Trying to find historical information on a home?

Question

My husband and I are interested in buying a home in Southwest Ohio, we already live in the area. The house we are looking at was built in 1835 and is rumored to have been a stop along the covered wagon trail. To the residents of the town the house is known as "the post house". We have tried and can't find anything on it period.
It's not going to matter wheter we can find the info or not. I would just love to be able to read about some of the homes past.
If anyone on here is from Preble County in Ohio maybe you can help me. We have looked at historical sites and even done a search of the address and I am getting nothing. I appreciate anything anyone can come up with. The name of a web site, a library, any of it. Thanks

Answer 1

I haven't been in the area for many years, but I am familiar with Preble County. When I was a teenager, I used to race go-carts at a track in Camden, OH in the southern part of the county. The area is rich in history. Unless I am mistaken, what is now US 40 used to be known as the "National Road" many years ago. It is an east-west highway in the northern part of the county. Back in the day, taverns and inns were spaced about 20 miles apart along the whole route to accomodate travelers on horseback. US 127 was a similar, although not so famous, road that runs north-south through the county. These highways intersect north of Eaton, OH which is the county seat.

There is bound to be a lot of information available on your historic house. I would start with the county library in Eaton. I would also check with any local weekly newspaper since they often have very old archives. The best source of information is likely to be a local historical society. It is amazing the information they have. The library can point you in their direction.

If you strike out in Preble County, try the main library in Dayton, Ohio. They will have lots books dealing with local history and I am sure they will have information and old photos of your house.

I hope this information helps. Good luck with your search.

Answer 2

You can do a Deed and tax map search at the county clerks office. From the names you come up with, you can do a search of historical or archived newspapers. You can also track down these people in the Census and pin down an estimated death date and search old newspapers for their obituaries which often give a lot of information.

I know how you feel. I have almost always lived in old houses and love to know the history.