James McBride

author

James McBride

1788–1859

An early Ohio pioneer, surveyor, and local historian, he helped preserve the stories of Butler County’s first settlers. His best-known work gathers vivid sketches of frontier life, making him an important voice in recording the region’s past.

1 Audiobook

Symmes's Theory of Concentric Spheres

by James McBride, John Cleves Symmes

About the author

Born in 1788 and dying in 1859, James McBride is best remembered as a prominent figure in early Butler County, Ohio. He was associated with the work of surveying and public life on the frontier, and later became known for documenting the people and events that shaped the county’s earliest years.

His major work, Pioneer Biography: Sketches of the Lives of Some of the Early Settlers of Butler County, Ohio, was published after his death in 1869. The book stands out as a rich collection of local memory and biographical detail, helping later readers understand how communities in southwestern Ohio were formed.

McBride’s writing still matters because it preserves firsthand-era accounts that might otherwise have been lost. For readers interested in American frontier history, local biography, and the making of early Ohio, his work offers a direct window into the world of the first settlers.