Welcome to Monroe Township! Here you will find a growing amount of data pertaining to the township, the towns, the people and it's history. Contributions are welcome as this site continues to grow.

• A Brief History
• Towns and Villages
• Local Churches
• Cemeteries
• Local Schools
• Monroe Township History and Artifacts
• Census Schedules
• Monroe Twp at War
• Links
• Maps
• Monroe Township Scrapbook

Monroe township was named in honor of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. It is located in the northeastern corner of Muskingum County, Ohio. It is bounded on the west by Madison and Adams townships, on the south by Highland township, on the east by Guernsey County and on the north by Coshocton Co.

The township was set aside by the Muskingum County Commisioners on July 2, 1819. Though some settlers had come before this date, the area was not formerly recognized as Monroe township before that date. Like it's neighboring townships, it was created from the larger Highland township that existed prior to 1819. The largest population center was Otsego which was built on the site of an Indian village. Wills creek runs through the northern part of the township and was traversible by canoe to the Muskingum River in Adams Mills, up-river from Dresden. Many settlers followed the creek to Monroe and the area was well known among the early pioneers for it's game.

Many of the early settlers had to carve their own trails to the township. Some came by canoe up the Wills Creek to White Eyes Creek. This being the end of their journey, the beginning starting in Marietta, up the Muskingum past Dresden to Wills Creek. Others would later disembark at Marquand Mills and follow what roads had by then been cut to whatever tract of land they had managed to obtain. Some came by covered wagon led by horses or oxen from Cambridge or via the Wheeling road through Union and Highland townships. It should be mentioned that these early settlers found the area heavily forested and had to clear their land before they could begin to farm it. The first few winters were tough as some crops failed and if it wasn't for the abundant game and their skills as hunters, they would have starved. At the same time they were clearing their land, hunting and starting their farms, they also had to deal with some indians that remained hostile as well as some white men who saw an opportunity to prey on the poorly defended settlers. It was a hard life and through it all, many of these early settlers lived very long lifes. A few early pioneers such as Charles Marquand and James Sprague lived into their nineties. These were sturdy men well deserving of the name pioneer.

Though Wills creek is located in the township, It is White Eyes Creek that drains most of the township until it flows into Wills creek. Wills Creek today is part of the Muskingum Watershed Conservatory District and is regulated by a damn on Wills creek which has created a reservoir and game preserve.

Coal can be found in abundance and was an early source of fuel and income for the early settlers. Is is still being strip mined today but the area has lost much of it's forested area and wild game except for what is protected by the Watershed. The area has supported agricultural and livestock trades and also many mills that were built on the waterways throughout the township. It is generally hilly but not so much that farming would be difficult.

• Otsego
• Marquand Mills

• Maysville Methodist Episcopal Church - Historical
  North Western Quarter of Section 1
• Otsego Baptist Church
  Route 93
  Otsego
• Otsego Presbyterian Church (Mount Pleasant Presbyterian) - Historical
  Northeastern Quarter of Section 19
  Southeast of Otsego
• Otsego United Methodist Church (Methodist Episcopal)
  Route 93
  Otsego
• Pleasant Valley Methodist Church - Historical
  North Western Quarter of Section 6
• Union Chapel Methodist Church - Historical
  North Western Quarter of Section 5
  Maysville

• Otsego High School
  
• Bainter's School
  
• Buker's School
  
• Granny's Knob School
  
• Monroe Rural School
  
• Richardson's School
  
• Starkey's School
  
• Stoner's School
  
• The Teachers
  
• The One Room School Houses

• Monroe Township Government
• Monroe Township Post Office
• Monroe Township Business Establishments
• Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Muskingum County, Ohio - Chapter XL - Monroe Township

• 1820 Ohio Census Index, Monroe Township
• 1830 Ohio Census Index, Monroe Township
• 1840 Ohio Census Index, Monroe Township
• 1850 Ohio Census Index, Monroe Township

• Monroe Township Residents serving in the Revolutionary War
• Monroe Township Residents serving in the War of 1812
• Monroe Township Residents serving in the Mexican War
• Monroe Township Residents serving in the Civil War
• The Silent Dead or Roll of Honor - Civil War Dead Pamphlet
• Monroe Township Residents serving in the World War I
• Monroe Township Residents serving in the World War II
• Monroe Township Residents serving in the Korean War
• Monroe Township Residents serving in the Viet Nam Conflict

• Muskingum County OHGENWEB
• OHGENWEB
• USGENWEB
• Shirer Family Genealogy Project

• 1895 map of Muskingum Co., Ohio.
• Google map of Monroe Township.
• Plat map of Monroe Township 1832.
• Plat map of Monroe Twp.
• Plat map of Present Day Monroe Twp.
• Plat map of Otsego
• Plat map of Otsego 1875
• More maps and atlases for the township.

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Queries can be posted to the Muskingum County, OH query board

Last Updated on Mar 5, 2021

Denny Shirer