Ashtabula County was organized on Jan. 22, 1811. It was carved out of land owned in the Western Reserve by Gideon Granger, postmaster general under President Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Granger sent a representative - Eldad Smith - to the property in 1804. Mr. Smith platted it into 320 one-acre plots, cleared a path to the Austinburg settlement to the west and sowed 10 acres of wheat in a county seat named Jefferson to honor the president. The county's first courthouse was built at Jefferson in 1811. The name Ashtabula was derived from the Ashtabula River, which meant "Fish River" in the Native American language. Today Ashtabula County encompasses 702 square miles and boasts a population of 102,000.

Rebecca Goodman

Ohio Moments will appear here daily through 2003. Have suggestions? Contact Rebecca Goodman at rgoodman@enquirer.com or (513) 768-8361.