I'm also researching in Belmont county but haven't tried locating old family land yet. The HODGIN's (Stephen & William) helped settle the area in 1805 or so coming up from Wrightsville, Georgia to resettle a Quaker community. Here in South Dakota a county will compile and print an Atlas of farm lands. It shows townships and range numbers and map numbers on each township map, by sections with names of who owns what part of each section. They will show where towns are and where schools are located. I have one going back to 1911 and I've seen newer ones. If you can't get any help at the courthouse your best bet would be to find out where the older local people go to have coffee/lunch in a town near where you are searching and just bring your map and ask someone to help you read it. If people in Ohio are like people in South Dakota, especially the farmers and ranchers, they all know the land and who owns it now and who used to own it and where it's located.