Combined history of Randolph, Monroe and Perry counties, Illinois . With illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 42

Author: McDonough, J.L., & Co., Philadelphia
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.L. McDonough & Co
Number of Pages: 578


USA > Illinois > Perry County > Combined history of Randolph, Monroe and Perry counties, Illinois . With illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 42
USA > Illinois > Randolph County > Combined history of Randolph, Monroe and Perry counties, Illinois . With illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 42
USA > Illinois > Monroe County > Combined history of Randolph, Monroe and Perry counties, Illinois . With illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 42


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The court refused the petition first, because the allega- tions set forth in the said petition arc not sufficiently proven and secondly because the said petition was not signed by a majority of the qualified voters in the said eastern district.


The first charge of official crookedness was a suit ordered to be brought against Dan. Dry, J. P., for failure to pay over a certain fine collected of Lewis Wells, sr.


William Pyle, sr., was appointed to prosecute said suit ; and nine dollars was recovered. Considering that the fore- going patriotic petition was headed by Daniel Dry, and that there had been a change in the commissioner's court, a new Board being now in power, the idea of a feud is suggested by this action.


REVENUE COLLECTED-1829.


The first report upon record concerning collection of county revenue is for the year 1829. The amount collected and paid over to the treasurer by William C. Murphy, high sheriff in and for this county is as follows :


In county orders . $65.121/2 In specie 1.25


In re-i-sued state paper . . 62.00


In old issues and interest . 47.40 Total . . 175.7716


after deducting the legal per centum.


FIRST GENERAL ELECTION.


On the second day of June, 1828, the county commis- sioners ordered that the voters of that portion of the county which bad been formed from Jackson county should vote at the house of John Flack, and appointed William Brown, Charles Green and Lewis Wells, jr., as judges of the general election to be held on the fourth day of August, 1828 ; and that those voters in the territory formerly belonging to Ran- dolph county, should vote at the place selected and laid out for the county seat, and appointed as judges, Robert B. Murphy, George Franklin and Van S. Teague. For member of Congress, Joseph Duncan received eighty-one, and Geo. Forquer, twelve votes. For State Senator, in the Randolph district that portion which had been taken from Randolph county in the organization of Perry county, Samuel Craw- ford received thirty five votes, and Isaiah T. Betts six votes. For Representative to the General Assembly, Jobn Lacey received thirty-one votes ; Hypolite Menard, thirty-six, and Thomas Mather, sixteen. For the county offices, William C Murphy received sixty-six ; and Giles Wells, twenty-one votes for sheriff. For coroner, Amos Anderson received fifty-three votes and Ambrose A. Ford, six votes. The county commissioner's office seems to have been the favorite official position in those days, as there were no less than


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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.


seven candidates, and but three to elect. For this office, William H. Threlkel had seventy four votes ; Wm. Johnson, sixty-five ; John Pyle, jr., sixty ; Charles C. Glover, nine ; Wm. T. Garner, twenty-eight ; Wm Adair, five; and Wm. Pyle, two.


THE FIRST BRIDGE


Built by the county authorities seems to have been built in 1830 or 1831 aeross Big Beaucoup creek just east of Pinck- neyville.


The bridge was to be sixteen feet wide, and some of the timbers were 12x15 inches ; and the flooring of plank or puncheons so laid on as to make it safe and convenient for carriages and passengers to pass and repass with convenience and safety. The bridge was to be built by contract, the contractor to give bonds and insure the bridge for five years. Joseph Wells built the bridge.


In 1831 licenses to sell goods were granted by the com- missioners' court, for a fee of five dollars, to Daniel Dry, David Baldridge and Limrick & Demming.


COPY OF ROAD PETITION.


The following was filed in the county clerk's office, De- cember 4th, 1837 :


" To the Honorable County Commissioners' Court of Perry County, Greeting :


Whereas there is a reputed public road through our neigh- borhood, the course of which is such that it erosses indivi- dual lands for three or four miles on a stretch, and wanders through the prairie nobody knows where, aud finally dies before it gets to little Muddy ; the public utility of this road answers no other purpose but to mar the peace of the settle- ment ; it affords no relief to travellers in its present course and length. Therefore, we, the undersigned petitioners, sin- cerely solieit your honorable body to disannul the former review and grant us a new one, running with the old one from Beaucoup to Mr. Lane's mill, thence through Elijah Wells' land between the house and shop, thence, to a half mile corner east, thence cast to Robert MeElvain's north- east corner in the prairie, thenee through the prairie on the best ground to intersect the post road to Frankfort.


On a road by these points travellers can pass and repass in peace and have intercourse with public roads to the east and to the west.


The cause of our petition is great, the remedy so natural and easy to be applied, and when it is completed the traveller will be benefited and the neighborhood will be blest; therefore, we, your humble petitioners, confidently trust that your hon- orable body will apply the proper remedy, and for this your petitioners will ever pray.


Bennet Lane, Elijah Wells, Robert MeElvain, Thomas Keeling, Abner l'yle, sr., Lihew Oustott, William Wooten, Joseph Taylor, Elijah Lane, John King, Richard Williams, Joseph H. MeElvain, Avery Chapman, Samuel MeElvain, John H. Creekpaum, D. H Mead, Abner l'yle, jr., Hiram Root, George W. Gill, Paris A. Hickman, John D. Burklow, Lewis Wells, J. G. Clark, Roaun Bowlin, George Lishman, John Pyle, Andrew Ros, William Ozburn, Van MI. Teague, Jeremiah Collins, Josiah Wells, Lewis Wells, jr., L. Berry 22


Ford, Elias Ford, Johu House, S. M. Woodside, D. Bald- ridge, Thomas Armstrong, M. Baldridge."


At the same time that the order for the sale of the lots was made, the following order was passed regarding the building of a court house on the corner west of the Public Square now occupied by the old saddlery shop.


THE FIRST COURT HOUSE.


" Ordered, That at the same time when and the place where the lots in the said county seat are offered for sale, there shall be by the aforesaid commissions let to the lowest bidder the building of the court house on lot numbered 32 in said town, which house is to be built of the following descrip- tion aud dimensions, to wit :


The said house to be built of hewn loga, which are to face from ten to twelve inches in the middle; and to be eighteen by twenty-two feet in length. The lower floor in said court house to be laid with good puncheons with good hewn joists, but uo floor above; to be covered with clapboards; with a door furnished with a shutter and good knob or stock lock in the east end, and a window of twelve lights, ten inches by twelve, in the west end. Also a platform sufficiently elevated for a seat for the judge, with steps leading thereto, and like- wise a suitable but plain har and table. The said judge's seat aud bar to be placed in the said west end of the said court house. A good and sufficient bench or seat shall be placed by the side of said har extending the whole length thereof, the whole to be executed, completed and finished in a good and workmaulike manner, and to be finished and ready for delivery to the county commissioners of this county, or their agent, specially appointed for that purpose, on or before the first day of August next. The contractor will be required to give bond with good and sufficient security, to be approved by the said commissioners, in the penal sum of two hundred dollars, conventioned for the compliance with this order, which bond shall be made payable to the county commis- sioners of this county and their successors iu office, for the use of said county, and shall be left and deposited with the elerk of this court and by him carefully filed with the papers of said clerk's office."


The contract was awarded to Berry Anderson for the sum of fifty-four dollars, and a bond, with Amos Anderson, Joseph Wells and Humphrey B. Jones, as sureties, was accepted and filed at the March term of the county court. At the September term, 1825, the building was received and the contract price paid.


An order made at the June term, 1828, declaring Pinck - neyville the seat of justice, and requiring all process issued by the clerks of the county and circuit courts to be made returnable thither, was at the September term rescinded


The first term of the county commissioners' court, held in the new court house in Pinckneyville, began ou the second day of March, 1829, with William Johnson, John Pyle, Jr. a and William H. Threlkel, commissioners ; and the first term of the circuit court held at the same place. commenced on the tenth day of April, 1829, Theophilus W. Smith, presid- ing as judge. In 1829, the court house was weather-boarded with four foot boards, neatly shaved, and a large stray pen was also erected on the same lot with the court house. The


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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.


pen was thirty-six feet square and six feet high. The work was done by Fergus M. Milligan, contractor, and the price of both jobs, $22 623.


REMONSTRANCE AGAINST BUILDING SECOND COURT HOUSE.


Be it known to the people of Illinois and the county of Perry, that the county commissioners' court of said county, have agreed to build a brick court house, forty-three feet square and twenty-four feet high with a square or hiped roof, and a brick floor with two doors and twenty-four windows, and two chimneys with two fire-places each. We the undersigned, knowing the annual income of onr connty to be insufficient to perform such mighty work, without essential and everlasting injury, do hereby protest against said proceedings, and pray said court to recall said order until we are better able or approved of by a majority of said county, given under our hands, this third day of February, 1836.


Names of signers : Frederick Williams, Lewis Wells, Paris A. Hickman, Michael J. Taylor, Jacob House, Thomas Wells, Obadiah West, Jonas Lype, Reuben Kelly, Jonathan MeCollum, Hezekiah Balch, John King, John A. Crofford, John Lype, Cornelius Godwin, Samnel McElvain, John Pyle, Sr., Joseph Williams, John R. Teague, Leonard Lype, Van M. Teague, Jeremiah Walker, Van S. Teague, Jacob Lipe, William Throop, Siprian Davis, Guilford H. Haggard, Solomon Woolsey, Robert M. Galloway, Lewis Wells, Sr., Thomas Wells, J. H. MeElvain, Ehja Laine, Bennet Lain, Elisha L. Lane, Abner Pyle, Sr., Simpson Willianis, W. Williams, Jordan Harris, Johnzy Orten, John Harris, Thomas Morris, Edgar M. Thompson, Abra- ham Morgan, Isaac Lee, Laban G. Jones, Abraham Lee, Elmund Lafferty, Edmond Callaway, Hiram Lafferty, Samuel T. Etherton, David Dial, Richard Williams, Wil- liam Dyal.


SECOND COURT HOUSE.


The second building erected for a Court House was a brick structure of two stories, situated about the centre of the present public square.


It was forty-three feet square, with a door in the North, South and West sides of the lower story, two or three chim_ neys, and open fire places above and below. The lower floor was of brick set on edge. Five windows of twenty-four lights each were placed in each of three sides of the upper room, and two in the other side corresponding to the num- ber of doors and windows below.


The building was erected by Amos Anderson and com- pleted in the fall of 1837, nearly two years after the enter- prise was undertaken. One thousand seven hundred and sixty five dollars was the cost, and (owing doubtless to the stringency of money matters) the contractor was paid large. ly in notes taken by the County commissioners, for sale of lots in Pinckneyville. The present Bank building of Mur- phy, Wall & Co at Pinckneyville, was subsequently built of the brick of this Court House.


In 1838 the court house was finished by Thomas L. Ross, carpenter and Andrew Hays plasterer, at an additional cost of eight hundred and forty dollars, and eighty seven and one half cents.


OFFICIAL BLUNDERING.


In September, 1810, an order was made by the county court authorizing the sheriff to employ some mechanic to re- pair the doors and windows of the court house, so as to cause them to shut and bolt, so that they cannot be opened from without.


On another occasion an order was made for the letting of a bridge contract " to the highest bidder."


In 1841 the appointment of assessor was given to the per- son offering to do the work in the shortest time. John Gil- liam took the office, agreeing to do the work in twenty-six days, that is for the amount of twenty six days' wages.


THE THIRD COURT-HOUSE.


At the March Term, 1849, of the County Commissioners' Court, Joel Rushing, Reuben Dye, and Isaac A Bradley, being the commissioners, William Edwards presented a pe- tition signed by five hundred and twenty voters, praying that a suitable court house be bui t. In compliance with the request of the petitioners, the court, on the seventh day of March, 1849, appointed Humphrey B. Jones, Chester A. Keyes and Charles L. Starbuck commissioners to procure plans and report the same at a special term, to be held the following April. At the same time the clerk of the commis- sioners' court was instructed to give notice for letting the contract for building the walls. The notice was to be pub- Ji-hed in the Spartu Register, Chester Reveille, and Belleville Advocate. The inside frame-work, roof. windows and doors were to constitute a separate contract, of which notice was to be given at the same time. On the ninth of April the court met in special session, received the report of the commit- tee, and, after making certain amendments thereto, adopted the same. The new building was to be erected upon the public square, west of the old courthouse. The dimen- sions were to be forty-six by thirty six feet. The founda- tion was to be of limestone two and one-half feet thick below the surface, and twenty inches in thickness above. It was to extend two fect and eight inches above the surface, and that portion to be bush-hammered, range stone-work, with water- tables. The remaining portion of the walls were to be brick, sixteen inches thick for the first story, and thirteen inches for the second, and twenty-five in height. The brick masonry was to be of the Tuscan order, as was also the cor- nice. The partitions in the first story were to be brick, and ten feet high. The wall was to have two coats of light- colored drab paint. The plastering to consist of two coats and white finish. The windows were to be supplied with twelve light sash, the glass to be twelve by sixteen inches, and also to have Venitian shutters.


The terms of the contract required the completion of the building on or before the first day of September, 1851. Bonds of one thousand dollars each, bearing six per cent. in- terest, were to be issued to the contractor, reserving thirty per cent until the building was received. The contract was let to Daniel W. Norris, of St. Clair county, for seven thou- sand five hundred dollars, on the 10th day of April, 1849: The contractor filed his bond for twelve thousand dollars, with Christian Raysing, Isaac Griffin and John Reynolds as sureties, on June 5th, 1849. The next day the ground was


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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.


staked off by the court, and the building ordered to staud with the cardinal points of the compass. Work commenced at once, and on the fifth day of December, 1849, the first bond for one thousand dollars was issued to the contractor, and the clerk was further ordered to issue five hundred dollars in six per cent. interest-bearing county orders of such denomi- nation as the builder should desire. A new county court, consisting of a county judge, Hosea H. Strait, and two asso- ciates, Edward A Whipple and Robert H. Williams, hay- ing beeu elected under the new constitution, held a meeting on the 9th day of July, 1850. At this meeting Hosea 11. Strait was appointed to go to Mt. Vernon and select a com- peteut workman to inspect the building in course of con- struction. Edward H. Whipple was sent to Chester, and Robert H. Williams to Washington county on a similar erraud. The workmen were procured, and, after an examina- tion, made the following report to the court, July 16, 1850 :


Pinckneyrille, July 16th, 1850.


We, the committee appointed by the honorable county court of Perry county to examine the rock and briek work of the court house now being ereeted in the town of Pinek- ueyville, would beg leave to respectfully report, that they have diligently examined the workmanship of the same, also the materials, and believe the materials to be of a good and suitable quality, and the workmanship neatly and well exe- euted, and in all respeets complying with the contract be- tween Daniel W. Norris and the county of Perry, with the exception of one rock iu the second course of cut stone to the right hand of the south front door, which we would recommend the contractor to remove and replace with a harder one.


JUDSON CLEMENT. HI. D. HINMAN. MATTHEW FORREST.


These building experts were allowed for their services the following amounts : Judson Clement, twelve dollars; H. D. Hinman, nine dollars; and Matthew Forrest five dollars. On the strength of this report, Mr Norris was allowed one bond of one thousand dollars, and two of five hundred dol- lars each ; aud an additional allowanee of ten dollars for extra work in cutting a scuttle-hole in the roof. The build- ing was completed and received by the county court on the third day of December, 1850, and the balance paid in four bonds of one thousand dollars each.


THE PRESENT COURT HOUSE.


The rapid increase in the population of the county, and the increase of litigation, made more commodious quarters necessary. Much uneasiness was also felt for the security of the many valuable records which were under no protec- tion from fire, and but slight from the incursions of evily- disposed persons. Many valuable court papers mysteriously disappeared, and cases coming on for trial were continued on account of missing papers. To afford the requisite ac- commodations, supply a safer receptacle for the records and to prevent the tampering with valuable records, the county commissioners, Johu Baird, chairman, John Schneider and John W. Pyatt, at their meeting, October 9th, 1877, passed


the following order : "Ordered, That there be submitted to the legal voters of this county, to be voted on at the ensu- ing November election, a proposition for the erection of an addition to the county court house, and to levy a tax there- fore in the years 187 > and 1579, not exceeding five thousand dollars in each of said years. Such addition is to be of briek, two stories high, with fire-proof protection to the pub- lic records. The necessary funds to meet the expenses of such building to be borrowed in one or more loans, to be redeemed when said taxes shall be collected : The vote upon said proposition shall be " For taxation for addition to court house ; " and, " Against taxation for addition to court house." And, if authorized, the board shall let a contract without delay, and shall have said work completed during next summer. The proposition met with defeat at the polls, there being seven hundred and ninety-four votes for the pro- position, and nine hundred and sixty-one against it. In April, 1878, the people seeing the folly of their actions at the polls, sent numerous petitions to the county board, ask- ing for what they had just denied by their votes. By the ninth day of April, 1878, no less than one thousand and eighty-five names were presented to the commissioners asking that the proposed improvement be made. On the same day, the county commissioners ordered that John Chapman, of Du Quoin, be employed to prepare a plan and the >peeifica- tions for the improvement. The plans and specifications were presented to the county commissioners ou the seven- teenth of the following May and adopted. The county clerk was ordered May 3, 1479, to give notice in the Du Quoin Tribune and Pinckneyville Independent, that bids would be received up to noon on June 3d, 1878, when the contraet would be let to the lowest bidder. On the 5th day of June, 1878. the contract was let to William G. Wilson, of Pinck- neyville for the sum of nine thousand seven hundred and forty two dollars. He gave bond in the suiu of nine- teen thousand four hundred and eighty-four dollars, with J. L. Murphy, Charles Guemalley, Ilenry Driemeyer, Charles A. Hoffman, Jacob M. Kunz, Fred Behrends, Joseph Bischof, Fred Mueller, William Klotz, A. K. Kalbfleisch, William H. Smith, Evan B. Rushing, R. N. Davis, Philip Gruner, G. R. Hincke and Joel M. Sul- Jivau as security. The building was to be completed by the twenty-fifth day of October, ISTS. The bond was approved July 9, and an order made to advance the contractor two thousand dollars. The house of Lewis Yung was rented for the use of the county officials, while the work of remodelling was in progress. On the twelfth of October of the same year, two thousand dollars was paid on the con- traet with a further order to pay two thousand more when the roof was completed. Work was at once commenced, the walls of the old building razed to the top of the windows of the first story, and the whole interior removed. A wing was added to the east side of the old building and carried up two stories high. The wing is forty-five feet fronting south by a depth of thirty-six feet, making the building present a front of eighty-one feet. The building is a handsome brick with stone faeings window-sills and caps. It is well ven- tilated and lighted by large windows, which are furnished


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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH, MONROE AND PERRY COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.


with blinds upon the inside. Two halls run through the building from north to south. On the first story of the old building are four handsome and commodious offices. Ou the same floor in the wing are the offices of the county and the circuit clerk, both supplied with large fire-proof vaults, with burglar-proof combination locks upon the doors. The vaults are conveniently fitted with racks for the records and pigeon holes in which to file the numerous papers. The second floor of the main building contains the court room, with handsome bar and comfortable seats for the audience. To the right of the judge's desk, a handsome and life-like oil painting, nearly life-size, of the late Judge Sidney Breese, looks down upon the auditorium. The portrait was painted by E. C. H. Willoughby, and purchased by the bar, since Judge Breese's demise. The second story of the wings contains two large rooms for the use of the grand jury, and the petit jury, with witness rooms adjoining each. The grounds are yearly becoming more attractive, containing many handsome sbade trees. On the 22d day of January, 1879. John Chapman and William G. Wilson were appointed agents to purchase furniture and the necessary supplies for the new court house. They were to receive two dollars and fifty cents per day for their services. John Chapman, ou the 10th of April, 1879, made his report and presented a bill for two hundred and ninety dollars, the total cost of furni- ture for the building. At the same meeting John Schneider was instructed to purchase a chandelier for thirty dollars. John Baird, John W. Pyatt, and John Schneider, county commissioners, received the building from the contractors on the thirtieth day of April, 1879; and ordered the balance of six hundred and forty-two dollars, due on the contract, paid The custody of the new building was placed in the hands of the clerks of the courts. A handsome iron fence now surrounds the entire square, the cost of which was one thousand five hundred and thirteen dollars and fifty cents. E. T. Barnum, of Detroit, was the contractor for the work, and John W. Pyatt, Thomas Stevenson and Lysias Heape were the commissioners at the time.


FIRST JAIL.


The first jail was built in 1833 and 1834, and stood upon the site of the present jail until torn down and removed to make room for the present one. It was of brick, with three iuner walls of square timber, two of which were built up in the usual manner-logs notched together-and the middle wall of square timbers, set in perpendicularly This jail consisted of two rooms one above the other. The dimen- sious were 14 by 16 feet inside. Two small grated windows in each room afforded a scant supply of light and ventilation.


Amos Anderson was the contractor for this jail, the cost of which was $750.


THE PRESENT JAIL.


By a special act of the General Assembly the present county jail was built.


On the twentieth day of September, 1866, the county court, then composed of William Elstun, county judge, and Ephraim T. Rees and James L. Primm, associates, the fol- lowing order was passed :


"Ordered, that a tax, at the rate of two mills on the dollar, be levied on all the taxable property in the county of Perry, to be expended for the purpose of erecting a common jail in the town of Pinckneyville, under and by virtue of an act of the Legislature of the State of Illinois, approved February 15th, 1865, and published in Vol. II., Private Laws of Illinois, 1865, page 542."




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