Historical collections of Ohio

Henry Howe

Henry Howe (1816-1893) was born and raised in Connecticut. In 1840 he sought out John W. Barber, who had recently published Historical Collections of Connecticut; a book that greatly impressed Howe. It had been written for the general reader, and, in Howe’s words, “it seemed, in its variety, to have something adapted to all ages, classes and tastes…” “The book, therefore reached more minds, and has been more extensively read, than any regular state history ever issued”. Howe suggested to Barber that together they research and write a similar book for New York State. They became partners, first producing Historical Collections of New York, and then similar volumes for New Jersey and Virginia. In 1846 Howe and Barber began preparing for a history of Ohio with a tour of the state that would last more than a year and take them to 79 of 83 counties. Historical Collections of Ohio...