USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 8
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SUNDRY ORDERS OF THE BOARD.
At a sitting of the board on the IIth of August, 1817, it was ordered that a "ferry be established across the east fork of White river by Frederick Sholtz, or his agent, provided he shall comply with the laws of the state in that case made and provided." At this same session it was ordered that "the following rates of taxes shall be collected for the year of 1817 for the county tax. On land, for one-half the rates that are payable to the state and on negroes the same; horses, thirty-seven and a half cents per head, as the law directs. Hall and Sholtz shall pay each for the said year fifteen dollars. And their rates shall be as follows, and they shall charge no more than the following rates for ferrying: For a loaded wagon and team, $1.00; stages or two-horse wagon, 621/2 cents; man and horse, 1212 cents; footmen, per head, 614 cents.
"Ordered, that Judge James G. Read be appointed to judge all moneys that may be shown him by the county treasurer or sheriff, to be by him ad- judged whether it be passable or not."
At the session of the board held on August 13, 1817, it was ordered that "a writ of ad quad damnum do issue to the sheriff to summon a jury and to meet and view a mill seat, the property of Simon Adams and James Gilley." This formidable legal writ was to be issued to "the agent of section No. 16, in township I, range 5, if applied for."
"The commissioners met according to adjournment on the 14th day of August, 1817. and proceeded to examine all listers' books of taxable prop- erty of the several townships. The commissioners proceeded to settle. with the sheriff, Daniel Comer, and by viewing the law and his accounts the said sheriff is hereby allowed the sum of fifty-two dollars. Ordered that the clerk do advertise the sale of the court house to the lowest bidder on the last Saturday of September next."
"November 10, 1817. The county commissioners met according to law
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
and ordered that the clearing off of the public square in Washington town shall be sold to the lowest bidder."
"November the 15th, 1817. Ordered that six acres of land be offered for sale to the highest bidder on Thursday next, with Ephraim Thompson donated to the county, to be sold in two-acre lots." It was also ordered that Emanuel VanTrees "receive an order on the county treasurer for fifty dol- lars, for twenty-five days services done to said commissioners," which was accordingly done.
"Ordered that William Bruce and Peter Ruble do receive an order on the county treasurer for such lawful demands as they may claim for estab- lishing the county seat when demanded."
"In vacation of the commissioners," records Clerk VanTrees, some time in January, 1818, "the six acres of land were sold, which were given by Ephraim Thompson to the county, which were sold to James G. Read, on the first Monday of January, 1818, for one hundred and eighty-three dollars, payable in eighteen months from the day of sale."
Tuesday, February 10, 1818. Among matters adjusted it was "ordered that Ebenezer Jones be and he is hereby appointed treasurer for the county of Daviess for one year from the date hereof. Whereupon he took the oath of office according to law, administered by Parmenes Palmer, Esqr.
"Ordered that James G. Read receive from the county treasurer one thousand eighty-seven dollars, and twenty-two and three quarters cents, for building a jail in the town of Washington, in our said county, out of any money in the treasury received from the sale of lots in said town.
"Ordered that Alexander Bruce receive from the treasury of our said county thirteen dollars, for the use of a house for the county commissioners in the year 1817."
RATES OF TAVERN KEEPERS CHANGED.
At its sitting of May 13, 1818, the commissioners' court changed the tariff devised for tavern keepers to correspond with the following schedule: Supper or breakfast, 25 cents; dinner, 371/2 cents ; whisky, one-half pint, 121/2 cents ; gin, one-half pint, 25 cents ; French brandy or rum, 50 cents; lodging, 121/2 cents ; horse, per night, to hay and corn or oats, 75 cents; single feed, 25 cents ; hay only, per night, 25 cents.
The rates for ferrying also were revised, and the per diem of jurors was certainly no bait to entice the settler from any business pursuit in which he
(7)
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happened to be engaged, as the following indicates: "Ordered, that each grand juror do receive an order on the county treasurer for seventy-five cents per day for sitting on the grand jury at the circuit court at last March session ; where they may apply for the same."
ORDER FOR A COURT HOUSE.
"May the IIth, 1818. It is ordered that a court house shall be built of good brick, thirty-five feet by forty-five feet long, two storys high, the first story to be twelve feet high between floors. The foundation to be dug eighteen inches in the ground, to be well walled with good, hard-burnt brick, such as will not decay by wet, at least two and one-half feet high, all the brick to be eight inches long and the width and thickness in proper pro- portions. The outside of the walls shall all be good hard brick. The thick- ness of the walls of the first story shall be sixteen inches, or the length of two bricks, all of which shall be laid on with good sand and lime and to be one-third of the mortar lime and two-thirds thereof sand, well sifted and mixed. All such work to be done in a complete, workmanlike manner. And there shall be two fire-place chimneys, each of which shall have a fireplace, above each of which shall be two and one-half feet in the back part thereof, the lower floor to be well laid of brick, the two chimneys to be on the east end of the house. There shall be one double door, each three feet wide, so as to shut and meet each other in the middle and make a door six feet wide and seven feet high, besides an oval arcli above that, with sash and glass. Said door to be lined and paneled, and with good hinges and lock. There shall be a good stone sill under said door, fastened in the wall of the house. There shall be eight windows in the lower story and eight in the upper story, each window to contain sash and glass eight by ten inches and each window to. contain thirty-six lights, with good panel window-shutters to each window. The timber for the floor between the first and second storys there shall be a girder the short way through the middle of the house, 4x18 inches, thirty- two joists, 31/2x12 inches, with two columns under the girder at proper dis- tances ; and for the upper floor shall be a girder length ways through the house forty-five feet, 9x12 inches thick and forty joists 3x9 inches, with one column ; all to be done in a nice and good workmanlike manner.
"There shall be good, full-trimmed window frames and a door frame, with their proper molding, to be of black walnut, as wide as the wall is by four inches thick. There shall be sixteen pair of rafters, which shall be of good sound wood, four inches the one way by five inches the other way, good
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
sheeting seven-eighths of an inch thick; there shall be good, yellow poplar shingles, thirteen inches long and five-eighths of an inch thick at the butt, four inches wide, and the roof well put on with good nails, all of which to be done in a good, workmanlike manner. All the above work to be done against next Christmas, three years. One-third of the payments shall be paid in eighteen months from the day of the contract and the other payments in three years from next Christmas."
The first liquor license granted by the board, as shown by the clerk's record, was issued to William Bowen, on the 7th of November, 1818, the same to be in effect until the 27th of August, 1819.
"Monday the 8th day of February, 1819. County commissioners met in court house. Adjourned to meet at the house of Judge J. G. Read, where the sheriff opened the session by proclamation."
FIRST RECORDED SETTLEMENT WITH COUNTY TREASURER.
"The commissioners met on the Ioth of February, 1819, according to adjournment. The commissioners settled with the treasurer, E. Jones. It appears as follows :
"Money received by the treasurer $1,126.431/4
"Money paid out by him 1,064.633/4
"The balance 61.741/2
"Percentage as compensation 56.30
"Money left in the treasury
5.44
"Likewise settled with said treasurer for the money received and paid out, arising from the sale of town lots; whereas this day the county is in- debted to said Jones in the sum of thirty-two dollars twelve and one-half cents. The said Jones agrees to take an order on the treasury for twenty dollars only ; which order is given in full."
"Ordered that James G. Read and Henry Cruse do receive an order on the county treasurer for the sum of eight hundred dollars out of any money arising from the sale of lots, as part pay of building the court house.
"Ordered, that Emanuel VanTrees [clerk] receive the kee [key] of the court house and to take charge of said house."
"Ordered, that Solomon Suplee and John R. Beard do receive an order on the treasury for eight dollars and twenty-five cents for preparing a house for a jail."
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
CRIMINALS WERE BRANDED.
"Ordered, that Jake Lynch be allowed 3 dollars 50 cents for hinges and branding iron."
"May 12, 1819. Ordered, that the building of a jail in the town of Washington will be sold to the lowest bidder, on the first Saturday of June, next, when the description will be made known by the agent.
"Ordered, that Henry Cruse be allowed four dollars for the rent of his house at last court.
"Ordered, that the court house be built in the center of the public square."
"June the 5th, 1819. The commissioners, William Ballow, Ephraim Jones and John Aikman, met at the court house [so named by courtesy], for the purpose of forming a plan for the building of a jail house, for the county of Daviess, in Washington.
"Ordered, that a jail be built eighteen feet wide and twenty-eight feet long, two storys high, the first story to be nine and one-half feet between the first floor and the lower part of the jail and the second story to be eight feet between the second and the under part of the second tier of joists. Two rooms and an entry above, in the second story ; a criminal room nine by six- teen feet in the clear and an entry of four feet in the clear.
ROOM FOR DEBTORS.
"And debtors room nearly twelve by sixteen feet in the clear. The one partition next the criminals room to be of twelve inch square timber, laid close, and the partition between the entry and the debtor's room to be of two- inch oak. The upper floor above the criminal room to be of timber, two inches thick, laid tuching each other, and the floor of the criminal room to be the same as the upper; logs of ten inches thick, the edges to be squared. To be twelve good, oak sleepers for the first floor and the said first floor to be laid of one and one-fourth inch of well seasoned boards and well laid and nailed with sufficient nails; two nails in each plank on each sleeper. Said floor to be of quarter plank. The second floor or the lower floor, of the criminals' and debtors' room, to be well laid and tunged and grooved and two spikes in each plank; each joist of two-inch seasoned oak plank, the joists of the floor of the debtors' room to be four inches thick by ten inches deep, and the joists above the said debtors' room to be the same as the criminals' room, with squared timber ; all said joists for said floors and entry to be no more than two feet apart from center to center. The floor above the crim- inals' room to be sealed with inch oak plank well nailed fast, tunged and
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
grooved, and the upper part of the entry to be sealed the same way, also the upper floor of the debtors' room the same sealing. The logs for the walls of the house to be of good oak timber, twelve inches thick, well squared and laid close to each other, notched with a half duf tale [dove tail] ; to have good rafters and good sheeting and a good joist shingle roof, with the gavel [gable] ends well finished, two common sice [size] doors in the lower, or jailor's room, well checked and cased with plank; common bottom doors, two twelve-lite [light] windows well finished and glass put in them. To have a plain pair of stairs to go up in the entry and two doors, the one to go out into the debtors' room and the other in the criminals' room, two feet wide and five feet high, to be made of two-inch oak plank and doubled cross- ways and sufficiently spiked as the agent (John Allen) may direct, and hung; and the grates to be put in, the county to find the grates and the hinges. All said work to be done in a complete, workmanlike manner, and to be finished against the first day of March next, the county to pay to the builders one hundred dollars when the walls are raised and two hundred dollars when this is finished and the rest in six months from that time."
On August 4, 1819, the board met and created the township of Barr, taking its territory from the east part of Washington township. John Per- kins was appointed inspector of elections, and an election was ordered to be held on the first Saturday in September, 1819, for two justices of the peace.
"Ordered, that the jail be built on the west end of the public square, adjoining the cross street, beginning twenty feet south of the stray pen."
"Ordered, that John Allen, agent for Daviess county, do receive the same precent [per cent] on all moneys collected and paid as is allowed to the county treasurer by law; and also that he, the said Allen, do receive reasonable and full payment for his services, done in laying off the town of Washington and selling the same [lots], and for all public duties done by him respecting his agency."
THE COURT HOUSE IS FINISHED.
The board of commissioners met in adjourned session on November IO, 1819, and made settlement with James G. Read, whose contract for building the court house was for the sum of two thousand nine hundred and seventy- nine dollars. He had received three hundred dollars on the contract, and the board, after deducting one hundred dollars, which had been left undone by the contractor, and allowing him one hundred and forty-nine dollars for extra work, he was given an order on the treasury for two thousand two hundred twenty-five dollars and fifty cents, to be paid out of any money in the treasury derived from the sale of lots of the town of Washington.
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
"The commissioners agreed with Samuel VanTrees for him to paint the roof of the court house and to paint the walls on the outside and pencil the same; all the said painting to be done with a sufficiency of Spanish brown and oils, and to be done in a good and workmanlike manner; for which work the said VanTrees is to receive one hundred dollars, so soon as said work shall be finished."
FIRST JAIL COMPLETED.
"December 4, 1819. The commissioners being notified that the jail of this county is completed, met on the present instant. Present, Ehpraim Thompson, William Ballou. Having examined said jail, find it complete and receive the same. Ordered, that Aaron Freeland receive an order on the county treasurer for the sum of one hundred dollars, to be paid out of any money arising from the sale of lots in the town of Washington.
"N. B. Jesse Purcell received in the fall of 1819, the sum of thirty dollars, as part pay for the building of the jail."
"February the tenth, 1820. Ordered, that Abner Cosby do receive an order on the county treasury for four dollars and fifty cents, for making hooks, hasps and steeples [staples], and repairing hinges, etc., for the jail.
"Ordered, that Jesse Purcell, Aaron Freeland and William Quigley do receive an order on the county treasury for two hundred dollars, out of any money arising out of the sale of the town lots, as part pay for building the jail in Washington. An order given to William Quigley for fifty dol- lars out of the above two hundred dollars."
"February the 16th, 1820. William Ballou received an order on the treasury for forty-four dollars, as his pay for being in session as a commis- sioner in 1818 and 1819. John Aikman and Ephraim Thompson had here- tofore received their orders."
DEFICIT IN THE COUNTY TREASURY.
"February the 16th, 1820. The commissioners proceeded to settle with Ebenezer Jones, when it appears that the treasurer has received for the revenue the sum of. $808.461/2
767.971/2 "Paid out on orders
30.49
"His percentage
40.40
"Therefore he overpaid $ 9.91
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
"Also settled with the said treasurer for the money arising from the sale of the town lots, where it appears there is due him $62.50."
"Tuesday, May 9, 1820. Ordered, that a new township be laid off ; that is to say, all that part of Daviess county laying north of Prairie Creek, and to be known as Bogard township. The election to be held at the house of Michael Robeson, on the second Saturday in June next."
The following order of the commissioners' court suggests the idea that the jail was destroyed: "Ordered, that Jesse Purcell receive an order on the county treasury arising from the sale of the town lots, the sum of sixty dollars as part pay for building the late jail in Washington. The order given immediately."
"August II, 1820. Ordered, that Jesse Purcell, Aaron Freeland and William Quigley, receive an order, or orders, on the county treasury for six hundred and fifty dollars, which with the orders given heretofore, will amount to one thousand and ten dollars, the full amount for building the late jail, to be paid out of any money arising from the sale of town lots."
SETTLEMENT WITH THE COUNTY TREASURER.
"Tuesday the 13th, February, 1821. The commissioners proceeded to settle with the treasurer, where it appears as follows :
"Received $632.85
"Paid out 627.06
"His percentage 30.55
"And the treasurer throwing away a balance agrees to be even to this date."
It will be seen by the above figures that the board found a balance in the treasury of five dollars and seventy-nine cents. The treasurer's fees for collecting the taxes amounted to thirty dollars and fifty-five cents, so that the county found itself short of funds to meet its obligations to the treasurer in the amount of twenty-four dollars and seventy-six cents. This sum of money the treasurer very generously donated to the county, as shown by the ingenuous statement of the clerk of the board, Emanuel VanTrees.
"May the tenth, 1821. Ordered, that a county tax be laid for the year 182I and rated as follows, to wit: On town lots at the rate of 50 cents per 100 dollars ; horse, 371/2 cents ; on all white males over 21 years of age, 50 cents : on pleasure carriages, 4 wheels, $1.25; 2 wheels, $1.00; on each silver watch, 25 cents; gold watch, 50 cents."
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
By petition the township of Elmore was enacted out of the north part of Bogard township, by the board of county commissioners at its session of the 13th of August, 1821. An election was ordered to be held at the house of James Robeson, on the next succeeding Saturday in September. Samuel Doty was appointed inspector of elections for the township.
COUNTY SEEKS AID OF CITIZENS.
"May the 16th, 1822. Ordered that a subscription paper be circulated among the citizens of Daviess county, to raise a fund for the purpose of re- pairing the new court house in Washington, so far as to accommodate the courts at their sittings and if the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars or more be subscribed by responsible citizens the same shall be appropriated to the repairing of said house; and if at any time hereafter a tax shall be laid for the purpose of completing the public building in Daviess county, the amount which any individual or company shall voluntarily subscribe and pay by virtue of said subscription shall be deducted from the amount which may be levied on him by such tax, and if the sum subscribed and paid shall exceed the amount of any tax which may be laid for the purpose above said then the amount of such excess shall be refunded at any time after two years from the first day of January next."
BOARD OF COUNTY JUSTICES.
The last meeting of the board of county commissioners was held in August, 1824, when the governing body of the county was changed by an act of the Legislature, not only in the number of its members but also in name, as the following extract from the records show :
"At a meeting of the board of county justices of the county of Daviess and state of Indiana, on Monday the sixth day of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four, agreeable to law in such case made and pro- vided : Present, the Honorable Samuel Smith, Stephen Maston, George H. Routt, Joseph Hays, Joseph Brown, Thomas Morgan, Charles F. Wells, John Shircliff, Thomas Howell, and Amos Rogers, justices of the peace, who pro- ceeded to organize themselves into a board and proceeded to elect a presi- dent for said board by joint ballot. Whereupon it appears that George H. Routt was duly elected president of the said board."
"January term, 1830. Ordered that the clerk advertise, at least twenty days before the next sitting of this board, that sealed proposals will be re-
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
ceived at the clerk's office for the building of a county jail, the jail to be built after the plan of the late county jail that was destroyed by fire, etc."
At the March term of the justices' court the contract for a county jail was awarded to James Whitehead, his bid being for the sum of three hundred ninety-eight dollars eighty-seven and one-half cents; one-third to be paid upon commencement of the work of construction, and the balance upon ac- ceptance of the complete building. At the January term, 1831, James White- head reported the completion of the jail and the board of justices accepted it.
In May, 1831, George H. Routt, who had been president of the board of justices since its organization, died; and at the session of the board held that month George H. Routt was elected successor to the deceased chairman.
"March term, 1832. Ordered that the board 'will receive sealed pro- posals for weather-boarding the jail in the following manner, to wit: To. be lathed with oak lath one- and-a-quarter inch thick, to be placed three feet apart and pinned with one pin in each log, with inch pins well fastened, upon which the weather-boarding is to be nailed with sufficiently large nails; the weather-boarding to be planed and to show only five inches to the weather."
"May term, 1832. Ordered, that the Right Honorable George Allen Waller, Esquire, sheriff of said county of Daviess, be and he is hereby allowed one dollar for a bucket by him magnanimously furnished for the use of the. courts of said county."
NEW FORM OF GOVERNMENT.
Pursuant to an act of the General Assembly entitled "An act to regulate the mode of doing county business, etc.," approved January 19, 1831, the: board of justices divided the county into three districts, from each of which later was elected a county commissioner, to form a board of commissioners under the law. Accordingly, three commissioners were elected on the first Monday in August, 1831, and on the 5th of September, 1831, this new board of commissioners, composed of Samuel I. Kelso, from the first district, and Jacob D. Crabs, from the second district, met at the court house, organ- ized the board of county commissioners and proceeded to transact the busi- ness affairs of the county, and superseded the nondescript board of justices. On the second day of the term Alexander English, member from the third district, appeared and took his seat.
"May term, 1835. Ordered, that James Calhoun be allowed the sum of five dollars and fifty cents for recording the indentures of Angeline Taylor, Samuel C. Taylor, Cemantha Taylor, Cyrus Taylor, Joseph Abel, and Martha:
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Abel, and for transcribing the indentures of R. Walker, H. Brandus, B. N. Helphinstine, Will H. Helphinstine and N. H. Taylor, bound by overseers of the poor."
Wallace township was established in 1823 and at the September ( 1835) term of the commissioners court, on petition of certain of the citizens of the township, the name was changed to Madison.
At the September term of the board of commissioners the township of Steele was made a separate subdivision of the county. John McCormick was appointed inspector of elections, Joseph H. McCloskey and William Lester overseers of the poor.
At the May term of the board, in the year 1836, John Vantrees, Barton Peck and James Breeze were appointed a commission to superintend the construction of a new court house.
At the November session, 1838, Lewis Jones was paid one thousand one hundred dollars, the last installment on his contract for the brick and stone work.
RETURNS TO BOARD OF JUSTICES SYSTEM.
The board of commissioners adjourned sine die in June, 1836, and in pursuance of an act passed by the General Assembly and approved on Febru- ary 8, 1836, entitled "An act regulating the mode of doing county business in the counties of Daviess and Martin," a meeting was held on September I, 1836, of the several justices holding the oldest commissions in the several townships. They appeared as follow: from Washington, William G. Cole; Barr, Charles D. Morgan; Bogard, Franklin Milhite; Steele, John Cawood ; Madison, Joseph B. Van Matre, all of whom proceeded to organize the board by the election of a presiding officer in the person of John Cawood.
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