History of Madison County, Illinois With biographical sketches, Part 38

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co.
Number of Pages: 698

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paid him $30.0) per annum for his official work. Elwards- ville was made a road district, because the town trustees had resigned in body and given up the corporate powers and privileges of the old town, and Isaac Prickett was put in charge of affairs as " supervisor."

The election of 1839 returned the following County officers, to wit :- David Smith, Commissioner; W. T. Browu. County Clerk ; Edward M. West, Treasurer ; J. T. Lusk, Recorder > Benaiah Robinson, Surveyor, aud Matthew Gillespie, Probate Judge-Recorders, Surveyors and Pro- bate Judges had until then been appointed, not elected.

The names of the justices of the peace, whose offices were made elective in 1827, elected at the various periods of time, will be found alphabetically arranged at the close of this chapter to the period from 1819 to 1849.

FOURTEENTH BOARD, 1839-40.

Hiram Arthur, Edmund Fruit, and David Smith, Com- missioners.

William Ogle, who had been Treasurer of the County since March, 1837, came forward at the first term of this court, September, 1839. Mr. Ogle was the first Treasurer of Madison County, who kept a treasurer's account book. The book is still in existence, and is labeled, "County Treasurer's Record, Vol. 1."

The first entry is made on the fly leaf, to wit :

1837. 2 April 5. 5

To amount received of T. G. Lofton on acct. of estrays, paid in County orders, $71.56}.

(The above orders were marked paid through mistake, and the County is still bound for them to the Treasurer.)

These lines are in the well-known handwriting of William Tyler Brown, who also wrote out the following official report for Mr. Ogle :

SEPTEMBER TERM, A. D., 1839.

The undersigned makes a final report of his actings as Treasurer of Madison County, showing the whole amount of moneys paid into the Treasury, as also the total amount paid out.

The whole amount paid into the Treasury from different sources from the 31st of March, 1837, to this date is

$11,984.94

The total amount paid out

during same period of time is $11,621.59

Commissions 2 per cent. on $11,723.79 234.46 11,856.05

Leaving a balance due to the County of $128.89 which is herewith paid into conrt, and on which a commis- sion is charged.

All of which appears from my books and papers this day delivered over to my successors. WM. OGLE,

Treasurer.

This report is introduced here, because it is the oldest found on file, and because it is also, in all probability, the first one filed, as no Treasurer's account books had been kept previously. Another reason for introducing it was its

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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

Jaconie style and want of detail. It reminds the writer of an amusing incident in the life of the famous rider-Gen- eral Bluecher, the deadliest enemy of Napoleon. Bluecher, a splendid and dashing trooper, was a wretched scholar. His king had sent him onee as military governor to Ham- burg. At the end of the year the general reported to the Home Government : " I have received so and so many dol- lars in public funds, and have paid out so and so many dol- lars on publie accounts, leaving a balance of so and so many cents." The treasury people in Berlin refused to accept this report and returned it for itemizing, demanding rouch- ers besides. Bluecher copied his first report without chang- ing a letter. It came back, of course, and this time with a reprimand. The old warrior grew furious, and when the report went to Berlin a third time, it contained the follow- ing marginal remark : "I have stated facts as they are ; whoever says that they are not correet is a scoundrel, and my name is Blueeher." This ended the controversy.

William Ogle's report would not have passed muster at Berlin, but then we are not living in old fossiled monarchies, ours is a grand Republie.

The County finances commenced to attract the attention of men in various parts of the country. Representative George Smith, of Upper Alton, called by letter of Sept. 3, 1839, the attention of the County Court to the 21st section of the revenue law, which section provided that the collee- tor should pay in the Treasury monthly all taxes collected by him. The Treasurer's account book of 1839 and subse- quent years up to 1849, prove that the Board aeted upon Mr. Smith's suggestion.

In January, 1840, the citizens of Alton refused to pay the County Tax, claiming that their city charter exempted them from paying this tax. The court submitted the matter to His Honor Judge Breese, who sustained the Alton elaim.

John C. Dugger was reappointed collector in Mareb, 1840. The assessors of the county report the total value of all taxable property in the county to have been $3,284,549, and the collector reported that he had failed to make collec- tions on $435,940 worth of land, and $53,810 worth of per- sonal property, and that $445,664 worth of city property was exempt from paying a county tax. The county levied a tax of twenty-five ceuts on all property outside of Alton, and a special tax of fifteen cents on all property in the county. This special tax was intended for raising funds with which to pay the penitentiary orders.

In August, 1840, the following officers were elected : Ephraim Harnsberger, county commissioner ; Andrew Mil- ler, sheriff; Joseph Gillespie, Cyrus Edwards, and James Reynolds, members of the house of representatives, and II. C. Caswell, coroner. The assessor's districts of the previous year were abolished, and Orren Meeker was appointed county assessor for the next year-1841.

The collector's returns for the year 1840, are very ae- curately made out, and from them we were enabled to make the following correet extracts :

The real estate outside of Alton was valued at $1,299,979, and the personal property owned in the county, outside of Alton, was assessed at $565,487-total property subject to

county tax, 81,865,466. The real estate of Alton was valued at 8621,610, and the personal property at $155,724, or 8777,334 in the aggregate, value of all taxable property in the county in 1840, 82,642,880. Mr. Dugger further re- ported that he failed to collect eight per cent. of the taxes outside of Alton, and seventeen per cent of the taxes in the city limits. 1840 was a United States census year. The population reported in 1830-viz., 6,221, had more than doubled, and Madison ranked now in point of population as the fourth of the eighty-seven organized counties of Illinois.

Morgan county led with a population of 19,154; Sanga- mon followed, with 14,716; Adams third, with 14,461, and then Madison, with 14,433. Cook county, with Chicago in embryo, had then scarcely 10,000 inhabitants.

The live stock of Madison county consisted in 7,036 horses, 22,139 neat cattle, 12,608 sheep, and 54,752 hogs. The poultry belonging to the 3,000 families residing in the county was valued at $18,667. The farm products of the preceding year were reported as follows: 165,520 bushels of wheat, valued at 62} cents per bushel=$103,450; 44,080 bushels of barley, rye, and buckwheat, valued at 20 cents per bushel,=822,920; 209,800 bushels of oats, valued at $41,960; 1,304,335 bushels of corn, valued at 20 cents per bushel, =$260,850; 25,190 pounds of wool, valued at 45 cents per pound=$11,335; 654 pounds of beeswax at 25 cents per pound =$161.00; 121,305 bushels of potatoes at 25 cents per bushel=830,325,00; 6,542 tons of hay, at $8.00 per ton, =$52,336 ; 25 tons of flax or hemp, at $100 per ton=$2,500; 11,280 pounds of tobacco, at 6 cents per pound=$676 00; 35,810 eords of wood, sold at $2.00 per cord=871,620. Value of butter sold, $38,177; value of fruits grown in orchards, $40,775 ; value of domestic goods, $33,460; value of garden and nursery products, 850,520.

The value of farming products, including live-stock, sold in 1839, amounted to 82,369,151.80, or nearly 100 per cap- ita. In this Madison led all other counties ; Morgan county followed with $1.552, 310.20, Sangamon with 1,549,948.90, St. Clair with $1.346.130.40; Gallatin with 1,216,329.74 ; Fulton with $1,1×8,677.50 ; Adams with $1,073,629.00, and Vermillion with $1,062,000.26. The total value of all farm products sold in the state during said year was $40,- 738,085.70, over one-fourth of which amount was made up by the above eight counties.

The average value of livestock was-horses and mules, $45.00, cattle $15 00, sheep $2.00, swine $3.00.

The census reports 71 stores in the county with $464.575 invested-$6500 per store. 986 wagons and carriages had been manufactured during the year in the county, and their average value seems to have been about 832.00. The flour turned out by the mills was valued at $406.350. 296 dwelling-houses had been built during the year at an ex- pense of $287.975. There were two tanneries in the county that turned out 1650 sides of leather, harnesses and saddles made in the county in 1839 were valued at $23,- 275; 3 distilleries turned 28.300 gallons of whiskey ; the products of lime kilns and briek yards were estimated to have been worth $17.200, and sundries, skins, etc., had brought $ 44 332.

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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

All the wine made in the state, to wit : 471 gallons, was manufactured in Madison county. The census does not state in what part of the county vines were grown, nor what the stuff was worth per gallon. The writer has however, every reason to believe, that the quality was even inferior to the quantity.

Butchering and packing was carried ou to a considera- ble extent, in the entire state, to wit : Of the money used in that business $744.725-$421.675 was invested in Altou alone, where over 5000 beeves al nearly 50.0)) hogs had been slaughtered during the preceding year.

FIFTEENTH BOARD-1840-1841

Hiram Arthur, David Smith, and Ephraim Harnsberger commissioners.

Very little public business was transacted by this board ; the 51 road-districts of the county were reviewed, named according to the fancy of the court, but there is nothing remarkable about those names. The friends of Old Hick- ory had one district named "Hermitage" with J. G. Smith as supervisor and Benaiah Gulliek presided over " Egypt. "

The " Madison county ferry company " represented by William Gillham, applied for and obtained license to estab- lish a ferry at Venice and to north St. Louis. This com- pany has grown into a powerful and wealthy corporation.

Another corporation, the Alton and Mt. Carmel railroad company commenced operations, but failed to come up to the great and wild expectations of the people. The sehemes of internal improvements at the expenses of the state, resulted disastrously. Some 1300 miles of railroads were to be built throughout the state, besides other im- provements, canals, &e., and the carnival lasted as long as the state could borrow money. The state debt thus ere- ated amounted to about fifteen million of dollars. Instead of developing the grand resources of the state, as asserted on all the high-ways and by-ways, in all cities, towns and villages, a new financial misery was brought about by the planless and senseless measures of-let us say-enthusiasts. The people of Madison county suffered with the population of other counties, but they had no reason to complain, in as much as her leading men were as much carried away as others. It is not the province of the chronicler of a county sketch to branch off on this subject, and he returns to the county affairs.

SIXTEENTH BOARD. 1841-1842.

David Smith, Ephraim Harnsbeger and Samuel Squire, commissioners. This board introduced a financial scheme of doubtful propriety by ordering the issuing of county orders, which were to be used as money by various supervisors of roads in payment of improvements to be made. County orders should only be used in payment of commodities fur- nished to the county or of labor performed for the county, and upon vouchers properly and legally audited and al- lowed. The system introduced by the above board created a county debt, which it took years to cancel, as will be shown

hereafter. It was, as the " enthusiasts on greenhacks" of a later day called it, " fiat money,"and looked so harmless and innocent in the beginning, but, as the appetite grew- and appetite will grow while good things appear before the eater-greater amounts had to be issued, until finally the orders lost their charm, and the purchasing power of this fiat dollar was reduced to but a fraction of the genuine dollar. The fractional dollars had to be paid by the tax- payers of the county in full and genuine dollars.

John C. Dagger was succeeded in the office of county collector by John Cooper, appointed in 1842, and Isaac Cox took Orren Meeker's place as county assessor in the same year. The Madison county Ferry Company was relieensed in 1842, and its tax was raised from $10 to $50 per annum, from which faet the reader may judge with what success the enterprise was crowned.

The election of August, 1842, returned George Smith to the state senate, together with James A James, selected by the voters of Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties. Robert Aldrich, John Bailhache and Curtis Blakeman be- eame members of the house of representatives, Andrew Miller, sheriff (was re-elected), H S. Summers was made eoroner, and James Webb took the place of David Smith in the board of county commissioners.

SEVENTEENTH BOARD. 1842-43.

Ephraim Harnsberger, Samuel Squire and James Webb, commissioners. This board organized a new precinet to be called " Looking-Glass," now St. Jacob, with the poll at W. H. Uzzel's, and with John Lindley, Stephen Hart and J. G. Anderson as the first judges of election.

August, 1843, election of county officers : James G. Anderson, county commissioner ; George W. Prickett, pro- bate judge; W. T. Brown, county clerk; II. K. Eaton, county collector ; Daniel A. Lanterman, school commissioner, J. T. Lusk, county recorder ; E. M. West, county treasurer.

EIGHTEENTH BOARD. 1843-44.

Samuel Squire, James Webb and J. G. Anderson, county commissioners. The county orders, the "fiat money " of 1841, had by this time depreciated, and orders were freely offered at fiom 25 to 35 per cent. discount, and the court, not being advised as to the amount of such orders afloat, ordered to fund them in amounts of $100, or its multiple, to bear 12 per cent. annual interest and to be paid after three years. Yes, "after!" The last of these orders was pre- seuted twenty-eight years later, in 1971, and the holder, the late H. K. Eaton, of this county, consented to take a 10 per cent. interest bearing bond in lieu of his 12 per cent. paper. The bond issued to Mr. Eaton, was, with others converted into 6 per cent. interest bonds in 1877, and forms to this day a part of the indebtedness of Madison county. "Fiat" money is truly a grand institution. The $100 of fiat money, which in 1843, had paid for about 870 worth of labor, has cost the county the following amounts in interest: 12 per cent. from 1848 to 1871, $336; 10 per cent from 1871 to 1877, $60, and G per cent. from 1877 to 1882, $30, aggre- gating $424 in interest, $100 to be paid yet, swelling the

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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

original $100, which was in fact worth only $70, to $524. The process of " funding " commenced on the 14th of March, 1843, and continued to June, 1855, during which time $26,- 900 of fiat money were converted into interest bearing bonds to be redeemed in specie. This was the result of the short, quiet, harmless, innocent order made September 6th, 1841- Ordered that $300 in county orders, of $5 each, payable to bearer, be issued and placed in the hands of - and - supervisors, to be used as money in payment for making a road through Wet prairie. The spirit of internal improve- ments had seized upon the people of the county to such a degree, that the court was beset from the first to the last day of its term with petitions to lay out new roads, etc., etc. The county surveyor, old Benaiah Robinson, grew weary of the work, the more so, as he had formed an idea, that many of those petitions were only presented to have certain men draw pay as viewers. He drew up the following amusing document, found among the vouchers of 1842, to wit :

" A little parley with the Court .- Should the court think it most prudent to put a stop to the road petitions and their consequent views, reports, etc , let the following method be adopted, which will insure success with less censure than any other, as the law appears in part to favor the plan : Let it be onee determined that 75 cents a day in county orders, is all that will be given to chainmen and other necessary hands, out of which they must pay their own fare; and that the viewers shall have but $1.00 per day, whether they chain or not, out of which they must pay their way, or that the surveyor shall pay the whole bill of fare, where- ever he may have to direet the hands for lodging or victual- ing. Either of these rules, it is believed, will greatly retard or put a stop to the present process of road manufacturing. And it will cause less complaint against the court than any other method that can be put in practice.

Unfavorable reports will not reach the case, new petitions will spring up like the fabled Hydra, changing, perhaps a little, routes formerly acted on, or new viewers will be asked for, whose opinions are known in advance, for the petitioners elaim as great a share of wisdom as generally falls to the lot of viewers, and frequently they have the audacity to believe that they know as well where a good wagon road could be made as your humble surveyor."

The valuation of taxable property in the county was stated to be 82, 364,197, exclusive of Alton; a tax of 30 cents per 100 should have brought $7,092.60, but delin- queneies now amounted to over twelve per cent. and the net tax was only $5,939.36.

The necessity of securing an asylum for the helpless pau- pers in the county, had become apparent, and Judge G. W. Priekett, volunteered to negotiate for James Ruggles' house as a temporary abode for the unfortunates. The house was to be furnished and put in readiness during January, 1844, and James Ruggles was appointed superintendent with a yearly salary of 8250.00.

Admittance of a free negro .- Patsey, alias Martha Tyler, a woman of color, formerly the slave of Samuel Miller of the Parish of Tensas, Louisana, planter, and by him manumitted, brought evidence of her freedom, had those papers recorded

and gave hond as the law required, whereupon she was per- mitted to reside in Madison county.

1844-AUGUST ELECTION :

George Barnsback, George Churchill and N. D. Strong, members of the house of representatives ; Andrew Miller, sheriff and ex-officio collector of revenue, and Samuel Squire county commissioner, (his 2d term).

NINETEENTH BOARD 1844-45.

James Webb, J. G. Anderson and Samuel Squire, county commissioners.

This court became the recipient of a handsome donation made by Hon. George Barnsback, member of the house of representatives, accompanied by the following letter :

"Herewith I present you with the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars in auditor's warrants which I wish you to appropriate towards the relief of the poor of your county, in such a manner as you may deem the most proper.

Your most obedient servant, GEORGE BARNSBACK." Edwardsville, March 4, 1845.

The court acknowledged the receipt by the following :

1845, March Term-Ordered that the thanks of the court be tendered to the Hon. George Barnsback, representative from this county in the legislature of Illinois for his muni- ficent donation of $150.00 in auditor's warrants to the county of Madison, to he applied to the relief of the poor of said county, and that funds be appropriated as directed by the donor, in his communication to this court, upon the subject, which is ordered to be filed and preserved among the records of the county.

V E. M. West, having been appointed school commissioner in place of Daniel A. Lanterman, resigned, surrendered his office as treasurer, to the board, whereupon Matthew Gillespie was appointed treasurer, March, 1845.

The county revenue for 1844, amounted to $6,583.93, and the expenditures to $7,627.58.

Irwin B. Randle was elected county commissioner in place of James Webb, whose term had expired.

TWENTIETH BOARD 1845-46.

.T. G. Anderson, Samuel Squire and I. B. Randle, com- missioners.

December term, 1845 .- The court appointed two of its members, J. G. Anderson and Samuel Squire and the sur- veyer B. Robinson a committee to adopt a plan of building a new jail and to contract for the same. The support of the paupers in the poor house cost the county 8800 in 1845, and complaint was male, that the pauper expenditures throughout the county were still very considerable. In 1846 the order in reference to contracting for a new jail is rescinded and another substituted to devise a plan for en- larging the old jail. This plan is abandoned again, and in May, 1846, the county agents above mentioned contracted with Samuel Smith and Thomas Me Veil for the building of a new jail. This indecision of the court was brought about

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HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

by the usual clamor against public expenditures. The con- tract called for a brick building, thirty-eight by twenty- eight fcet, outside measure, with stone foundation four feet below and one foot above the surface, and to be four feet thick. The walls of the first story to be double, thirteen inches thick, and one foot apart, in which space are to be inserted perpendicularly timbers twelve inches square and of the length of the story. The rest of the contract is in keeping with the introductory lines, and it would appear im- possible for inmates of one of the cells to break through. The contract price was $2,900, to be paid in county orders. The contractors gave bond, with E M. West, H. K. Eaton, J. T. Lusk, Matthew Gillespie and W. T. Brown sureties for faithful performance of work as called for in contract.

The building is this day standing on the old court-house grounds and serves as a city prison building.

1846, AUGUST ELECTION.

Joseph Gillespie, State Senator ; Curtis Blakeman, W. F. De Wolf and William Martin, representatives, Andrew Miller, sheriff; T. Weed, coroner; W. B. Reynolds, county commissioner, and H. K. Eaton, probate judge in place of Hon. G. W. Prickett, who had gone to fight the battles of the United States on the fields of Mexico.

TWENTY-FIRST BOARD-1846-1847.

Samuel Squire, I. B. Randle and W. B. Reynolds, coun- ty commissioners. The building of the new jail was now in progress. W. T. Brown, H. K. Eaton and John H. Weir, who had been appointed a committee to superintend the building of said jail, reported January 8, 1847, as follows :

" That under the discretion allowed them they have made several alterations and changes from the original plan upon which said jail was to have been constructed. These changes were made by the committee after consultation among them- selves, and are such as were deemed to be expedient and proper, and such as are believed to be an improvement upon the original plan for the construction of the jail ; all changes that had been made are without auy additional charge to the county on the original contract except as to two items, one substituting a stone wall instead of a brick wall in the foundation which has already been examined into and acted upon by the court, and the other in cansing the jail to be built eighteen inches higher than the contract required; this change was made necessary on account of particularly sized windows being required for the upper story, which could not be placed therein without leaving the same too near the floor or too near the eaves. For this additional work on the part of the contractors no price was agreed upon with the contractors, but the same was made with the express under- standing, that the contractors should receive a reasonable price therefore, to be agreed upon between the contractors and this court. Most of the changes have been in the opinion of the committee, favorable to the contractors, still they were made with the understanding that the contractors were to have the same pay as though the jail had been built according to the original contract and plan. The committee have not thought proper to name in this report all and every

change that has been made for the reason that it would ex- tend the report to a very great length, and would not ex- plain to the court so satisfactorily the changes as a personal inspection of the building by the court, and a comparison thereof with the original plan now in the hands of the clerk.

The committee further report that the work required by said contract of Messrs. Smith and McNeil has been com- pleted by them according to the original plan and the changes that have been made, with this exception, that the floors of the cells and of the lower hall have not yet been laid, but the plank is now in the jail for the purpose, and it is supposed by the committee that the sum of fifteen dollars would be amply sufficient to have the same laid, when the plank be . comes seasoned, for which purpose the laying thereof has been postponed. Should the court receive the job at the present term or before the floors are laid, the committee would suggest the propriety of taking the obligation of the contractors to have it properly laid when it shall be deemed that the plank is sufficiently seasoned.

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History of Madison County, Illinois With biographical sketches, Part 38

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co. Number of Pages: 698

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co.
Number of Pages: 698