Wolves were a serious problem for pioneer settlers in this part of the country before 1850, a threat to livestock and people. As a result, Ohio declared a “War of Extermination” against wolves in 1818 and created Bounty Laws to eradicate the wolves.
Ohio’s planned wolf extermination worked. Although sources today indicate that the wolves were fully extinguished from Ohio by 1842, Mercer County, Ohio, paid bounties for wolf scalps through 1847.
Wolf Orders, Mercer County, Ohio, 1844-1847
Mercer County’s wolf bounties were recorded in a small handwritten book entitled Wolf Orders (years 1844-1847). Last week I listed the Mercer County men who turned in wolf scalps for a bounty during those years, at $4.25 for the first scalp. Hunters were paid less than that for each additional scalp brought in at the same time.
Where in Mercer County were those wolves living in the mid-1840s? The hunters were likely slaying wolves on their own property, so I reasoned that knowing where the hunters lived would be a good indication of where the wolves lived.
I found that most of the individuals listed in the Wolf Scalp book (1844-1847) were enumerated in the 1850 census, living in Mercer or Auglaize County. Auglaize County was formed from Mercer County in 1848, so a couple wolf-hunters lived in what is now Auglaize County, in Salem and Wayne Townships, townships that were still part of Mercer County at the time the wolf scalp bounties were recorded.
A couple individuals were enumerated in the 1843 Quadrennial Enumeration of Adult White Males in Mercer County. At least two men died before the 1850 census and there are a couple men I could not locate in the records and could not determine where they lived.
In my findings below, I include the ages of the men, as shown in the 1850 census, where they were living, and where I found the information. I included birth/death years for those who died before 1850.
This is where the wolves were probably found and killed in Mercer County between 1844-1847:
Black Creek Township
Daniel W. Harper, 34, (1843 Quad); I don’t know where he was in 1850, but he eventually moved to Iowa
Joseph Harper, (1792-1848), (1843 Quad), died before 1850 census; bur. Duck Creek Cemetery
James C. Heath, 41, (1850 Census)
Thomas Shue/Shoe, 37, (1850 Census)
Butler Township
William Freeman, (1843 Quad) [not sure this is the correct person]
Center Township
Levi A Kizer, 39, (1850 Census)
John Keizer/Kizer, 48, (1850 Census); occupation was “hunter” in the 1850 census
William Bice, 61, (1850 Census)
Dublin Township
John Dysert, 39, (1850 Census)
William Johnson/Johnston, 42, (1850 Census) [I believe this is the correct person]
Jacob Eicher, 35, (1850 Census)
Elihu Compton, 37, (1850 Census)
Amos Hines, 41, (1850 Census)
Samuel Shaffer, 39, (1850 Census)
William Buck, 21, (1850 Census)
Franklin Township
Robert Muter, 28, (1850 Census)
William Balenger, (1803-1848), (1843 Quad), died before 1850 census; bur. Botkins Cem, Montezuma
Hopewell Township
Alfred Lincoln, age 72, (1850 Census)
Abraham Newland, 50, (1850 Census)
Jefferson Township
Amasa Knowlton, 34 (1843 Quad), [moved to St. Joseph Co. IN by 1850]
Uriah Mead, 29, (1850 Census)
Liberty Township
Jacob Davis, [cannot locate him in 1850 census; one Jacob Davis (1824-1899) is buried in Liberty Chapel Cemetery, but I am not sure this is the correct person]
Salem Township [now in Auglaize County]
Thomas Hussey, 49, (1850 Census)
Union Township
John Anderson, 41, (1850 Census)
Robert Adams, 30 (1840: Union Twp; 1850: Salem Twp, Auglaize County)
Washington Township
George Byerly, 26, (1850 Census)
Wayne Township [now in Auglaize County]
William Cox, 52, (1850 Census)
There are three men I could not locate in the 1840 or 1850 census in this area or in the 1843 Quadrennial Enumeration of Adult White Males in Mercer County:
William Stephenson: a William M. Stephenson (1828-1897) is buried in North Grove Cemetery, Celina, but I do not know where he lived; one William M. Stephenson was enumerated in Hopewell Township in 1880
John Culver: he turned in wolf scalps early 1840s, per the Sutton’s 1882 History, but I do not know where he lived
Ira Bacon; I found nothing about him
It appears that most of Mercer County’s wolves were coming out of Northern Mercer County, most from Dublin Township, with Black Creek in second place.
