BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Port William, Ohio

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1917 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Liberty Township. It lies in ZIP code area 45164. It stands on Grassy Run. The Survey maps it on the Port William quadrangle. 229 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,020 feet above sea level.

Port William within Clinton County

Population over time

2 figures

Port William fell from 254 to 229 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010254
2020229-25 (-10%)

Then and now

1917 to 1986

The same ground, surveyed 69 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Port William, surveyed 1986
Topographic sheet of Port William, surveyed 1917

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

6,314 words on this township

The History of Clinton County, Ohio : Containing a History of the County; Its Townships, Cities, Towns ... General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio .., published 1915 names this settlement in its chapter on Liberty Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

The land is rolling along the different streams of the township and there are many acres of fine farming land in these bottoms. The country about Port William is level and, consequently, the streams do not have so great a fall and spread out over larger bottoms. The land in the early days was covered with water for about six months of the year. The soil is hlack and loose and rests upon a subsoil of clay. This land Is l>ecnliarly adapted to the raising of cereals, corn, wheat and oats being the principal products. It Is thought by geologists that this township was once the bed of a lake, but since Its drainage the soil Is of a rich, deep hlack loam.

Passage source: The History of Clinton County, Ohio : Containing a History of the County; Its Townships, Cities, Towns ... General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio .., published 1915.

In 1M2 Joslah Morton moved here from New Jersey. In the same year John Strickle and wife. Susanna, emigrated from near Winchester. Virginia, and settled near Chilllcothe; after remaining a year, they removed lo the farm of Jacob Strickle. John Strickle was perhaps the first blacksmith lo ply his trade In this township. William Hoblet moved with his family, in 1M2. to Liberty township nnd took up his permanent residence. He was one of the first trustees of the township. Mr. Hoblet was a runner by trade nnd carried on Ids business of tanning on his farm for a number of years.

Passage source: The History of Clinton County, Ohio : Containing a History of the County; Its Townships, Cities, Towns ... General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio .., published 1915.

Benjamin Bnnghain, who was a native of England, purchased a tract of two hundred acres and settled bere with hi* family on March 13. 1812. In the east end of the township, In the same year, Isaac Jones and wife, Phoebe, purchased a tract of one hundred acres and moved bere from Greene county. Tennessee. Salomon Stnnbaugh (or Stanbrougb) was another early settler in this part of the township. Jonathan Hosklns came to thin section from Guilford county. North Carolina, and settled on what was known as the Thornhurgh place, about the year 1S14. John Woolman and wife, Polly, emigrated from New Jersey about the year 1S10 and settled in this township. Samuel Wilson and wife. Sarah, purchased a tract of three hundred acres and settled here in the year 1S17, but. owing to defective titles and failure to meet the payments, they moved out of the township in 1S21. John Oglesbee came to (his township In 1817 and. two years later, moved onto a farm on Anderson's fork. Isaac Constance came In 1817 from Kentucky. William Constance, who also settled Here with his father, was a soldier in the War of LSI 2. Isaiah Oglesbee. father of John Oglesbee. emigrated from Frederick couuty, Virginia, with his family, in the year 1817. Jacob Ileal came from Pennsylvania and settled on the creek above Port William. About the same time his brother. Isaac Ileal, emigrated to this township. Another early settler to this section was John Copland and wife. Judith. Other settlers were Daniel and Solomon Early, David Hoblet, Ashley Johnson. Samuel .Mitchell. Charles B. Williams. John King. David Shields, Henry Wooley, Henry Welch. Zacharlah .Moorman, Obed Wain and James Burden.

Passage source: The History of Clinton County, Ohio : Containing a History of the County; Its Townships, Cities, Towns ... General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio .., published 1915.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Liberty Township - it names this place 7 more 7 times.

Fires near this place

1 since 2009

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Port William between 2009 and 2009, burning about 4 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
21 February 2009Debris and open burning3.5 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Clinton County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 220 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 220 specimens collected within 10 miles of Port William between 1901 and 1974: 206 Animalia, 8 Fungi, 6 Plantae. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. R. Gaufin, A.R. Gaufin, H.H. Ross, Allen, A. (Avery) and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Guepinia spathularia (Schwein.) Fr.Guepinia spathularia (Schwein.) Fr.1923Taylor, C.L.Wilmington
A photograph of the species Gymnosporangium globosum, not of this specimenGymnosporangium globosum (Farl.) Farl.1901Hartley C. P.Sabina
A photograph of the species Pseudosuccinea columella, not of this specimenPseudosuccinea columella (Say, 1817)1911not recordedClinton, North America
A photograph of the species Claviceps purpurea, not of this specimenClaviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul.1919Lewis H. L.Wilmington
A photograph of the species Cladonia fimbriata, not of this specimenCladonia fimbriata (L.) Fr.1923Taylor, C.J.Wilmington
A photograph of the species Parmelia Acharius, not of this specimenParmelia Acharius, 18031924Taylor, L.Wilmington
A photograph of the species Peltigera praetextata, not of this specimenPeltigera praetextata (Flörke ex Sommerf.) Zopf1924Taylor, C.L.Wilmington
A photograph of the species Etheostoma variatum, not of this specimenEtheostoma variatum Kirtland, 18401926Wickliff, E. L. (Edward L.)Todd Fork, near present day US 68 estimated based off Fishes of Ohio map
A photograph of the species Mustela frenata, not of this specimenMustela frenata Lichtenstein, 18311927Hazard, F. O.Reesville, Clinton Co., Ohio, USA
A photograph of the species Acris crepitans, not of this specimenAcris crepitans Baird, 18541929Hazard, F. O.near Wilmington, Clinton Co., Ohio
A photograph of the species Ambystoma jeffersonianum, not of this specimenAmbystoma jeffersonianum (Green, 1827)1929Hazard, F. O.Wilmington, Clinton Co., Ohio
A photograph of the species Ambystoma texanum, not of this specimenAmbystoma texanum (Matthes, 1855)1929Hazard, F. O.near Wilmington, Clinton Co., Ohio

All 220 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Storms near this place

9 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Port William in 9 storm reports between 1996 and 2022: 3 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 2 tornado, 1 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 2002Thunderstorm WindPort William$25,000A roof was ripped off of a hog barn on Sabina Road. Other barns on Starbuck Road sustained minor structural damage, and numerous trees were downed across the northern part of the county.
May 2008Tornado (EF0)Port William$5,000A tornado breifly touched down in Port William, producing minor tree and trailer damage. The tornado was rated EF-0 with top winds at 65-70 mph.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindPort William$3,000A tree was downed along with several power lines.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindPort William$2,000Two trees were downed.
October 2009Tornado (EF0)Port William$2,000Based on reports from the public and from a storm survey conducted by National Weather service personnel, it was determined that a weak tornado touched down briefly in Clinton County. The tornado touched down in a shallow ravine near the intersection of State Route 134 and Horseshoe Road where it knocked down a few small trees and large branches. In addition, two small windows were broken on a barn.
February 2022FloodPort William-Port William Road was closed due to high water.
May 2022FloodPort William-Mason Road was closed due to high water.
May 2022FloodPort William-High water was reported at State Route 134 and Horseshoe Road.
May 1996HailPort William-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Clinton County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Ogles (historical)2.5 miles12
Lumberton3.3 miles12
Mount Pleasant3.5 miles12
Bloomington4.4 miles11
McKays4.9 miles15
Starbucktown5.2 miles14
Gurneyville5.4 miles15
Clinton6.2 miles14

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Port WilliamAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2673058The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1077580. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.