USA > Missouri > Lincoln County > History of Lincoln County, Missouri, from the earliest time to the present > Part 28
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Subsequently, efforts were made to refund the bonds at 5 per cent interest, and the following entries and orders of the county court, made and spread upon its record, on the 15th day of May, 1888, will show with what result:
" WHEREAS, The outstanding funding bonds of this county, bearing 6 per cent interest, are now by the terms of said bonds and the orders of the court, subject to call and payment, and
" WHEREAS, This court has satisfied itself that the bonded in- debtedness can be refunded in bonds bearing a lower rate of interest, and
" WHEREAS, Lincoln County has heretofore compromised and refunded its bonds and indebtedness under an act of the Gen- eral Assembly of the State of Missouri, entitled ' An act entitled an act to enable counties, cities, townships and towns to fund all or any part of their bonded debt and unpaid subscriptions to
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
the capital stock of any railroad company, after first submitting the same to a vote of the qualified voters thereof, and to create a sinking fund for the payment of such funded indebtedness, and repealing certain acts, approved March 27, 1875, April 12, 1877, and April 14, 1877, and all other acts and parts of acts incon- sistent with this act.' Approved May 16, 1879.
"Now, Therefore, For the purpose of refunding three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars of said bonded indebtedness, under and by virtue of the provisions of an act of the General Assembly of the State of Missouri entitled 'An act to provide for the funding of county and township bonds," approved March 30, 1887, it is now here ordered by the court that bonds be issued by Lincoln County to the amount of three hundred and twenty- five thousand ($325,000) dollars, to be designated Lincoln County Funding Bonds, and to be dated May 15, A. D. 1888, and made payable twenty years after June 1, A. D. 1888. One hun- dred and twenty-five thousand dollars of said bonds shall be re- deemable at the option of said Lincoln County, on the first day of February, in any year after five years from the date thereof, and one hundred thousand dollars of said bonds shall be redeemable at the option of said Lincoln County on the first day of February, in any year after ten years from the date thereof, and one hundred thousand dollars of said bonds shall be redeemable at the option of said Lincoln County, on the first day of February in any year after fifteen years from the date thereof; notice, however, of the intention of said county to redeem any of the said bonds shall be given by publishing for at least four weeks prior to the day set for redemption, in some weekly newspaper of general circulation, published in the city of New York, a call for any of said bonds which the said county intends to redeem; said call shall state the place of payment, the serial numbers of the bonds called and the day of payment, and that after said mentioned day the inter- est thereon shall cease. Said funding bonds shall bear interest at the rate of 5 per cent per annum, payable on the first day of February in each year, with negotiable interest coupons thereto attached. Both the principal and interest thereof shall be pay- able in lawful money of the United States, at the National Bank of Commerce, in the city and State of New York, and shall be
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HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
signed and executed in the name and on behalf of said county, by the presiding justice of this court, attested by the signature of its clerk and under the seal thereof.
" The said coupons annexed to said bonds shall be signed by said presiding justice and said clerk, by having their respective names engraved thereon, which said signatures so engraved shall have the same force and effect, and be as binding on said county as though the same were written by them. A copy of this order shall be printed on the backs of said funding bonds, and shall be referred to in the bodies of said bonds, and shall be considered a part thereof. Said funding bonds shall be issued in the denom- ination of $1,000 each, shall be numbered from 100 to 325, and all of said bonds and coupons shall be made payable to the bearer thereof, and shall be registered as provided by law and have the certificate thereof duly appearing on each.
" And it is further ordered by this court that Lincoln County hereby contracts and binds itself to the holders of said Lincoln County funding bonds to be issued as aforesaid, that it, through its county court, shall and will provide a sinking fund in the ex- press manner provided by law for the gradual retirement of all said bonds, by levying in and after the year 1888 an annual tax sufficient therefor on all the taxable property in said county, which fund shall be used for the purpose of said funding bonds, and for no other purpose whatever.
" And it is further ordered by this court that Lincoln County binds itself to levy and collect, in the express manner now pro- vided by law, in and after the year 1888, a sufficient amount on each dollar of the taxable property in said county to pay the interest upon all the bonds issued as aforesaid."
In accordance with the foregoing order, the refunding bonds to the amount of $325,000 have been issued. In addition to this, there remains outstanding of the 6 per cent bonds issued May 1, 1883, the sum of $35,300, thus making the total bonded in- debtedness of the county in July, 1888, the sum total of $360,300. The bonds of the $35,300 are payable on call, and for that reason were not refunded. They could not be refunded at five per cent and be made payable in less than five years, so to enable the county to call and pay a portion of them annually,
20
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
they were left as originally issued. The Court anticipates the payment in full of the $35,000 during the next five years.
BEDFORD TOWNSHIP SUBSCRIPTION.
On the 19th day of January, 1875, Hon. R. H. Norton pre- sented to the court a petition, signed by S. R. Woolfolk, William Frazier and thirty-eight other citizens of Bedford Township, praying for a special election to be held for the purpose of ascer- taining whether or not the qualified voters of the township were willing to subscribe the sum of $55,000 to the capital stock of the St. Louis & Keokuk Railroad Company, provided that the company complete their road from the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northwestern Railroad to Troy, Mo., so as to give continuous connection by rail to St. Louis, on or before October 1, 1875, and that the principal machine and repair shops of the road be located and built within eighty rods of the station grounds at Troy, and that one building of said shops be erected on or be- fore the time last mentioned. In compliance with the foregoing, the Court ordered that an election be held at Bedford Township at the courthouse in Troy, on Saturday, February 20, 1875, for the purpose of submitting and deciding the question set forth in the petition. The election was held accordingly, and on the 9th of March following, the returns were canvassed, and it was found that of the whole number of votes cast (558), 373 were in favor of the proposition to subscribe the stock mentioned in the peti- tion, and 185 against it. Thereupon the Court appointed Walton Perkins agent for the Township of Bedford, and ordered that 110 bonds, of $500 each, be signed and issued by the president and clerk of the court, dated March 9, 1875, and to be due and pay- able October 1, 1885; the interest coupons to be paid at the office of the county treasurer on the first day of April and Octo- ber of each year, the interest not to commence until October 1, 1875. The bonds for the full amount of $55,000 were pre- pared accordingly, but in consequence of the failure of the rail- road company to accept the subscription on the terms offered, they were, on the 9th day of August following, destroyed by fire in the presence of the Court, clerk, sheriff, agent and others. Had this project succeeded, it would have been a good thing for
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HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
the town of Troy-that is, if the shops had been located here and continued to be operated.
CLARKSVILLE & WESTERN RAILROAD.
On the 8th day of May, 1871, F. G. Gilmer and twenty-eight other citizens of Hurricane Township filed a petition with the county court setting forth that they desired, as a township, to subscribe $75,000 to the capital stock of the Clarksville & West- ern Railroad Company, on certain conditions set out in the peti- tion, and that only 5 per cent of the stock subscribed should be paid until after the proposed railroad should be completed from Louisiana, in Pike County, to St. Charles, in St. Charles County. Thereupon the Court ordered that an election should be held in said township at the office of Dr. J. W. Welch, in the town of New Hope, on Tuesday May 23, 1871, for the purpose of submit- ting the question of subscribing the amount of stock as prayed for in the petition to the qualified voters thereof. The same day Jonathan W. Crume and thirty-one other citizens of Monroe Township presented a petition to the county court setting forth that they desired that township to subscribe the sum of $50,000 to the capital stock of the same railroad company on like condi- tions as set forth in the petition from Hurricane Township. Thereupon the Court ordered that an election should be held in said township at the house of Dr. Talbott, in Chantilla, on Tues- day, May 23, 1871, for the purpose of submitting the question of subscribing such stock to the qualified electors thereof.
Accordingly, these elections were held, and upon canvassing the votes, it was found that in Hurricane Township 140 votes were cast in favor of, and 166 against subscribing the proposed $75,000 to the capital stock of the railroad company, and that in Monroe Township 31 votes were cast in favor of, and 206 against making the proposed subscription of $50,000.
Afterward, at a special term of the county court, held June 14, 1871, John C. Downing and F. G. Gilmer presented the peti- tion of 336 citizens of Hurricane Township, containing the same prayer as that of the one presented to the court on the 8th day of May preceding. Upon this petition the Court ordered another election to be held for the same purpose as aforesaid, at the
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
office of Dr. J. W. Welch, in the town of New Hope, on Thurs- day, June 29, 1871. This election was also held, and upon counting the votes it was found that 181 electors voted for the subscription, and only 79 against it. This proposed railroad was never built, and consequently no bonds were issued, and Hurri- cane Township was thus fortunately saved from the great burden that a majority of the voters proposed to place upon her.
CHAPTER VI.
TAXATION, FINANCES, POPULATION, ETC.
As all governments must have revenue to defray expenses and keep the machinery of government in running order, it was found necessary at the second term of the circuit court of Lin- coln County, which was held in August, 1819, and which had jurisdiction over all county business, to provide for the raising of a county revenue. For this purpose it was ordered "that there be levied and collected by the sheriff, for the year 1819, the fol- lowing taxes: On each horse, mare, mule or ass, above three years old, 25 cents; on all neat cattle above three years old, 62 cents; for every stud-horse the sum for which he stands the season; on each and every negro or mulatto slave between the ages of sixteen and forty-five years, 50 cents; on each billiard table, $25; on each able-bodied man of twenty-one years old and upward, not being possessed of property of the value of $200, 50 cents; on water, grist and saw mills, horse mills, tan yards and distilleries, in actual operation, 40 cents on every $100 of their valuation."
At the third term of the court, in December, 1819, the first accounts ever presented against the county were allowed, among which were the following: To commissioners of the county seat, David Bailey, $51.25; James White, $35; Daniel Draper, Hugh Cummins and Abraham Kennedy, each $37.50; John Ruland, clerk, $51.68; David Bailey, sheriff, $100.19; Peyton R. Hayden, deputy circuit attorney, $20; William Christy, Jr., for copy of
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HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
record, $6.123; account for seal, screw press, etc., $33.50; Ben- jamin Cottle, for use of his house for court, $16. Other accounts were allowed at this term, so that the aggregate amount was $459.24. The county revenue collected up to this term of court, for the year 1819, was $175.66, as appeared by the report of Sheriff Bailey. One dollar of this revenue was a fine which had been imposed upon Zadock Woods for committing an assault and battery.
By comparing the figures it will be seen that the amount of expenses allowed far exceeded the whole amount of revenue col- lected. The tax levies for 1820 were made at the August term of the court for that year, and were the same as for 1819. In 1821, the number of taxpayers in the county, as shown by the tax list of that year, including the widows and the estates of de- ceased persons, was 276. " The tax averaged a fraction over 95 cents each, and ranged from 22 cents to $12.414, the latter being the amount paid by Shapleigh Ross, the largest taxpayer in the county. He was assessed with 504 acres of land, on which stood a grist and saw mill (in Moscow), thirty-nine town lots, seven- teen slaves, twelve horses, eighteen cattle, and one watch, valued in the aggregate at $9,860. Ross was also the largest slave holder. Meredith Cox had ten, Malcom Henry, Sr., had eight; after these the largest number was five. There were 242 slaves and one free black in the county. There were 466 horses, and 845 cattle; no other property than mentioned above was listed. Besides Ross' mill, Ira and Almond Cottle owned a mill on Cuivre, point not stated, valued at $1,400; Joseph Cottle had a horse mill in Troy, valued at $400; and Meredith Cox had a horse mill where Louisville now stands, valued at $200. Maj. Christopher Clark had a distillery valued at $600, and Jacob Groshong had one valued at $200. Ezekiel Dunning had a tan- yard valued at $100. The non-resident tax list numbered forty- seven taxpayers, of whom Auguste Chouteau paid the largest tax, $48.40, on 25,256 acres of land, valued at $39,128. The non-residents list included the names of Thacker Vivion, Nathaniel Simonds, John Ruland, George Collier and others, who had been residents, and some of whom were again residents thereafter." [Extract from Dr. Mudd's history. ]
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
David Bailey, the first collector of Lincoln County, served from its organization in 1819 until 1823. Afterward, at the Feb- ruary term of the county court in 1826, an examination of his accounts for the years 1819 and 1820 was made, whereby it appeared to the court that a balance of $419.56, the items of which were set out, was due and payable from him to the county. Bailey denied the claim and refused to pay it, claiming as he did that he did not owe it. At the following August term of the court the president thereof was ordered to issue an order to the county treasurer to collect the amount. Not succeeding in collecting it, the case of "The County of Lincoln vs. David Bailey " was brought in the circuit court of the county in No- vember, 1826, for the above-mentioned amount of money. The case was tried before a jury, who rendered a verdict "that the county receive nothing for her bill," and thus the defendant was exonerated from the charge.
In 1830 the county tax was equal to one-half of the amount charged for State purposes, and in February, 1831, Walter Wright, the tax collector, made a full report of the receipts of county revenue for 1830. This report shows that he received from direct taxation $603.77, and on account of licenses granted to merchants, inn-keepers, keepers of dram shops and the like, $159.45, making a total of $763.22 as county revenue. On this amount he was allowed a commission of $51.17 as collector. The taxable property of Lincoln County and the taxes charged thereon for the year 1832, as shown by the tax list of that year, which is still preserved, is as follows: Number of acres of land charged to resident owners, 48,277, valued at $148,356; number of town lots, 234, valued at $20,562; number of slaves, 723, valued at $185,064; number of horses, 1,263, valued at $41,401; number of cattle, 1,980, valued at $17,819. Total value of property of resident owners, $415,803. The amount of taxes charged thereon for State purposes was $1,018.86, and for county purposes, $765.95. The whole number of acres charged to both resident and non-resident owners was 94,288, valued at $232,246; town lots, 236, valued at $20,662. These items, to- gether with the value of the slaves and other personal property, made the total value of taxables amount to $499,093. On this
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HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
amount there was charged $1,159.34 for State, and $871.32 for county purposes, making a total of $2,030.66. The heaviest tax- payers in Lincoln County in 1832 and the amount of taxes paid by each. were as follows: William Boon, $11.80; Thompson Blanton, $13.51; David Bailey, $19.12; Meredith Cox, $21.63; Henry B. Sanford, $11.67; Benjamin Vance, $14.47; A. C. & N. Woolfolk, $18.72; Peter Chouteau, Sr., a non-resident, paid or was charged $32.08 on a valuation of $11,000. He was then the largest taxpayer in the county.
SLAVE HOLDERS.
Following is a list of slave holders in the county in 1832, who owned six or more slaves, with the number owned annexed to each name: Harrison D. Allen, 6; Thompson Blanton, 14; Lewis Castleman, 6; Jesse Cooper, 7; David Clark, 6; Meredith Cox, 15; John Dudley, 9; Richard Fenton, 6; John Forkner, 6; Samuel Findley, 7; Joseph W. Gibson, 6; Malcom Henry, 6; Wiley Hines, 10; John M. Hopkins, 6; Milton L. Love, 6; Elijah Myers, 9; John McQueen, 11; Caleb McFarland, 6; Mervin Ross, 7; Thomas Revier, 6; Gabriel Reeds, 7; Peter Shelton, estate, 6; Robert Stewart, 9; Thomas Stallard, 6; Samuel Smiley, 7; Henry B. Sanford, 7; Fulton Thompson, 6; Barnabas Thornhill, 7; Benjamin Vance, 12; A. C. & N. Woolfolk, 16; Jefferson Wright, 7. The other slave holders, holding five or less, were too numerous to mention here.
As time passed on the county became more thickly settled; property increased in value, and with the increased public im- provements, a larger amount of revenue became necessary. The total amount of county revenue collected for the year 1840, as. shown by the collector's report for that year, was $1,609.95. The taxable property of Lincoln County, for the year 1850, as shown by the tax books, was as follows: Total number of acres of land assessed, 273,371, valued at $539,487; value of town lots, $24,013; number of slaves, 1,811, valued at $454,365; other personal prop- erty, $125,970; mills, stills and tanyards, $31,433; other prop- erty, $736,585; total value of taxable property, $1,191,853. On this amount there was charged for State tax, $2,903.23, and for county tax, $2,177.43, making a total of taxes charged $5,080.66
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
The following is a list of the heaviest taxpayers of Lincoln County, in 1850, with the amount of tax paid annexed to their names, viz .: James Baird, $19.41; Talbot Bragg, $23.24; James Clark, $24.00; Andrew Cochran, $35.18; Duncan Ellis, $20.76; James Finley, $23.23; Elizabeth Lewis, $33.43; Fountain Mer- iwether, $22.68; William Overall, $20.83; James Stallard, $23.07; Charles Sydnor, $26.64; John W. Sydnor, $29.51; William Syd- nor, $23.30; Thomas G. Hutt, $35.21; Richard Wright, $19.01; Woolfolk estate, $22.44; G. W. Zimmerman, $22.07.
The slave holders of 1850, owning ten or more slaves each, with the number owned annexed to their names, were as fol- lows: Joel Blanks, 13; Talbot Bragg, 18; James Clark, 16; Andrew Cochran, 20; Duncan Ellis, 10; Joseph Gibson, 13; Francis Harvey, 11; M. L. Lovell, 20; Thomas H. Lewis, 18; Elizabeth Lewis, 25; Raleigh Mayes, 10; Fountain Meriwether, 21; Charles W. Martin, 14; Charles D. Morris, 10; Geo. D. Mer- iwether, 18; Nancy McFarland, 10; M. H. McFarland, 15; James F. Moore, 12; David W. McFarland, 13; Ira T. Nelson, 11; R. C. Prewit, 12; W. N. Reynolds, 16; Gabriel Reeds, 10; Ken- chean Robinson, 11; M. H. Ross, 10; John H. Ricks, 11; Meacon Shelton, 11; Charles Sydnor, 19; William Seaton, 10; William Sydnor, 20; Thomas G. Hutt, 28; Fulton, 10; Nat. Williams, 11; William Watts, 10; Richard Wright, 15; Woolfolk estate, 17; G. W. Zimmerman, 14.
RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES.
The receipts and expenditures of county revenue for the fiscal year ending May 1, 1851, were as follows:
Receipts from taxation. $2,198 43
Receipts from fines imposed. 89 00
Receipts from land tax sales. 8 20
Military fund from State
175 58
Total receipts. $2,470 81
Expenditures for all purposes.
1,795 94
Balance on hand.
$674 87
The receipts and expenditures of county revenue for the fiscal year ending May 1, 1861, as shown by the report of the treas- urer to the county court, were as follows:
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HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
Total receipts from all sources $5,072 14
Total expenditures. 6,159 53
Expenditures in excess of receipts for the year. 1,087 39
There was charged on the tax duplicates of 1860, $7,125.62 for State tax, $3,149.01 for State sinking fund, and $526.53 for State asylum fund, making a total of $10,801.16, of the several State taxes. After deducting delinquencies and commis- sions for collecting, these funds received cash as follows: State tax, $6,159.07; State sinking fund, $2,744.73; State asylum fund, $456.20; total $9,360. The amount of taxable property in the county in 1860 cannot be conveniently given for the rea- son that the tax books do not show the aggregate amount.
LAST YEAR OF SLAVERY.
In 1862, the last year previous to the issuing of that great edict known as the " Emancipation Proclamation," the number of slaves assessed for the taxation in Lincoln County was 2,564, and the following is a list of the slave holders then owning twelve or more slaves, with the number owned annexed to their names: David and Henry Bailey, 15; Ruce Bourland, 14; Andrew Cochran, 15; Thompson Cox, 23; O. N. Coffee, 14; Duncan Ellis, 15; John C. Carter, 85; F. G. Gilmer, 12; Mrs. Belinda Harvey, 15; Augustus Harvey, 16; Thomas G. Hutt, 24; Joseph M. Heady, 18; Thomas M. Lewis, 22; M. L. Lovell, 13; Raleigh Mayes, 14; M. H. McFarland, 26; Thomas S. McGinnis, 16; Samuel C. W. Motley, 16; Lloyd B. Magruder, 19; Charles W. Martin, 15; Mrs. A. W. Meriwether, 20; George D. Meriwether, 42; Elizabeth Prewitt, 12; John Pollard, 14; Abner Rodgers, 12; James Reid, Sr., 16; John W. Sydnor, 13; David Steward, 14; James Stallard, 19; James D. Shelton, 15; John Strethen, Sr., 17; John South, 26; R. M. and A. W. Vance, 14; William Whiteside, 12; George W. Zimmerman, 15.
This list is given for the purpose of showing who the largest slave holders were at that time. Supposing the average value of each of the 2,564 slaves, listed for taxation in 1862, to have been $600, which is thought to be a fair estimate, it follows that the loss of property to the county, by reason of the abolition of sla- very, was $1,538,400. This loss, however, was soon regained in the enhanced value of property, after the Civil War closed.
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STATE OF MISSOURI.
TAXABLE PROPERTY IN 1870.
The abstract of taxable property in Lincoln County for the year 1870 shows the following:
Number of town lots, 1,538, valued at. $ 133,890
Number of acres, 394,205, valued at. 2,593,920
Total value of real property $2,727,810
Horses, 5,593, valued at. 284,990
Mules and asses, 1,173, valued at. 59,860
Neat cattle, 11,548, valued at.
181,470
Sheep, 22,840, valued at.
57,710
Hogs, 19,001, valued at.
24,690
All other property, valued at.
497,400
Total value of personal property $1,106,120
Total value of taxable property 3,833,930
The same abstract shows that there were 310 full, and 217 fractional sections of land, and seventy-five Spanish surveys taxed in the county, and 360 acres not taxable. The receipts of county revenue for 1870, as shown by the treasurer's report filed in Feb- ruary, 1871, were $9,336.94, and the expenditures for the same time, $4,143.70, leaving a balance on hand of $5,193.24.
TAXABLE PROPERTY IN 1880.
For many years last past, the real estate of the county has been assessed on two separate books, one containing all the land east of the fifth principal meridian, and the other all lying west thereof, and the personal property has been assessed on another book. The abstract of values of taxable property for 1880 is as follows :
Land Book East. $1,285,060
Land Book West. 1,409,220
Total value of real estate. . $2,694,280
Total value of personal property 1,168,160
Total value of taxable property
$3,862,440
By comparison it will be seen that the increased assessed value of the taxable property of the county for the ten years from 1870 to 1880 only amounted to $28,510. It is to be presumed, however, that the real or actual increase was much greater than.
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