Josiah True papers
Scope and Content
The Josiah True papers span from the 1820s to the 1840s and document the life of the True family and True's work. The collection contains letters, an issue of The Plaindealer (Vol. 1, No. I), a personal chronicle, miscellaneous pages from Weekly Register books and pages from a Justice of the Peace docket.
The letters are personal letters of the True family. It is difficult to discover the place of publication of the journal [Cleve newspaper?] The Plaindealer; the date of publication, however, is December 3, 1836. The chronicle is not a complete book, but rather loose pages on which are recorded property owners and the value of property. The pages date from the period 1826-1843. The years represented are the decades of the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s. Recorded are marriages which he performed and something of criminal matters.
Dates
- Creation: 1800s-1840s
Language of Materials
The records are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Ohio University Libraries.
Conditions Governing Use
Ohio University retains all property rights to the collection.
Ohio University retains all copyrights unless retained by the donor, other correspondents, or other artists.
Biography of Josiah True
Josiah True was born October 15, 1776, in New Hampshire. He moved to Marietta, Ohio, from Milford, New Hampshire, in 1798. A year later, in 1799, he moved to Athens. In 1803, he married Almira Tuttle, the daughter of one of the first settlers of Trimble Township. He was the father of eight children. He was a founder of the Coonskin Library, of which he served as director from 1816 to 1820.
True served as Justice of the Peace for the period 1815-51, and was one of the founders of the Dover Library Association, incorporated by the Ohio legislature in 1830. He was an original landowner of 137 acres in Dover Township, and was credited with having planted the first apple orchard in the county. Josiah True died September 16, 1855, and is buried in True Cemetery.
Extent
0.33 cubic feet
Abstract
The Josiah True papers span from the 1820s to the 1840s and document the life of the True family and True's work.
Statement of Arrangement
This collection remains in its original arrangement.
Acquisition Information
The Ohio University Archives received the Josiah True Collection as a gift from Dr. Warren V. Sprague on December 18, 1952.
Existence and Location of Copies
Ohio University will entertain requests to photocopy reasonable amounts of material from the collection for the convenience of individual researchers.
Bibliography
- Ohio University Post, Friday, January 9, 1953. Walden, Blanche L. Pioneer Families of the Midwest. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Edwards Brothers, 1941.
Description Note
Original, legacy collection inventories may contain inaccuracies or be incomplete. Collection descriptions may change or be updated as they are verified. Please contact Mahn Center staff if you note any errors or discrepancies.
Subject
- Title
- Finding aid for the Josiah True papers
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Tarita M. Stokes in April 1983
- Date
- 2020
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
- Sponsor
- The finding aid was converted into EAD with funding support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
Revision Statements
- 5 January 2024: Subjects and other notes added from ALICE MARC records and Mahn Center Microsoft Office finding aids by Ohio University Libraries Metadata Services Department Python scripts.
Repository Details
Part of the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections Repository
