We will be set up and assisting with the Cemetery Walk at Steubenville Union Cemetery. Updates to come later. Keep an eye out on the chapter website & social media.

Volunteers will be available for research assistance, free of charge. Researchers will be able to see what records we have available. There will be informative handouts and raffle drawings for a free one year individual membership to the chapter ($25.00 value), a free research query (Up to a $30.00 value), & another mystery drawing.

Local Authors to Attend Meet-and-Greet in Stratton, Ohio

The Jefferson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society is hosting a special meet-and-greet event on November 9th, 2024, at the John M. Abdalla Municipal Building in Stratton, Ohio. This event will feature 12 local non-fiction authors, each with a unique connection to Jefferson County and the Ohio Valley. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the authors, purchase books, get autographs, and participate in giveaways. The free event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will coincide with a soup and sandwich fundraising lunch organized by the Stratton Volunteer Fire Department.

Flora VerStraten-Merrin, president of the Jefferson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, has been a champion of local history for over 20 years. She is excited to bring together a group of talented authors who have written about the rich history of Jefferson County. "We have so many wonderful local authors who have told some amazing stories of life up and down the Ohio Valley. This event is a great opportunity to introduce them to the community and celebrate their work," VerStraten-Merrin said.

Those scheduled to attend include Susan M. Guy, Joan McGlone, Virginia Glenn, Bob Petras, Mary Zwierzchowski, Rena Glover Goss, Sandy Faye Hudnall Day, Gary Cornell, Mary Ann Cooper Smith, Fred Miller, Janice Van Horne Lane, and Gary S. Williams.

Each author will discuss their work, share insights on local history, and provide updates on upcoming projects. Guests are encouraged to bring any books they already own for autographs. Those who purchase books at the event will receive a free tote bag and bookmark, courtesy of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County.

Under VerStraten-Merrin's leadership, the Jefferson County Chapter has transformed into a valuable resource for anyone interested in genealogy and local history. When she began as president, the chapter had no office or genealogical records. Today, it boasts a research library, a dedicated office, and over 1.2 million digitized records, freely accessible to the public through familysearch.org.

The chapter also offers various resources, including a quarterly newsletter, free educational programs, and a collection of historical publications. VerStraten-Merrin is deeply committed to ensuring that the history of Jefferson County and its surrounding areas in the Ohio Valley is preserved for future generations.

Event Details:
- Date: November 9, 2024
- Time: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
- Location: John M. Abdalla Municipal Building, 134 Second Ave., Stratton, Ohio
- Admission: Free

For more information on the event or to learn about the Jefferson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, visit http://jeffcochapter.com or contact the chapter at (740) 346-2820. Emails can also be sent to jeffersoncounty1@att.net.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to connect with local authors and discover more about the fascinating history of Jefferson County!

September 24, 2023 – Lunch at 1:00 P.M. (arrive 15 minutes early) Le Chateau Pier Restaurant (Bed and Breakfast) 195 OH- 151 Smithfield, Ohio 43948

Lunch and an optional visit following lunch to the nearby Smithfield Historical Society Museum Contact – Linda Kovach at 740-346-6043 for reservations (accepting reservations beginning March 5th) 2nd Contact Rena Goss at 234-284-8029 Reservation for lunch is $25.00 and is required before September 10th. Lunch includes: One meat, two sides, a salad and dessert are included (includes gratuity/tax) The reservations will be capped at the first 32 people that contact Linda We are excited to meet and eat at the Le Chateau Pier Restaurant for lunch. Following lunch the owners will share a short history of the building and ground. Following dessert, we will travel a short distance to the Smithfield Historical Society Museum for a tour and presentation of their building. Drinks and a light snack will be served.

More information on this event to be posted later, be sure to check back and thank you for your interest.

John M Abdalla Municipal Building
Stratton, Ohio

1:00 P.M. FREE Lecture Series.
Light Refreshments Served following the lecture.

More information on this event to be posted later, be sure to check back and thank you for your interest.

John M Abdalla Municipal Building
Stratton, Ohio

1:00 P.M. FREE Lecture Series.
Light Refreshments Served following the lecture.

More information on this event to be posted later, be sure to check back and thank you for your interest.

John M Abdalla Municipal Building
Stratton, Ohio

1:00 P.M. FREE Lecture Series.
Light Refreshments Served following the lecture.

April 30, 2023 – Lunch at 1:00 P.M. (arrive about 15 minutes early) The Farm Restaurant and Pub 1247 OH-150, Adena, Ohio (Near Mt. Pleasant)

Lunch and an optional tour of the Quaker Meetinghouse in Mt. Pleasant will follow the lunch Contact – Connie Rohall at 740-632-2735 or email – rohallconnie@yahoo.com. Reservations accepted now and a non-refundable $10.00 deposit required before April 14th. We will be ordering from the menu. The reservations will be capped at the first 30 people who contact Connie The Farm luncheon will include a short history about the Farm given by Sally. Our chapter President, Flora L. VerStraten-Merrin and other officers may share a few brief words about the chapter and our projects and then we will travel to the Mt. Pleasant Quaker Meetinghouse, which is just a short drive from the Farm Restaurant for a tour and a historical presentation.

November 5, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. Lunch – 2:00 P.M. Presentation (approximately following lunch) Held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 437 Powell's Lane in Wintersville, Ohio
	A light lunch will be served and followed by a one hour presentation. We will allow time at the end of the hour for Q&A. Reservations are required – free light lunch served. Please contact Connie Rohall at 740-632-2735 to reserve your seat. Reservation/Seating for lunch and presentation will be capped at the first 50 who contact Connie.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located at 437 Powell's Lane in Wintersville, Ohio and will be hosting the final luncheon and meeting for the 2023 calendar. The topic will be "The History of the United States Federal Census" and we will be learning about how to use census records for family history research. About 90% of the population was successfully captured in each census at consistent intervals of 10 years. This presentation will include tips and handouts. The presentation is open to the public and anyone who is interested in learning how to search US census records. The presentation will be given by local genealogist and the president of the Jefferson County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society, Flora L. VerStraten-Merrin.

More information on this event to be posted later, be sure to check back and thank you for your interest.

John M Abdalla Municipal Building
Stratton, Ohio

1:00 P.M. FREE Lecture Series.
Light Refreshments Served following the lecture.

Sept 11, 2022 Guest Speaker – John Boileigh Our chapter welcomes our friend and local historian John works for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and is a botanist, archeologist, and naturalist. Flora, chapter president, has had the privilege of working alongside John in the past two years at Historic Beatty Park, providing information hikes, storytelling, and informal presentations. John is engaging and has a wide variety of topics that he will be sharing with the group and will allow time for Q&A following his storytelling.

FREE and OPEN to the Public
Stratton Municipal Building
1:00 P.M.
Parking is available beside and behind the building

"The Enduring History of the Cattell Family and the Free Labor Store."
Speaker Angela Feenerty, President of the Historical Society of Mt. Pleasant OH.

Angela Feenerty is a research historian who was born in south-central Kentucky where her family instilled in her the love of history and gardening. She and her husband live on a farm in Martins Ferry, Ohio, where they raise and promote heritage livestock breeds. Together they founded the Heritage Dance Association, a group dedicated to preserving historic dance and music. Angela is President of the Historical Society of Mt Pleasant Ohio, a historic community with deep roots in the Quaker history. She has presented programs to various groups about Mt Pleasant's historic past, highlighting the Underground Railroad and abolition of slavery.



Angela edited the recently released book, "The Country Doctor's Wife" and she will bring them along to sell.

Guest Lecturer - Virginia Glenn, local historian Virginia will tell the story of Mary Wells (in the photo). It will begin with two young Castleman sisters taken by Indians at the mouth of Croxton's Run in 1791. The younger sister Margaret was sold as a slave to a trapper. The older sister Mary was married to a Half Indian Chief named Issac Williams who became drunkard and threatened to hurt her. Mary left her two Indian children, a boy and a girl and found her way back to Holiday's Cove to her parents. That's not the end of the story. Mary's Indian children had been raised as Christians and the daughter married a preacher named Journeycake and they traveled with the removal of the Shawnee Tribe when some of them left Ohio. Mary's 6 X Grandmother wrote a book about the girls and how their story was passed through oral history. Helen York Rose could find no proof so she started hunting and asking questions and wrote the book "I Walked The Footsteps of MY Fathers".

First of the Lecture Series for 2022
Guest Speaker - Local Historian, Virginia Glenn
FREE and OPEN to the Public
Stratton Municipal Building 1:00 P.M.
Parking is available beside and behind the building.

November 6th, 2022 Guest Lecturer – David Simmons David A. Simmons has over four decades of experience evaluating and documenting historic structures. He holds two degrees from Miami University and, since joining the Ohio Historical Society in 1976, has been active in public and private efforts to preserve historic engineering structures. While employed by the state historic preservation office, he eventually oversaw the department responsible for the state historic inventory and National Register of Historic Places nominations. He was an advisor and contributing writer for the four statewide historic bridge inventories prepared by the Ohio Department of Transportation. His extensive research and publishing on the history of Ohio bridge engineering included a regular column — "Historically Speaking" — in the County Engineer's Association of Ohio's quarterly magazine. Beginning in 1985, he helped assemble the program of nine historic bridge conferences, including several international in scope, which provided a forum for exchanging ideas between engineers and historic preservationists. As an officer of the Ohio Historic Bridge Association, Simmons oversaw the restoration of a covered bridge in eastern Ohio. The Romance & Symbolism of Covered Bridges By David A. Simmons Few historic structures in America have a stronger appeal than covered bridges. Popularly known as “kissing bridges,” they connect modern Americans with romantic ideas about their nation’s past. But how did we as Americans arrive at this point? Where did the covered bridge originate? Is there something special about American bridge engineering that contributed to this? If we look closely at covered bridges in an Ohio context, what lessons can we take away? What can a close look at covered brides teach us about our past that goes beyond simple feelings of nostalgia? Dave is the President of the "Ohio Historic Bridge Association" based in Galena, Ohio. You can learn more about him and the organization at Old Bridges He will be sharing an interesting lecture about the importance of old bridges and explaining their unique and desirable features. He is the "bridge" man and we promise that his presentation will be well prepared and informative.

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FREE and OPEN to the Public
Stratton Municipal Building
1:00 P.M.
Parking is available beside and behind the building

Sunday September 12th 2021

Paul Zuros lecture will include excerpts from his weekly newspaper articles in the Steubenville Herald Star on local historical figures and events

“Moonlight Mill Murders,” Steubenville, Ohio (True Crime)

Sunday April 25th, 2021 @ 1:00 P.M. Guest : Local Author Sue Guy ~ She has published “Moonlight Mill Murders,” Steubenville, Ohio (True Crime) and “Mobsters, Madams and Murder” Steubenville, Ohio (The Story of Little Chicago). Be sure to bring your copies of these two books to the event for a book signing.

“Mobsters, Madams and Murder” Steubenville, Ohio (The Story of Little Chicago)

LECTURE SERIES FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Lecturer Katy Zane - Certified Archivist "How To Archive and Preserve Documents and Photos" (More details below)

Sunday November 21st, 2021 Beginning at 1:00pm at the Stratton Municipality Building 136 2nd Avenue Stratton, OH 43961
{Easy to find - right off of State Route 7 and plenty of parking space}

Katy Zane received her masters degree in library and information science with an advance certificate in archival studies and record management from Wayne State University in 2018. She has worked as a librarian and archivist for West Liberty University for two years and has recently been promoted to Head of Learning Resources. She has presented at a state wide conference in 2018 about how to educate students about library resources, and she has taught over 75 classes to students about database navigation. She is currently enrolled in Marshall University to earn her Doctorate in Education in Leadership Skills. Outline: Personal document preservation Photo digitization and preservation Cataloging and organizing Materials and industry standards Resources available to the new archivist Hazards to your collection.

November 15, 1:00
Light Refreshements
1:30 Lecturer Paul Zuros

1:00 – Light Refreshments
1:30 Speaker
Topic – TBA
TBA – Topic and Bio Coming Soon!


Another lecture slated for November. Check back for the date and more details.