USA > Iowa > Taylor County > History of Taylor County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc. : a biographical directory of many of its leading citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of Iowa and the Northwest, map of Taylor County, Constitution of the United States, reminiscences, miscellaneous matters, etc > Part 46
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The business of the first circuit was not extensive. It was of very recent institution and the legal workings of the county had not yet been adjusted to the new regime.
The county of Taylor has been subjected to the usual number of changes as regards its judicial relations, changes made imperative by the great increase in population and consequent growth of legal business. The districts were originally made to include as great an area of territory as was possible. The county originally belonged to the fifth district, com- posed, under the constitution of 1846, of the following counties: Appa- noose, Boone, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Fremont, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Page, Polk, Ringgold, Story, Taylor, Warren and Wayne. In February, 1851, the counties of Fremont, Page, Taylor
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
and Ringgold were made a part of the new sixth district, which comprised in addition to these four counties the following: Adair, Adams, Audubon, Buena Vista, Buncombe (now Lyon), Carroll, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Craw- ford, Dickinson, Harrison, Ida, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Sac, Shelby, Sioux, Union and Wahkaw, (now Woodbury). The district was subsequently several times modified, and when abolished under the new constitution consisted of the counties of Adair, Adams, Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, Page and Taylor.
Under the constitution of 1857 the above districts were superseded, in accordance with article V*, by the erection of eleven new districts, the chief officers of each of which entered upon their duties January 1, 1859.
Under this constitution Taylor county, together with the counties of Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Montgomery, Page, Ringgold and Union formed the third district. The judges have been the Hon. E. H. Sears, 1858-1862; Hon. James G. Day, 1862-1870; Hon. Samuel Forrey, 1870-1878; Hon. R. C. Henry, 1879-1883.
TOWNSHIP BOUNDARIES ON ORGANIZATION.
It has elsewhere been stated that at the time of organizing the county it contained but one township, and that comprised its entire area. That town- ship was Jackson, and its organization will therefore date from that of the county, in February, 1851. At the second term of the county court, on April 7, 1851, the county was divided into three townships, one retaining the name of Jackson, the others being duly christened Polk and Benton townships. What was the area comprised by these townships, or where their boundaries were drawn it is impossible now to ascertain as no record of this important transaction was kept, other than such as related to the ap- pointment of the necessary officials. Matters remained in this condition until the July term of 1854, when the following entry appears:
At the July term of the county court, in 1854, the township of Benton was changed so as to run from the northeast corner of section thirty-six, on the range line between ranges thir-
*SECTION 10. The State shall be divided into eleven judicial districts; and after the year 1860 the general assembly may reorganize the judicial districts, and increase or diminish the number of districts, or the number of judges of the said court, and may increase the number of judges of the Supreme Court; but such increase or diminution shall not be more than one district, or one judge of either court, at any one session; and no reorganization of the districts or diminution of the number of judges shall have the effect of removing a judge from office. Such reorganization of the districts, or any change in the boundaries thereof, or increase or diminution of the number of judges, shall take place every four years there- after, if necessary, and at no other time.
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
ty-three and thirty-four, in township sixty-eight east, so as to embrace Stephen H. Parker and the settlement on Honey Creek above Parker, and the settlement on the east fork of One Hundred and Two, and vote at Bedford, and be known as BENTON TOWNSHIP.
Following this change in Benton, at the October term of the same year (1854) it was again divided, or changed, and a new township formed, as ap- pears from the following record :
COUNTY COURT, October Term, 1854.
Ordered, that Benton township be divided by the township line between townships sixty- seven and sixty-eight, east and west, and bounded on the south by the State line, on the west by the west fork of the One Hundred and Two River, and on the east by range lines thirty-three and thirty-four, and said township shall be known as Ross TOWNSHIP, and the place of voting shall be at the house of John Lambert, in said township.
Population at this time was rapidly increasing all over the county. The new-comers commenced petitioning for townships and the petitions were, in most cases, granted. This was made necessary by the increasing legal busi- ness of the county. To persons who needed the services of a justice of the peace it was both toilsome and irksome to go to the county seat, or the jus- tice of their own township should be so far removed and the limits of his jurisdiction great. The southern and western parts of the county grew in population more rapidly than other sections, and in this part the next change occurred, as follows:
MARCH TERM COUNTY COURT, 1855.
It is ordered that the lines of Polk, Benton and Jackson townships be so changed as to form a township, bounded as follows: Beginning on the county line between Page and Tay- lor counties, on the line dividing township sixty-eight and sixty-nine, thence east along said line to the range line dividing ranges thirty-three and thirty-four, thence with said range line to the township line between township sixty-nine and seventy, thence east along said line to range thirty-two and thirty-three; then with said range line north to the northern boundary of Taylor county; thence west with said county line to Page county; thence south with said line to the place of beginning; and to be known as WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. The first election shall be held at the house of William Seabolt, in said township.
The next change was made by the county court June 10, 1857.
Ordered, That sections twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty. thirty-one, thirty-two and thir- ty-three, in township sixty-eight, range thirty-three, and all of township sixty-eight, range thirty-four, to extend westward on township sixty-eight, range thirty-five, as far as the west fork of the One Hundred and Two River, shall compose the township of Benton, for all township purposes, and all other orders concerning the boundaries of said township are hereby annulled.
The next action taken in reference to this matter bears the date of Feb- ruary 20, 1858. It consisted in re-townshiping the entire county, changing the boundaries of that that already existed, and instituting new political di- visions. The entire action of the county court is given herewith:
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
February 20th, 1858 .- It is hereby ordered by the county court that the county of Taylor be and the same is hereby altered, changed and divided into municipal townships and election precincts as follows; to-wit,
Townships 67 and 68 north, of range 32 west, shall constitute one civil township, and shall be known as JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. September 25th, 1858 .- It is hereby ordered by the county court of Taylor county that section 1, and the north half of section 12, township 67, range 33, are hereby added to JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
Townships 69 and 70 north, of range 32 west, shall constitute one civil township, and shall be known as PLATTE TOWNSHIP, and the first election shall be held at the house of- Caplinger, said election to be held on the first Monday in April, 1858. North half section 6, township 68, range 32, and the east half of section 25, township 69, range 33, is hereby added to PLATTE TOWNSHIP for all civil purposes.
Township 67 north, range 34 west, shall form and constitute one civil township, and be known as Ross TOWNSHIP, with the addition of sections 36, 25, 24 and 13, of township 67, range 35.
Township 67 north, of range 35 west, shall constitute one civil township, and be known as POLK TOWNSHIP, with the exception of section 36, 25, 24 and 13.
Township 68 north, of range 35 west, shall constitute one civil township, and be known as MASON TOWNSHIP, and the first election shall be held at the house of Elisha Gladden, to be held on the 5th day of April, 1858.
Township 69 north, of range 35 west, shall constitute one civil township, and shall be known as DALLAS TOWNSHIP.
Township 70 north, of range 35 west, shall constitute one civil township, and shall be known as NODAWAY TOWNSHIP, and the first election shall be held at house of James R. Fos- ter, on the first Monday in April, 1858.
It is hereby ordered by the county court of Taylor county, that township 68 north, of range 33 west, shall constitute one civil township, and shall be known as CLAYTON TOWNSHIP.
May 25th, 1858.
It is hereby ordered by the county court of Taylor county, that township 69, range 33, and township 70, range 33, shall constitute one civil township, and shall be known as MARSHALL TOWNSHIP, and the first election shall be held at the house of Josiah Litteen.
May 25th, 1858.
It is hereby ordered by the county court of Taylor county, Iowa, that township 67, range 33, and the northeast quarter of section 1, township 67, range 34 (except section 1, and the north half of section 12, township 67, range 33), shall constitute one civil township, and be known and designated as JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
March 3d, 1860.
Five years now intervened before any further action was taken. At the June session of the board of supervisors, 1863, it was reported that
The committee on organization report in favor of setting apart township 70, range 34, as a civil township, to be known as HOLT TOWNSHIP, as asked for in the petition, and- that the first election be held at the house of A. S. Davis, in said township, and that the clerk of the board give notice of the organization of said township as required by law.
From 1869 to 1881 the following townships were instituted, changing the boundaries of the old ones, by sections such as were taken from them to organize the others. The complete changes to the present are the following :
415
HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
September session of the board of supervisors, 1869 .- Supervisor Flick presented a peti- tion from citizens of congressional township 68, range 32, asking that the civil township of Jefferson be divided, and township 68, range 32, be created a civil township to be called GAY TOWNSHIP, and that Gay Street school-house be the place of holding elections, which was adopted.
September session of the board of supervisors, 1869 .- Supervisor Robinson presented a petition for the division of Platte township. On motion, the prayer of petitioners was grant- ed, organizing township 68, range 32, into a new township under the name of GRANT.
September session of the board of supervisors, 1870 .- A petition was presented from citi- zens of township 70, range 33, for a separate township organization, and that the name of the township be GROVE, and that Edwin Houck be appointed commissioner to give notice of election, etc., and that the elections be holden at the residence of Edwin Houck, which was adopted.
At the January session of the board of supervisors in 1880, the township of Benton was so divided that all the territory within the corporate limits of the city of Bedford should com- pose a township organization, and be known as BEDFORD TOWNSHIP.
The boundaries of this township were subsequently amended to read as follows:
Bedford township shall be comprised of the east 34 of sections 22, 27 and 34, all of sec- tions 23, 25, 26, 35, and 36, and south half of section 24, township 68 north, of range 34 west.
ELECTION RETURNS AND OFFICIAL CANVASSES.
These returns are not complete from the organization until the year 1836. In that year the book was properly opened and the entries have been prop- erly and legally made from that time until the present. The very first record bears the date of August 18, 1852, and is signed by H. P. Bennett, county judge of Mills county, William Shearer, county judge of Page county, and John Lowe, county judge of Taylor county. The occasion of the record was the certificate of election and the canvass of votes "for sen- ator and representative for Fremont district." The election was held on the first Monday in August, 1852, and there were cast a total of five hun- dred and seventeen votes. Of this number George W. Lucas received three hundred and twenty-four, and Benjamin Rector one hundred and ninety-three. These gentlemen were contestants in the senatorial race, which, it seems, resulted in favor of Mr. Lucas. "For the office of representative" there were cast four hundred and ninety-six votes, and of these William C. Means received two hundred and thirty-eight, Fred. Rector seventy votes, and R. Connor one hundred and ninety-nine. William C. Means was therefore declared duly elected as representative, "because he had the greatest num- ber of votes."
In the same year occurred the presidential election which caused such ex-
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
.
citement throughout the Union. Already there were "events casting their shadows before," and the result showed how truly. Into the contest the men of Taylor entered with all the enthusiasm of men whose county for the first time was to assist in the election of a chief magistrate. The first thing to be done was to divide the county into election districts; this was done to the number of four, the fourth and last including the present entire area of Ringgold county, over which Taylor county then kept watch and ward. In October this necessary preliminary was attended to. The first precinct were to vote "at the house of Jacob Ross," and Judge Lowe appointed as election judges, Jacob Ross, James D. Ross and John F. Daugherty. The voters of the second precinct were to assemble "at the residence of Benjamin Barnes," and Young Faris, Benjamin Barnes, and Elias Bridgewater were to see that the votes were properly cast and to care for the returns. The members of the third precinct were to "vote at the school-house" and Matthew Hindman, Isaac Guill, and William Edmins- ton were appointed to see that all things were "done decently and in order." These parties were all to make a return of the vote of their respective dis- tricts within three days after the casting thereof. But Judge Lowe also cared for the infant county of Ringgold. On October 16, 1852, it was ordered by that worthy that Ringgold county "is lade off in one Entire disstrict and Named Scholen Township," and the place of voting to be at "(Lott) Hobs." The judges of the election were Charles H Scholen, Abner Smith and Jesse Harper. All these preliminaries being duly arranged, matters were in readiness for the presidential election. Accordingly, on November 2, 1852, the electors of these four precincts met at the appointed places and exercised the highest privilege of the American citizen.
The result of this first election was as follows:
Whole number of votes cast. .52
DEMOCRATIC ELECTORS.
G. H. Williams 8
A. Hall. 8
J. C. Fletcher 8
W. E. Laffinwell
.8
WHIG ELECTORS.
Thomas Claggett 4 W. H. Henderson 4 J. H. D. Street 4 Eliphalet Price .4
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
As is well known, Franklin Pierce and William R. King led the Demo- crats to victory in that election. Their opponents were Winfield Scott and William A. Graham. The Democrats made a strong and successful cam- paign to recover from the decisive defeat which had wrested from them the presidency in 1848. General Cass, the Democratic candidate for that year, had been defeated in the contest by General Taylor, of Louisiana, whose valor in the Mexican War had made him a favorite with the people. In that election the people of Taylor county had, of course, no part as a separate political entity. In 1852, at the Baltimore convention in June, the Democrats put in nomination Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire, for president, and William R. King, of Alabama, for vice-president. To them, on the part of the Whigs, were placed in opposition General Scott and William A. Graham, of North Carolina, both of these gentlemen receiving their nomination at Baltimore, June 16 of the same year. The anti-slavery party put in nomination John P. Hale, of New Hampshire, and George W. Julian, of Indiana. In the county the result of the election may be gathered from the above. The general result was a Democratic victory over the country. The anti-slavery ticket polled less than one-half the bal- lots cast by them in 1848, showing a decided diminution in strength. The campaign will always be remembered as a most important one, for it was the last in which the Whig party ever presented a candidate. The great- ness of the man the party had honored with the nomination for president of the United States was destined to be that of a military hero, rather than a politician or statesman. In the latter capacity he was an utter failure, and disappointed the hopes of his friends. In his very first speech, to a deputation of foreigners, he declared that he "loved the rich Irish brogue and the sweet German accent," and this made him the object of ridicule by his opponents, and without doubt contributed largely to his losing the can- vass. In addition to this, his position on the tariff question and on the Mis- souri Compromise were neither of them that of the competent statesman or politician. In this election the State of Iowa cast its electoral vote for the Democratic nominees, the last time since that date that such an event has occurred. Party lines were pretty sharply drawn in this county, and of course everybody was interested, and entered into the contest with all the ardor and enthusiasm manifested in like contests to-day.
Previous to the election of November one had been held in August, 1852, for county officers. No returns whatever are attainable relative to this election. In the latter part of the county court's minute book, however, occurs the oaths of office of the following persons, stating they had been elected at that-election: John Lowe, county judge; Jacob Ross, county 7
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY
surveyor; William B. Carragan, constable of Benton township; and William Hindman,* district clerk for the term of two years.
In the April elections of 1853, held to elect a district judge and township officers, the following incomplete returns are found :
Whole number of votes cast
FOR DISTRICT JUDGE. . . .54
Allen A. Bradford 26
William Dewey 28
JACKSON TOWNSHIP.
James Garaside, justice of the peace; E. Hake, assessor; Hampton Perm- ington, constable.
POLK TOWNSHIP.
Daniel McCalpen, justice of the peace; John Krout, assessor; James Hol- land, constable.
BENTON TOWNSHIP.
No justice. Lott Hobs, assessor; Allen Bullock, appointed constable.
In 1854 occurred the second election for representative held in this county, which then formed a part of the 39th district. The returns are certified to by Thomas Greenwood, county judge of Fremont county; John Lowe, county judge of Taylor county, and Elisha Milton, district clerk of Page county, and ex officio county judge. The whole number of votes cast was six hundred and five (605) of which William Day received three hun- dred and three (303) and Tilden S. Buckham three hundred and two (302),
*The following entry occurs in the same book on page 42, under the proceedings of the county court for February term, 1853:
"Isaac guill Has Lodged acomplaint againist William Hindman for Neglect of his duty as district and County clerke for faleing to attend any of the County Corts of Taylor County and the said Isaac guill alledges in his afadavid that the Charges alledge is true and de- mands of the judge of the County Court, to bee released from William Hindmans Bond as Clearke and asumons Has been Esued to Mr. McEfee sherif of taylor County Bareing date the 27 day of January 1853-Commanding him to sumons William Hindman to apeare before Me to answer said Charge and the sumons and the afadavid of Isaac guill Has Bothe Beene served on the said William Hindman and Made returneable to My office on the 7 day of Feb- uary 1853 and the said William Hindman as district and County Clearke for Taylor county appeard in Court and Made now defene to Said charge allege that he would Not defend said Charge thereupon the Court Have Returned the papers to the judge of the district to bee Holden at the Residence of John Lews on the 3 Mondey in March 1853 to Bee further dealt with this the 7 day of Febuary 1853.
JOHN LOWE, Co. Judge for Taylor Co. iowa.
From an entry made on the 11th of the same month it appears that William Hindman resigned his office and returned all papers pertaining thereto.
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
making, probably, the most closely contested election ever held in the dis- trict. The complete returns for Taylor county alone were as follows:
Governor-Curtis Bates, 66; James W. Grimes, 11.
Secretary of State-G. W. McLay, 71; Martin Morris, 70.
Member Congress-Augustus Hall, 69; Rufus Clark, 6.
Auditor of State-J. L. --- , 57 ;* - -, 2 ;* A. J. Stephens, 11.
Representative-William Day, 65; T. L. Buckham, 14.
District Clerk, Taylor County-H. W. Baker,t 33.
Prosecuting Attorney-William Ferguson,t 23.
From the year 1854 until 1866 there are no records preserved relative to elections. The political business of the county may, however, have been cared for with an interest none the less earnest than in those years when the record was kept. In the presidential election of 1856, the newly formed Republican party put forth its first candidate, John C. Fremont, who entered the contest on the platform of " Free speech, free press, free soil and Fremont." "No sectionalism " was the watchword of the Dem- ocratic party, a watchword which had its birth in the troubles in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, for a more complete account of which the reader is referred to the chapter introductory to the war record of the county. The Democratic candidate was James Buchanan. Millard Fillmore, of New York, led the American Know Nothing party, whose battle cry, if such an expression may be used, was "Americans must rule America." The organ- ization of this party was the consequence, in part, of the position taken by Scott in the campaign of 1852. Into the presidential contest of 1856 the people of Taylor entered with a zeal proportioned to its great importance. It is to be regretted that means of knowing the political complexion of the vote of the county do not exist. Being in close proximity to the State of Missouri, where party feeling and prejudice ran high, it may be fairly assumed that the residents of the county entered into the strife with feelings about equally divided. The result, as is well known, was the election of James Buchanan as the fifteenth president of the United States. It was during his admin- istration that the raid of John Brown was made, a raid that met with prompt and decisive action on the part of the general government. The effect of his raid upon the Southern people was most unfortunate. They regarded it as unanswerable evidence of the intention of the people of the North to make war upon them under cover of the Union. "The voice of reason was drowned in the storm of passionate excitement which swept
*These names are very poorly written in the returns and cannot be deciphered.
+The record closes with the announcement that "Baker and ferguson is elected "!
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HISTORY OF TAYLOR COUNTY.
over the land, and the extremists on both sides were able to prosecute their unpatriotic work to great advantage." While the excitement was at its highest the presidential campaign of 1860 opened in the spring of that year. The question of slavery was the chief issue in this memorable strug- gle. The Democratic National Committee met at Charleston, in April, where occurred a disruption of the party that has resulted in its defeat in every presidential contest from that day to this. The convention divided, some of the delegates withdrawing entirely from the floor. The original conven- tion nominated Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, and Herschel V. Johnson, of Georgia. The seceders met in the city of Baltimore, in the month of June and put forward as the candidate of their choice, John C. Beckenridge, of Kentucky, and for the vice-presidency Joseph Lane, of Oregon. The Re- publican party took issue with both wings of the Democratic party. Its convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, and its candidates were: for pres- ident, Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, and for vice-president, Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine. A fourth party, known as the Constitutional Union party held a convention at Baltimore and nominated for the presidency John Bell of Tennessee, and for the vice-presidency Edward Everett, of Massa- chusetts. The contest that ensued was the most bitter of any in the history of American politics. The vote throughout the Union, was as follows: For Lincoln, 1,866,452; for Douglas, 1,375,157; for Breckenridge, 847,953, for Bell, 590,631. The electoral vote was as follows: for Lincoln, 180; for Breckenridge, 72; for Bell, 39; for Douglas, 12. The canvass of the vote showed it to be a purely sectional election, Mr. Lincoln receiving not a single electoral vote from a Southern State.
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