The Zane family was important to the early history and settlement of the U.S. state of Ohio. The brothers Ebenezer (1747–1811) and Isaac Zane laid out sections of the Ohio Territory, including the municipalities of Zanesville and Zanesfield. Their sister was Betty Zane (1759–1823), heroine of the Revolutionary War.
Isaac Zane (1753–1816) was kidnapped at age nine as a child by Wyandot Indians about 1762 from his family home near Moorefield, Virginia. He was adopted into the tribe and lived with them for 17 years. He married Myerrah (“White Crane”), the daughter of Chief Tarhe, so had a prominent position within the tribe.
Hannah Zane, mother of Elizabeth Burton Zane.
Elizabeth Burton (Zane) Conley (1838–1879), Isaac's granddaughter, was a multi-racial member of the Wyandots and mother of the Conley sisters, born in Logan County, OH. They saved the Wyandot National Burying Ground in Kansas City.
Zane Grey (1872–1939), a popular author of Western novels, was the latest notable figure of the family. Grey's mother was a Zane descendant. She named him Zane in honor of this maternal line.
Other places named for the family include:
Zane Township, Logan County, Ohio
Zane's Trace, an early road running through Ohio from Wheeling, West Virginia to Maysville, Kentucky.
