INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES OF OHIO NO

INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES OF OHIO NO. 76. STARK COUNTY (CANTON) Prepared by The Ohio Historical Records Survey Project Division of Professional and Service Projects Work Projects Administration Columbus, Ohio The Ohio Historical Records Survey Project January 1940 3 1466 00271 9322
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
County Home. The County home is situated on a several acre tract outside the Canton city limits. It is on Cleveland Avenue NW., with entrance near Twenty-eight Street. The main building sets back several hundred yards from the street on a beautiful knoll overlooking many acres of rich farm land and typical rural scenes. The original building, completed July 4, 1837, extends north and south, with a wing at each end running east. Growth of the county’s population and the proportionate increase of the indigent element, have made it necessary to add numerous other buildings, especially after the year 1900. The main buildings, in which are located the administrative offices and the superintendent’s living quarters were erected in 1903 at a cost of $44,000. In the same year were added a hospital and women’s cottage costing $10,000 and $55,000 respectively. In 1907 the dining room, kitchen, and corridor addition which connects the two buildings was erected at a cost of $35,000. A two story, seventeen-room frame building, erected in 1917 at a cost of $10,000, is used as a detention hospital for care and treatment of malignant diseases. The active records are kept in the superintendent’s office, the bound records in his desk and the unbound in steel filing cabinets. The inactive records are filed in a storage room on the first floor. The records are clean, in orderly arrangement, and accessible. Lighting and ventilation are good. Page 62
Superintendent of the County Home
In 1833 the Stark County commissioners purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres in Plain Township to be used as a site for the county poorhouse. A contract was awarded in August 1836 for the erection of a building. This first building was completed and accepted by the county on July 19, 1837. On the same day David Foltz, Samuel Shrantz, and Jonathan Holvick were appointed directors. A hospital was erected in 1893 and since 1900 several other buildings have been added. The original acreage has been increased by several purchases of adjoining real estate. There is also a farm of 384 acres situated on U.S. Route 21, about one mile northwest of Navarre, which is under the supervision of the superintendent and which furnishes food products for the county home and other county institutions. Page 250 ... Since the inauguration of aid for the aged there has been a slight reduction in the population of the Stark county home which is now approximately 270. The social aid programs have resulted in no reduction in the cost of operating county homes. Despite the decline in population of the county home the per capita cost of operation has increased 39 per cent since 1934. Page 252-253
Superintendent of the County Home -- Proceedings; Financial Records
(Journals and Reports) 531. DAY AND MINUTE BOOKS, 1862-1912. 4 VOLS. Minutes of meetings held by infirmary directors, showing date of meeting; record of bills presented and allowed for payment, showing to whom paid, for what purpose, amount of bill, and date paid; records of infirmary burials, showing name of descendent, and amount of burial expense; and record of all business transacted. Arr. chron. by dates of meeting. No index. Hdw. Aver. 376 pp., 1862-1908, 14 x 10 x 2; 1908-12, 18 x 12 x 2. 3 vols., 1862-1908, county home, adm. Bldg., strm.; 1 vol., 1908-12, C.C., comm. ma. of c. For subsequent records of bills allowed, see entry 537. 532. INFIRMARY REGISTER, 1937--, 5 VOLS. Record of Infirmary inmates, showing name of inmate, sex, age, nativity, date of admission, residence, condition of person admitted, length of residence in township, from what township received, date of discharge, reason for discharge, date of death, and cause of death. Arr. chron. by dates of admission. Indexed alph. by names of inmates. Hdw. on p. f. aver 245 pp. 16½ x 13 x 1½. County home, adm. bldg., strm. 533. TURN OVER PAPERS AND RECORD OF INMATES, 1906--, 4 f. b. Original papers relative to inmates received, showing name of inmate, age, sex, nativity, date of admittance, and inmate’s number. Arr. alph. by names of inmates. No index. Typed. 10 x 14 x 24. County home, adm. bldg., ma. ofc. 534. DAILY RECORD, 1907--, 32 VOLS. Copies of monthly reports of daily movements of population of home forwarded to state division of charities, showing date of report, number of male and female inmates in home at beginning of day, number received each day, number discharged, number of deaths during month, and total number at end of month. Arr. chron. by dates of reports. No index. Hdw. On p. f. aver. 12 pp. 14 x 8 x 1/8. County home, adm. bldg., 30 vols., 1907-37, strm., 2 vols., 1938--, ma. ofc. Page 253 (Fiscal Accounts) (see also entry 8) 535. POOR HOUSE RECORD, 1837-1912. 5 VOLS. (1, 2, 3, 5, fourth vol., 1887-95, unnumbered). Record of bills paid by infirmary directors for maintenance , showing date of purchase, name of vendor, description of material or supplies purchased, date of payment, name of payee, and amount. Arr. chron. by dates of purchases. Indexed alph. by names of payees. Hdw. On p. f. aver. 204 pp. 17 x 14 x 1½. County home, adm. bldg., strm. For subsequent records, see entries, 536, 537. 536. CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURES, 1913--, 3 VOLS. Classification of disbursements, showing date of disbursements, voucher number, amount of wages and salaries paid to superintendent, matron, physician, and other employees, amount spent for groceries, provisions, fuel, light, clothing, footwear, drugs, medicine, liquor, tobacco, burial expenses, date of entry, and amount for outside relief such as for physician, food, clothing, fuel, funeral expenses, transportation, nursing, and total amount paid from infirmary fund. Arr. chron. by dates of entry and num. By consecutive voucher nos. No index. Hdw. On p.f. Aver. 300 pp. 18 x 14 x 1½. County home, adm. For prior records, see entries 531, 535. 537. JOURNAL [Bills Allowed], 1913--, 5 VOLS. (1-5) Summary of bills allowed for payment by county commissioners for maintenance of Infirmary, showing to whom paid, for what purpose, amount and date paid, infirmary burials, name of descendent, and cost. Arr. chron. by dates of payment. Indexed alph. by names of payees. Hdw. On p. f. Aver 600 pp. 18 x 13 x 3. County home, adm. bldg., private ofc. For prior records, see entries 531, 535. (Miscellaneous) 538. VISITORS’ REGISTER, 1869--. 8 VOLS. (1-8) Register of visitors to infirmary, showing names and address of visitor, and date of Visit. Arr. chron. by dates of visits. No index. Hdw. On p. f. Aver. 450 pp. 18 x 12 x 2½. County home, adm. bldg., 7 vols., 1869-1934, strom.; 1 vol., 1935--, ma. ofc. 539. INFIRMARY OUTSIDE RELIEF RECORD, 1916-20. 1 VOL. Record of relief given to persons living outside the infirmary, including clothing and medical attention, showing kind of relief given, name of applicant, size of family, age, reason for relief, and date of application. Arr. chron. by dates of applications. Indexed alph. by names of applicants. Hdw. On p.f. 148 pp. 14 x 9 x 1½. County home, adm. bldg., strm. For subsequent related records, see entry 20. Page 254
County Commissioners
8. ANNUAL POOHOUSE REPORT TO COMMISSIONERS, 1843-81 1VOL Annual reports from infirmary directors, showing date of report, number of inmates, itemized account of expenditures, names of directors, date of examination of books and vouchers, and date of entry. Arr. chron. by dates of entry. No index. Hdw. Condition poor. 240 pp. 16 x 11 x 1½. Comm. ma. ofc. For fiscal records, see entries 535-537. Page 88
Infirmary Directors
Infirmary Directors
David Foltz 1837- Samuel Shrantz 1837- Jonathan Holvick 1837- James B. Estep 1858-1861 Jacob J. Bahney 1859-1862 William Barber 1860-1872 Peter W. Crum 1861-1864 John Feather 1862-1865 David Koontz 1864-1867 Samuel Snide 1865-1868 Joseph Soutzenheiser 1867-1870 Samuel Lind 1868-1871 John H. Brenner 1870-1873 Jacob C. Trump 1871-1874 Samuel Stover 1872-1875 Samuel C. Howenstine 1873-1876 William Strover 1874-1880 Conrad J. Geiger 1875-1878 Jacob H. Bair 1876-1878 Andrew Short 1876-1879 Timothy C. Putnam 1878-1887	William Barber 1879-1882 Robert M. Hawkins 1880-1883 Andrew Short 1882-1885 Joseph Mandru 1883-1890 Leopold Biechele 1886-1892 Cyrus H. Stoner 1888-1894 William Shaffer 1890-1896 Timothy C. Putnam 1892-1898 Henry Bixler 1894-1900 Jacob Howenstine 1896-1902 William M. Hardgrove 1898-1904 Andrew Reese 1900-1906 Thomas J. Miller 1902-1905 Charles E. Jarvis 1904-1911 Thomas J. Miller 1905-1908 Isaac E. Smith 1906-1909 W. K. Ellett 1908-1911 Samuel L. Correll 1909-1911 Lawrence A. Leonard 1911-1913 George C. Lindsay 1911-1913 John A. Graham 1911-1913 Page 302
excerpted and transcribed by: Marie Lewis-Cook
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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