Cheryl Bauer and husband Randy McNutt are members of the Butler County Historical Society and graduates of Miami University. Bauer is the author of Van Wert County. With Rob Portman, she wrote Wisdom's Paradise: The Forgotten Shakers of Union Village. McNutt has written 11 books, including Lost Ohio: More Travels Into Haunted Landscapes, Ghost Towns, and Forgotten Lives. Together, Bauer and McNutt also authored Hamilton.