Clermont County History >From heroics to war stories to debates over what's in a name, Clermont County has a rich and fascinating history. Established by proclamation on December 9, 1800, before Ohio itself became a state, the county will celebrate its Bicentennial as the world enters the next Millennium. Clermont was the eighth of ten counties in the area that eventually would become Ohio. General Arthur St. Clair formed the counties from the southeast tip of the Northwest Territory. Since its founding nearly two centuries ago, the county has retained nearly the same shape and size. Others - neighboring Hamilton, for instance - have changed dramatically. The county was named for a French word that described the area in the late 1700s and early 1800s - "clear mountains and hills." Since all of Clermont County is in the Virginia Military District and the French aided the Americans in the final defeat of the British at the siege of Yorktown in 1781, many Virginians who helped settle the county felt it was appropriate to name it in honor of their French allies. As a territorial county in the early 1800s, Clermont was composed of five townships. Eventually, the five townships were divided into 14. The original county seat was in Williamsburg (originally spelled Williamsburgh), where it remained until 1823. It then moved to New Richmond, along the Ohio River, for one year. Clermont's first community was Williamsburg, the original county seat, located on the eastern edge of the county. Williamsburg, then known as Lytlestown, was platted in 1796. Early settlements also included Denhamstown, incorporated as Bethel in 1851. Jesse Grant, father of Ulysses S. Grant, was Bethel's first mayor. Other early settlements included: Withamsville (then called Witham's settlement), Miami Township, Hageman's Mills (later Milford), Stonelick Township, Chilo, Goshen Township, Felicity, Moscow, Point Isabel and Amelia. All date to the early decades after 1800. The county has grown from 15,820 people in 1820, 36,713 in 1880, and 42,182 in 1950 to about 177,000 in 1998. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dean Scribner <dean.scribner@juno.com> To: <OHCLERMO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 11:54 PM Subject: Activity in 1819 > My ancestor made application for Revolutionary War veteran's pension in > Clermont County in 1819. > > What was going on in Clermont County in 1819 that would have attracted a > 66-year-old veteran from Maine? > > Dean