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Isaac Van Wart image
Isaac Van Wart








A Note About  The USGenWeb Project
  In March and April, 1996, a group of genealogists organized the Kentucky Comprehensive Genealogy Database Project. The idea was to provide a single entry point for all counties in Kentucky, where collected databases would be stored. In addition, the databases would be indexed and cross-linked, so that even if an individual were found in more than one county, they could be located in the index.
  The USGenWeb and OHGenWeb Projects are an outgrowth of that original Kentucky project. The projects are organized by states and counties with each county having one or more coordinators responsible for maintaining a web site of resources which are available for that county.
  The OHGenWeb is  managed by county volunteers dedicated to helping you in your genealogical research. If you have any comments, suggestions, or data to contribute to this site, please contact the Van Wert County Coordinator,  .  Don was born in Van Wert, but lives in Dayton, Ohio.

A Brief History of Van Wert County
  A sea captain, James Riley, bought property in and was the first white man to move into Van Wert County in 1821. He moved his family onto a plot of land, and laid the remainder out for a town that became Willshire, the first county seat of Van Wert County.
  By act of the Ohio Legislature, Van Wert County, Ohio was erected on 12 February 1820. The same act attached the county to Darke County for judicial purposes, and was subsequently detached in October 1837.
  When the population of the town of Van Wert outgrew Willshire, in 1839 the county seat was moved to Van Wert. There are several versions of how records were moved from Willshire to Van Wert, one being that a county official carried them in his coat pocket.
  Van Wert County was formed on April 1, 1820, but was not organized until 1837VW map image.   The county is named for Isaac Van Wart, one of the capturers of the British spy, Major Andre'. The name was spelled "Wert" in a citation and carried into history.  The county seat is the City of Van Wert.

Location of Van Wert
  Van Wert County is located in northwest Ohio on the Ohio and Indiana borders, and is bordered by seven counties:
Paulding County, Ohio
Putnam County, Ohio
Allen County, Ohio
Auglaize County, Ohio
Mercer County, Ohio
Allen County, Indiana
Adams County, Indiana
Genealogical Society
Courthouse Records
Van Wert County
County Health Department
City of Van Wert
Delphos
Venedocia
Brumback Library

 courthouse photo
Courthouse
library photo
Brumback Library
First U.S. County Library


First Families and Pioneer Families
The Van Wert Chapter, OGS has a program of registering First Families and Pioneer families. You can access the names here:
First Families,
Pioneer Families

Archived and new Obituaries
Obituaries for August 1855 through April 1999 were posted on
 this website. They may be read at the Archives.
You may post obituaries at Ancestry.com.
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Updated Friday, 15-Aug-2008 08:22:27 MDT Go to Top
My home page: Don Kear