	520	18	Columbus,
Gallia,	1803	500	15	Gallipolis,	102 s. s. e.
Geauga,	1805	600	23	Chardon,	157 n. e.
Greene,	1803	400	8	Xenia,	56 w. s. w.
Guernsey,	1810	621	19	Cambridge,	76 e.
Hamilton,	1790	400	14	Cincinnati,	110 s. w.
Hancock,	1828	576	5	Findlay,	90 n. n. w.
Hardin,	1833	570	—	Kenton,	70 n. n. w.
Harrison,	1813	[A]—	13	Cadiz,	124 e. n. e.
Henry,	—	744	2	Napoleon,	161 n. w.
Highland,	1805	555	11	Hillsborough,	62 s. s. w.
Hocking,	1818	432	9	Logan,	46 s. s. e.
Holmes,	1825	422	14	Millersburg,	81 n. e.
Huron,	1815	800	29	Norwalk,	106 n.
Jackson,	1816	490	13	Jackson,	73 s. s. e.
Jefferson,	1797	400	13	Steubenville,	147 e. n. e.
Knox,	1808	618	24	Mount Vernon,	47 n. n. e.
Lawrence,	1817	430	12	Burlington,	130 s. s. e.
Licking,	1808	666	25	Newark,	33 e. n. e.
Logan,	1818	425	9	Bellefontaine,	50 n. w.
Lorain,	1824	580	19	Elyria,	130 n. n. e.
Lucas,[B]	1835	—	—	Toledo,	150 n. n. w.
Madison,	1810	480	10	London,	25 w. s. w.
Marion,	1824	527	15	Marion,	45 n.
Medina,	1818	475	14	Medina,	110 n. n. e.
Meigs,	1819	400	12	Chester,	94 s. s. e.
Mercer,	1824	576	4	St. Mary's,	111 n. w.
Miami,	1807	410	12	Troy,	68 n. of w.
Monroe,	1815	563	18	Woodsfield,	120 e. s. e.
Montgomery,	1803	480	12	Dayton,	68 w.
Morgan,	1819	500	15	M'Connelsville,	75 s. e.
Muskingum,	1804	665	23	Zanesville,	52 e.
Paulding,[C]	—	432	3	—	170 n. w.
Perry,	1818	402	12	Somerset,	46 e. s. e.
Pickaway,	1810	470	14	Circleville,	26 s.
Pike,	1815	421	9	Piketon,	64 s.
Portage,	1807	750	30	Ravenna,	135 n. e.
Preble,	1808	432	12	Eaton,	50 w.
Putnam,[C]	—	576	2	—	148 n. w.
Richland,	1813	900	25	Mansfield,	74 n. n. e.
Ross,	1798	650	16	Chillicothe,	45 s.
Sandusky,	1820	600	10	Lower Sandusky,	105 n.
Scioto,	1803	700	14	Portsmouth,	90 s.
Seneca,	1824	540	11	Tiffin,	87 n.
Shelby,	1819	418	10	Sidney,	70 n. w.
Stark,	1809	[A]	16	Canton,	116 n. e.
Trumbull,	1800	875	34	Warren,	160 n. e.
Tuscarawas,	1808	[A]	19	New Philadelphia,	100 e. n. e.
Union,	1820	450	9	Marysville,	30 n. w.
Vanwert,	—	432	—	—	100 n. w.
Warren,	1803	400	9	Lebanon,	80 s. w.
Washington,	1788	713	19	Marietta,	106 s. e.
Wayne,	1812	660	20	Wooster,	89 n. e.
Williams,	1824	600	10	Defiance,	130 n. w.
Wood,	1820	750	7	Perrysburg,	135 n. w.
[A] Carroll county has been formed from Columbiana, Harrison, Stark and Tuscarawas since the edition of the Ohio Gazetteer of 1833 was published, from which the foregoing table has been constructed. Hence the townships in each are not given.
[B] Lucas county has been recently formed from parts taken from Sandusky and Wood counties, and from the disputed country claimed by Michigan.
[C] Paulding, Putnam, and Vanwert counties had not been organized at the period of our information. Much of the land in Vanwert is wet. The southern portion contains much swampy prairie.

There are nineteen congressional districts in Ohio, which elect as many members of Congress, and twelve circuits for Courts of Common Pleas.