USA > Illinois > McLean County > The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 19
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SEC. 3. An election shall be held at the several places of holding elections as now laid off by Tazewell County, in the said county of McLean, on the second Monday of March next, for one Sheriff, one Coroner and three County Commissioners, who shall hold their offices until the next general election, and until their successors be qualified ; and the Justices of the Peace and Constables who are now in office and residing within the limits of said county of MeLean, shall continue in office until the next quadrennial election for Justices of the Peace and Constables, and until their successors be qualified. And it shall be the duty of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of said county, and if there
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be none acting, then the Recorder or Judge of Probate, shall give at least fifteen days' notice previous to said election, and who shall appoint the judges and clerks of said elec- tion, who shall be legal voters; and the returns of the election shall be made to the Clerk, Recorder, or Judge of Probate Court, as the case may be, who gave the notice aforesaid, and by him, in the presence of one or more Justices of the Peace, shall be opened and examined, and they jointly shall give to the persons elected Commissioners, certificates of their election, and like certificates to the persons elected Sheriff and Cor- oner, to forward to the Governor ; which election shall in all other respects be conform- able to law.
SEC. 4. All courts for said county shall be held at the house of James Allen until public buildings are erected, unless changed to some other place by order of the County Commissioners' Court, who shall make the same a matter of record.
SEC. 5. The Commissioners herein appointed to locate the county seat shall be allowed two dollars per day each, for every day by them necessarily employed in making said location, to be paid by said county.
SEC. 6. The seat of justice of said county of McLean shall be called and known by the name of Bloomington.
(Approved December 25, 1830.)
OFFICIAL HISTORY.
After the creation of McLean County, as herein previously stated, by act of the State Legislature, in 1831, the First Judicial Circuit of the State consisted of Pike, Calhoun, Greene, Morgan, Sangamon, Tazewell, Macon, McLean and Macoupin Counties ; and the first term was to be legally held in this county at the house of Mr. James Allen, in Bloomington, on the first Thursday after the first Monday after the fourth Monday in April in 1831. The Circuit Courts were then presided over by the Judges of the Supreme Court of the State, and the Circuit Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit. The Hon. Samuel D. Lockwood presided in the court, in this circuit, from 1831 till 1835 ; Hon. Stephen T. Logan presided from 1835 till 1837 ; Hon. Jesse B. Thomas, from 1837 till 1839; Hon. William Thomas, from 1839 till 1840; Hon. Samuel H. Treat, from 1840 till 1849.
The Circuit Judges then becoming elective, Hon. David Davis was elected, and presided in this circuit from 1849 till 1863; then Hon. John M. Scott, from 1863 till 1870 ; Hon. Thomas F. Tipton, from 1870 till 1877, and then Hon. Owen T. Reeves, the present incumbent, became his successor.
At the first term of the Court in this county, Mr. James Allen was the Clerk pro tempore. In September, 1832, Gen. Meritt L. Covell was appointed Clerk, who held the office till 1845 ; then Mr. James T. Gildersleeve held it till 1849; then Mr. Will- iam H. Allen was elected to the office, and held it till 1853 ; then Mr. William McCul- lough, till 1863; then Dr. E. R. Roe, till 1868; then Rev. Robert E. Guthrie, till 1872 ; then Mr. Samuel F. Dolliff, till 1876, who was succeeded by Mr. James C. McFarland, the present incumbent.
David B. Campbell, Esq., was Prosecuting Attorney in this circuit from 1849 till 1854. In 1855 and 1856, A. McWilliams, Esq., held the office; in 1857 and till 1860, it was held by Ward H. Lemon, Esq .; in 1861 and 1862, by William H. Young, Esq .; in 1863 and till 1867, by Henry S. Greene, Esq .; in 1867 and 1868, by Hon. Thomas
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F. Tipton ; in 1869, 1870 and 1871, by Jonathan Rowell, Esq. Since that time, it has been held by J. W. Fifer, Esq., the present incumbent.
GRAND JURORS.
The first grand jury summoned together in this county, in 1832, was composed of the following-named persons : John Houchins, Robert Turner, Thomas Glenn, Gard- ner Randolph, Jesse Funk, John Buckles, James Merrifield, Asahel Gridley, Nathan Low, Ephraim Myers, John Hendrix, John Cox, Reuben Carlock, William Herford, Henry Buckner, Ephraim Stout, Jr., John Doudy, William Patrick, Elbert Dickerson, Aaron Foster, Benjamin Downey and Jacob Ellis.
RELATIVE POPULATION.
It may be of interest to some of our readers to learn that when this, the First Judicial Circuit, in 1832, was composed of nine counties, including McLean, the other eight all lying south of it, except Tazewell, the Fifth Circuit was composed of fifteen counties, as follows : Cook, La Salle, Putnam, Peoria, Fulton, Schuyler, Adams, Han- cock, McDonough, Knox, Warren, Jo Daviess, Mercer, Rock Island and Henry. This shows very plainly from what direction came mostly the early settlers of the State, and in what direction the incoming population moved. Now, the relative population is reversed, the then insignificant county of Cook at present containing something like one-sixtlı of the entire population of the State.
PETIT JURORS.
The first petit jury called together in this county, in the spring of 1832, was com- posed as follows : Andrew Brock, Gabriel Watt, Thomas Cuppy, John Moore, Esq., David Noble, Silas Waters, Amos Conaway, Henry Ball, Eli Frankerberger, Benjamin Hains, John Kimler, John H. S. Rhodes, John Maxwell, Sr., James Canada, Henry Hains, John Durley, Lewis Soward, Patrick Hopkins, Jacob Spawr, Absalom Funk, John Dixon, David Wheeler, James Toliver, Mathew Robb.
COUNTY COURT. .
The first Commissioners of the County Court, for the transaction of county busi- ness, Hons. Jonathan Cheney, Timothy B. Hoblitt and Jesse Havens, held the first session of their court in Bloomington, May 16, 1831.
Their successors in office have been, in 1832, Mr. Seth Baker and Mr. Andrew McMillan ; in 1838, William Orondorff, Esq .; in 1839, Mr. James R. Dawson; in 1840, Mr. Henry R. Clark ; in 1841, Messrs. Nathan Low and William Conaway ; in 1842, Mr. Israel W. Hall ; in 1843, Mr. Jesse Funk ; in 1844, Mr. William Bishop ; in 1845, Mr. Henry Vansickle; in 1847, Mr. Ezekiel Arrowsmith ; in 1848, Mr. James Vandolah.
At the December term, 1849, the form of the Court was changed, the county business being transacted by a. Presiding Judge and two Associate Judges, and the probate business by the Presiding Judge. Hon. John E. MeClun had been elected Presiding Judge, and Messrs. Silas Waters and Joseph H. Moore, Associate Judges. In 1853, Hon. John M. Scott became Presiding Judge, and Hiram Buck, Esq., Asso- ciate Judge, Associate Moore being re-elected. In 1854, Hon. B. HI. Coffey became Presiding Judge, and Milton Smith, Esq., became Associate in 1855. In 1856, Hon. A. J. Merriman was elected County Judge, and, by re-elections, held the office sixteen
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years, till 1872. The jurisdiction of the Court was then greatly extended, and Hon. R. M. Benjamin, the present incumbent, was elected to that office.
At the organization of the Commissioners' Court, in 1831, Dr. Isaac Baker was Clerk, and he acted also as Surveyor. In 1839, B. H. Coffey became County .Clerk, and served till 1854. His successor, E. H. Rood, served till 1857, and he was suc- ceeded by Dr. W. C. Hobbs, who served till 1861; then Reuben L. Davis was Clerk till 1866, and then Robert S. McIntyre till 1870. His successor was Johnson W. Straight, till 1874 ; then Reuben L. Davis was again Clerk till 1878, when Charles W. Atkinson, the present incumbent, was elected to that office.
The first County Treasurer was Mr. Thomas Orondorff, in 1831. In 1833, Mr. David Wheeler was appointed Treasurer. In 1836, James Rains became Treasurer, and Richard Edwards in 1837. In 1838, G. B. Larrison was appointed Treasurer pro tem., and Gen. Asahel Gridley was appointed to that office in 1839. In 1841, Gen. Gridley resigned the Treasurership, and was succeeded by W. P. Brown, Esq. In 1842, William H. Temple was elected Treasurer, and became Assessor in 1845, and the two offices were held by the same person for several terms. In 1853, Mr. William Thomas became Treasurer and Assessor, and served till 1858, in both capacities, when the Supervisors' Court was established, and Township Assessors were employed ; but Mr. Thomas served as County Treasurer till 1862. He was succeeded by Mr. Thomas Fell, who was Treasurer till 1866; then Col. John L. Routt served till 1870; then Mr. Lewis E. Ijams, till 1872; then Mr. Joseph Dennison, till 1876; then Mr. Isaac Stroud, till 1878; then Mr. Dennison, who is the present incumbent, again became Treasurer.
Cheney Thomas, Esq., appears to have been, in 1832, the first Sheriff and County Collector in this county. In 1835, Mr. Martin Scott became his successor, and served till 1840, when Mr. G. B. Larison succeeded to the office of Sheriff. In 1842, Mr. Richard Edwards was Sheriff. In 1844, Mr. William McCullough was elected Sheriff and Collector, and served till 1850, and was then succeeded by Mr. Jonathan Glimpse in 1851 and 1852; by Mr. George Parke in 1853 and 1854; by Mr. John J. Price in 1855 and 1856; by J. H. Moore, Esq., in 1857 and 1858; by Mr. William P. Withers in 1859 till 1862; then by Mr. Normal Dixon in 1863 and 1864; by Henry A. Ewing, Esq., in 1865 and 1866; by Mr. Edward M. Pike in 1867 and 1868; by Mr. Richard Osborn in 1869 and 1870; by Mr. Gustave Lange in 1871 and 1872; by Mr. Henry Honscheit in 1873 and 1875 ; by James Goodheart in 1875 till 1878; then by Mr. Joseph Ator, the present incumbent.
In 1832, James Latta, Esq., was appointed Commissioner of School Lands, and was succeeded by Jesse W. Fell, Esq., in 1834. In 1836, Mr. Cheney Thomas was elected School Commissioner. In 1844, Mr. James B. Price became School Commis- sioner, and was succeeded in 1850 and 1851 by John M. Scott, Esq., and he was suc- ceeded by Mr. C. P. Merriman in 1852 till 1858; then by Mr. Daniel Wilkins in 1859 till 1862; then by Mr. C. P. Merriman again in 1862 and 1863; and by Mr. Daniel Wilkins again in 1864 till 1868; then by Mr. John Hull from 1869 till 1875, and then by Mr. William H. Smith, the present incumbent.
In 1831, Samuel Durley, Esq., was appointed Assessor and Recorder. In 1835, Dr. Isaac Baker became County Assessor. In 1839, Mr. William H. Hodge was appointed County Collector, and again in 1840, Mr. R. C. Cowden being Assessor. In
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1841, Zera Patterson, Esq., became County Assessor, and again in 1842. In 1843, Mr. Isaac Smalley became Assessor, and Mr. William Creel, Collector. The offices of Sheriff and Collector, and those of Treasurer and Assessor were then united till 1858, when the Supervisors' Court came into the control of the county business.
In 1831, Dr. Isaac Baker seems to have been appointed Surveyor, by the County Commissioners' Court, or, at least, to have been employed as such, till 1835, when Mr. Elbert Diekason was Surveyor, who served till 1839; then Dr. Harrison Noble till 1847; then Mr. Nelson Buck till 1849; then Mr. James T. Swartz till 1851; then Mr. Peter Folsome till 1857 ; then Mr. William T. Horr till 1859 ; then Mr. Peter Folsome again till 1861 ; then Mr. John P. Hely till 1863; then Mr. J. M. Spaulding till 1865; then Mr. George P. Ela till 1869; then Mr. William P. Anderson till 1875; then Mr. George P. Ela, the present incumbent, was again elected.
PROBATE JUSTICES.
Samuel Durley, Esq., was appointed Probate Justice, and held the office from 1831 till 1835 ; Cheney Thomas, Esq., succeeded him, and served till 1837; then W. P. Brown, Esq., served till 1839; then Wells Colton, Esq., till 1843; then Zera Patter- son, Esq., till 1850, when the form of the Commissioners' Court was changed, and the Probate business passed into the hands of the County Judge.
In 1836, Mr. Elijah Rockhold was elected Coroner. Mr. William Matthews served several terms. In 1868 and 1869, Mr. Mark Ross was Coroner ; then Mr. Luke Nevin till 1872; then Mr. William H. Hendrix till 1878, and then Dr. D. M. Foster, the present incumbent, came into office.
SUPERVISORS' COURT.
At the first meeting of the Supervisors' Court, May 17, 1858, the members present were as follows: From Mount Hope, Daniel Winsor ; Mosquito Grove, Presley T. Brooks; Danvers, James Wilson ; Funk's Grove, William S. Allin ; Dale, Richard Rowell ; Dry Grove, Elias Yoder ; White Oak, Benjamin F. Rowell ; Randolph, Alfred M. Stringfield; Bloomington, David Simmons and Hon. John E. McClun; Nor- mal, William G. Thompson ; Hudson, James H. Cox; Savanna, Sylvester Peasley ; Old Town, Scammon Rodman; Towanda, N. S. Sunderland ; Money Creek, William F. Johnson ; Gridley, Taylor Loving; Lee, Josiah Horr ; Blue Mound, James A. Doyle ; Lexington, Jacob C. Mahan ; Chenoa, J. B. Graham ; Kickapoo, Henry West ; Pleas- ant, Ezekiel Arrowsmith. Hon. John E. MeClun was chosen Chairman, and the Court proceeded to business.
CIRCUIT COURTS.
In 1839, the Eighth Judicial Circuit of the State was composed of Sangamon, Tazewell, MeLean, Livingston, Maeon, Dane, Logan and Menard Counties.
In 1841, the circuit consisted of Menard, Sangamon, Christian, Logan, Shelby Macon, De Witt, McLean, Champaign, Tazewell, Mason, Piatt and Livingston.
In 1850, the cireuit consisted of Piatt, Sangamon, Tazewell, Woodford, Logan, McLean, De Witt, Champaign, Vermilion, Edgar, Shelby, Moultrie, Macon and Chris- tian Counties.
In 1861, the circuit consisted of McLean, Logan and De Witt Counties.
In 1871, the circuit was composed of McLean, De Witt and Logan Counties. In 1873, it was changed to MeLean and Ford, and it has remained the same.
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.
APPORTIONMENT.
In 1831, at its creation, McLean County was entitled, conjointly with Tazewell, to one Representative and one Senator in the State Legislature.
In 1836, McLean County was entitled to two Representatives and one Senator con- jointly with Macon County.
In 1841, the State being redistricted, McLean County was entitled to one Repre- sentative by itself, and one conjointly with Livingston, and to one Senator conjointly with Livingston, Piatt, De Witt and Macon.
In 1848, Tazewell, MeLean, Logan, DeWitt and Macon Counties constituted the Eleventh Senatorial District and it was entitled to one Senator; and McLean and De Witt constituted the Twenty-ninth Representative District, and it was entitled to one Rep- resentative.
In 1861, McLean and De Witt constituted the Thirty-eighth Representative District and were entitled to two Representatives ; and McLean, DeWitt, Piatt, Moultrie and Macon constituted the Tenth Senatorial District and were entitled to one State Senator.
In 1871, McLean became, by itself, the Twenty-eighth Senatorial District of the State, and is entitled to one Senator and three Representatives.
CONGRESSIONAL.
In 1831, the State was divided into three Congressional Districts, the Third Dis- triet consisting of Greene, Morgan, Sangamon, Tazewell, Macon, McLean, La Salle, Cook, Putnam, Peoria, Henry, Knox, Jo Daviess, Mercer, Warren, Hancock, McDonough, Fulton, Schuyler, Adams, Pike and Calhoun Counties.
In 1841, the State was divided into seven districts, and the Fifth District consisted of Lake, McHenry, Boone, Cook, Kane, De Kalb, Du Page, Kendall, Grundy, La Salle, Will, Iroquois, Livingston, McLean, Champaign, Vermilion and Bureau Counties.
In 1852, the State was redistricted into nine districts, the Fourth District being composed of Will, Kendall, Grundy, La Salle, Putnam, Bureau, Livingston, Iroquois, Vermilion, Champaign, McLean and DeWitt Counties.
In 1861, our Congressional District consisted of Sangamon, Logan, De Witt, McLean, Tazewell, Woodford and Livingstou Counties.
In 1871, this District, the Thirteenth Congressional, became composed of Mason, Tazewell, McLean, Logan and DeWitt, and remains the same.
In the Constitutional Convention of 1847, McLean County was entitled alone to one member, and to one conjointly with Livingston County. Judge David Davis, now United States Senator, and Hon. Samuel Lander were the said members.
In the Constitutional Convention of 1869, McLean County, conjointly with De Witt, was entitled to two members. Hon. R. M. Benjamin, of McLean, and Hon. C. H. Moore, of De Witt, were those two members.
SWAMP-LANDS.
McLean County obtained about twenty-seven thousand acres from the United States in virtue of the Swamp-lands act. These lands have been sold for about $130,000, and the proceeds have been devoted to educational purposes-$70,000 to the State Normal University, and the rest has been distributed to the townships, for the benefit of the common schools. The sale of these lands has been effected through the agency of Judge A. J. Merriman, under the sanction of the Supervisors' Court.
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.
REPRESENTATION.
The State of Illinois, up till 1831, constituted one Congressional District, and was represented in Congress, from 1830, the year in which McLean County was created, until 1832, by Hon. Joseph Duncan ; and the Third District, including McLean County, was represented from 1832 till. 1834 by the same gentleman.
From 1834 to 1838, the Third District was represented by Hon. William L. May. From 1838 to 1842, the Third District was represented by Hon. John T. Stuart.
In 1841, the State was divided into seven districts, and the Fifth Distriet, includ- ing McLean County, was represented, from 1842 to 1850, by Hon. John Wentworth.
In 1851 and 1852, the district was represented by Dr. Richard T. Molony.
In 1852, the State was redistricted, and the Fourth District, including MeLean County, was represented by Hon. Jesse O. Norton, in 1853, 1854, 1855 and 1856.
In 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861 and 1862 it was represented by Hon. Owen Lovejoy.
In 1861, the District, including McLean County, was changed, taking effect at the November election in 1862. In 1863 and 1864, the new district was represented by Hon. John T. Stuart. In 1865, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869 and 1870, it was repre- sented by Hon. Shelby M. Cullom. In 1871 and 1872, it was represented by Hon. James C. Robinson.
In 1871, the State was again redistricted, to take effect at the November election in 1872, and MeLean County was embraced in the Thirteenth Congressional District, which was represented, in 1873 and 1874, by Hon. John MeNulta. In 1875 and 1876, it was represented by Hon. Adlai E. Stevenson. In 1877 and 1878, it was represented by Hon. Thomas F. Tipton. The district is again represented by Hon. Adlai E. Stev- enson, the present incumbent.
STATE LEGISLATURE.
Until 1872, McLean County was represented in the State Legislature by Repre- sentative and Senatorial Districts ; since that date it has constituted a Senatorial Dis- trict by itself-the Twenty-eighth. The Senators have been as follows :
In 1832, Hon. James Bird ; 1834, Hon. Benjamin Mitchell ; 1836 and 1838, Hon. James Allen ; 1840, Hon. John Moore ; 1842, Hon. R. F. Barnett; 1844 and 1846, Hon. George W. Powers ; 1849, Hon. E. O. Smith; 1851 and 1853, Hon. Asahel Gridley ; 1857 and 1859, Hon. Joel S. Post ; 1861, Hon Richard J. Oglesby ; 1863 and 1865, Hon. Isaac Funk ; 1867, Hon. W. H. Cheney ; 1869, Hon. John McNulta ; 1871, Hons. John McNulta and Michael Donahue ; 1873 and 1875, Hon. John Cusey ; 1877 and 1878, Hon. John M. Hamilton.
REPRESENTATIVES.
In 1832, Hon. Benjamin Briggs ; 1834, Hon. William Brown; 1836, Hons. John Moore and John Hinshaw ; 1838, Hons. John Moore and Thomas Cheney ; 1840, Hon. Asahel Gridley; 1842, Hon. Andrew McMillan ; 1844, Hon. David Davis; 1846, Hon. James Robeson ; 1849 and 1851, Hon. James B. Price ; 1853 and 1855, Hon. John E. McClun ; 1857, Hon. J. H. Wickizer ; 1859, Hon. Leonard Swett ; 1861, Hon. Harvey Hogg; 1863, Hon. Harrison Noble; 1865, Hons. Harrison Noble and John Warner ; 1867, Hons. William M. Smith and H. S. Greene; 1869, Hons. Will- iam M. Smith and J. Swigart ; 1871, Hons. William M. Smith, W. C. Watkins, E. R.
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.
Roe and G. H. Funk ; 1873, Hons. A. E. Stewart, T. F. Rogers and John Cassedy ; 1875, Hons. A. E. Stewart, T. P. Rogers and John F. Winter ; 1877, Hons. T. F. Mitchell, T. P. Rogers and John F. Winter ; 1879, Hons. T. P. Rogers, T. F. Mitchell and H. A. Ewing.
COUNTY BIBLE SOCIETY.
At a meeting held in the Presbyterian Church in this city in September, 1852, the McLean County Bible Society was re-organized, and the following Constitution adopted :
CONSTITUTION.
ARTICLE 1. This Society shall be called the McLean County Bible Society, the object of which shall be to promote the circulation of the Scriptures without note or comment.
ART. 2. This Society shall be auxiliary to the American Bible Society, and, after supply- ing the destitute within its own limits, shall pay over its surplus funds to that Society to aid in supplying other places.
ART. 3. The payment of any sum annually shall constitute membership. Those contrib- uting $5 at one time shall be members for life, and entitled to one common Bible annually for distribution.
ART. 4. The officers of this Society shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Depositary, and three Directors who, together, shall constitute an Executive Com- mittee, for the transaction of business; and Pastors co-operating shall be Vice Presidents, and each Church shall be entitled to one Director.
ART. 5. It shall be the duty of this committee to meet as occasion may require, to appoint local and traveling agents, to see that funds are remitted and books procured, to make arrangements for raising funds and circulating books annually in all parts of the county, and to perform any other acts in accordance with this Constitution which they may deem calculated to promote the usefulness of the Society.
ART. 6. Any branch organization agreeing to purchase its books of this Society and place its surplus funds at its disposal shall be recognized as an auxiliary, and its members shall be considered as also members of the County Society.
ART. 7. There shall be an annual meeting of the Society on call of the officers, when an address shall be delivered, reports presented by the Secretary and the Treasurer, officers elected and such other business transacted as may be necessary. Immediately after this meeting, the Secretary shall transmit an account of it, together with an abstract of the reports, and the names and post offices of the officers to the Secretaries of the parent society at New York, and to the agent of said society for this"State, and also offer the same for publication in the county newspapers.
ART. 8. This Constitution may be altered at any annual meeting by a vote of a majority of the members present.
The Society then elected Rev. F. N. Ewing, President ; Hon. J. E. McClun, Vice President ; Prof. D. Wilkins, Secretary ; Mr. John Magoun, Treasurer; Mr. John Ewing and Mr. Coleman, Directors.
At the annual meeting of the Society, September, 1853, very little business seems to have been done other than the election of officers and listening to addresses.
At the annual meeting, December 3, 1854, at the , Methodist Episcopal Church, the Society was addressed by Rev. Mr. Lord, State Agent, and by other gentlemen. The reports of the Secretary and the Treasurer are not attainable just at present ; but We learn, incidentally, that about $100 were raised and expended annually by the Society until 1857, when an agent was employed, and the Society commenced to employ more efficient means to effect its purposes. Substantially, the same officers were con- tinued for the current year, except that Mr. Linas Graves was chosen Secretary. At a
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HISTORY OF MCLEAN COUNTY.
subsequent meeting of the Executive Committee, the same month, quite a number of local agents were appointed to solicit aid for the Society.
At the annual meeting, November 4, 1855, the usual devotional exercises were had, there were some interesting discussions, and about the same officers chosen, except that Mr. O. T. Reeves was made Treasurer, who resigned, and was succeeded by Mr. O. Rugg before the close of the current year. At a subsequent meeting of the Executive Committee, June 9, held at the request of the State Agent, Rev. Mr. Lord, the Treas- urer was authorized to procure a sufficient supply of Bibles and Testaments for the county, and Mr. Lord was authorized to procure an agent to canvass the county the next year.
At the annual meeting of the Society December 7, 1856, an eloquent address was delivered by Rev. A. Eddy, the Treasurer made his report, Hon. John E. McClun was chosen President, and the other officers were continued.
At the fifth anniversary of the Society, at the Methodist Church, December 7, 1857, Rev. F. N. Ewing presided in the absence of the President, Hon. J. E. McClun. The County Agent, Rev. Joseph Messer, made his report as follows: During the cur- rent year, he had labored eighty-five days, and held annual meetings of branch societies at Randolph Grove. Le Roy, Cheney's Grove, St. Clairville, Old Town Timber, Money Creek, Pleasant Hill, Lexington, Hudson, Concord, White Oak Grove and Johnson's Precinct. He had lectured 35 times, and visited 1,048 families. He had received from the county depository books to the amount of $157.08; had deposited with the branch societies, sold, donated and returned books to the same amount. He had received from the branch societies $412.66, and paid to the County Treasurer $250.62, and the balance paid his own wages and expenses. He had obtained new subscriptions to the amount of $228.71, there remaining $588.09 due on old subscriptions ; books now in branch societies, $620.03; receipts of societies the past year, $466.72, and books circulated during the year, $249.34. He had found 40 families destitute of the Script- ures. The report of the agent was received with the thanks of the Society. The same officers were rechosen, except that Mr. John Magoun was made Treasurer. Twenty German Bibles were donated to Rev. Mr. Andre for the benefit of his Bible class ; the agent was instructed to forward the surplus funds to the parent society in New York, and measures taken to canvass more thoroughly the city of Bloomington.
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