OHRAB Grant Update - Cleaning Historic County Records


In June the Records Center was awarded an OHRAB grant to purchase supplies for the purpose of cleaning historic county records, which were previously stored in the county’s courthouse attic. The records range several departments including the Clerk of Courts, Auditor, Treasurer, and Recorder, and date back to the early 1800s. There are roughly 300 books that will be cleaned, cataloged, and stored at the Records Center.

Last week while cleaning, staff member Sophia came across the oldest book in the bunch so far: an 1834 real estate duplicate. As you might imagine, this book had a substantial amount of dust on it, being 185 years old. It’s possible that this book was placed in the courthouse attic any time after 1876, when the courthouse was rebuilt after the infamous 1875 courthouse fire, and hadn’t been moved since. In fact, it was impossible to even read the titled on it until it was vacuumed due to the thick layer of dust that had settled.

The book provides a glimpse into the lives of Licking Countians in the mid-1800s. It records information such as the number of horses, cattle, and carriages a person owned, and the tax payed on those possessions. Also interesting is the type of tax that our ancestors paid – particularly the canal tax.

We’re excited to share more records with you as they are gradually cleaned and added to our permanent collections. If you are interested in using the records or learning more about our OHRAB project, please contact us at 740-670-5121 or archives@lcounty.com

The images below show the 1834 real-estate duplicate, partially-cleaned, and the interior pages.







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