USA > Indiana > Johnson County > History of Johnston County, Indiana. From the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc., together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana territory, and the state of Indiana > Part 68
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SEC. 7. The board of county commissioners of said County of Johnson shall, within twelve months after the permanent seat of justice shall have been selected, proceed to erect necessary public buildings therein.
SEC. S. The same powers, privileged and authorized, that are granted to the qualified voters of the County of Dubois and other counties named in an act entitled, " An act incorporating a county library in the counties therein named," approved January 28, IS19, to organize, conduct and support a county library, are hereby granted to the qualified voters of the County of Johnson, and the same power and authority therein granted to, and the same duties therein required of, the several officers and the person or persons elected by the qualified voters of Dubois County, and the other counties in the said act named, for carrying into effect the provis- ions of the act entitled, " An act incorporating a county library in the County of Dubois," and the counties therein named, according to the true intent and meaning thereof, are hereby extended to, and required of, the officers and other persons elected by the quali- fied voters of the County of Johnson.
SEC. 9. This act to be in force from and after its passage.
G. W. JOHNSON, Speaker of the House of Representatives. RATLIFF Boox, President _Assembly.
Approved December 31, IS22.
WILLIAM HENDRICKS.
Gov. Hendricks commissioned John Smiley sheriff, and ap- pointed the Sth of March, 1823, as election day, when the voters were to meet at the houses of Hezekiah Davison on Blue River, and Daniel Boaz on White River, for the purpose of electing two associate judges, one clerk and one recorder. At that time Israel Watts and Daniel Boaz were chosen judges, Samuel Herriott clerk, William Schaffer, recorder, William Freeman, John S. Miller and James Ritchey, commissioners. The commissioners met according to law on the 2nd Monday in May. On the same day three of the five men appointed to locate the county seat, met and proceeded to
683
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
examine the rival places that were striving for the honor, as well as profit, of having the new capital of the county. The contest was mainly between a situation at the mouth of Sugar Creek, on land owned by Amos Durbin, and at the mouth of Hurricane, on the land of George King. It is needless to say that the latter was successful, and the county seat was located on the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 14, Township 12 north, Range 4 east. This land was donated to the county by King, in addition to eleven acres lying between it and Young's Creek. On the suggestion of Samuel Herriott, who, it is said, was an ardent admirer of Benjamin Franklin, the new town was named for that illustrious American.
The commissioners appointed John Campbell county agent, whose duty it was, among other things, to "receive good and suf- ficient deeds of conveyance for any lands that may have been given to the county." The town was soon laid out, and lots sold. Many of these items concerning the early history of Franklin will be found in another part of this work, and it will be unnecessary to repeat them here. By permission of Judge Banta, to whom the publishers are under many obligations, the following is taken from his Historical Sketch of Johnson County. It is told so aptly that his words are copied verbatim :
" The first sale of lots was advertised for the 2d day of Septem- ber, 1823, and on that day the county agent, provided with ' whisky and paper' of the value of $1.1834, for which the county paid, sold a number of lots adjoining the public square; and, on the 14th day of the same month, he exposed to sale other of the town lots. The principal sales were on the south and east sides of the square, and prices ranged from $19 for the lot on which the jail stands, to $40.56 for No. 61, which lies immediately south of the jail lot. The brush was grubbed out of the public square by Nicholas Shaffer for $6.58, and David McCaslin, Nathaniel Poor and Jacob Freeman performed labor in and about, clearing the square of growing timber, while the citizens of the place volun- tarily rolled and burned the logs of nights.
" It was made the duty of the commissioners to partition the county into convenient townships, and this duty they must have performed soon after being introduced into office, for, from the August election returns for 1823, it appears that three townships had been organized -Blue River, Nineveh and White River. Blue River seems to have been confined to so much of Congressional Township II, Range 5, as is in Johnson County. White River extended over all the territory now included in White River, Pleas-
684
JOHNSON COUNTY.
ant and Clark, and Nineveh extended over all of Nineveh, Franklin, Union and Hensley.
Public Buildings .- "It is uncertain, at this time, when the con- traet for building a court house was let, but it is certain that the house was not ready for occupancy in March, IS24, but was ready in October of the same year. William Shaffer, the county re- corder, who was by occupation a carpenter, undertook the work, and it is safe to assume that it was begun in the spring of 1824, and that the contract was let by the first board of commissioners, but for what price is now unknown. The late Thomas Williams, however, who was the owner of the only yoke of oxen then in or about the new town, drew the logs to the building site for $1. The new court house was in keeping with the poverty of the county. It was two stories high, was built of hewed logs, and a broad wooden outside stair led from the ground up to the second floor, which was the court room. This was furnished with a table, two 'splint-bottomed chairs, one for the judge, and one for the clerk,' with wooden benches without backs for the accommodation of lawyers, jurymen, litigants and spectators. This first court house was built upon the lot situate immediately in the rear of the lot on which the bank buildings are erected. A jail was not yet provided. It is in memory, that, before a jail house was up, a prisoner, who was under sentence of imprisonment, was sent from an Edinburg justice's court, and that John Smiley, in lieu of a better place of confinement, chained the culprit to a stump in the publie square his allotted time. But the chain and stump did not serve the purpose in all cases, for, in 1826, we find the board of justices of the county making allowances out of the county treasury for the guarding of prisoners. A contract for building the jail must have been let some time in the first half of 1826, to Samuel Herriott. At the July term of the board of justices, it was ordered that the contractor put two windows in the jail, one in each end, seven inches by eighteen, and that the logs for the jail should be seventeen feet long instead of eighteen, and that, instead of ceiling the 'upper loft' with poplar plank, it be 'laid down with hewed timbers nine inches thick.' From this order the char- acter of the structure may be perceived, and further, that the ma- terial had not yet been prepared. In the following January, the board accepted the building, but there nowhere appear sufficient datå to enable us to fix upon the price paid."
The method of doing county business was materially changed in 1824. Theretofore the county board consisted of but three com- missioners who were elected for that purpose only, and to them
685
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
was given the entire charge of the county business. In that year, however, the law transferred their business to what is termed the board of jurors. This board was composed of all the justices of the peace in the county who were ex-officio members of this board. This method did not remain in voguelong, as it was found to be too cumbersome and unsatisfactory. The details of the business as transacted by the board, would be of but little interest. It was gen- erally made up of hearing road petitions, appointing viewers, over- seers of the poor. inspectors of elections. superintendents of school sections, county officers, fence viewers, constables, listers, assessors, granting licenses of various kinds, passing on claims against the county, levying taxes, selecting jurors, changing roads, and many other matters pertaining to the general business of the county. In the light of our modern ways, some of the claims allowed, seem funny. In Judge Banta's " Sketch " is the following :
" One of $4, in favor of William Barnett, for work done on the court house, was allowed, and he was privileged to . lift his bond filed in the clerk's office for the completion of the work to be done to court house." Patrick Cowan and Thomas Russell were each allowed $1.50, their fees in the case of the State of Indiana vs. Richard Neal; Lewis Bishop came in for $1 ' charges for keeping Richard Neal while a prisoner,' and John Barnett got 50 cents, and Joseph Hickerso $I, for standing guard over the said Rich- ard; and John Smiley, the sheriff, got $41.10 for 'guarding, dieting,' etc., said Richard Neal, and two others, Nathaniel Bell and William Barlow. Richard Neal was proving himself an un- profitable citizen. A special term of the circuit court had been called on his account, and a grand jury impanelled to consider a presentment to be made against him, charging him with having sent a challenge to fight a duel; but the jury ignored the bill, and Richard drops out of sight, leaving these bills to be paid by the county. John Campbell, the county agent, was then allowed $2.61 34 for whisky and stationery furnished for county use while agent. This whisky was for the benefit of the buyers of the town lots."
Finances .- The question of raising and maintaining a sufficient revenue for the needs of the county, and at the same time keeping taxation within moderate bounds, is one of no little importance. New counties seldom have much resource for raising public funds. It is also true that their needs are not greater than their abilities. The almost universal means of obtaining the earliest funds to meet the expenses of the county was from the sale of town lots. The land on which a county seat was located was nearly always donated to the county, and the enhanced value of this land contributed to start the public treasury in a flourishing condition. The county
686
JOHNSON COUNTY.
board would impose licenses upon certain kinds of business, and assess a tax that in this later day seems meager indeed. But they were relatively high, and this payment was often a matter of much concern to the citizens.
The first tax levy, as revealed by the records now at hand, was in 1826, when the following was made: Each horse, 371/2 cents; each ox, 1834 cents; gold watch, $1; silver watch, 25 cents; each white male person twenty-one years old, 50 cents; each license to retail foreign merchandise, $15; each tavern license, $5; each ferry license, $2, and each covering horse license was placed at $2. It is probable that this total revenue derived from taxation at the beginning of the county did not exceed $300. In 1826, the treas- urer's report shows less than $400 paid out, with $29 in the treas- ury. In 1830, the amount had increased to about $1,000. With the continued growth of the population and increased value of property, the amount of taxes has increased until the present time. Of course there were some fluctuations as temporary expenditures increased or diminished, but there has been a general increase from the first. During the war the bounties and the relief funds raised aggregate revenue to what was then deemed unusual excess, but the ordinary expenses have long since then raised the amount to a figure far in advance of war taxes. In 1865, the total amount raised was $105,529.54. Even these figures seem moderate when compared with the present.
Poor Expense .- There is no question that so closely concerns people, in relation to revenue, as the dispensation of public charity. The first provision made by law was for the appointment of over- seers of the poor in each civil township. The law prescribed their duties as follows: « * *
* every year to cause all poor persons who have or shall become a public charge, to be farmed out on contract, to be made on the first Monday in May, annually, in such manner as said overseers shall deem best calculated to promote the public good. Provided, That nothing herein contained shall prohibit any overseer from receiving and accepting propositions at any time for the keeping of the poor, and others who may at any time hereafter become a county charge." This method was not sufficient to meet the growing demands of society, though perhaps it was well enough for the more primitive days in which it was in vogue. Late in the decade of the forties, and early in the fifties, the farming out pro- cess was discarded in nearly all parts of the state, and the poor who had become almost wholly dependent upon the county, were placed under the charge of one man on a farm, either rented or pur- chased for that purpose. This was soon found to be a more practical way of managing these matters, and the system was enlarged and
687
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
improved. Large and commodious buildings have been erected suitable for maintaining the indigent. The item of expense charge- able to the poor is one well calculated to challenge the considera- tion of the tax-payer. For this single item alone, Johnson County expended in the year ISS7, about $10,000. Of this sum, $2,500 was chargeable to expenses at the poor farm, while the balance was paid out through the medium of the township trustees, who now have distribution of funds to such persons within their respective townships as are, in their judgments, worthy objects of charity.
One of the latest advancements in this direction is the establish- ment of orphans' homes in many of the counties. These are de- signed to rear and educate orphan children that are practically abandoned to the world. It is one of the most worthy channels in which public generosity and charity can be directed. That the in- fluences surrounding an inmate of the poor-house are bad, at the best, there is no doubt, and to bring up children in the midst of the examples that must inevitably confront them in such a place, would be not only bad policy, but must result in lowering morality. John- son County has kept fully abreast of the times on these questions. In August, 1884, the county commissioners purchased one acre and a half of land at Ilopewell, and established there an orphans' home, the price paid being $900. Here all children between the ages of six and sixteen, of sound mind, are kept, that are county charges. The contract of keeping them is let to the lowest bid- der, the present price being 30 cents per day for each inmate. The board appointed Emmeline Bridges, 'matron. There are now forty-four inmates.
Later Public Buildings .- The first court house and jail have already been mentioned. A second court house having become necessary, the county board, in March, 1830, decided upon another. The new building was to be of brick, forty feet square, two stories high, with two doors, a suitable cupola, and a foundation of rock. The contract was let in due time to Samuel and John Herriott, for $1,427, and it was to be completed in two years. The contract for finishing the building inside was let to William Shaffer, for $349.50. The entire cost was thus nearly $1,Soo, and when com- pleted was considered good, and for the time no doubt it was. This building served all the purposes for which it was erected, until 1849, when early in the morning of May 18th it was destroyed by fire. There was comparatively small loss of the records, or public documents. At the July term following this, the board awarded a contract to Edwin May, for the erection of a new court house, for $10,084. The size was to be 50x84 feet. In June an order Ład been passed to sell the ruins of the old building, but the record no-
6SS
JOHNSON COUNTY,
where discloses the amount received for it. Edwin May, the con- tractor. became known in more recent years as the architect of the new state capitol building. John Elder was the architect of the court house for this county, and for his plans and specifications was allowed $50.
By something approaching to fatality this building was also de- stroyed by fire on December 12, 1874, after service of nearly a quarter of a century. To accommodate the county officers, and as a shelter for the records, which were nearly all preserved, a tem- porary frame building was erected on the south side of the public square. This was Johnson County's fourth court house, if it can properly be termed such. It continued in use until the present handsome structure was erected, though it was condemned by the grand jury as unsafe for the preservation of the records. At the March term, 1879, the matter of building was taken under advise- ment. In April, following, the commissioners went to the towns of Washington and Columbus to inspect the court houses there. Plans and specifications were filed at the May term by no less than ten different leading architects. At a special term in July, the plans of George W. Bunting were adopted, and in September the con- tract was let. The bidders were: McCormack & Sweeney, $81,850: W. H. Meyers, $79,987: Kammacher & Denig, $108,000; Farman & Pierce, $79,100. The last, being the lowest bid, was accepted. but subsequent changes and additions made the total cost of the building about $100,000. It was completed, and in Decem- ber, ISSI, was accepted by the commissioners. The first floor has eight rooms, and are occupied by the auditor, clerk, sheriff, re- corder and treasurer, with smaller additional rooms for each. The second floor contains court room, county superintendent's room, petit and grand jury rooms, consultation room and judge's private office. On the third floor are four rooms used for storage. The building is of the modern style of architecture, and of brick and stone. It is a durable structure, and one the citizens of the county may well feel proud of.
fails. - The first jail was built in 1826, but what sort of build- ing it was, there is now but little means of telling. Its duration, too, is another uncertainty. That it remained in use until I851 is more than improbable, though a hasty perusal of the records failed to find that another had been built in the meantime. At the Janu- ary term, 1851, the commissioners awarded the contract for build- ing a new jail to John Craig and Joseph Parris, for $4,800. The jailor's house was to be two stories high, and to be built of stone. The plans and specifications for this building were elaborate, and it was to be completed on or before March 1, IS52. When done, it
689
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
was a very creditable structure, and continued in use until the pres- ent one superseded it. The jail now in use was modeled after one at Danville, Ind., and was ordered at a special session of the board in July, 1867. James F. Wiley was authorized to con'ract and procure from a competent architect two drawings and plans and specifications like in all respects to the jail at Danville. The auditor was directed to advertise the time and place of letting the contract, in the Cincinnati Enquirer and Indianapolis Herald. The contract was awarded to McCormack & Sweeney, of Columbus, for $39,900. It was completed and accepted at the August term, 1870.
Organization of Townships .- The first townships created were White River, Blue River and Nineveh. It is probable these three were created at the first term of the county board, as that was the usual way at the organization of new counties. The absence of the records for the first few years of the county prevents a definite statement of the date when these townships were created. Their probable boundaries as described by Judge Banta have already been given. From the best information at hand it seems that Franklin was the next township organized. This was most likely done within the first two years of the county's history. Hensley was next, and was organized at the March term, 1827, of the county board, bounded as follows: Beginning at the southwest cor- ner of Section 31, in Township II, Range 3, on the county line, thence on the county line east to the southeast corner of Section 31, Town- ship II, Range 4; thence north on the section line to the northeast corner of Section 6, Township II, Range 4: thence west on the line dividing Townships II and 12 to the northwest corner of Sec- tion 6, Township II, Range 3: thence south of the county line to the place of beginning. Pleasant Township was created by order of the board, May 4, 1829, and included all the land now in both Pleasant and Clark townships. Union was authorized on July 5, 1830, and was bounded as follows: Beginning at the northwest corner of Section 31, Township 13, Range 3; thence east on the sec- tion line to the range line dividing Ranges 3 and 4; thence north one mile; thence east two miles; thence south to the southeast corner of Section 32, Township 12, Range 4; thence west to the county line: thence north to the place of beginning.
In 1832, at the March term, the boundaries of all the seven town- ships were somewhat changed, and in May, 1838, Clark Township was organized, with about the same territory as it now has. From that time on there were no new townships created until March, ISSI, when Needham was formed out of the eastern part of Frank- lin, thus making a total of nine civil townships in the county.
Elections -The following table of presidential elections was ob- tained after much search in the county archives, and though not
690
JOHNSON COUNTY.
entirely complete. are vet valuable for reference. The returns for I824, are entirely gone, but the others are all preserved, excepting an occasional township.
November, 1832-Democrat, Jackson and Calhoun; whig, Jackson and VanBuren; whig, Adams and Rusk.
D
Franklin
73
66
White River 68
27
White River
34
23
Blue River 103
64
Nineveh.
62
Hensley .
52
Blue River-No returns.
November, 1836 .- Whig, Har- rison and Granger; democrat, Van Buren and Johnson.
November, 1840 .- Whig. Har- rison and Tyler; democrat, Van Buren and Johnson.
D
Blue River 140
49
Blue River S2
32
Nineveh.
4I IOS Nineveh.
73 119
Hensley .
38, llensley 2
12 77
Union. No returns.
Union I
27
White River
57
91
Pleasant
70
59
Franklin
160
236
Clark 23 53
Franklin 336 433
Total
438 559
Total.
631 998
November, 1848 .- Democrat,
and Filmore; free soil, Van Bu- ren and Adams.
D
W FS
Hensley
IO
100
Franklin.
289
235 12
Blue River ..
124
25
. .
Clark. 2I
57
I
Union . I38
32 . .
Pleasant . 37
73
I2
Nineveh. 146
107
. .
White River .60
67
. .
Clark. . 86
2.4
. .
Blue River. 42
IIS
. .
Nineveh tally sheet lost.
202 Pleasant
IO2
66
. .
votes were cast in the township for the different candidates.
Total . III4
675
I2
23 Union 7
2
6 Hensley 46
4
Pleasant 39 23 Franklin - Poll book and tally sheet missing.
D
November, 1844 .- Whig, Clay] and Freylinghuysen; democrat, Cass and Butler; whig, Taylor Polk and Dallas; free soil, Bir- ney and Morris.
D FS
Hensley
15I
26
. .
White River. 74
161
Franklin. 315
518
2
Union .. O
58
.
White River 64 148
Pleasant.
38
37
November, IS28- Democrat,]
Clay and Sergeant.
D
691
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
November, IS52 .- Whig, Scott! November, 1856 .- Democrat, and Graham ; democrat, Pierce and Buchanan and Breckenridge: re- W D King; free soil, Hale and Julian. publican, Fremont and Dayton; FS free soil, Filmore and Donelson.
Franklin
315
360 6
D
R
FS
Nineveh .
96
165
3 Franklin .
356
467
55
Blue River
192
IIO
2 Nineveh . .
18I
IO7
18
Pleasant.
92
I45
S Blue River ..
I24
163
29
Union
31
149
I
Pleasant . . . .
215
144
7
White River
St
I38
Union . .....
205
31
I3
Hensley
4I
156
White River
IS5
79
20
Clark .
45
IIO
.
Hensley .
225
32
5
Clark.
II7
72
6
Total
896 1333
20
Total .
1608
1095
I53
November, 1864 .-- Democrat,
D November, 1860 .- Independ-j can, Lincoln and Johnson. R I3S Clark I30 R U ent democrat, Douglas and John- McClellan and Pendleton ; republi- son ; democrat, Breckenridge and Lane; republican, Lincoln and Hamlin; union, Bell and Everett. ID D
Franklin
289
S9
519
21
Nineveh
I66
20
I49
4
B. River 133
9
174
9
Pleasant .
207
194
Union .. . 157
5.3
39
I2
Hensley.
255
40
Hensley. 188
60
ot
4
W. River 156
56
127
2
Blue River.
I73
199
Clark ..
123
IO
83
4
Total. . 1392
336
I303
60
November, 1868. - Democrat,¡ Seymour and Blair; republican, Grant and Colfax.
D R
Franklin .
555
635
Blue River
227
264
Hensley .
267
268|
20I
I20
.
Union
23I
68
Blue River
278
282 . .
White River.
270
I31
Hensley
250
57
.
Clark.
163
I54
Clark.
I3I
I47
. .
Pleasant
24I
242
Pleasant . .
243
238
.
Nineveh .
195
I34
Union .
219
72
2
White River.
249
12
2
Total
2149
1697
Total
2109
1700
4
44
November, 1872 .- Liberal re- publican, Greeley and Brown; republican, Grant and Wilson; democrat, O'Connor and Julian. R D LR
Franklin
538
664
White River
219
115
Union.
219
61
Nineveh
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