Cuyahoga County Townships

Before the cities that we know of today existed, the land therein was located in a township.  When the Connecticut New Western Reserve was first surveyed, it was divided into five square mile townships. Each, when populated, began a government of trustees to handle the needs of its citizens. As settlements became towns and villages, they formed a more urban type of government and "seceded" from the township. Multiple municipal entities may have formed in a township, and as they grew and annexed land, the original township and its governments disappeared. Continuing in this fashion, there are only small pieces of two townships left--Chagrin Falls and Olmsted. Usually the township records stayed with the last piece of a township to become a municipality. Cleveland became a city and began annexing parts of other townships until it has stretched its tentacles into all but ten of the original 21 townships in current Cuyahoga County. 

A good article about the defunct townships of Cuyahoga County can be seen HERE

If your ancestors arrived early on, or you're just curious about the early history of a township, the history of these townships are interesting and helpful to read.  Just about every one of the townships listed here have a history by Crisfield Johnson, William Coates, and Gertrude Van Rensselaer Wickham.  Other relevant information is included as well.

If you're on a computer, see the sidebar to the left for links to all the townships in Cuyahoga County

If you're on a phone, click the three lines in the upper-left corner and scroll down to see all the townships in Cuyahoga County

This page was created July 14, 2024 and updated July 15, 2024