Guernsey County, Ohio: History
Guernsey County, located in the Appalachian foothills, was first formed and organized on March 10, 1810, from portions of Muskingum and Belmont counties by the Ohio Legislature. The first county commissioners were sworn in on April 23, 1810. It lost some land during the formation of neighboring counties until it reached its present boundaries in 1851, when Buffalo, Beaver, Olive, and Seneca townships were gained by Noble County. After a dispute whether the county seat should be Cambridge or Washington, it was established in Cambridge after two individuals proposed to donate the land and furnish the public buildings if built there.