History of Wayne County, Ohio: A Closer Look
This section contains the historic use of offensive language.
In 1878, Benjamin Douglass published the first full-length book on Wayne County’s history.
When I started reading Benjamin Douglass’s book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Douglass starts things off by assuring his readers that he is committed to historical accuracy:
Cicero has well remarked that History is the truth of Philosophy. As to the truth of history, however, it is particularly reliable when it is written at the time the facts recorded are fresh in the recollection of the people where they have occurred. Written in any other way it becomes legendary, precarious and romantic, without the proper indorsement of its authenticity.
Benjamin Douglass, History of Wayne County, Ohio (1878), 14.
This quote gives readers the sense that Douglass is a reliable narrator. However, as I kept reading, I started to wonder if Douglass was writing just to tell the facts. After Douglass is done talking about historical truth, he moves on to describe the Native Americans that encountered Europeans for the first time:
“It was the empire of the native American, barbaric hordes who roamed like untamed beasts over its extensive domain and secreted themselves in its shady groves and cloistered valleys, unrestrained and ungoverned by any of the rules which regulate civilized life.”
Benjamin Douglass, History of Wayne County, Ohio (1878), 15.
After reading several quotes like this, I was not sure of what to do. As Benjamin Douglass mentions, his book is the oldest history book about Wayne County, Ohio. While first-hand accounts from Native American people who lived in Wayne County are difficult to find, I still did not want to just rely on Ben Douglass for all of my information. After reading excerpts like the one above, it was clear that Douglass was not the most reliable narrator.
Photo Benjamin Douglass from History of Lawyers in Wayne County from 1812 to 1900, published in 1900. Glenna Van Dyke, 2022. No known restrictions on copyright.
Why did Benjamin Douglass tell the story of North America this way?
The answer lies in looking at Douglass’s work not as total fact, but as a primary source (or a first-hand account of a time and place) that can be held against what scholars have to say about Native Americans in Ohio. Ben Douglass’s work tells readers as much about 1878, the year when it was written, as it does about the early 1800s.
Throughout the 1800s, authors wrote similar accounts of Native American history to justify their treatment of Native Americans. This included things like removal and violence.
There are four themes that are common in Douglass’s work, and that are called “myths” by scholars. They are:
Why do these myths exist?
These myths discount important local, regional, and national information about Native Americans that tell a different side of the story. Local historians who wanted to write positive histories of their areas spread these myths to explain the sudden lack of Native Americans in Ohio, and to assure their readers that Indigenous removal was justified.
They also wanted to cast white settlers as the “good guys,” who created the communities we know today. However, in order to do that, they had to either ignore, discount, or demonize Native Americans.
Of course, throughout popular culture, there are more myths than the ones covered here. Misconceptions about Indigenous people can be seen in our athletic mascots, movies, and more. If you are interested in learning about the different types of misconceptions in local history, see the additional resources page.