USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I > Part 16
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REGISTER OF DEEDS.
The registration of Otter Tail county deeds, mortgages and other official papers, filed in the office of the register of deeds, did not begin with the
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formal organization of the county in the fall of 1868. The first volume of county deeds shows that the first one hundred and twenty-nine pages were first recorded in Douglas county, to which Otter Tail was at first attached for judicial and recording purposes. The first deed to land in Otter Tail county was on lots 3 and 10, in township 134, range 39 (now in Otter Tail township and then in Otter Tail City, the county seat). This deed, dated October 1, 1861, recorded in Douglas county on April 4, 1867, was a trans- fer from Abraham Myrick to Daniel Burman for a consideration of five hundred dollars. The last deed to Otter Tail county land recorded in Douglas county was dated December 7, 1870. The last mortgage recorded in Douglas county (October 22, 1870) was on section 24, township 133, range 43 (Fergus Falls township). It was made by William Lines in favor of Mike Dalton, and called for seventy-nine dollars, covering eighty acres in the section above mentioned.
Since the fall of 1870 Otter Tail county has had full charge of all the work connected with this office. The work has increased from year to year until the register is compelled to employ from two to six clerks all the time to take care of the business. Since the law has required the consecutive numbering of instruments offered for registration (1887) there have been over one hundred and fifty-three thousand instruments registered.
The best method of estimating the amount of business in this office is found by listing the different volumes of records which are used every day in the transaction of business. The casual visitor to the office is con- fronted by a long desk on which are seen the abstract books, twenty-eight in number. These are but a small number, however, in comparison with the volumes in the office. The following list illustrates in a striking way the size of the "library" of the register of deeds, showing the number of volumes filled with the records of each classification: Deeds, 150; mort- gages, 117; chattel mortgages, 80; assignment, 22; satisfaction, 50; recep- tion, 44; abstract books, 28; miscellaneous, 18; numerical registers, 12; plat books, 10; bond records, 11 ; power of attorney, 5; judgment, 3; wills and deeds, 16; total number of volumes, 566.
The registers of deeds from the time the office was established down to the present time are as follow: George W. McComber, 1868-70; J. H. Sanders, 1870-74; S. H. Nichols, 1874-76; John Gerber, 1876-78; George. W. Boyington, 1878-89; Haldor E. Boen, 1889-93; Fred N. Field, 1893-99; L. A. Levorson, 1899-1907; P. A. Anderson, 1907 to the present time.
SHERIFF.
The first sheriff of Otter Tail county, Jesse Burdock, was appointed by the county commissioners on October 24. 1868, and later became the first elective holder of the office. There have been only seven different sheriffs in
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the county during its whole career of forty-eight years. The office has wit- nessed two legal executions during this period: Olson Holong, who was hanged April 13, 1888, for the murder of Lily Field; and Albert Goheen, who met a similar fate on October 23, 1891, for the murder of Rosa Bray.
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The following men have held the office in Otter Tail county: Jesse Burdock, 1868-72; Michael Anderson, 1872-78; Gunder Bartelson, 1878-87; A. Brandenburg, 1887-91 ; J. S. Billings, 1891-1901 ; E. J. Sawyer, 1901-05; Orris Albertson, 1905-09; J. S. Billings, 1909 to the present time.
COUNTY ATTORNEY.
The first county attorney, E. E. Corliss, was elected in 1870 and he held the office by subsequent election until the first Monday in January, 1875. In the fall of 1871, John W. Mason was elected to the office, but when he presented his credentials to the commissioners of January 2. 1872, they refused to accept them. Mr. Corliss was then an incumbent of the office and maintained that he still had one year to serve. Counsel for Mason declared that inasmuch as Corliss had been elected to the Legislature in the fall of 1871, that he was not eligible to retain the office of county attorney, but the commissioners held that he was entitled to continue in the office despite the provision of the constitution to the contrary. Mr. Mason finally decided to drop the matter and not make a test case of it, and on the same date (January 2, 1872) he was appointed court commissioner by the county commissioners. The supreme court of Minnesota has since decided that Mason's contention was correct, and that under the constitution a man is ineligible to hold the office of representative and county attorney.
The complete list of county attorneys from 1870 down to the present time is as follows: E. E. Corliss, 1870-75; D. P. Hatch, 1875, resigned May 10, 1875, and J. P. Williams was appointed by the county commis- sioners to fill his unexpired term, or until January, 1877; Edwin M. Wright. 1877-79; E. E. Corliss, 1879-87; Charles E. Lewis, 1887-89; C. C. Houpt, 1889-91 ; M. J. Daly, 1891-99; C. L. Hilton, 1899-1909: Anton Thompson, 1909 to the present time.
CORONER.
The office of county coroner has usually been filled by a practicing physician, although occasionally a man has been elected to the office who has had no medical education. The first three coroners-Beardsley, Gray and Albertson-had no knowledge whatever of medicine. L. E. Davidson was editor of the Perham Bulletin. All the other coroners have been prac- ticing physicians. The commissioners' records make first mention of the coroner in 1874 at which time S. H. Beardsley was filling the office. When Beardsley was elected or appointed the records fail to state.
The first volume of the coroners' records on file in the office of the
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clerk of the district court begins in May, 1887. The Legislature passed an act on March 7, 1887, providing for the preservation, recording and filing of all coroners' inquests. The first inquest on record was performed by Dr. W. C. Bedford, May 27, 1887, on the body of Arthur Wood. The coroners from 1874 to the present time are as follows: S. H. Beardsley, 1874-78; J. M. Gray, 1878-80; Orris Albertson, 1880, resigned July 26, 1880; W. C. Bedford, appointed July 26, 1880, served until 1891 : L. E. Davidson, 1891; M. S. Jones, 1891; W. T. Duncan, 1892-95; M. Magelson, 1895, died in office in 1896; L. E. Davidson, 1896-99; M. S. Jones, 1899-1901; W. T. Duncan, 1901-03; C. B. Heimark, 1903-04; D. E. Seashore, 1904-05; O. M. Haugan, 1905-11; J. G. Vigen, 1911 to the present time.
SURVEYOR.
The office of county surveyor, like several others, was appointive for a number of years after the county was organized, but later the office was made elective. The first surveyor in the county according to the commis- sioners' records was W. H. Tull, whose bond was accepted January 2, 1872. Tull held the office until he resigned January 5. 1875, Charles J. Wright being appointed in his place. Wright was later elected and served until January, 1878. The surveyors since that date have been as follow :
E. W. Leonard, 1878-80; George A. Burbank, 1880, resigned May 1, 1882, and D. G. Keefe was appointed by the county commissioners to fill his unexpired term; Martin Aalberg, 1893-1905; O. G. Molden, 1905-15; Harry E. Aalberg, 1915 to the present time.
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
The office of county superintendent of schools was first known as county examiner and as such William M. Corliss was appointed by the board of commissioners on March 20, 1869. At the next session (May 20, 1869), he was appointed "county superintendent" by the board and the office has been thus designated ever since. The office was filled by the commissioners until March 7, 1873, when it was made elective by an act of the Legisla- ture. Newton H. Chittenden was the first superintendent elected by the qualified voters of the county. A subsequent act of the Legislature ( March 1, 1876) provided that women were eligible to the office and since then no less than five women have held it, either by election or appointment as result of vacancies.
The first incumbent of the office received one hundred dollars for his first year's services, but subsequently the office paid at the rate of ten dollars for each school district. Pursuant to a resolution of the commissioners in 1881, the office was placed on an annual salary of one thousand dollars. By 1891, when the annual salary was established at fifteen hundred dollars, the office was paying eighteen hundred fifty dollars. The superintendent is
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allowed two assistants, one of whom gives most of his time to the visiting of schools. There are two hundred eighty-four school districts in the county.
The complete list of superintendents is given in the chapter on Education.
WILLIAM M. CORLISS.
William M. Corliss, the first county superintendent of schools of Otter Tail county, was born in Vermont, August 6, 1843. He came to Minnesota with his parents in May, 1856, and lived in this state from that time till his death. He enlisted June 26, 1861, in Company A, Second Minnesota Volun- teer Infantry, and served three full years. After his discharge from the service, in May, 1864, he went to Edwards, New York, where he attended school for two years. Returning to Minnesota, he taught school in Winona and Fillmore counties prior to locating in Otter Tail county in 1868. He taught in this county during the winter of 1868-69 and in the spring of 1869 (March 20) he was appointed county examiner by the county commis- sioners. At their next session (May 20, 1869), he was appointed county superintendent. Nothing is said in the records as to why a second appoint- ment was necessary or why the title of the office was changed. Mr. Corliss filled the office until his death, November 18, 1871. Mr. Corliss was also the first elective clerk of the district court, and was filling this position also at the time of his death. to the present time.
DISTRICT JUDGES.
The office of district judge is a constitutional office and is not properly listed as a county office. However, it seems appropriate to list the different judges who have presided over the district of which Otter Tail county has been a part since its organization. The seventh judicial district, which includes Otter Tail county, is made up of the following counties: Benton, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, Clay, Becker and Wadena. Otter Tail county cast more than two thousand votes more for Parsons in 1912 than any other county in the district. The names of the judges follow :
Date of
Name.
Residence.
County.
Commission.
James M. McKelvey St. Cloud
Stearns
Aug. 1, 1866.
L. W. Collins St. Cloud
Stearns
Apr. 19, 1883.
L. L. Baxter
Fergus Falls Otter Tail Mar. 18, 1885.
D. B. Searle.
St. Cloud Stearns Nov. 14, 1887.
Myron D. Taylor St. Cloud
Stearns Dec. 1, 1906.
Carroll A. Nye Moorhead Clay Jan. - , 1911.
William L. Parsons
Fergus Falls
Otter Tail Apr. 18, 1912.
John A. Roeser St. Cloud Stearns Apr. 1, 1913.
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JUDGE OF PROBATE.
The judge of probate is one of the three county officials provided for by the state constitution. The tenure of the office has always been two years, although the 1913 Legislature passed an act proposing an amendment to the constitution so as to extend the term to four years. This amendment was voted on at the November, 1914, election, but failed of adoption by a vote of 128,601 to 64,214; the vote in Otter Tail county stood 693 in favor of and 496 against the amendment. The 1915 Legislature (April 24) passed the same act and it will be voted on a second time at the November, 1916, general election. The present judge, Erick Frankberg, has held the office continuously since January, 1897. The only other county official who has approached this record for continuous service is Steve Butler, who was treas- urer for sixteen years (1895-1911). Judge Frankberg has held the office despite all the various changes in the political complexion of the county, a fact which places the stamp of public approval upon the way he has con- ducted the affairs of the office. However, the record for actual service in any one county office belongs to Davis Burbank, who was in the office of judge of probate continuously from 1891 until a short time before his death at the age of ninety-one in February, 1912. Burbank held the judgeship four years ( 1891-1895) and served as clerk in the office from 1895 to 1913, making a total of twenty-one years in the office. The complete list of judges of probate follows: Charles Sperry, appointed by the county commission- ers, October 24, 1868, and served until January, 1872; William Beaver, 1872-76; Ragnar Kalling, 1876 to 1880 (or 1881); J. P. Williams, 1880 (or 1881) to 1887; C. E. Chapman, 1887-91; Davis Burbank, 1891-95; Oliver Olson, 1895-97; Erick Frankberg, 1897 to the present time.
CLERK OF THE DISTRICT COURT.
The first record of the district court meeting in Otter Tail county shows that it met in Otter Tail City, on Tuesday, November 7, 1871, at the "store room of E. G. Holmes." According to the minutes of this session the fol- lowing officials were present: James M. McKelvey, district judge; William M. Corliss, clerk; Marcus Shaw, deputy clerk; W. H. Beardsley, sheriff. J. W. Mason and E. E. Corliss were the only lawyers present from Otter Tail county. The only other lawyers in the county at this time were Bert Melville and N. H. Chittenden, both of Fergus Falls. However, according to the legislative act of February 16, 1871, the district court of Otter Tail county (seventh judicial district) was to meet annually thereafter on the third Tuesday in September. Why the first meeting of the court was not held until nearly two months later is not known.
It is difficult to ascertain from the records the term of the first two clerks. When the first court met at Otter Tail City on November 7, 1871,
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William M. Corliss was the clerk, but he died eleven days after this first day's session ( November 18, 1871). The record of the appointment of the successor of Corliss has not been found, but it is known that W. F. Ball, then editor of the Otter Tail City Record, was appointed before the end of 1871 to fill the unexpired term of Corliss. Ball continued in the office until after the election of 1872, at which time Sam H. Nichols was elected.
The complete list of clerks from 1872 to the present time follows: Sam H. Nichols, 1872-76; John Schroeder, 1876-84; Charles J. Wright, 1884-89; L. A. Leverson, 1889-93; C. F. Hanson, 1893-1903; Jason T. Kidder, 1903, died November 27, 1911. Kidder fell dead at noon on Mill street in Fergus Falls. Court was in session at the time and immediately after the noon hour Judge Searle adjourned court after requesting the bar to meet and reconi- mond at once a successor to Kidder. The bar followed the instructions of the judge and recomended George H. Gard, who was appointed the follow- ing day by the court. Mr. Gard was elected at the next regular election and is now filling the office.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
With the presidential election of 1916 Otter Tail county will have seen the election of thirteen Presidents, from Grant in 1868 to the successful can- didate in 1916. For these Presidents Otter Tail county has carried a Democratic majority but once-in 1896; all the other years have been Republican majorities with the exception of 1912, when it was carried by the Progressive party. If the county voted for President in 1868 the record of the vote has not been preserved. Since the county was formally organ- ized on September 12 of that year, it seems probable that it voted, although no record of the vote has been found. The tabulated vote for 1872 has not been seen, but it is certain that the county voted for the Republican can- didates.
In 1876 the vote for president stood as follows: Hayes, 1,629; Tilden, 462. At this same election the county gave J. H. Stewart, Republican, 1,380 votes, and W. W. McNair, Democrat, 694 votes.
The Democratic candidate for President did not receive a single vote in the following townships in this county: Throndhjem, Norwegian Grove, Eagle Lake, Maine, Aastad; and only one in Tumuli, four in St. Olaf, two in Oscar, seven in Pelican, two in Aurdal, four in Dane Prairie, two in Fergus Falls (town), four in Clitherall and two in Eastern.
In 1880 Otter Tail county gave Garfield, Republican, 2,628 votes, and Hancock, Democrat, 772 votes. The vote for congressman was as follows : Washburn, Republican, 2,355; Sibley, Democrat, 1,041.
In 1884 the presidential vote was divided between the two leading can- didates as follows: Blaine, Republican. 3.425; Cleveland. Democrat, 1,511.
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In 1888 Harrison, Republican, received 3,874 votes and Cleveland, 1,770 votes.
In 1892 the vote of Otter Tail county for President was divided among four candidates as follows: Harrison, Republican, 2,140; Cleveland, Dem- ocrat, 1,642; Bidwell, Prohibition, 474; Weaver, Populist, 1,466.
The election of 1896 has been the only one in the county in which a Democratic candidate for President has gained a majority, the result that year being as follows: Mckinley, Republican, 3,544; Bryan, Democrat. 4,482; Levering, Prohibition, 162; Palmer, Gold Democrat, 76.
The presidential election of 1900 showed a loss of more than one thou- sand votes for Bryan, his vote dropping to 3,257; Mckinley received 3,446, and Wooley, 440.
In 1904 Otter Tail county distributed its votes for President among five candidates, as follows: Roosevelt, Republican, 4,624; Parker, Demo- crat, 869; Swallow, Prohibition, 278; Debs, Socialist, 367; Watson, Pop- ulist, 96.
In 1908 Taft carried the county with a vote of 3,964; Bryan received 2.320 votes: Chafin, 321 ; Debs, 208; Hisgen, 5.
In 1912 Roosevelt, candidate of the Progressive party, carried the county with a vote of 3.061 ; Wilson received 1.739 votes, and Taft only 756.
OTTER TAIL COUNTY IN THE LEGISLATURE.
The first mention of Otter Tail county in acts of the Legislature defining legislative districts was in 1860, when it was placed in the third district with Stearns, Todd, Cass, Wadena, Toombs, Polk, Breckenridge, Douglas. Becker, Pembina, Morrison, Crow, Wing, Aitkin, Aitkin, Itasca. Buchanan, Carlton, St. Louis and Lake. It is purely conjectural whether the settlers of Otter Tail county voted for members of the Legislature in 1860. If they did, no record is preserved of the vote; nor is there a record of any vote in the county prior to 1868. The Legislature of 1866 reorganized the third legislative district, but left Otter Tail county in it.
The first Legislature in which Otter Tail county has any particular interest was that of 1868, the tenth session. It was this session which passed the act organizing the county. At that time C. A. Gilman was in the Senate and D. G. Pettijohn and N. H. Miller in the House, representing the third district.
Eleventh Legislature.
The eleventh session of the Legislature met January 5 and adjourned March 5, 1869. C. A. Gilman of St. Cloud again represented the third dis- trict in the Senate and Ludwig Robbers and William E. Hicks sat in the House.
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Twelfth Legislature.
The twelfth Legislature convened January 4, and adjourned March 4, 1870. H. C. Wait of Todd county sat in the Senate; John L. Wilson and Isaac Thorson were in the House.
Thirteenth Legislature.
The thirteenth Legislature met January 8, and adjourned March 3, 1871. Wait was again in the Senate, but the House had two new repre- sentatives from the third district, W. S. Moore and Luke Marvin. This session of the Legislature redistricted the state for legislative purposes and placed Otter Tail county in the forty-first district with Wilkin, Wadena, Todd, Beltrami, Polk, Clay, Becker, Travers and Pembina. The apportion- ment gave to the district one senator and two representatives.
Fourteenth Legislature.
The fourteenth Legislature was the first one to have a representative of Otter Tail county as a member. John O. Milne of Todd county was in the Senate; E. E. Corliss, of Otter Tail, and L. S. Cravath, were in the House. This session convened January 2, and adjourned March 1, 1872.
Fifteenth Legislature.
The forty-first district was represented in the fifteenth Legislature, which met January 7, and adjourned March 7, 1873, by John G. Nelson, of Otter Tail county, senator ; and J. V. Brower, of Todd county, and William Felton, of Wilkin county, representatives.
Sixteenth Legislature.
Senator J. G. Nelson was a holdover representative in the Senate for the forty-first district, in the Legislature which met January 6, and adjourned March 6, 1874. J. W. Mason, of Otter Tail county, and C. B. Jordan, of Wadena county, were elected as representatives in the lower House in that session.
Seventeenth Legislature.
In the Legislature which assembled January 5, and adjourned March 5, 1875, the representative in the Senate from this district was H. G. Page; in the House, Soren Listoe, of Wilkin county, and R. L. Frazee, of Becker county.
Eighteenth Legislature.
Senator H. G. Page continued as the representative from this district in the Senate, in the eighteenth Legislature, which assembled January 4, and adjourned March 3, 1876. S. D. Comstock, of Clay, and John Wait, of Todd county, were the representatives in the lower House.
Nineteenth Legislature.
In the nineteenth Legislature, which assembled January 2, and adjourned
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March 2, 1877, this district was again represented in the Senate by H. G. Page. S. D. Comstock had been re-elected, and, with A. McCrea, of Otter Tail, represented the forty-first district in the lower House.
Twentieth Legislature.
Senator H. G. Page served the last year of his second term in the Sen- ate of the twentieth Legislature, which met January 8, and adjourned March 8, 1878. Andrew McCrea was re-elected as representative from the forty- first district, and, with Theodore Holton, served as member of the lower House.
Twenty-first Legislature.
The twenty-first Legislature assembled January 7, and adjourned March 7, 1879. Andrew McCrea, who had served two terms in the lower House, was elected as senator from the forty-first district and served his first year as a member of the Senate in this Assembly. S. G. Comstock's name again appears as one of the representatives from the forty-first district. The other representative was Michael Anderson, of Otter Tail county. An amendment to the constitution, adopted in 1877, provided for biennial ses- sions of the Legislature.
Twenty-second Legislature.
Senator Andrew McCrea served his second year as a member of the Senate in the twenty-second Legislature, which assembled January 4, and adjourned March 4, 1881. S. G. Comstock was re-elected as representative ; B. Sampson was the other representative from this district. These repre- sentatives also served in the extra session of this Legislature which was called for the purpose of considering the legislation at the regular session, relating to the state railroad bonds. This extra session met October 11, and continued until November 13, 1881, and passed an act for the adjustment of the Minnesota state railroad bonds.
At the regular session, 1881, a new apportionment was made by which six new legislative districts in the state were created. The population of Otter Tail county had increased to such an extent by this time that it was entitled to the same representation in the Legislature that had up to this time been accorded the joint representation of ten counties. By this appor- tionment Otter Tail county is made the forty-third district, with one senator and two representatives.
Twenty-third Legislature.
The twenty-third Legislature assembled January 2, and adjourned March 2, 1883. James Compton had the honor of being the first senator elected from the new legislative district composed of Otter Tail county. A like honor was conferred upon J. G. Nelson and J. H. Gray, who were the first representatives elected from this new district.
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Twenty-fourth Legislature.
Senator James Compton served the latter part of his term as a member of the twenty-fourth Legislature, which met January 6 and adjourned March 6, 1885. The representatives from Otter Tail county in this session were Washington Muzzy and Hans P. Bjon ge.
Twenty-fifth Legislature.
James Compton was re-elected and began his second term as a member of the senate in the Legislature which assembled January 4, 1887. Hans P. Bjorge was also re-elected to this body as one of the representatives from Otter Tail county. The other representative was Henry Plowman.
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