Ohio Resource

After the War of 1812, many families were left homeless due to the British burning their homes. The state of Connecticut set aside a portion of land in what is now Huron and Erie County in Ohio for these displaced families. The area became known as the Firelands or Sufferer's Land. If your family settled in this area, you may find the Firelands History Website a helpful free genealogy resource.

Reading through the "Sufferer's Land: A History" pages will give you a deeper understanding of what these families went through. The website also provides genealogies of some of the families that settled in the area, including the Benedict, French, Sutton and Walker families, just to name a few. When it is available, the website author has also linked to other sites that offer additional information on the individual or family.

Another nice feature of the site is a memoir entitled Little Doctor on the Black Horse. This was written by the granddaughter of Doctor David DeForest Benedict, a Union Civil War surgeon from the area. The memoir includes excerpts written by the doctor during his service and imprisonment.