Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Geneva Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Geneva Township is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #222 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Geneva Township’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Geneva Township’s 4.0 sits near the middle of its state (61% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points). Two sources give 1805.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Geneva Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Geneva Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1905Ashtabula sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Geneva Township.
The area which would eventually be Geneva was first settled in 1805 by a handful of settlers from Charlotte, New York. In 1806, settlers from Harpersfield, New York arrived and established Harpersfield Township, which included the present-day townships of Geneva, Trumbull and Hartsgrove. However, in 1816, citizens of Harpersfield decided to withdraw from the township and form their own township, which then became Geneva Township, named after Geneva, New York. In 1866, the town of Geneva then became a village, and, nearly one hundred years later, in 1958, Geneva was incorporated as a city.
Passages that mention Geneva Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Ashtabula County Ohio1924 · page 307Read the page →
Read the text
On June 6, 1866, the county commissioners passed favorably on a petition signed by residents of Geneva Township praying for incorporation proceedings, but it was not until the following spring that organization was effected. On March 2, 1867, an election was held, which resulted in making Dennis Thorp the first mayor of Geneva village. W. E. Proctor was elected ‘“‘recorder’’, and Anson Smith, Salmon Seymour, Benoni Webb, Charles Talcott and Nelson Brigham constituted the first council.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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In 1805, according to Wikidata. Geneva Township’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1870 counted 1,090 people here.
How does Geneva Township rank for history?
Geneva Township is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #222 of 993 in Ohio. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Geneva Township?
26% of Geneva Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1958.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
