Holmes County, Ohio

Holmes County
U.S. county
Holmes County Courthouse, with the Grant Memorial Statue
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°34′N81°56′W / 40.56°N 81.93°W / 40.56; -81.93
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	January 4, 1825
Named for	Andrew Holmes
Seat	Millersburg
Largest village	Millersburg
Area
• Total	424 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Land	423 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Water	1.4 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	44,223
• Estimate  (2021) [1]	44,271
• Density	100/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	7th, 12th
Website	www.co.holmes.oh.us

Holmes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,223. ^[2] Its county seat is Millersburg. ^[3] The county was formed in 1824 from portions of Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties and organized the following year. ^[4] It was named after Andrew Holmes, an officer killed in the War of 1812. ^[5]

Holmes County, which was about 42% Amish in 2010, ^[6] and 48% in 2020, ^[7] has the highest concentration of Amish in the world, ^[8] which draws many visitors to the county. The Holmes Amish settlement (which also includes Amish from the neighbouring counties, such as: Wayne, Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Stark) is the second biggest one in the world (after the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania) and numbered 37,770 people in 2021. ^[9]

History

Holmes County was formed on January 20, 1824, from portions of Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties. It was named after Major Andrew Holmes, a fatal casualty in the Battle of Mackinac Island.

In 1863, during the Civil War, numerous small anti-draft riots took place, mainly in the German-speaking areas. Holmes County at the time was a Democratic stronghold, dominated by its Pennsylvania Dutch settlers, along with many recent German immigrants. With the passage of the Conscription Act in March 1863, Holmes County politicians denounced both Congress and President Lincoln as despotic, saying that forced military service was little different from slavery. Conscription had been common in their former German homelands, and it was one of the reasons they had moved to America. Violent protests broke out in June, and they continued until the Union Army marched into the county and declared martial law. ^[10] Stephen E. Towne in 2019 using archival records argues that many of the resisters belonged to secret organizations that opposed Union tactics to defeat the Confederacy. ^[11]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 424 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 423 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[12]

Adjacent counties

• Wayne County (north)
• Stark County (northeast)
• Tuscarawas County (east)
• Coshocton County (south)
• Knox County (southwest)
• Ashland County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	9,135		—
1840	18,088		98.0%
1850	20,452		13.1%
1860	20,589		0.7%
1870	18,177		−11.7%
1880	20,776		14.3%
1890	21,139		1.7%
1900	19,511		−7.7%
1910	17,909		−8.2%
1920	16,965		−5.3%
1930	16,726		−1.4%
1940	17,876		6.9%
1950	18,760		4.9%
1960	21,591		15.1%
1970	23,024		6.6%
1980	29,416		27.8%
1990	32,849		11.7%
2000	38,943		18.6%
2010	42,366		8.8%
2020	44,223		4.4%
2021 (est.)	44,271		0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [13] 1790-1960 [14] 1900-1990 [15] 1990-2000 [16] 2020 [2]

Amish farmer plowing fields with horses

2000 census

As of the census ^[17] of 2000, there were 38,943 people, 11,337 households, and 9,194 families living in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile (36/km²). There were 12,280 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.03% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population. 56.1% spoke English, 20.1% Pennsylvania German, 15.8% German and 7.1% "Dutch, i.e. Pennsylvania Dutch." ^[18] as their first language.

There were 11,337 households, out of which 44.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.50% were married couples living together, 6.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.90% were non-families. 16.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.35 and the average family size was 3.82. Religious breakdown for those who gave a religion (68.33 of the total population) was 89.79% Evangelical Protestant, 8.04% Mainline Protestant and 2.16% Catholic. There were 140 Amish congregations with 17,654 adherents. There were several other unrelated Amish congregations and Mennonite congregations. There was one Catholic congregation. ^[19]

In the county, the population was spread out, with 35.60% under the age of 18, 10.40% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 17.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,944, and the median income for a family was $40,230. Males had a median income of $28,490 versus $20,602 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,197. About 10.50% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.40% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

Holmes County has a relatively high number of residents who do not speak English at home. According to the 2000 census, almost 36% of the population speak either Pennsylvania German or German at home, and a further 7% speak "Dutch", i.e. Pennsylvania Dutch. ^[18] 42.92% of the total population and 50.28% of the children in 5-17 age range uses German/Pennsylvania German or "Dutch" ^[18] at home. ^[20]

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 42,366 people, 12,554 households, and 10,035 families living in the county. ^[21] The population density was 100.3 inhabitants per square mile (38.7/km²). There were 13,666 housing units at an average density of 32.3 per square mile (12.5/km²). ^[22] The racial makeup of the county was 98.7% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. ^[21] In terms of ancestry, 37.8% were German, 10.8% were American, 6.6% were Irish, and 6.3% were English. ^[23]

Of the 12,554 households, 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.7% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 20.1% were non-families, and 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.31 and the average family size was 3.80. The median age was 29.7 years. ^[21]

The median income for a household in the county was $43,533 and the median income for a family was $49,133. Males had a median income of $36,644 versus $24,317 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,009. About 10.5% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over. ^[24]

Amish community

The Amish community in Holmes County established in 1808, had a 17,654 adherents in 2010, ^[25] or 41.7% of the county's population.

Economy

Tourism is an important part of the economy. In 2017, Holmes County was the second most popular tourist destination in Ohio. ^[26] Tourism is centered on the Amish community, which makes up almost half the county's population, the highest density in the world. ^[26]

Politics

Prior to 1944, Holmes County was a stronghold of the Democratic Party in presidential elections, with every Democratic presidential candidate from 1856 to 1940, except for Al Smith, carrying the county. The county has since become a Republican stronghold, with Lyndon B. Johnson being the only Democrat since 1940 to carry it, in his 1964 landslide, although Harry S. Truman came within just 16 votes of winning it in 1948.

United States presidential election results for Holmes County, Ohio ^[27]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	10,796	83.19%	1,994	15.36%	188	1.45%
2016	8,720	78.52%	1,788	16.10%	598	5.38%
2012	8,702	75.23%	2,608	22.55%	257	2.22%
2008	7,720	69.34%	3,141	28.21%	273	2.45%
2004	8,468	75.47%	2,697	24.04%	55	0.49%
2000	6,754	73.85%	2,066	22.59%	325	3.55%
1996	5,213	57.39%	2,531	27.86%	1,340	14.75%
1992	5,079	56.08%	1,969	21.74%	2,008	22.17%
1988	5,064	69.22%	2,179	29.78%	73	1.00%
1984	5,146	74.11%	1,737	25.01%	61	0.88%
1980	3,860	60.37%	2,094	32.75%	440	6.88%
1976	2,870	54.16%	2,242	42.31%	187	3.53%
1972	3,752	69.97%	1,507	28.11%	103	1.92%
1968	3,350	58.47%	1,898	33.13%	481	8.40%
1964	2,106	37.18%	3,559	62.82%	0	0.00%
1960	4,432	69.41%	1,953	30.59%	0	0.00%
1956	3,955	68.78%	1,795	31.22%	0	0.00%
1952	3,891	65.07%	2,089	34.93%	0	0.00%
1948	2,496	50.10%	2,480	49.78%	6	0.12%
1944	3,093	54.69%	2,563	45.31%	0	0.00%
1940	3,201	48.87%	3,349	51.13%	0	0.00%
1936	2,247	34.93%	4,097	63.70%	88	1.37%
1932	1,953	31.60%	4,096	66.28%	131	2.12%
1928	3,457	67.43%	1,631	31.81%	39	0.76%
1924	1,824	38.26%	2,539	53.25%	405	8.49%
1920	2,065	38.78%	3,211	60.30%	49	0.92%
1916	955	24.71%	2,846	73.64%	64	1.66%
1912	465	12.81%	2,429	66.90%	737	20.30%
1908	1,252	28.74%	3,043	69.84%	62	1.42%
1904	1,377	34.77%	2,486	62.78%	97	2.45%
1900	1,269	26.83%	3,394	71.75%	67	1.42%
1896	1,284	25.93%	3,622	73.16%	45	0.91%
1892	1,152	25.56%	3,151	69.91%	204	4.53%
1888	1,241	25.81%	3,388	70.45%	180	3.74%
1884	1,366	28.57%	3,368	70.43%	48	1.00%
1880	1,370	29.36%	3,281	70.30%	16	0.34%
1876	1,241	28.12%	3,171	71.84%	2	0.05%
1872	1,089	30.08%	2,530	69.89%	1	0.03%
1868	1,083	27.47%	2,859	72.53%	0	0.00%
1864	1,066	28.45%	2,681	71.55%	0	0.00%
1860	1,392	37.41%	2,281	61.30%	48	1.29%
1856	1,285	37.87%	2,103	61.98%	5	0.15%

Communities

Map of Holmes County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

Amish couple in a horse-drawn buggy in rural Holmes County

Township	Village	Other places in township
Berlin		Berlin (CDP)
Clark	Baltic (north part)	Charm (UIC) Farmerstown (UIC) Unionville (UIC)
Hardy	Millersburg (county seat)	Holmes County Airport
Killbuck	Killbuck
Knox	Nashville (south part)
Mechanic		Lake Buckhorn (CDP) Becks Mills Saltillo
Monroe		Welcome (UIC) West Holmes High School
Paint		Winesburg (CDP)
Prairie	Holmesville
Richland	Glenmont	Stillwell
Ripley		Big Prairie (UIC)
Salt Creek		Mt. Hope (UIC)
Walnut Creek		Walnut Creek (CDP) Trail (UIC)
Washington	Loudonville (east part) Nashville (north part)	Lakeville (UIC)

CDP = Census-designated place
UIC = Unincorporated community

Transportation

Holmes County Airport ( FAA LID : 10G) located two miles southwest of Millersburg.

Amish community

Main article: Amish in Ohio

A large Amish community of about 36,000 exists in Northeast-Central Ohio, centered on Holmes County and extending into surrounding counties. ^[28] The Holmes Old Order Amish affiliation, with 140 church districts out of 221 in the Holmes County Amish settlement in 2009, is the main and dominant Amish affiliation. ^[29] Holmes County houses the highest percentage of Amish of any U.S. county, currently 42 percent of the population, and experts speculate that by 2027, Holmes County could become the first county in the US where more than half the residents were Amish. ^[30] The Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin explains traditional ways of the Amish and provides an illustrated history for visitors in its 10-foot-by-265-foot mural. ^[31]

The overall Amish population of the area, centered on Holmes County, is the largest Amish community in the world. ^[28] Called locally "Amish Country", it draws many visitors to the county, thus making tourism an important sector of the local economy.

In Holmes County Amish Settlements there are several Old Order Amish affiliations. The Holmes Old Order Amish affiliation is the main and original affiliation, the Swartzentruber Amish with three subgroups, that originated in 1917 in Holmes County, are the most conservative Amish in Holmes county. There are also Andy Weaver Amish (formed 1952), Stutzman-Troyer Amish, Old Order Tobe Amish and Roman Amish on the conservative side, whereas the New Order Amish (formed in the early 1960s), the New Order Tobe Amish the New Order Amish Christian Fellowship are on the more progressive side. Holmes County is home of more Amish affiliations than any other place in the world. ^{[32] [33]}

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Holmes County, Ohio
• USS Holmes County (LST-836)

References

1. "QuickFacts : Holmes County, Ohio". Census.gov. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
2. "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "Ohio: Individual County Chronologies". Ohio Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
5. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  159.
6. Amish Groups, undifferentiated Counties (2010) at The Association of Religion Data Archives.
7. "Explore Census Data". Data.census.gov. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
8. Twelve Largest Settlements at Amish Studies
9. "Amish Population in the United States by State and County, 2021" (PDF). Groups.etown.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
10. Kenneth H. Wheeler, "Local autonomy and civil war draft resistance: Holmes County, Ohio," Civil War History, June 1999, Vol. 45 Issue 2, pp 147-58
11. Stephen E. Towne, "A Lesson for All Rebels at Home: The Holmes County, Ohio, Rebellion of 1863 Revisited" Ohio History (Fall 2019) 126#2 pp 5-37.
12. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
13. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
15. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
17. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
18. It is likely that those reporting such confused Pennsylvania Dutch, a German dialect, with Dutch.
19. "The Association of Religion Data Archives | Maps & Reports". Thearda.com.
20. "Language Map Data Center". Apps.mla.org.
21. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
22. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
23. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
24. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
25. The 12 Largest Amish Communities (2017). at Amish America
26. Lynch, Kevin (November 27, 2017). "Holmes County tourism, hotels keep growing". The Daily Record. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
27. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
28. "Fact Sheets: Holmes County and Amish Country". Holmes County Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved July 29, 2012.. Quote: "Approximately 36,000 Amish residents make the region the largest Amish community in the world. Centered in Holmes County, Amish Country extends into each of the surrounding five counties. The Amish community has existed in this region of Ohio since 1809."
29. Charles E. Hurst, David L. McConnell: An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World's Largest Amish Community, Baltimore 2010, pages 35-36
30. "Estimate: A New Amish Community is Founded Every 3 1/2 Weeks in U.S." The Ohio State University. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.. Quote: "“My guess is that in 15 years, we'll witness a county whose population is majority Amish, and Holmes County is likely to gain that distinction first. Perhaps LaGrange County in Indiana will not be far behind,” Donnermeyer said."
31. "Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center". Amish Country Insider.
32. Charles E. Hurst, David L. McConnell: An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World's Largest Amish Community, Baltimore 2010, page 36.
33. "How many types of Amish are there?". Amishamerica.com.

External links

• Holmes County official site
• Visit Amish Country (Holmes Co. Tourism Bureau)

Coordinates: 40°34′N81°56′W / 40.56°N 81.93°W / 40.56; -81.93