Killbuck Township, Holmes County

How Killbuck Township, Holmes County began

Killbuck Township surrounds Killbuck Creek in the southern part of Holmes County, with the village of Killbuck, established in 1874, at its center. The creek and village carry the name Killbuck, which Wikipedia traces to the Lenape chief Bemino (John Killbuck Sr.), while a state marker in the village tells the life of Gelelemend (Killbuck), the Unami Delaware chief who died in January 1811. Howe's 1888 county sketch lists the township with 906 people in 1840 and 1,375 in 1880. The township had 1,894 people in the 2020 census.

Incorporated 1874 (village of Killbuck).

Before the town

The township and village take their name from a Lenape (Delaware) leader called Killbuck, but the sources differ on which. Wikipedia's article on the village says it is named for Bemino, also called John Killbuck Sr.; the marker standing in the village, titled History of Killbuck, tells the life of Gelelemend, whose English name was Killbuck: leader of the turtle clan of the Unami Delaware, chief from 1776 on his grandfather Newcomer's death, leader of a British supply train from Fort Pitt to Fort Sandusky in 1761, a neutral who warned the Americans of a planned attack on Fort Laurens in 1779, and a refugee after whites attacked his village on an island in the Allegheny in 1782. He joined the Moravians in Ohio, was baptized William Henry, and died in January 1811; the marker does not say he signed any treaty. No Native village in this township is recorded.

Nations recorded here: Lenape (Delaware).

Timeline

1. 1811 — Gelelemend, the Unami Delaware chief known as Killbuck, dies in January after joining the Moravians and being baptized William Henry.
2. 1825 — The Holmes County commissioners meet in June and organize the county into townships, which Howe says remain unchanged.
3. 1840 — Township population recorded at 906 in the federal census.
4. 1874 — The village of Killbuck is established.
5. 1880 — Township population recorded at 1,375; the village itself has 262 residents.
6. 1888 — Howe lists Killbuck six miles southwest of Millersburg on the Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Railroad, with a Methodist Episcopal and a Disciples' church; the school census is 142.
7. 1900 — The census counts 370 residents in the village of Killbuck.
8. 1920 — The village counts 575 residents, up 44 percent in ten years.
9. 1930 — Killbuck village records a population of 703.
10. 1990 — The census counts 1,818 people in the township.
11. 2000 — The census counts 1,973 people in the township.
12. 2010 — The census counts 1,977 people in the township.
13. 2020 — Township population recorded at 1,894; the village itself has 810 residents.

Stories

The chief behind the creek's name

Killbuck Creek and the village on it are named for a Lenape leader, though the sources disagree on which one. The marker in the village tells the story of Gelelemend, born about 1722 according to the marker, a chief of the turtle clan of the Unami Delaware after 1776. In 1761 he led a British supply train from Fort Pitt to Fort Sandusky for a dollar a day. When the Revolution began he tried to keep the Delawares neutral, gave American soldiers leave to cross Delaware land in 1778 in return for a fort near the main village of Coshocton, and in 1779 warned the Americans of a planned attack on Fort Laurens. Most Delawares nevertheless sided with the British. In 1782 whites attacked his village on an island in the Allegheny near Fort Pitt and killed many people; he escaped, joined the Moravians in Ohio, was baptized William Henry, and died in January 1811. Wikipedia's article on the village gives the honoree as his father, Bemino, called John Killbuck Sr.

Photographs

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · commons.wikimedia.org · archive.org · hmdb.org

Mostly private wells The water here

• Killbuck Village86% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• Millersburg Village10% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• Berlin Water Company2% of residentsGroundwater wells (4 wells)
• Bloomfield Water Company1% of residentsGroundwater wells (5 wells)
• Glenmont Village0% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• Walnut Creek Water Co.0% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
• Nashville Village0% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)

Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (1)

Shale and injection wells (1)

Spills reported since 2021 (2)

Money issues on the ballot since 2016: 2 of 4 passed; of those asking for new or higher taxes, 0 of 2.

Ballot issues

Elections for office

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

• No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
• Agreed Upon Procedures, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-09-02

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