The origins of Celina, Ohio, trace back to a pivotal newspaper advertisement published in 1834 and the collaborative efforts of four founding partners. Through legal agreements, careful surveying, and strategic promotion, these men transformed what was once swampy wilderness into the county seat of Mercer County. This account draws on period newspapers, historical compilations, and county records to present a factual, documented narrative of Celina’s earliest days.
The Defining Newspaper Advertisement
A crucial moment in Celina’s founding came with the appearance of an advertisement in The Republican Herald and Shelby County Advertiser on August 2, 1834.¹ This notice announced the upcoming public sale of building lots in the proposed town, scheduled for September 9, 1834. At the time, Mercer County’s seat of justice was still at St. Marys, but the ad boldly suggested that Celina, centrally located and near developing transportation routes, would soon assume that role.¹
There will be offered at Public Sale, on the plat of the Town of Celina, on Tuesday 9th of Sept. next, a large number of Building Lots.
Celina is situated at the geographical center of the county of Mercer, Ohio, nine miles west of its present Seat of Justice, and of the line of Miami Canal. The situation is high and dry, and it is presumed to be as healthy as any other section of the Western country, in equal state of improvement; and the soil is rich and productive.
The town is situated on the direct line from St. Mary’s to Logansport, Indiana, & from Cincinnati to Fort Wayne. It is considered that this must of necessity, in a few years, become the Seat of Justice of the county; and the day is not far distant, when Mercer county will be among the most wealthy and densely populated in the State.
The country is settling rapidly, and the site of the town of Celina will be a very desirable situation; and Mechanics, Merchants, Capitalists, and others, wishing to make profitable investments, and get great bargains, will do well to attend the sale.
Terms. One-third in hand, and the balance in three annual installments.
R. W. STEARNES,
ROBERT LINZEE, 2d
Proprietors.
St. Mary’s, Ohio, July 18th, 1834.
Lots in the Town of Celina.
THERE will be offered at public sale, on the plat of the Town of Celina, on Tuesday the 9th day of September next, a large number of Building Lots.
CELINA,
Is situated at the geographical center of the county of Mercer, Ohio, nine miles west of its present seat of Justice, and of the line of the Miami Canal. The situation is high and dry; and it is presumed to be as healthy as any other section of the Western country, in equal state of improvement, and the soil is rich and productive.
The town is situated on the direct line from St. Mary’s to Logansport, Indiana, and from Cincinnati to Fort Wayne. It is considered that this town must, of necessity, in a few years, become the seat of Justice of the county; and the day is not far distant when Mercer county will be among the most wealthy and densely populated in the State.
The country is settling rapidly, and the site of the town of Celina will be a very desirable situation; and Mechanics, Merchants, capitalists, and others, wishing to make profitable investments, and get great bargains, will do well to attend the sale.
TERMS.-One third in hand; the balance in three annual installments.
R. W. STEARNES,
ROBERT LINZEE, 2d.
Proprietors.
St. Mary’s, Ohio, July 18th, 1834.
Source: Ohio State Journal, August 23, 1834
The advertisement described Celina as situated at the “geographical center of the county of Mercer, Ohio, nine miles west of its present Seat of Justice, and of the line of Miami Canal.”¹ It emphasized the town’s high and dry setting, its presumed healthfulness, the fertility of its soil, and its favorable location along routes connecting St. Marys to Logansport, Indiana, and Cincinnati to Fort Wayne.¹ Potential buyers—“Mechanics, Merchants, Capitalists, and others”—were urged to attend and seize the opportunity.¹
This printed announcement is widely recognized as the most public-facing catalyst for Celina’s founding. Although official legal steps (such as land purchases and recorded plats) were essential, the newspaper advertisement disseminated the vision, positioning Celina as the future hub of Mercer County life.
The Four Founding Partners and Their Agreement
Four men were central to Celina’s establishment: Rufus W. Stearnes, Robert Linzee, Jr., Peter Aughenbaugh, and James Watson Riley.²³ All are cited among the county’s earliest settlers and were noted as the proprietors of the land on which Celina was established.²⁴
On August 25, 1834, these partners entered into a formal agreement recorded at the Mercer County Recorder’s Office.² The contract stipulated that each partner had paid in $100 to purchase lands at the county’s center for laying out a town to be called Celina.² Rufus W. Stearnes was authorized to make entries of the land in his own name, sell lots, keep the partnership’s books, and issue deeds.² All four men would share equally in expenses and profits.²
Each partner contributed distinct skills and resources. Riley, a skilled surveyor who had earlier surveyed Van Wert and Paulding, also originated Celina’s name.³⁵ He encountered the New York town of Salina during his travels and noted a similarity to this Ohio site at the head of a large lake (later known as the Grand Reservoir or Lake Mercer).³⁵ To avoid postal confusion, he altered the spelling to Celina.³⁵ Stearnes, Linzee, and Aughenbaugh provided financial backing, land, and local influence.²³⁴ Their united efforts ensured a stable foundation for the fledgling town.
Geographic and Strategic Considerations
Celina was chosen for its central location within Mercer County and its proximity to projected transportation routes.¹ As the 1834 ad noted, Celina stood about nine miles west of St. Marys and near the line of the Miami Canal, then under construction.¹ The canal, completed in segments by 1845, would eventually connect the region to broader markets, promoting settlement and commerce.⁶
During this period, the surrounding area was still characterized by wetlands and dense forests.²⁷ Settlers had to clear, drain, and prepare the land for agriculture and building.³ Despite these difficulties, the location’s anticipated commercial advantages—especially if Celina became the county seat—led many to invest early.¹
Legal Documentation and Platting
On September 8, 1834, one day before the lot sale, the plat of Celina was recorded.² The town’s layout was carefully planned by Riley.² Streets were established with foresight: Main and Logan Streets were each six rods wide, smaller streets four rods wide, and alleys one rod wide.² Public spaces were designated for schools and churches.² Lots were numbered from 1 to 156, sized ten rods by five rods.² A public square was set aside, and several lots were donated to religious denominations and for public education.²
That same day, the four proprietors appeared before Associate Judge Stacey Taylor and acknowledged that they had laid out a town named Celina.² They promised to donate three acres near the town for a burial ground, accessible to all denominations.²
Transition from St. Marys to Celina as County Seat
When Mercer County was officially established in 1824, St. Marys served as its seat of justice.⁷⁸ However, as predicted in the 1834 advertisement, Celina eventually surpassed St. Marys in centrality and influence. On January 2, 1824, Mercer County’s status had been clarified by legislative action, and from that time until the late 1830s St. Marys held the seat.⁸ In 1839, Celina replaced St. Marys as the county seat.²⁴⁷⁸ Eventually, with the formation of Auglaize County in 1848, St. Marys—formerly Mercer’s seat—was transferred to this new county, situating it thereafter within Auglaize County.⁹
This change validated the foresight of the town’s founders and fulfilled the bold promise made in the newspaper announcement.¹ With the seat of justice secured, Celina gained prominence. Its role as an administrative center drew professionals, merchants, and settlers who contributed to the town’s growth and stability. Over time, infrastructure improvements—such as roads, drainage, and the eventual influence of the canal—further solidified Celina’s position.²³⁶
Early Impressions and Later Historical Assessments
Later historical accounts highlight the significance of Celina’s founding period. Henry Howe, writing in Historical Collections of Ohio (1889), noted that Celina had an “effeminate, soft-sounding name” and observed its growth amidst what was once swampy wilderness.³ The Sandusky Register in a 1936 retrospective article identified the four original proprietors—Riley, Stearnes, Linzee, and Aughenbaugh—as key early settlers who shaped the town’s establishment in 1834.⁴
S. S. Scranton’s 1907 History of Mercer County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens provides extensive details on the early development, including the roles played by the founding partners and the careful planning that went into the town’s layout.² The newspaper advertisement itself stands as a primary document reflecting the founders’ strategic marketing and their confidence in Celina’s future prospects.
Other Early Ads: Tracking Celina’s Growth in Print
While the 1834 advertisement marked Celina’s official beginning, additional ads from the 1830s and 1840s reveal how the town continued to promote itself during its early development. These ads, placed by the town’s proprietors and early leaders, show how Celina’s narrative evolved as it secured the county seat, attracted settlers, and established infrastructure. Each reflects changing conditions, ambitions, and strategies in the town’s growth.
THERE will be offere\bd for sale at the door of the court house, in Celina, Mercer county, Ohio, on TUESDAY, the 5th day of NOVEMBER next, one-half of the unsold Lots on the plat of said town.
CELINA is situated at the geographical centre of the county, at the north west angle of the Great Reservoir, and has been lately selected by Commissioners appoint\bed by the Legislature of Ohio, as the proper place for the seat of Justice of Mercer county, and the county was established there; and the commissioners of the county have accepted donations, advertised a sale of Lots, and to receive proposals for the erection of public buildings immediately. They have moreover prepared for a removal of the public offices from St. Marys, on the 1st of November next, and for holding the Court at Celina, on the fifth of the same month.
Two great leading roads, one from Cincinnati, northward, through Hamilton, Eaton, Greenville, Celina, Vanwert and Paulding; and one from Columbus west ward, through Madison, Logan, Allen and Mercer counties, to the Indiana line, in the direction of Hunting-\r\nton and Lafayette on the Wabash, cross at Celina, and several county roads centre there. A steam Saw Mill is in operation adjoining the town plat.
The lands in Mercer county generally, and especially about Celina and west of it, are not surpassed in fertili-\r\nty by those of many portions of this State, and are now being taken up and improved with more rapidity and eagerness than those of any other county in the State. The former location of the Seat of Justice on the east border of the county, and the great amount of lands selected by the State and withheld from market, have operated against the settlement of the county and kept property at such rates, that in no part of the State can money be now invested either in lands or town property, with an equal certainty of a speedy rise in value.
The public works already under contract in Mercer county, (and which are so far advanced that the State cannot abandon them,) will require an expenditure of at least two millions of dollars, it is estimated, and when done, no county will enjoy greater facilities for the transportation of its surplus produce to market.
Liberal donations have been made for religious and school purposes, and to Mechanics who purchase lots and improve immediately, a liberal course in regard to payments will be extended.
TERMS.—One fourth of the purchase money in hand, the rest in two annual payments. Deeds to be execut-\r\bed on the day of sale, and deferred payments secured by personal security, or mortgage.
RUFUS W. STEARNS,\r\nJAMES WATSON RILEY,\r\nROBERT ROGERS,
Proprietors.
Celina, Oct. 11.—2w [Dayton Journal.]
Source:
This advertisement appeared in the Ohio Statesman, published in Columbus, Ohio, on October 23, 1839, in Volume III, Issue 17, on page [3].
And a Saw and Grist Mill, at Celina,
The new seat of justice for Mercer county, Ohio.
THE undersigned will offer for sale at the Court House in said town, on the 12th day of May next, being the second day of the Spring term of the Court of Common Pleas, one hundred se-\r\nlect Lots, which have been reserved from sale until the final set-\r\ntlement of the question of removal of the county seat.
In offering these lots for sale, at a time of general depression, the undersigned seek rather to sell to actual settlers, at small prices, than to obtain large ones from persons who would purchase without view to immediate occupation.
Celina is improving with more rapidity than any new town in the State; the country around it and throughout the county is rich, and settling rapidly with an industrious population.
The Saw and Grist Mills are new—in full operation, and in good repair, and there is no other mills within six miles of the town.
Mechanics, and others who are desirous of migrating to a new country, would do well to call and examine the premises offered.
JAMES WATSON RILEY,\r\nRUFUS W. STEARNS,\r\nROBERT ROGERS,
Proprietors.
Celina, O., March 20, 1841.
Source:
This advertisement appeared verbatim in the Ohio State Journal, published in Columbus, Ohio, on April 28, 1841, in Volume XXXI, Issue 48, on page [4].
Choice, select Lands in Miami Canal Lands.
Also, Further Lands a Credit of 5
YEARS, at Six Per Cent. Interest.
THE subscriber has a personal acquaintance of the lands advertised below, and would inform those who wish to purchase lands in a country where the public works are finished—where lands are settling rapidly with an industrious population—in one of the finest portions of the State of Ohio, and where the prospect of speedy advance in the value of real estate is certain, that he offers for sale, on the most accommodating terms, the following tracts:
IN MERCER COUNTY, on St. Mary’s township.
E½ NW¼, Sec. 21, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 80 acres. ½ mile from St. Mary’s.
SW¼ NW¼, Sec. 21, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 40 acres. ¼ mile from St. Mary’s.
SE¼ NE¼, Sec. 21, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 40 acres. On the canal, ¼ mile from St. Mary’s.
NW¼ SW¼, Sec. 16, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 40 acres. Adjoining the town of St. Mary’s.
E½ SE¼, Sec. 9, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 80 acres. Wooded—well watered.
SE¼ SE¼, Sec. 9, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 40 acres. Collateral to the above.
N½ NE¼, Sec. 20, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 80 acres. Good frame House, stable and other buildings—good orchard—well improved.
E½ NW¼, Sec. 29, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 80 acres. Good land—½ mile from St. Mary’s.
W½ NW¼, Sec. 29, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 80 acres. Good farm.
E½ NE¼, Sec. 30, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 80 acres. Good buildings, orchard, &c.—adjoins St. Mary’s.
W½ NE¼, Sec. 30, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 80 acres. Good buildings—adjoins St. Mary’s.
SW¼ NW¼, Sec. 19, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 40 acres. Unimproved—good land.
NE¼ NW¼, Sec. 19, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 40 acres. Unimproved.
SE¼ NW¼, Sec. 19, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 40 acres. Unimproved.
SW¼ NE¼, Sec. 19, T. 4, R. 3E, contains 40 acres. Unimproved.
IN ALLEN COUNTY, in Shawnee township.
E½ NW¼, Sec. 36, T. 3, R. 5E, contains 80 acres.
W½ NW¼, Sec. 36, T. 3, R. 5E, contains 80 acres.
NE¼ SW¼, Sec. 25, T. 3, R. 5E, contains 40 acres.
NW¼ SW¼, Sec. 25, T. 3, R. 5E, contains 40 acres.
SE¼ SW¼, Sec. 25, T. 3, R. 5E, contains 40 acres.
SW¼ SW¼, Sec. 25, T. 3, R. 5E, contains 40 acres.
E½ NE¼, Sec. 35, T. 3, R. 5E, contains 80 acres.
W½ NE¼, Sec. 35, T. 3, R. 5E, contains 80 acres.
IN PUTNAM COUNTY, in Sugar Creek township.
N½ NW¼, Sec. 21, T. 2S, R. 6E, contains 80 acres.
S½ NW¼, Sec. 21, T. 2S, R. 6E, contains 80 acres.
N½ NE¼, Sec. 21, T. 2S, R. 6E, contains 80 acres.
S½ NE¼, Sec. 21, T. 2S, R. 6E, contains 80 acres.
NW¼ SW¼, Sec. 16, T. 2S, R. 6E, contains 40 acres.
SW¼ SW¼, Sec. 16, T. 2S, R. 6E, contains 40 acres.
IN VAN WERT COUNTY, in Washington township.
NW¼ SW¼, Sec. 6, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
SW¼ SW¼, Sec. 6, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
NE¼ SW¼, Sec. 6, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
SE¼ SW¼, Sec. 6, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
N½ NW¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
S½ NW¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
NE¼ NW¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
SE¼ NW¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
N½ NE¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
S½ NE¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
NW¼ NE¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
SW¼ NE¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
N½ SE¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
S½ SE¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
NW¼ SE¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
SW¼ SE¼, Sec. 7, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
W½ SW¼, Sec. 8, T. 2S, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
IN PAULDING COUNTY, in Antwerp township.
NW¼ SE¼, Sec. 25, T. 3N, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
SW¼ SE¼, Sec. 25, T. 3N, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
NE¼ SW¼, Sec. 25, T. 3N, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
SE¼ SW¼, Sec. 25, T. 3N, R. 3E, contains 40 acres.
N½ NW¼, Sec. 36, T. 3N, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
S½ NW¼, Sec. 36, T. 3N, R. 3E, contains 80 acres.
NEAR THE JUNCTION OF ST. MARY’S.
Those two very handsome brick buildings, and one frame dwelling house.
Also, in the Town of St. Mary’s,
One half Lot No. 85, on Main street, fronting on the Canal.
Also—In Mercer County,
One half Lot No. 36, in Celina—fronting on Main street.
Also—In Van Wert County—2½ miles South of Van Wert.
Thirty acres of heavy timbered land, adjoining the lands of Ira Ayers.
The above lands will be sold low for cash, and a credit of five years, with six per cent. interest, will be given on all sums over one hundred dollars, the purchaser giving approved security, and executing a mortgage on the premises to secure the deferred payments. Persons wishing to purchase a part of the above tracts, will find it to their interest to call on the subscriber at St. Mary’s, Mercer county, Ohio, where plats of the lands can be seen, and all necessary information obtained.
JAMES WATSON RILEY.
Columbus, Nov. 10, 1846.
Source:
This advertisement appeared verbatim in the Tri-Weekly Ohio Statesman, published in Columbus, Ohio, on May 26, 1847, in Volume I, Issue 113, on page [4].
Conclusion
The founding of Celina can be pinpointed to a single, influential newspaper advertisement and the collaborative vision of four pioneering men. The 1834 ad laid out a bold vision: a central, healthful, and prosperous town poised to become Mercer County’s seat of justice. This vision, backed by formal partnership agreements, careful surveying, and strategic promotion, proved accurate. By the end of the 1830s, Celina had indeed become the county seat, fulfilling the prophecy made in print. Subsequent county reconfigurations, including the creation of Auglaize County, further reflect the fluid geographic and administrative landscape of this Ohio region.
The documented facts—drawn from period newspapers, county records, 19th-century historical accounts, and early 20th-century local histories—leave no doubt. Celina’s infancy, marked by its initial land sales in 1834, the careful planning of its founders, and the forward-looking newspaper advertisement, set the stage for the town’s enduring role in Mercer County’s civic and economic life.
Footnotes
- The Republican Herald and Shelby County Advertiser, August 2, 1834, p. 3.
- Scranton, S. S. History of Mercer County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens. Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, 1907, pp. 90–94.
- Howe, Henry. Historical Collections of Ohio: An Encyclopedia of the State. Vol. 1, Historical Publishing Co., 1889, pp. 238–239.
- The Sandusky Register, December 2, 1936, p. 12.
- Manuscript Memoirs of W. Willshire Riley, quoted in Scranton (1907), discussing the naming of Celina after Salina, New York.
- Shelby County Historical Society Archives, “The Miami and Erie Canal Timeline.”
- Mercer County Historical Marker, Celina, Ohio. Documentation indicating the change of county seat from St. Marys to Celina in 1839.
- Wikipedia entry on Mercer County, Ohio: Historical development and seat relocations (cited for date context only, verify with primary sources).
- McMurray, William J. History of Auglaize County, Ohio. Historical Publishing Co., 1923.
Leave a Reply