The Firelands Pioneer & The Firelands Historical Society - Susan Dress

G&LH 977.1 FIRE

The Firelands Historical Society was founded in 1857 – it is thought to be the second oldest historical society in Ohio, and it does maintain the oldest museum in the state, in Norwalk, Ohio. Shortly after their founding, they began publication of The Firelands Pioneer, a periodical containing memoirs and firsthand accounts of local history from the first pioneers.

The first edition of the periodical in the Ida Rupp Genealogy and Local History collection is from October 1898. After a list of Officers of the Society, Board of Directors, and publishing committee members, the issue starts with a Record of Proceedings of the Forty-Second annual meeting of the society. These meetings were all day affairs, with breaks for prayer, songs, and poetry readings. During the June 1898 meeting, letters were read from local officials who had been invited to attend but were unable to.

Much of the meeting is taken up with discussion of how to reach out to as many of the still living pioneers of the area, or their kin, to obtain biographical information on them to have in hand when they pass. The end pages of each issue are devoted to extensive obituaries of pioneers and of members of the historical society. And I do mean extensive. The obituary for Betsy Ann Rowland Pelton tells us that she was one of the last living links to the original settlers of Clarksfield township. Details of her parents' lives are included, as is information on her two marriages, the farm where she lived with her second husband, surviving children, and names of relations still living in the township.

The December 1, 1900, issue includes an address given by Mrs. Fannie G Boalt Moss on the evolution of ‘our Free Library’, its origin, its growth, prospects, and future dreams. A detailed history of libraries in general, and the Sandusky Library in particular, is given. A picture of the Carnegie Library Building, erected in Sandusky in 1900, is included. That building, still the home of the Sandusky Library, was placed on the National register of Historic Landmarks on Nov 12, 1975.

We have about two dozen issues of the Pioneer, ranging from 1898 thru 2000. The Huron, Putman, and Wood County libraries [also in SEO] have assorted copies, but they are also part of those libraries’ Genealogy and Local History collections and must be used in house. If you’d like to read some volumes at home, The Internet Archive has digitized copies of volumes from 1858 thru 1921, including an index of obituaries printed in the Pioneer from 1857-1909. These obits and histories are another tool to add to your genealogy searches.