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- source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- source: Family History Library Catalog
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Portage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 161,419, which is an increase of 6.2% from 152,061 in 2000. Its county seat is Ravenna. Portage County is named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers. Portage County is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
The name "Portage" comes from an old Native American path called "Portage Trail", which ran between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers, where travelers portaged their canoes. The location of the trail today is within the boundaries of neighboring Summit County.
The first European settler in what is now Portage County was Abraham Honey in 1798 in the area now known as Mantua Township, followed by Asa Hall in what is now Atwater Township in April 1799. In June 1799, Benjamin Tappan, Jr. arrived and founded Ravenna, David Daniels came to what is now Palmyra Township, and Ebenezer Sheldon settled in what is now Aurora.
When first settled, the area that presently constitutes Portage County was part of the original Jefferson County, which had been organized in 1797. In 1800, the area was made part of Trumbull County, which followed the boundaries of the Connecticut Western Reserve. In 1802, all of what is now Portage County was organized under the name of Franklin Township with other townships being formed later. On February 10, 1807 the Ohio state legislature passed the act to create Portage County from Trumbull County and it took effect June 7, 1807. Portage County remained attached to Trumbull County until June 8, 1808, when the first elections were held. Initially, the county included a large area of the Western Reserve that encompassed most of present-day Summit County, all of Medina and Huron counties, and parts of Lorain and Ashland counties. There were six organized townships in 1808: Franklin, Deerfield, Aurora, Hiram, Springfield, and Hudson with new townships organized later, reaching a maximum of 30. The present-day boundaries of Portage County were established in 1840 following the 1812 creation of Medina County, a slight boundary adjustment in 1827 with Cuyahoga County, and finally the creation of Summit County in 1840, which took 10 townships from Portage County along with 3 townships from Medina County and two from Stark County.
Timeline
| Date | Event | Source
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| 1795 | Land records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
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| 1803 | Probate records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
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| 1808 | County formed | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
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| 1808 | Marriage records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
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| 1809 | Court records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
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| 1810 | First census | Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
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| 1840 | No significant boundary changes after this year | Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
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| 1867 | Birth records recorded | Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
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Population History
- source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
| Census Year | Population
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| 1810 | 2,995
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| 1820 | 10,095
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| 1830 | 18,826
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| 1840 | 22,965
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| 1850 | 24,419
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| 1860 | 24,208
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| 1870 | 24,584
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| 1880 | 27,500
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| 1890 | 27,868
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| 1900 | 29,246
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| 1910 | 30,307
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| 1920 | 36,269
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| 1930 | 42,682
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| 1940 | 46,660
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| 1950 | 63,954
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| 1960 | 91,798
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| 1970 | 125,868
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| 1980 | 135,856
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| 1990 | 142,585
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Research Tips
External links
www.portageworkforce.org/
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