The history of Adams County Illinois : containing a history of the county - its cities, towns, etc. a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 42

Author:
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Murray, Williamson & Phelps
Number of Pages: 1254

USA > Illinois > Adams County > The history of Adams County Illinois : containing a history of the county - its cities, towns, etc. a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 42

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" The great extent of the territory of the State of New York, from which the township system, as adopted in this State, is chiefly derived, rendered it impossible, or at least impracticable, to send a representative from each town to the popular branch of the State legislature, as was done in the New England States. Under these circumstances an intermediate board was created in each county, called a board of supervisors, and com- posed of one delegate from each town. This board formed a deliberative

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

or kind of legislative body, taking a large portion of the powers delegated in the New England States to the State legislatures. It has been made an objection to this plan of organization, that it increases the expenses of tran- sacting the business of the county. But the answer is believed conclusive; that the only additional expense, if any, arises from the excess of compen- sation paid to the additional members of the county board; while the fact is that the business of the county is much reduced under the town organi- zation, and not one-fourth of the time is required to transact the business. Besides, a cheap government is not necessarily the best. Cheapness is not the primary object in choosing a government, but excellence. If cheap governments were the only thing required we should abolish the legislative branch of our State government, and leave our laws to be made by the executive or the Supreme Court. Or, which would be be still cheaper, perhaps, we could let out the making of our laws by contract and compe- tition to the lowest bidder, or to whomsoever would pay the State most for the privilege. There would be no want of proposals."

REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS.

On Tuesday, December 6th, 1849, an order was made by the County Commissioners' Court appointing Thomas Enlow, Augustus E. Bowles and William Berry, commissioners, to divide the county into towns or town- ships, as provided by an act of the Legislature, providing for the township organization of any county, after having so determined by a majority vote being cast in its favor, at any general election. The report of the commis- sioners, as the writer has it from official sources, was filed in the County Court, on the 8th day of March, 1850, and was as follows:

STATE OF ILLINOIS, SS.

ADAMS COUNTY.

TO THE HONORABLE COUNTY COURT FOR SAID COUNTY OF ADAMS:

The undersigned, commissioners, appointed by your Honorable Court, in pursuance ot an act entitled " An act to provide for township and county organization, under which any county may organize, whenever a majority of the voters of such county, at any general election, shall so determine," in force April 16th, 1849, to divide said county of Adam into towns, according to the provisions of said act, respectfully report that they have divided the said county into twenty towns, and laid the same off by metes and bounds, and adopting a name for each, in accordance with the expressed wish of the inhabitants of said towns, respectively, and when said inhabitants have been unable to agree on such name, the under- signed have selected a name.

Division into Townships .- The names and boundaries of each town so laid off are as follows, that is to say :

Clayton .- The whole of Congressional township 1 north, 5 west.

North East .- The whole of Congressional township 2 north, 5 west.

Camp Point .- The whole of Congressional township 1 north, 6 west.

Houston .- The whole of Congressional township 2 north, 6 west.

Honey Creek .-- The whole of Congressional township 1 north, 7 west. Keene .- The whole of Congressional township 2 north, 7 west.

Ursa .- The whole of Congressional township 1 north, S west, and of fractional town- ship 1 north, 9 west, and all that portion of country in townships 2 north, 8 west and 2 north, 9 west, which lies south of Bear creek.

Lafayette .- All that portion of country in townships 2 north, 8 west, 2 north, 9 west, and fractional township 2 north, 10 west, which lies south of said Bear creek.

Jackson .- The whole of Congressional township 1 south, 5 west, and the north half of Congressional township 2 south, 5 west.

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Beverly .- The whole of Congressional township 3 south, 5 west, and the south half of Congressional township 2 south, 5 west.

Columbus .- The whole of Congressional township 1 south, 6 west.

Liberty .- The whole of Congressional township 2 south, 6 west.

Richland .- The whole of Congressional township 3 south, 6 west. Dover .- The whole of Congressional township 1 south, 7 west.

Burton .- The whole of Congressional township 2 south, 7 west. Payson .- The whole of Congressional township 3 south, 7 west.

Ellington .- The whole of Congressional township 1 south, 8 west, and fractional town- ship 1 south, 9 west, except that portion of said fractional township included in the corporate limits of the city of Quincy.

Melrose .- The whole of Congressional township 2 south, 8 west, and fractional township 2 south, 9 west, except that portion of said fractional township included within the corporate limits of the city of Quincy.

Benton .- The whole of Congressional township 3 south, 8 west, and fractional township 3 south, 9 west.

Quincy .- The whole of the corporate limits of the city of Quincy.

Being twenty towns named and founded, as aforesaid, of said county of Adams.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

WILLIAM BERRY, THOMAS ENLOW, A. E. BOWLES, Commissioners.

FIRST MEETING OF BOARD.

As the official records relate, "Through the call of the County Clerk, by the approval of many of the Board of Supervisors," the first meeting of the Board of Supervisors, as provided by the law of township organization for this county, convened on the 3d day of June, 1850, in the court-room, in the old court-house, which was destroyed by fire, in 1875, and which stood on 5th street, between Maine and Hampshire, in Quincy, and the following members took part in the proceedings of that session of the Board:

NAMES OF MEMBERS.

John P. Robbins, John M. Ruddle, Grason Orr, Babtist Hardy, Jabez Lovejoy, John T. Battell, Joseph Kern, Alexander M. Smith, David Wolf, Williston Stephens, Solomon Cusick, Thomas Bailey, William H. Taudy, Robert G. Kay, Thomas Crocker, Stephen F. Safford, and Edward Sharp. The first business was the election of W. H. Tandy, chairman of the board for that session. Thomas Bailey, who was a member of that board, the first held in the county, is the chairman of the present [March, 1879] board of supervisors. The first business transacted by the first board of supervisors, after their organization by the election of Mr. Taudy, chair- man, was the renaming the following towns, notice having been filed with the county clerk, by the auditor of the State, that their names should be changed, viz: Lafayette to be called Lima, Benton to be called Fall Creek, Dover to be called Gilmer, Richland to be called Richfield, Jackson to be called Concord. Among the subjects of business disposed of at that term of the board was the delinquent taxes of 1849, the allowance for the keeping of the paupers of the county, the sheriff's bill for services rendered in the County Commissioners' Court, claims allowed by the board to per- sons who had previously rendered the county services, rendering the opin-

317

HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

ion of the board that they had no jurisdiction to render judgments on the delinquent lands, fixing the salary of P. A. Goodman, county judge, fixing compensation of county jailor, county clerk's bill for tax list, errors in certificates of sales, fixing manner in which road taxes shall be paid, com- pensation of county clerk for services rendered, directions to county treas- urer relative to collections made by him, resolution that the board would grant no license to any one to sell ardent spirits in the county, the election of the following named persons to serve as grand jurors for the following October term of the Circuit Court: James Wood, John Ryler, Wilson Lierle, Shannon Wallace, Jacob M. Nichols, Asaph Francis, Lafayette Frazer, James Shinn, Stephen Guthrie, Robert P. Coats, Lewis McFarland, Alexander Walker, T. B. Warren, Samuel G. Blenin, Samuel Woods, James Carpenter, G. B. Dimock, Robert Tillson, Hiram Rogers, Henry Kent, James Richardson, Orrin Kendall, and William H. McClyment; and the following named persons as the petit jurors for the same term of the Circuit Court: Edward Ogle, Richard Cleaver, Henry Whitford. John P. Groves, William Gilliland, L. J. Simpson, Samuel Wilks, Mitchell Alex- ander, James A. Young, Joseph Young, John G. Brown, George Starr, John P. Ansmus, A. L. Weed, Abner Percy, Josiah Reed, James Neison, E. W. Chapman, Noah Lane, C. L. Demuree, Adolph Keltz, J. H. Cuffey, James Fisher, and George Hogan. The official report of J. J. Fielding, treasurer, which was as follows, is here presented as showing something relating to the finances of the county at that time:

1850.

March 27. To cash on hand last report.

2,000.00 $ 2.40 66 28. borrowed of R. Dimock.

April

county orders of J. B. Young on note ... $180.42

¥ of J. B. Young, June. 20 180 62

20.36

May 20.

of collector, for A. Green, for bridge. 530.00

66 county orders of E. M. King, for fines. 8.03

Hartman,

3.00

$2,744.41

CR.

1850.

March 28. By cash paid G. B. Dimock on jail orders owned by R. Dim- ock, rec'd on file .. $1,500.00

66 treasurer, int. on $1,500. 30.00

May 20.

יר

6 Amos Green, on bridge 1,000.00

June

5. By county orders and jury certificates paid to board of supervisors, and destroyed. 214.06

$2,744.06

Balance. $0.35

The treasurer, in addition to the above report, filed the following receipt and order, viz:

R. Dimock's receipt, dated March 28, 1850, for ... $1,500.00 Henry Newtown, superintendent Bear creek bridge, order in favor Amos Green. 1,000.00

$2,500.00

6 of J. M. Pitman, taxes.

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY,

The treasurer of the county was ordered to borrow the sum of fifteen hundred dollars, to meet expenses of the county for one year, on interest, not to exceed ten per cent. John P. Robbins was appointed a committee of one, to report to the board at its next meeting, rules of order for the government of the board at its future meetings. This meeting of the board convened on the third, and adjourned on the 5th day of June, 1850.

ELECTION PRECINCTS.

The county having thus adopted, so to speak, a new form of govern- ment, which in its nature placed the management of the affairs of the county more compeletely in the people, it became necessary to create elec- tion precincts, conformably to the "new dispensation," or rather, to carry ont completely the new form of government just begun.

The next meeting of the board of supervisors was a special session, called for the purpose of dividing the county into election precincts and appointing judges of elections to be held. This meeting of the board con- vened on Friday, the 1st day of November, 1850. The complete history of the adoption of township organization in this county we think would be incomplete without the proceedings of this meeting, and for that reason it is subjoined in full from the record of the board proceedings, so far as it relates to the subject in hand.

It was, on motion, resolved that the following towns be and they are hereby declared precincts in and for said county of Adams, viz:

Quincy .- The town, or city, of Quincy be one precinct, with two places of voting, known as the first and second polls, and that the court-house, in Quincy, be the place of voting.

Ellington .- The town of Ellington to be one precinct, and the stone house, known as the " Old Jacobs place," to be the place of voting.

Ursa .- The town of Ursa to be one precinct, and the school house, in Ursa, to be the place of voting.

Lima .- The town of Lima to be one precinct, and the place of voting to be at the " Beebe House," in the village of Lima.

Honey Creek .- The town of Honey Creek to be one precinct, and the place of voting to be at the school house, on section sixteen.

Keene .- The town of Keene to be one precinct, and the place of voting to be the school house, on section sixteen.

Houston .- The town of Houston to be one precinct, and the brick school house, on sec- tion sixteen, to be the place of voting.

North East .- The town of North East to be one precinct, and the Franklin school house to be the place of voting.

Camp Point .- The town of Camp Point to constitute one precinct, and the McFarland school house to be the place of voting.

Clayton .- The town of Clayton to become one precinct, and the postoffice, in the vil- lage of Clayton, to be the place of voting.

Concord .- The town of Concord to constitute one precinct, and the house of Elish Turner to be the place of voting.

Columbus .- The town of Columbus to constitute one precinct, and the red school house in the village of Columbus to be the place of voting.

Gilmer .- The town of Gilmer to constitute one precinct, and the McNell school house to be the place of voting.

Liberty .- The town of Liberty to constitute one precinct, and the place of voting to be at the school house in the village of Liberty.

Beverly .- The town of Beverly to constitute one precinct and the place of voting to be at the house of Solomon Perkins.

Richfield .- The town of Richfield to constitute one precinct, and the place of voting to be at the center school house.

George Brophy CIRCUIT CLERK & RECORDER QUINCY

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

Burton .- The town of Burton to constitute one precinct, and the place of voting to be the wagon shop of Mr. Enlow in the village of Burton.

Payson .- The town of Payson to constitute one precinct, and the place of voting to be at the house of Benjamin Hoar, in the village of Payson.

Fall Creek .- The town of Fall Creek to constitute one precinct, and the place of voting to be at the center school house.

Melrose .- The town of Melrose to constitute one precinct, and the place of voting to be at the school house near Amos Bancroft's.

It is now ordered by the Board of Supervisors that the following named persons be appointed judges of elections in the following named precincts, to serve as such judges at the election to be held in the county of Adams on Tuesday after the first Monday in Novem- ber, 1850, being the fifth day of said month, and until their successors shall be appointed, to-wit. :

In the town of Ellington, Samuel Jameson, A. E. Bowles and William C. Powell.

In the town of Ursa, William Laughlin, Gabriel Keath and Joel Frazier.

In the town of Lima, E. P. Wade, Henry Nulton and Thos. Hillurn.

In the town of Honey Creek, John A. White, John Johnson and L. A. Weed.

In the town of Keene, Wm. H. Robertson, R. L. Thurman and James Shannon. In Houston, David Strickler, Samuel Woods and John Kern.

In the town of North East, Elliott Combs, E. B. Hoyl and William Robins.

In the town of Camp Point, Jolin Robertson, Lewis McFarland and William Thompson.

In the town of Concord, John Ansemuse, David Hobbs and Elisha Turner.

In the town of Columbus, Francis Turner, James Thomas and George Johnson. In the town of Gilmer, Theron D. Warren, John Lummis and John I. Gilmer, Jr. Iu the town of Liberty, Ira Pierce, Ebenezer Chaplin and Lewis J. Thompson. In the town of Beverly, Isaac Perkins, James Sykes, Jr., and George W. Williams.

In the town of Clayton, Hiram Boyle, Thomas Curry and James C. Carpenter. In the town of Richfield, James Woods, Henry Farmer and Isaac Cleveland. In the town of Burton, Samuel G. Blivens, William Richards and Joseph Leverette.

In the town of Payson, Thomas J. Shepherd, William Shinn and Jolin O. Bernard. In the town of Fall Creek, Silas Beebee, John Bean and Joseph Journey. In the town of Melrose, Noah Swain, John Wood and Amos Bancroft.

In the town of Quincy, First Poll, Adam Schmitt. Lorenzo Bull and William B. Powers. In the town of Quincy, Second Poll, J. D. Morgan, Christopher Dickhute and Robert S. Benneson.

At this session of the board there was no business before it except the matter referred to, which it transacted and adjourned on the same day of its convening.

AID TO SOLDIERS' FAMILIES.

In May, 1861, the board of supervisors for the county then in session took action under the law which had been passed by the Illinois Legislature, authorizing the different counties in the State to render aid in the prosecu- tion of the war. The war had been commenced; hundreds of men from the county, at the first call of duty, had left home, friends and family, and in many instances, in consequence of the suddenness of the call, the latter without sufficient means for their support. The county board, recogniz- ing the fact, and sensible of the patriotic duties that the public owed to the families of those who had sacrificed home, family and their comforts in defense of country on the field of strife, took prompt action to render aid to needy families. The first resolution introduced was by Supervisor J. J. Graham, authorizing the appropriation of one thousand dollars for such purposes. To this resolution an amendment was offered by Supervisor Perry Alexander, of Melrose township, and adopted by the board, anthor- izing the supervisors of the different townships to render aid to families, and report from time to time to the board such money as they had expended under the resolution.

320

IIISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

The following is the text of Mr. Alexander's resolution: " Whereas, by an act of the Legislature of the State of Illinois at the last special ses- sion, counties are authorized to make appropriations to aid in the support of the families of such volunteers of the United States service from the State of Illinois as may be in need, and whereas this board deems it proper that the county of Adams should give such aid as the country demands,

" Therefore, resolved that the supervisors be authorized to furnish all necessary aid to destitute families of volunteer soldiers in their respective towns at the expense of the county, and report at every meeting of the board, and that the supervisors shall have no pay for such service." Under the resolution, hundreds of dollars were distributed over the county, and many a worthy family of the patriotic soldier received substantial aid and the practical sympathy of our people.

DIFFICULTY IN PAYING TAXES.

In 1862 the difficulty of paying taxes in specie, which the State laws required, produced a memorial from the board of supervisors, which we copy from record.

January 6, 1863.

WHEREAS, The laws of Congress making treasury notes a legal tender for the payment of debts, and other effects of the present desolating war, have driven the constitutional cur- rency of the country, gold and silver coin, into the coffers of the money-changers and the pockets of peculators and contractors, and whereas the law of the State requiring the taxes of the State to be collected in gold and silver coin is oppressive to the tax-payers, while the exigencies of the war shall render the payment in specie impracticable and ruinous; therefore be it unanimously

Resolved, That the Board of Supervisors of Adams county, on behalf of said county, respectfully but earnestly request our representatives, both in the Senate and House in Gen- eral Assembly convened, to mitigate the evil of exacting specie for taxes while the evils of the present war exist, by making treasury notes receivable for the payment of the taxes due to the State and county ;

Resolved, That the clerk of the Board of Supervisors furnish our senators and repre- sentatives with copies of the foregoing proceedings, and that the same be also published in the newspapers of the county.

In September, 1862, at a regular meeting of the board, a resolution, which was not finally disposed of in August, came up and was adopted by a unanimous vote. Yeas, 18; nays, none. This resolution pledged sup- port and aid to families of all volunteers or drafted men in the United States service.

BOUNTY ACT.

Proceedings of considerable interest occupied the board at their Sep- tember term, 1864, mainly relating to the levy of taxes to furnish recruits for the army, and avoid the conscription.

This meeting called for a special meeting, which convened October 3, 1864, and passed a bounty act that was to be submitted to the vote of the county. Subsequent to this we find a resolution offered in a meeting on the 14th September, 1865, and adopted, to this effect: a tax of thirty cents on each one hundred dollars worth of taxable property, to pay the indebt-

321

HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

edness already incurred for the relief of the families of Illinois volunteers and drafted men.

At the special term, October, 1867, the following preamble and reso- lutions were adopted :

COUNTY LINE.

WHEREAS, There is a dispute in regard to the county lines between Adams and Brown counties, therefore,

Resolved, That B. F. Chatten be appointed in conjunction with the county surveyor of Brown county, to survey and establish permanently said line, and report to this board.

Upon the same day we also find the following:

Resolved, That in the opinion of this board the proper location of the court-house is in the center of Washington square.

The next important labors of the board were the location and carrying on the building and completion of the present magnificent court-house, which is treated of in the next chapter.

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

CHAPTER VIII.

BURNING OF THE COURT-HOUSE-COUNTY. SEAT ELECTION-THE NEW COURT-

HOUSE-PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IN RELATION TO THE BUILDING-DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING AS COMPLETED-Oc- CUPANCY.

BURNING OF TIIE COURT-1IOUSE.

On the 9th day of January, A.D. 1875, the court-house was discovered to be on fire. Chief Engineer Ayers and the whole force of the fire depart- ment were soon on hand, but failed to save the building. The books, rec- ords, etc., were removed to adjoining buildings for safety, and nothing was lost to the county excepting the building itself. The fire is supposed to have originated from a defective flue, and the rapidity with which the devouring element accomplished its work was astounding. Some persons who were boarding with the sheriff in the rear of the court-house were escorted to a more secure and quiet place of residence at the police station. The jail itself escaped. The loss was thought to be some $5,000 or $7,000.

As soon after the partial destruction of the old court-house by fire, as the board of supervisors could be officially called together, they met to take into consideration the subject of providing a place for holding the courts of the county, and repairing the offices of the circuit and county clerks. This meeting convened on the 18th day of January, 1875, the fire having occurred just nine days before. It was decided to at once repair the old offices in the partially demolished building, to be occupied by the sheriff, county and circuit clerks, until a new court-house and offices should be provided. Accordingly a committee consisting of Thos. Redmond, William Winkleman, L. G. Carr and Thomas Bailey, were appointed for that purpose. During the interim between the fire and the repairing of the old offices, the circuit clerk, George Brophy, and county clerk, Willis Haselwood, moved, and had their records and offices on Maine street, between Sixth and Seventh streets, in what was known as the Dill's block, and which before that had been occupied as the post-office. This building was so occupied for county purposes until the old offices were in a condition to receive them back to their old home, a period of about three weeks. The committee named above was at the same meeting of the board instructed to secure a suitable place for holding the courts of the county until a new county building should be erected. The committee conferred with several of the property owners in Quincy who had buildings to rent,

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HISTORY OF ADAMS COUNTY.

and had offered them for such purposes, and at the meeting of the board which convened on the 16th of the following February, reported that as a matter of economy it would be cheaper for the county to repair and make a room in the old building than to rent elsewhere in the city, which was accordingly done. That part of first floor of the old building, as far back as the circuit and county clerks' offices, formerly occupied by the county judge and other officers, was converted into a court room, and here the sev- eral courts of the county held their sessions, greatly to the discomfort of judge, juries, witnesses and lawyers, particularly in the summer months, until the occupancy of the present commodious and elegant quarters, in the year 1877.

COUNTY SEAT ELECTION.

. This misfortune, or rather good fortune, gave a chance for reopening the old county seat question, and this time Coatsburg loomed up as a rival to the "Gem City." Still, in Quincy itself, there were disagreements con- cerning the proper place in the city for erecting the new building.

We notice in the Quincy Herald, February 2d, 1875, a correspondence between Mr. Willis Haselwood, the county clerk, and Judge Joseph Sibley. The judge, in reply to interrogatories, states that he is decidedly in favor of Jefferson Square as the location of the new building.

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The history of Adams County Illinois : containing a history of the county - its cities, towns, etc. a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 42

Author: Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : Murray, Williamson & Phelps Number of Pages: 1254

Author:
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : Murray, Williamson & Phelps
Number of Pages: 1254