Erie County History
     ​Erie County was created by an act of the Ohio Legislature on April 1, 1838.  It was formed from parts of Huron and Sandusky counties and was named for the Erie, a tribe of Native Americans who lived along the south shore of Lake Erie.  In 1840, it gained another small portion from Huron County and lost a portion due to the creation of Ottawa County.  In 1845, it gained Kelleys Island from Ottawa County.  Including Kelleys Island, it is the smallest of Ohio’s 88 counties in land area – 252 square miles. The total legal size of the county is 626 square miles, which includes 374 square miles of Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay.
History Sources for Erie County
  • History of the Fire Lands, by W. W. Williams (Leader Printing Co., 1879)
    This book is a good place to start to learn about the history of Erie County before it was created in 1838.

  • History of Erie County Ohio, by Lewis Cass Aldrich (D. Mason & Co. Publishers, Syracuse, New York, 1889
    Includes a history of each township, with a focus on the city of Sandusky, and includes biographical sketches of many of its leading citizens.

  • A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio, 2 vols., by Hewson L. Peeke (The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago and New York, 1916.)
    Hewson Peeke was known for his histories of Erie County and Sandusky. Detailed biographies are includes.

  • The Centennial History of Erie County, Ohio, 2 vols., by Hewson L. Peeke (The Cleveland Press Co., Cleveland, Ohio, 1925)
    This is an updated version of the author's Standard History of Erie County.
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Note: Links to online digital versions of these books will be added as they are found.
Additional Sources
     On the website of the Erie County Historical Society, an extensive Bibliography lists books on the history of Erie County and its cities and towns. 

     The Sandusky Library, located at 114 West Adams Street, Sandusky, OH, has a large collection of genealogical and local history materials on Erie County in their Archives Research Center.  A detailed 4-page list of their resources is available in our book Genealogy in Practice. 

     Each of the smaller libraries in Erie County offer genealogy and local history resources pertaining to their town and area. 

  • Huron Public Library, 333 Williams Street, Huron, OH
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  • Milan-Berlin Library District is located at 19 East Church Street, Milan, OH, and has a branch in Berlin Township.  (Berlin Public Library, 4 East Main Street, Berlin Heights, OH)   Milan was originally located in Huron County, and now portions of it are in both Erie County and Huron County.
 
Erie County Today
CITIES IN ERIE COUNTY
  • Bellevue (part)
  • Huron
  • Sandusky (county seat)
  • Vermilion (part)

VILLAGES IN ERIE COUNTY
  • Bay View
  • Berlin Heights
  • Castalia
  • Kelleys Island
  • ​Milan (part)
TOWNSHIPS IN ERIE COUNTY
  • Berlin
  • Florence
  • Groton
  • Huron
  • Margaretta
  • Milan
  • Oxford
  • Perkins
  • Vermilion
Current Township Map - Erie County, Ohio