Emilius O. Randall (1850-1919) of Columbus, OH was a Law Professor at Ohio State University and the official reporter of the Ohio Supreme Court. Appointed by the Governor as a Trustee of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, he also served as Secretary and Editor. He edited 28 volumes and authored several books and numerous articles for the Society. Daniel Joseph Ryan (1855-1923) was a Republican politician in the Ohio state legislature and an historian of Ohio.

Randall wrote volumes 1 and 2, covering the pre-state period. He wrote in the Preface of Vol 1 that he carefully consulted all publications of second-hand authority available, and examined reprints of original documents. He also visited nearly every site in the state that touched upon his narrative. He said these volumes were written “with the purpose of concisely portraying the more important events in early Ohio history and presenting them in their relative and chronological order, in simple narrative form for the general reader. A history for the public should be first reliable, second readable.” Ryan wrote volumes 3 and 4, but did not include a Preface explaining his approach.