Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 21

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. L. McDonough & co.
Number of Pages: 490

USA > Illinois > Edwards County > Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 21
USA > Illinois > Wabash County > Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 21
USA > Illinois > Lawrence County > Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 21

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" Ordered, that Henry I. Mills be allowed the sum of $113.62, for his services in the cases of Kennedy, Mere- dith and Bottinghouse for murder ; and in the cases of Joseph Toville, John Hall, William Wood, Daniel Or- ange, George Flower, Eliza Andrews, Wm. Orange, Campbell, et al., wherein, the people failed, and for other services rendered as per account presented."

SEVENTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT.

James Hunt, Alan Emmerson, Chas. Stennett, 1826- 1828.

At the September term, 1826, the court ordered that

the Circuit Court be next held in the building erected for a court-house, in the town of Albion.

The 4th of December following, the coroner, Moses Thompson, was allowed $14 98 for holding an inquest on the body of Richard Flower. The deceased came to his death by the crushing of his skull, caused by the throw- ing of a bone from the hand of one James Kennedy.

EIGHTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT.

James Hunt, James Hean, Chas. Stennett, 1828-1830.

At the December term, 1828, James Gordan, Sheriff of Edwards county, was allowed $91.75, for services in the Circuit and County Commissioners' courts, and his commission in collecting the tax for 1828. On his set- tlement with the court for the revenue collected in the above year, he was found indebted to the county the sum of $428 89.

James Hunt, a justice of the peace, reported a fine against John Crabtree for assault and battery. The fine was paid over to the court, but the clerk fails to state the amount of the fine in his record.

From the following it will be seen that the court-house was utillized for both school and church purposes. In the March term, 1829. " Ordered that Thomas Elton be permitted to keep a school in the court-room, he agreeing to glaze the windows, and when the roof shall be repair- ed to repair the plastering, and keep the same in repair during the time he occupies it."

"Ordered, that public worship be permitted to be held in the court-room on Sundays, and that Jesse B. Browne be authorized to take charge of the key and see that no damage is done." .

In 1830, the county comprised eight road districts with the following named persons as supervisors : First district, George Woodham; second district, Robert Daugherty; third district, William Triscut ; fourth district, George Walser; fifth district, Thomas Carney ; sixth district, John Cowling; seventh district, John Elder; eighth district, Sidney Spring.

NINTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT.

James Hunt, Alan Emmerson, Charles Stennett in 1830-1832.

At the September term, 1830, Alexander Stewart was allowed $1.75 for making hand-cuffs and one night's guarding the jail. From the records of this session it would seem from the amounts allowed for guarding the jail, that either the jail was in a very poor condition or an extra number of criminals were confined therein.

At the same session Jesse B. Browne was allowed $3 25 for shoes and socks furnished Belle Tate, a run- away slave. James Jordan, Sheriff, was allowed $3.81 for clothing furnished to the same party.

" Ordered, that Joel Churchill be permitted to vend goods, wares and merchandise in the town of Albion for one year by paying fifteen dollars into the county treasury." Gibson Harris, Hugh Ranalds, and Moses

HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Smith were also licensed to vend goods, etc. The commissioners appointed to adjust the finances between Edwards and Wabash counties in pursuance of the division of said counties in 1824, made their report to the County Commissioners' court, June 6th, 1831, and in substance was as follows : That the county of Wabash pay to the county of Edwards the sum of $787.83, it being the half of the debt existing at the time of the division of Edwards county. Commissioners, Joel Churchill and Abner Armstrong.

TENTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT.

James Hunt, Charles Stennett, Thomas Carney. 1832- 38.

Thomas Hunt was allowed two dollars for candles furnished the Circuit Court for year 1831-32.

September 2d, 1833, George Flower was authorized to receive from the State Treasurer one hundred dollars, amount of an appropriation granted by the General Assembly to Edwards county for the purpose of building a bridge across Bonpas creek on section 22, town 1 north, range fourteen west.

At the September term in 1834, Elias Waver was allowed $135.00 for making, painting and hanging window blinds to each and every window in the court, shouse at Albion, the same to be paid in specie.

On the 7th of December, Sidney Spring was authorized by the court to act in conjunction with the county surveyor of White county to establish the southern boundary line of Edwards county, beginning at the south west corner of section 18, township 3, south of range - east, and from thence east along said line to the Wabash river as the case may be, and that said survey be made in pursuance of the statute in such cases made and provided.

" Ordered, that Henry Bowman be and is hereby appointed commissioner and agent of the school lands situated in the county of Edwards."

At the March term of court 1837, Joel Churchill was authorized to receive from the bank of Illinois the sum of six hundred dollars, the same being deposited there by the commissioner of the sale of the Gallatin saline land for the use of Edwards county agreeably to an act of the legislature, approved January 16th, 1836.

The county treasury must have been in excellent condition in 1837, as the treasurer was authorized to loan several hundred dollars of the county money at the special May term of that year.

ELEVENTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT.

James Hunt, Leonard C. Bond, John Tribe. 1838-40. Edwards county not being supplied with a poor house, the paupers were let to the lowest bidder. The following order appears at the September term ; "Ordered by the court that Ann Hickson, a pauper of the county, be let to the lowest bidder for six months, and thereupon the coroner proceeded to cry her off, and Alvin R. Kenner agrees to feed, lodge and comfortably clothe the said Ann Hickson

for the sum of $1.35 per week, and the court agrees to pay the said sum quarterly in county orders."

TWELFTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT.

Leonard C. Bond, John Tribe, J. W. Stevenson. 1840 -1842.

At the September term of 1840, the clerk of the county court was ordered to notify the clerk of the Cir- cuit court that grand and petit jurors be allowed seven- ty-five cents per day for services, and that the clerk of the Circuit court may grant his certificates of allowance to the said jurors.

The rate of taxation for the year 1841, was fixed at twenty cents on every hundred dollars worth of real or personal property. Charles P. Burns was allowed seventy dollars for assessing property for the above year. The total amount collected was $656 89 ; the amount of delinquent tax, $36.60.

THIRTEENTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT.

J. W. Stevenson, John Tribe, Britain Walser. 1842- 1849.

At the special April term, 1843, the court ordered that the respective road supervisors cause each able-bodied male person between the ages of twenty-one and fifty years, to perform four days road labor. In this year the treasurer of the county was instructed to pay the State bank of Illinois, paper which had been collected for revenue up to that time, at the rate of fifty cents on the dollar.

In 1847, the county constituted four precincts, Albion, Mills, Shelby and Boltinghouse precincts. Of the former Alan Emmerson, Briant Walker, and Alexander West were appointed judges for the April election. Of Mills precinct, William A. Montgomery, John Contrecht, and Peter Hinkle. Shelby precinct, John Bell, John War- moth, and Niel Shelby. Boltinghouse precinct, James Hean, Simon Johnson and Laban G. Russell.

FOURTEENTH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT.

Alan Emmerson, J. H. Stevenson, Matthew Rice. 1849-1850.

The greater portion of the time of the above court was occupied in regulating and adjusting the road officers of the county.

The only important action of the commissioners was the authorizing of the Albion and Grayville Plank-road company the right of way through the county on the highway commonly used in going from Albion to Gray- ville. This right of way was to continue for thirty years, with stipulations for toll over said road as follows : Not to exceed for a horse and rider, a half cent per mile ; one horse and vehicle, one cent and a half per mile; four houses and vehicle, three cents per mile. The officers of the road were, President, John Brissenden; Directors, Alan Emmerson, S. Thompson, Alexander Stewart, John Butler, Daniel Bulkley and John B. Jolly.

HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

FIRST COUNTY COURT. *

Alan Emmerson, judge, Matthew Rice, James Hunt, associate justices. 1859-1853.

At the June term a notice is placed on record wherein the clerk was ordered to post notices to the effect, that sealed proposals would be received until the tenth of June, 1851, for the build- ing of a frame court-house to be thirty-six feet square, and that for plan and specifications, parties were asked to call at the clerk's office. At a special term of the court held the 14th of June, 1851, the subject of build- ing a new court house was taken into consideration, when it was decided, that as the people had met and expressed themselves in favor of constructing a brick court-house, the court ordered that further action upon the same be postponed for the present.

September 1st, 1851, the commissioners appointed to mark, view, and locate a state road from Albion to Salem in Marion county, made their report, with plat of the same. The road was subsequently opened, it being a distance of about fifty miles.

The following is a table of the property assessed and the taxes charged in the county for the year 1852:

Aggregate value of lande , personal property 177,461

$358,002

Total value of taxable property 535,463

$3230.62 Amount of State tax . County tax 1606.38

Total tax .

4837.00

On the 5th of September, 1853, notice was given for the sale of the old court-house. It was to be sold at auction to the highest bidder. The purchaser, according to the conditions of the notice, was entitled to a credit of six months, and was required to remove the house from the square within nine months from date of sale. Gen. William Pickering subsequently became the purchaser, paying the eum of one hundred and thirty dollars. At the special term of October following, the new court-house was examined and accepted by the court.

Upon settlement of the county treasurer with the Court at the December term, 1853, it was shown that the county income for six months, plus the balance in the treasury, was $689.461 ; and that the amount paid out for the same time was. $689 35}, leaving 11}c. in the treasury.

SECOND COUNTY COURT.

Alan Emmerson, judge; Matthew Rice, Jonathan Shelby, associate justices. 1853-1857.

The most important matter brought before the court in this term was the petition from 519 citizens of the county, that the honorable body pass an order at the earliest day practicable to postpone the sale of all swamp lands unsold for the term of two years; alleging in their prayer, that on account of the great scarcity of money among the farming population, caused by the failure of the corn crop of the preceding year, a large portion of the actual citizens were unable to purchase

said lands, which being the case would render it easier for foreign speculators to secure all the best swamp lands at the lowest valuation. The petitioners further prayed that the court would invest all said lands in the Alton, Mt. Carmel and New Albany Railroad; and that the annual revenue arising from said investment be forever set apart for school purposes. The action of the court upon the petition was substantially as follows : That inasmuch as the court had not received the legal evidence of title to the swamp lands, as provided by an act of the legislature, the sale of said lands should be postponed ; but, should the inhabitants of the county desire to make such investment of the proceeds of the land after the proper evidences of title were had, and the expenses for surveying, draining, etc., were paid ; then it would not be the disposition of the court to con- travene the wishes of the people, provided sufficient evidence be given from said railroad company of its ability to build the road within a reasonable time; and provided further, that interest at the rate of six per cent. upon said investment be first secured, and that the same be applied to the school fund, to be paid semi-annually in advance.

THIRD COUNTY COURT.

Alan Emmerson, judge, Jonathan Shelby, Britain Walser, associate justices. 1857-1861.

At the September term of court, 1858, the following petition was placed before the court, with 219 names attached : " To the honorable court of Edwards county. The undersigned, residents and legal voters of Albion precinct, respectfully request your honorable body not to grant any license in said precinct for the retail of spirituous or vinous liquors after the present license shall have expired, unless a majority of the legal voters of said precinct shall petition for such license to be granted." On considering the prayer of the petitioners, two of the members of the court voted against granting the prayer, and one was in favor of it.

At a meeting of the citizens of Albion and vicinity, he'd on the 11th of May 1861, a resolution was passed in substance as follows : That Alan Emmerson, judge of the county court, is hereby requested to convene a special term of the county court at the earliest day prac- ticable, for the purpose of taking into consideration the following resolution: " Resolved, That the honorable court of Edwards county are hereby respectfully re- quested to pass an order of their court, to pay out of the county treasury a sufficient sum of money to pay the cost of a full suit of uniform for the use of the Volun- teer Militia Company of Edwards county, now organized and ready for marching, and waiting for the orders of the governor of the State of Illinois,

The court, upon considering the above request, passed an order in compliance with the resolution, one member dissenting on the ground, as he believed, that the court was not vested with such power. At the September term of the same year, an order was passed by the court, that five cents on each hundred dollars be assessed for

* In the fall of 1849, the name of this body having county jurisdiction, was changed, and until 1873, was known as the County Court, having a president judge and two associate justices.

HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

the purpose of creating a fund to provide for the families of members of the military companies that were then, or should be subsequently organized and mustered into the United States service. Jesse Emmerson, John Smith, and James R. Jacobs were appointed by the court to make distributions to said families, with stipulations that they exercise careful judgment in the discharge of their duties.

The valuation of real and personal property in the county for the year 1800, was .

State tax . County tax, including school tax, etc

$1,124,395.00 7,533.45

6 135.78

Acres in cultivation, wheat, 6,368; coro, 15,442; other field products . . . 9,607

FOURTH COUNTY COURT.

Samuel R. Hall, judge ; Jacob Kramer, Sanford Em- merson, associate justices. 1861-1865.

According to the report of the county collector for 1863, the delinquent tax was but $30 70. Only nine- teen names were reported as not paying their taxes, fifteen of whom had left the county-three were not found, and one was reported dead.

Nothing of an unusual character came before this court, its time being mainly occupied in regulating road and bridge affairs.

FIFTH COUNTY COURT.

Samuel R. Hall, judge; Andrew Huffman, Daniel P. Hunter, associate justices. 1865-1869.

At the September term of court, 1865, the following petition, signed by fifty-seven of the legal voters of the county, was presented for the court's action : " The un- dersigned, legal voters of Edwards county, do hereby respectfully petition your honorable body, that you will at your next meeting on the first Monday of September, submit to the voters of the county the question of town- ship organization, to be voted on, for or against, at the next general election. The court ordered that a vote should be so taken in the several voting precincts at the time specified in the petition.

On the 3d December, 1866, Saywell Perkins gave his bond as sheriff and ex-officio collector in the sum of forty- two thousand nine hundred and one dollars.

At the March meeting of the court in 1868, a petition of the legal voters of the county was presented, request- ing that an election be called to ascertain if the citizens of the county were in favor of taking stock in the Gray- ville and Mattoon Railroad to the amount of $150,000. The court ordered an election to be held on the 28th day of March, 1868, with proper stipulations to protect the people against any non-performance of agreement or action on the part of the railroad company. The vote resulted in favor of subscribing for the above amount of stock.

December 10th of the same year another election was ordered to be held on the 16th day of January, 1869, for the purpose of increasing the aforesaid amount to $180,000. The court, at a special session in the same month, rescinded the order made on the 10th inst., and substituted an order that an election should be held on the 23d of January, to vote for or against taking $40,-

000 stock in the road, in addition to the $150.000 al- ready voted,-making in all $190,000 stock for said railroad.

On account of the order made by the court at the first election, giving only twenty-six days' notice, instead of thirty days as the law required, said appropriation became null and void, leaving but $40,000 stock voted for the road. From this fact and some other causes, the company built the road passing Albion four miles to the eastward. For the benefit of future readers of history, we will here state that the road, at this writing, is known as the Peoria, Decatur and Evansville railway.

SIXTH COUNTY COURT.

Samuel R. Hall, judge; Andrew Huffman, Edward Handley, associate justices. 1869-1872.

December 7, 1869, John B. Orange, a justice of the peace, made report that, in the absence of the coroner, he had held an inquest on the body of James Blackford, a non-resident of the county, who was killed at the house of John Carbaugh on the 21st of September, 1869, and that the deceased had no effects on his person ; therefore, the petitioner asked that his fees might be allowed by the court.

At the March term in 1872, the court ordered that each owner of dogs in Edwards county be taxed for the year, 1872, as follows : "That one dog shall be exempt for the head of each family, and that all over and above one dog be taxed two dollars per head"; and it was further ordered that the proceeds of such tax be paid into the county treasury.

SEVENTH COUNTY COURT.

Samuel R. Hall, judge ; Andrew Huffman and Alfred Brown, associate judges, 1872-1873. March 4. 1873, Jesse Emmerson was appointed agent of Edwards county, to sell all the swamp lands remaining unsold ; the terms of sale to be one-half cash, and the balance on a credit of twelve months time, taking mortgage to secure the deferred purchase money.

FIRST BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. .

Josiah Dawes, chairman; Andrew Huffman, Alfred Brown, 1873-1878.

At the special December term, in 1873, George Michaels was appointed sheriffand ex-oficio collector to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Maxwell W. Morgan. On the 24th of March, 1874, the court passed an order that a reward of one hundred dollars be offered, to be paid at the county expense, for the capture of Christopher C. Hunt, a fugitive from justice, charged with killing one, William C. Mading, on the morning of the 14th of March, 1874. Hunt was subsequently arrested, tried and acquitted. At the June term following, John Martin was allowed the sum of one hundred dollars, the amount of the reward offered for the arrest of said Hunt.

SECOND BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

Josiah Dawes, chairman ; Alfred Brown, Francis Greathouse, 1878-1880.

HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

THIRD BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

Jusiah Dawes, chairman ; Francis Greathouse, Comp- ton Woodham, 1880-1881.

On the third of March, 1881, Doctors John C. Mcclurkin and J. Cameron Mcclurkin entered into a contract with the court to furnish medical attendance to the paupers of Albion p ecinct for one year, commencing March 7, 1881, for the sum of seventy dollars. The same parties, on the same day, contracted to furnish medical attendance to the paupers of Dixon precinct, one year for nine dollars. For the same time, etc., George W. Gaddy agreed to furnish said attendance for the sum of thirty-six dollars to the paupers of Shelby precinct. Elisha Jenner for same services, etc., con- tracted to wait on the paupers of Salem precinct, for the sum of forty dollars. The contract for French creek precinct was given to Dr. Loren Burdick for the sum of fifty dollars.

At a special term, held in March, 1881, a compromise was effected between the county and the Louisville, New Albany, and St Louis railway, now Louisville, Evans- ville, and St. Louis railway, relating to back taxes of said road in the amount of $1951.55. The court upon due consideration accepted the proposition of the rail- road company, to-wit, that the company pay the State and school taxes due, upon conditions that the board make a rebate of the county and road taxes amounting to, including interest and printer's fees, the sum of $596.03, with this proviso, that the said State school tax be paid within six months from the passage of this order.

FOURTH BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

Josiah Dawes, Compton Woodham, Charles Walser, 1881-1882.

The following order was passed by the board at the June sessions, 1882: "Ordered that the authorities of the village of Albion be permitted to use the room in the county jail, known as the debtor's room, for a calaboose, when not required for county use ; provided, that the village of Albion pay all damages caused by prisoners who may be confined therein. All former orders of the county board on this subject are hereby rescinded and annulled."

The total value of all the taxable property in the county for 1882, W88.

. $1,434,523.00 Total receipts for the same year Total county orders issued. . 19,393,20 14,092.77

T tal jury certificates .

724.40

Amount in treasury after paying ali indebtedness 4,350.66

The salaries of the county officers, from and after the first Monday in December, were fixed as follow : County Judge, $500; County Clerk, 81200; Sheriff, $1200; County Treasurer, $500; County Superintendent of schools to employ, not exceeding seventy-five days, in the discharge of his official duties.

FIFTH AND PRESENT BOARD OF COUNTY COMMIS-" SIONERS.

Compton Woodham, Charles Walser, Charles Clark, 1882.

The last action of the board now spread upon the re- cords, made December 6, 1882, reads as follows: "Or- dered by the board that from and after this date road supervisors shall receive for their services in attending to their official duties, required by law, the sum of $1.50 for each day necessarily spent over and above the three days' labor, personally required of each ; provided, that the entire expenditures of such supervisors, shall iu no instance exceed the amount certified by the county clerk to each, unless such additional expenditure is made by consent of one or more of the county commissioners."

PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

As shown on a preceding page of this chapter, the first courts were held at the private residence of certain citizens of Palmyra, and also that an order of the county court had been made for the letting and contracting for a court building, yet it all came to naught, perhaps on account of the agitation of the question for removing the capital of the county to some other point. Albion offered the greatest inducements for such a change, the pro- prietors of the town entering into a bond in the sum of $50,000 to deed to the county twenty acres of land for county use, besides binding themselves in the above amount to furnish for the erection of public buildings, 70,000 bricks or perches of stone to the same amount ; also 20,000 feet of plank ; 20,000 feet of scantlings; 20,000 shingles ; also to furnish $500 worth of hand and team labor, and further, to fit up the market-house con- venient for holding court until the public buildings should be completed. This, no doubt, was the great incentive which induced the commissioners to locate the county seat at Albion.

A contract was entered into July 9, 1823, between the court in behalf of the county, and John Robinson and William Wilson, contractors, to construct a court-house of certain material and dimensions for the sum of $1800. The building was to be of brick material, 26x30 feet on the ground, one story high, and a gaol fitted up in the interior of the building. On the 24th of August, 1824, another contract was entered into between the court and contractors in sub- stance as follows : That whereas it now appears to the commissioners that the building heretofore contemplated will be insufficient, it is hereby agreed between the con - missioners and contractors that the plan be so altered as to raise the building two stories, the brick work to be at least twenty feet high, and the building fifty by thirty feet in size, having a cupola enclosed with venetian blinds, and a pediment in front. The main room on the first floor was to be divided by two partitions, making two rooms and a passage-way and stair-case leading to the second story. The two west and north rooms on the ground floor, were to contain fire-places. The second story was to contain a court-room thirty by forty feet, including walls, with a fire-place, seats, boxes, etc. The east part of the story was to be divided into a stair-case and a prison for debtors, also to be furnished with fire-

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Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 21

Author: Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. L. McDonough & co. Number of Pages: 490

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. L. McDonough & co.
Number of Pages: 490