Revolutionary War veterans who cleared land and built the first homes in what became Loveland and Milford will be the subject of a free public talk Aug. 15, at the Batavia Branch Library.
Cindy Johnson, secretary and historian of the Clermont County Historical Society, will present "Clermont County and the American 250: Honoring Our Revolutionary War Veterans" at 1 p.m. at the library, 180 S. Third St., Batavia. The talk is part of a series of America 250 events at Clermont County library branches this month.
Johnson has spent months researching the soldiers who fought for independence and later became some of Clermont County's earliest residents, according to the Clermont Guardian. Many arrived in the years after the war, working as farmers, millers and merchants. Some prospered. Others lived in poverty.
The society teased that the county's Revolutionary War veterans even included former pirates.
The local connections run deep. Historical records show Colonel Paxton erected the first house between the Little Miami and Scioto rivers near Loveland as early as 1795. William Simonton and his brothers Theophilus and John settled near Loveland in 1798 after William served 18 months in the war. George Conrad, a veteran who served at the siege of Yorktown, settled near Milford in 1797 and became one of Clermont County's first three county commissioners.
According to the Ohio History Connection, the just-completed Ohio Revolutionary War Veteran Graves Project documented 61 burials of Revolutionary War veterans across Clermont County. Many of those soldiers had received land grants in the Virginia Military District north of the Ohio River, drawn by fertile soil and plentiful streams.
The historical society recently moved its headquarters to the Batavia Armory at 65 N. Second St. The nonprofit will host a public housewarming, "A Call to Armory," on Sunday, Sept. 20, from 2 to 4 p.m., featuring behind-the-scenes tours and the first public display of historic Village of Batavia ledger books.
Upcoming
- Sunday, Sept. 20, 2 to 4 p.m.: "A Call to Armory" housewarming, Batavia Armory, 65 N. Second St., Batavia.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 1 p.m.: CCHS talk by Jeffrey Wilson, Batavia Branch Library, 180 S. Third St., Batavia.
