SHELBY — Benjamin Johns purchased 36 federal land patents in 1817 across Richland and Crawford counties at a time when Ohio was still a young and uncertain frontier.
As part of the America 250 Shelby celebration, Beyond Speculation: Benjamin
Johns and the Settlement of Richland and Crawford counties will be presented at 6
p.m. on Jan. 22 by local historian Christina Yetzer Drain.
The event, sponsored by the Richland County-Shelby Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society and Marvin Memorial Library, will be presented via Zoom and live streamed at Marvin Memorial Library, 29 W. Whitney Ave. in Shelby.
Participants must pre-register for the Zoom webinar using the link below: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_t3aZ-9HeTJK7KlXQqxq12A
Often labeled a land speculator, Johns defies easy definition. Rather than remaining a distant investor, he settled in Mansfield, where he helped shape the town’s early growth by developing subdivisions and investing in the infrastructure needed for long-term success—including early efforts to bring railroads to the area.
This talk explores how Johns moved beyond speculation to become a builder of
community, using land, planning and transportation to connect Mansfield to a wider
world.
Through maps, land records, and local history, the program reveals how individual vision and commitment helped shape the settlement and future prosperity of north central Ohio.