The First Families of Morrow County
Application Instructions
The purpose of "First Families of Morrow County" is to honor our pioneer ancestors who braved the wilderness to raise their families and their cabins.
While we are one of Ohio's youngest counties, we have the advantage of using the 1850 census, which affords the opportunity of locating our ancestral family members by name, rather than by just a mark on the census form.
But since our ancestors settled in the parts of the four counties which surrendered land to establish our present boundaries, we must search for the earliest possible arrival in those areas.
The date of December 31,1850 is established as the latest date you can claim your ancestor to be one of the "First Families", but you are encouraged to reach back to the very first. (In other words, you must prove that your ancestor resided in what is now Morrow County on or before December 31, 1850.) As many of you will desire to become one of the "First Families of Ohio," it is essential that our rules follow the O.G.S. rules as closely as possible.
But, first we make this exception to honor the women who bore more than their share of toil and privations: it will not be necessary to prove the surname of the pioneer mother, (however it is desired if at all possible). But from this point every step must be documented.
Evidence that will be accepted:
Court records, either obtained from the court itself, or from records preserved in libraries, which must be certified by an officer of the court or by a librarian. Obituaries are good sources of information, as well as death certificates.
Church, school, census records, newspaper clippings, old letters, Bible records (which must include a copy of the title page), wills, etc, are usually good proof, although they MUST state the facts and not simply imply them.
Birth and marriage records are a must to prove any change of name.
Here again, let it be mentioned to only submit copies. Do not submit your original documents.
Family Stories, county histories and hearsay are not accepted; they are only a place to begin searching.
In addition to the information requested on the application forms, a five generation chart, (with the applicant as #1) MUST be submitted. All documents shall become the property of the Morrow County Genealogical Society.
Numbers will be assigned in the order the approved applications are received.
A certificate and attractive badge will be awarded to all applicants who qualify. To defray the cost of the certificates, application forms and badge, a fee of $15.00 for members of the Morrow County Genealogical Society will be charged. For non-members the fee will be $20.00. The application fee must accompany the application.
Applications are processed once a year, with the certificate and badge being presented to new members at the
First Families Luncheon held in April each year.
THEREFORE, APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION IN ANY GIVEN YEAR MUST BE RECEIVED
BY THE MORROW COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY ON OR BEFORE MARCH 31 OF THAT YEAR.
Download a copy of the application in .pdf format:
Click here for Page 1 of 5: First Families application form
Click here for Page 2 of 5: First Families application form
Click here for Page 3 of 5: First Families application form
Click here for Page 4 of 5: First Families application form
Click here for Page 5 of 5: Ancestor Chart
If you have questions, contact the Morrow County Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 401, Mount Gilead, OH 433338-0401. Or contact us by E-Mail: [email protected] .
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