Welcome to the Van Wert OHGenWeb site!
This
site is dedicated to helping you in your genealogical research.
This county site is now maintained by Coordiantor, Kathy Gies.
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 1837
. 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
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