41st Ohio Veterans Volunteer Infantry, History of
By Robert Kimberly and Ephraim Holloway
Blue Acorn Press
Enhanced reprint of 1897 edition

From Shiloh in April 1862 to the decisive victory at Nashville in December 1864, few Union regiments in the Civil War's western theater forged better service records than the 41st Ohio. It's first colonel, William B. Hazen, was succeeded by Aquila Wiley who after losing a leg was succeeded by the authors of this history, Kimberly and Holloway. Recruited from nine northeast Ohio counties, the 41st saw action in most of the major western battles. 'Company I' was formed in Port Clinton with men from the area. Familiar names found in the book include Rymers, Miller, Brown, Wonnell, Silverwood, Gill, Bodie, Bell, Davenport, Minier and Valequette. Of 1,423 officers and men who belonged to the regiment throughout the war, 667 became casualties, including 176 killed or mortally wounded. Kimberly's and Holloway's history of the 41st Ohio, described by Ohio Civil War bibliographer Daniel J. Ryan as "an intelligent and accurate narrative," was first published in 1897. This enhanced Blue Acorn Press reprint features a new index and 30 wartime portraits not part of the original edition. Available from Blue&GrayMagazine.com.

The Brown House Stories: A Child's Garden of Eden
By Nyle Kardatzke
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
2015

While World War II raged elsewhere, a three-year old boy was awakening to the world in the Ohio farmhouse south of Graytown where he lived with his parents and two brothers. Most of the stories of that awakening time are based on the author’s detailed memories. Other stories are fictionalized accounts of events the author knows only through his parents’ accounts. The stories may be especially appealing to older adults who experienced the early 1940's. Available on Amazon.

The Clock of the Covenant
By Nyle Kardatzke
Xulon Press
2016

A passenger train collided with a family car in Fremont, Ohio in 1913, killing a mother and a firstborn son. Out of that tragedy, a small church of farmers, factory workers, carpenters, and teachers formed in a northwestern Ohio town called Elmore. One Sunday in 1945, a young boy thought he heard his minister say that God's people had carried the promises of God wherever they went in the "clock of the covenant" and assumed it was the very clock that hung in the boy's church, Elmore Church of God, in Elmore. That revelation and the boy's best memories about that small church, its people, and their ways of "doing church" in postwar America became the basis for this collection of stories. Available on Amazon.

Elmore and Genoa, Images of America Series
By Jen Fording on behalf of the Harris-Elmore Public Library
Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC
2011

The villages of Elmore and Genoa have held a friendly rivalry since the 1860s. Though each has made its own name in Ottawa County, Ohio, both share a rich heritage that instills small-town curiosities with a strong sense of community pride. Elmore is known as being the home of Schedel Arboretum and Gardens, the headless motorcyclist ghost, the Elmore car, and professional softball pitcher Carl "Sox" Wainwright. Not to be outdone, Genoa, one of the major producers of white lime in the country, showcases world-renown artist Jan Pugh and National Register of Historic Places sites such as the Genoa Town Hall and the Old School Privy. Both area histories have boasted pioneers that tamed the Black Swamp, prosperous businesses, major transportation centers, and stories of overcoming personal tragedies. Elmore and Genoa takes readers back to a time that was simpler to see two villages grow into places where the past can come alive through the actions and memories of its people. The book is available for purchase on arcadiapublishing.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, elmorehistoricalsociety.com and the Harris-Elmore Public Library.

Geology of Catawba Island
By Charles E. Herdendorf, Ph.D.
Catawba Island Historical Society, Catawba Island, OH
To be published 2020

Covers the geologic setting of Catawba Island and vicinity: its natural physical features, bedrock formations, and glacial aspects, as well as the contemporary geological processes that continue to shape the island. Additional topics include a regional description, historical geology, Portage River, fossil assemblage, glacial/holocene geology, geobotanical relationships, and geology in Catawba Island history and folklore. Copies only available at Catawba Museum located in Union Chapel, E. Porter Street, Catawba Island. See Historical Society website for contact information and directions at www.catawbaislandhistoricalsociety.com.

Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio
By Henry Howe
Krehbiel & Co., Printers and Binders, Cincinnati, OH
1888

Two volume seminal and much honored work on Ohio history.  Ottawa County is referenced in Volume II on pages 359 to 372.  Copies available in libraries and amazon.

Enchanting Isles of Erie
By Harry H. Ross
Self-published
1949

Historic sketches of romantic battle of Lake Erie, Oliver Hazard Perry, Put-in-Bay, Lakeside, Kelleys Island, Middle Bass, Johnson’s Island, Catawaba, North Bass, Cedar Point, Sandusky, Port Clinton, and other islands and resorts. Each summer for ten years, the author engaged in conducting daily tours from Lakeside, Ohio, to Put-in-Bay, Kelleys Island, and the other islands of Lake Erie. He spent most of his summers at Lakeside and the islands. 68 pages with maps. Available on Amazon and selected libraries.

Johnson's Island: A Prison for Confederate Officers
By Roger Pickenpaugh
The Kent State University Press, Kent, OH
2016

From Amazon: In 1861, Lt. Col. William Hoffman was appointed to the post of commissary general of prisoners and urged to find a suitable site for the construction of what was expected to be the Union’s sole military prison. After inspecting four islands in Lake Erie, Hoffman came upon one in Sandusky Bay known as Johnson’s Island. With a large amount of fallen timber, forty acres of cleared land, and its proximity to Sandusky, Ohio, Johnson’s Island seemed the ideal location for the Union’s purpose. By the following spring, Johnson’s Island prison was born. Johnson’s Island tells the story of the camp from its planning stages until the end of the war. Because the facility housed only officers, several literate diary keepers were on hand; author Roger Pickenpaugh draws on their accounts, along with prison records, to provide a fascinating depiction of day-to-day life. Hunger, boredom, harsh conditions, and few luxuries were all the prisoners knew until the end of the war, when at last parts of Johnson’s Island were auctioned off, the post was ordered abandoned, and the island was mustered out of service. There has not been a book dedicated to Johnson’s Island since 1965. Roger Pickenpaugh presents an eloquent and knowledgeable overview of a prison that played a tremendous role in the lives of countless soldiers. It is a book sure to interest Civil War buffs and scholars alike. The book is available from amazon.com.

Kelleys Island
By Leslie Korenko
The Wine Press
2009-2016

A 6-book series covering the history of Kelleys Island from 1810 to 1893:  The first is 1810 to 1861 (The Courageous, Poignant & Often Quirky Lives of Island Pioneers); 1862 to 1865 (The Civil War, the Island Soldiers and the Island Queen); 1866 to 1871 (The Lodge, Suffrage & Baseball); 1872 to 1876 (The Hotels, the Telegraph and the Lime Company); 1877 to 1884 (The Fire, the Great Grooves, and a Mysterious Disappearance); and the last, 1885 to 1893 (the Final Chapter).  Since they run in chronological order, each book is a comprehensive, richly detailed, and surprisingly entertaining history of life during that time period. Its history is told by the islanders, in their own words, gently blended with narrative text. The author has simply given them a voice. You can read correspondence and letters to newspapers, as well as articles found in an incredible handwritten newspaper-The Islander. The island is now a resort, but 175 years ago it was the wilderness. These are stories of the early squatters who occupied this wild, unsettled and remote part of Ohio and how the community grew and flourished. There are stories about Port Clinton, the Johnson’s Island Confederate Prison, and Put-in-Bay. For people doing genealogy – this is a remarkable source of stories about the various families who resided on the Island. Leslie is the winner of the Henry Howe Award for outstanding Ohio History. Leslie’s books are available at her website (www.kelleysislandstory.com)and Amazon.com.

Oak Harbor, Images of America Series
By Frank Gluth, John Liske, and Richard Martin
Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC
2013

The Images of America book on Oak Harbor was written by three Oak Harbor history buffs---Frank Gluth, John Liske, and Richard Martin. It was published in 2013 and is available (or can be ordered) at any Barnes and Noble bookstore, online at Amazon.com; or through the publisher at Arcadia.com. It can also sometimes be found at local Ottawa County retail outlets and gift shops. If all else fails, contact one of the authors at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will see that you get a copy.