The Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green State University was presented the five volume
series of books on American prisoners of war who were held captive by the British armed forces during
the War of 1812 on July 25, 2014.
The books were published by the Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Ohio.
Presenting this series of books to university Archivist Stephen Charter was Ohio Society President Craig
Fisher and Eric Johnson, Historian General for the General Society of the War of 1812 and one of the
authors.
Charter said that "this is a welcomed addition to the archives since we don’t have a lot of material
on the War of 1812." The archives is the official state repository for the local records from the
nineteen counties in northwestern Ohio.
Society President Fisher stated that "the Center of Archival Collections falls into the area of Ohio
which had the greatest impact during the War of 1812. The Battles of Fort Meigs, Fort Stephenson, and
Lake Erie were all fought in the Center’s area of responsibility."
Fisher plans to help the center with future material on the war since this is the prime library in this
area of Ohio for local research and genealogy.
Harrison Scott Baker, deceased, authored the first four books listing the American POWs held at Barbados,
Newfoundland, New Providence, Bermuda, Cape of Good Hope, Jamaica, and Halifax. Johnson compiled the
book on the prisoners held at Quebec and he is working on the next volume centering on Montreal.
Future books will highlight the six POW camps in England.
All of the material was obtained from copies of the General Entry Book of American Prisoners of War
ledgers of the British Admiralty from the Public Record Office in London, England.
When this project is completed, the Ohio Society will have been able to document the 34,715 Americans
held by Great Britain during the War of 1812.