Welcome to Hancock County OHGenWeb

The Hancock County, OHGenWeb is a proud part of the OHGenWeb and The USGenWeb Projects. You can Learn more About us. If Hancock County is not the County your looking for look at The OHGenWeb County Selection Page.

A good place to start  

The Hancock County Research Resources page lists the various information that is available on and offsite that will assist Hancock County Researchers.  People new to research or new to this web site will want to start with the Research Resources page.

A Brief History

Hancock County was named after John Hancock, the Revolutionary War hero. It was first populated as far back as 1769 when Jean Jacques Blanchard, a Frenchman, settled in the area. He was a tailor by trade. The city of Findlay was founded in 1812 and was named after Colonel James Findlay of the Ohio Frontier Army. A stockade, called Fort Findlay, was the earliest development and stood just west of the location where the Main Street Bridge crosses the Blanchard River. The fort was abandoned after the war of 1812 but remained as a settlement for the pioneers of the area. In the 1880's gas and oil was discovered in the area which caused rapid population growth.

HANCOCK COUNTY was formed April 1, 1820, named from John Hancock, first President of the Revolutionary Congress. The surface is level; soil is black loam, mixed with sand, and based on limestone and very fertile. Its settlers were generally of Pennsylvania origin. _[1]

County Facts

Created: March 1, 1828,
Parent County: Wood County
Named for: John Hancock,the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
County Seat: Findlay, Ohio

Bibliography

Historical Collections of Ohio: An Encyclopedia of the State, Volume 1 By Henry Howe (1889) Page 867

History of the USGenWeb Project

The USGenWeb Project and the OHGenWeb project were initiated in 1996.  The organization is staffed totally with volunteers who devote their time out of a passion for genealogy and an interest in providing assistance to researchers.  Read more about the history of this Project here.

Neighboring County Links

• Wood County
• Seneca County
• Wyandot County
• Hardin County
• Allen County
• Putnam County
• Henry County