Bellville is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,963 at the 2020 census.

History

The first settlers, James McCluer, and Jonathan Oldfield, came to Bellville in 1808. They made their way from what it now known as Fredericktown by a path made from a tornado. McCluer gained ownership of the land and along with Oldfield he built the first cabin in Bellville on what is now known as Ankneytown Road.

McCluer sold the land to Robert Bell in 1815, and Bell began to shape the village of Bellville. The development of Main Street, Ogle Street and Durbin Road began. There were 48 lots in Bellville and a tavern was among the first businesses to be constructed. The first post office came to Bellville in 1824, further helping to put its name on the map. The gold was discovered by James C. Lee. Even though the gold that was found was almost pure, little more was discovered.

Geography

Bellville is located at (40.625582, -82.518050), along the Clear Fork of the Mohican River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

thumb|Bellville Village Hall

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,918 people, 826 households, and 529 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 882 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.7% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population.

There were 826 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the village was 42.8 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 20.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census

Bellville has a public library, a branch of the Mansfield–Richland County Public Library.

==Notable people==<!--consensus reached to standardize this heading per WP:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline -->

  • Duncan Spears Casper - Mormon pioneer.
  • Levi H. Dowling - Preacher who published The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ.
  • Francis Celeste Le Blond - Represented Ohio's 5th congressional district from 1963 to 1967.
  • John W. Leedy - 14th Governor of Kansas

References

  • Village website