INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES OF OHIO NO

INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES OF OHIO NO. 66 PIKE COUNTY (WAVERLY) Prepared by The Ohio Historical Records Survey Project Service Division Work Projects Administration Columbus, Ohio The Ohio Historical Records Survey Project May, 1942 3 1466 00271 9355
Excerpts of portions dealing with Infirmary (poorhouse) Records
[Note: Click here to see portions of important information common to all the county inventories.

Housing, Care, and Accessibility of the Records
Superintendent of the County Home. Records of the home are located in the office of the superintendent of the county home, which occupies one room in the southwest corner of the first floor of the main building of the home, at Idaho, Ohio. The records, all bound, are kept in a wooden desk in the office. Space is ample, and lighting and ventilation are adequate. pg. 63
Auditor -- Fiscal Accounts
255. CLASSIFIED RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES [County Home] 1908--. 1 vol. Record of county home receipts and expenditures, showing date, amount, and source of receipt; date, amount, and purpose of expenditure, and monthly totals of receipts and expenditures. Arr. chron. by dates of receipts and expenditures. No index. Hdw. on p. f. 300pp 18 x 12 x 2. Aud. vlt. pg. 188
Superintendent of the County Home
Prior to 1855 in Pike County, the care of the poor was entrusted to the various township trustees. On June 6, 1855, the county commissioners adopted a resolution to purchase a farm for use as a county poorhouse or infirimary. On January 29, 1856, the 353-acre farm of Jacob McAllister in Pee Pee Township was purchased. The first infirmary superintendent, Peter J. Fry, was appointed March 5, 1856. Ten years later, a new location for the infirmary was obtained. In 1866, the county commissioners purchased a farm of 351 acres, adjacent to the village of Idaho, Pebble Township, from Jemes Emmitt for consideration of $7,000. Suitable buildings were erected, and the infirmary was removed to its new location in 1867. Additional buildings were constructed in 1869 and 1870, and the old Pee Pee Township farm was sold in 1871. The county home still remains (1942) at the Idaho location. The original purchase of 351 acres has been reduced since 1880 by numerous sales of town lots and small tracts of timber land, leaving the present area of the county home property at 180 acres. Most of this acreage is now under cultivation, and the farm produce raised is sold on the open market as well as used for consumption by the inmates. The main building is a two-story frame structure containing 22 rooms, and there is a one-story male dormitory building adjacent. Although both of these structures are equiped with electric lighting facilities, old-fashioned coal and wood stoves remain in use for cooking and heating. pg. 227 Other buildings on the remises include a large barn, poultry houses, and tool sheds. The superintendent of the county home is appointed under civil service regulations. The first superintendent thus appointed on March 21, 1927, Roy Pennisten, still retains the position. His wife serves as matron of the home. Their combined salaries amount to $1,500 per year, and there are three employes serving under them. At the close of 1941 there were 21 inmates in the county home. All records are located in the superintendent's office at the home, Idaho, Ohio. pg. 228
Superintendent of the County Home (cont'd)
358. INFIRMARY DIRECTORS' JOURNAL, 1878-1912. 3 vol. Minutes of board of infirmary directors, showing date of meeting, names of members present, and record of business transacted, including bills approved and ordered paid, with name of creditor, and purpose and amount of bill. Arr. chon. by dates of meetings. No index. Hdw. Aver. 300 pp. 16 x 11 x 2. 359. REGISTER OF ADMISSIONS, 1868--. 1 vol. Register of inmates admitted to county home, showing date of admission, name, address, age, sex, color, place of birth, and physical and mental condition of inmate, and date of discharge or death. Arr. chron, by dates of admissions. No index. Hdw. on p. f. 400 pp. 16 x 11 x 3. 360. DAILY MOVEMENT OF INMATES, 1917--. 24 vols. (1-24). Daily record of inmates, showing date of recording, names of inmates admitted, discharged, and died, number of male and female inmates at beginning of day, and number at end of day. Ar. chron. by dates of recording. No index. Hdw. on p. f. Aver. 50 pp. 14 x 10 x 1/2. 361. REPORT TO STATE DIVISION OF CHARITIES, 1936--. 1 vol. Duplicate copies of monthly and annual reports of superintendent of county home to state division of public assistance, showing date of report, name of county home, daily number of admissions, discharges, and deaths of male and female inmates, totals for month and year, and number of male and female inmates at beginning and end of month and year. Arr. chron. by dates of reports. No index. Hdw. on p. f. 100 pp. 12 x 9 x 1. 362. RECORD OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES, 1920--. 2 vols. (1, 2). Record of receipts from all sources including sale of farm produce, and expenditures in operation of institution, showing date of recording, source and amount of receipt, purpose and amount expenditure, and monthly totals and balances. Arr. chron. by dates of recording. No index. Hdw. on p. f. Aver. 300 pp. 14 x 10 x 2. 363. VISITOR'S REGISTER, 1868--. 1 vol. Register of visitors to county home, showing date of visit, name and address of visitor, and whether visiting inmates or inspecting institution. Arr. chron. by dates of visits. No index. Hdw. on p. f. 300 pp. 16 x 11 x 2. pg. 229
Roster of County Officials
Infirmary Directors
Thomas Shropshire 1858-1860 William Gordon 1858-1863	Samuel Hess 1858-1864 William Beekman 1860-1865 Pg. 269
Thomas McCluggage 1863-1866 Philip Boldman 1864-1867 Andres J Dietrich 1865-1871 Frederick McBee 1866-1869 Benjamin P. Viloet 1867-1870 Thomas Wilson 1869-1872 Philip Boldman 1870-1876 James M. Smith 1871-1877 Stephen Dietrich 1872-1878 John Clay 1876-1881 (Resigned) William Pennisten 1877-1880 Stephen A. Graham 1878-1881 Robert Leeper 1880-1886 Jacob Steinhour 1881-1882 (Vice J. F. Clay) Alanson C. Emory 1881-1890 Enoch Stedman 1882-1888 Jacob Butler 1886-1892 Thomas E. Markham 1888-1894	Henry Shy 1890-1896 George W. Trego 1892-1895 John W. Overly 1894-1897 William Taylor 1895-1898 Samuel Brown 1896-1902 David Cowan 1897-1903 Reason L. Brown 1898-1904 James M. McCurdy 1902 (Died in office) James Faulds 1902-1903 (Vice J. M. McCurdy; resigned) Elias Cartwright 1903-1905 (Vice J. Faulds) Thomas E. Markham 1903-1909 Robert E. West 1904-1911 Elias Cartwright 1905-1908 John E. Eakins 1908-1913 Golden P. Chrisman 1909-1913 William Nicodemus 1911-1913 pg. 270
excerpted and transcribed by: Phyllis [Campbell] Swigert -- Dec 2000
Note: Most of these inventories were heavily footnoted. We did not include the footnotes (which were usually references to other documents) here because we felt that this website is for general readers without a strong academic/legal need to see these footnotes. However, they are available upon specific request from researchers who e-mail us.
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