History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania, Part 28

Author: Mathews, Alfred, 1852-1904. 4n
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : R.T. Peck & Co.
Number of Pages: 1438


USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 28
USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 28
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > History of Wayne, Pike, and Monroe counties, Pennsylvania > Part 28


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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The pioneers of the profession in the territory now composing Wayne County were Andrew M. Dorranee, Amzi Fuller and Nathaniel B. Eldred. Messrs. Dorrance and Fuller were


natives of Connecticut. The former was first admitted to the bar in that State; the latter studied for the profession in Milford. Mr. Dorrance was admitted to the bar of Wayne County in April, and Mr. Fuller in August, 1816, and both thereupon commenced practice in Bethany. In the spring of 1818, Mr. Dor- rance died. Mr. Eldred was a native of Orange County, N. Y., read law in Milford and was admitted to the bar of Wayne County in January, 1817. Soon after the death of Mr. Dorrance he established himself in Bethany. For eight years thereafter Messrs. Fuller and Eldred were the only practicing attorneys re- siding in the county. In Angust, 1826, Thomas Fuller, a younger brother of Amzi, was ad- mitted, and opened an office in Bethany. In 1829, George B. Wescott and John D. Taylor, of the Philadelphia bar, were added to the list of resident attorneys. They were chiefly em- ployed, however, as land agents for Philadelphia owners. About the year 1831, Earl Wheeler, of the Susquehanna County bar, removed to Bethany. Some two years later Ebenezer Kingsbury, of Susquehanna County, and Charles K. Robinson, an attorney from the State of New York, were admitted to the Wayne County bar. Mr. Kingsbury had read law and been admitted to practice in Susquehanna; but he came to Wayne mainly for the purpose of taking editorial charge of the Wayne County Herald and Bethany Inquirer, the Democratic organ of the county, published at Honesdale. In 1835, Mr. Eldred was appointed president judge of the Eighteenth Judicial District, com- posed of the counties of Potter, Mckean, Warren and Jefferson. In 1836, Wm. H. Dimmick, who had come from Milford and read law with Judge Eldred, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Bethany. In the same year Mr. Wescott died. In 1837, Mr. Taylor removed from the county. In 1838, Mr. Kingsbury was elected to the State Senate for a term of four years. In 1839, John I. Allen, who had read law in the State of New York, was admitted to practice. He was the last attorney who took up his residence in the county prior to the removal of the county-seat to Honesdale; F. M. Crane, though admitted


150


WAYNE, PIKE AND MONROE COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA.


in 1840, not making Wayne County his home until 1844. Mr. Allen, however, soon became interested in journalism and politics, and made the practice of law but a secondary pursuit.


Thus, during the first quarter of a century beginning with the admission of Mr. Dorrance, eleven attorneys commenced practice in the county. Four of them, however, -Messrs. Wescott, Taylor, Kingsbury and Allen,-were engaged mainly in other avocations, and gave little attention to professional business. At the close of this period two had died, one had re- moved from the county, one had been appointed to the bench and one had been elected State Senator; leaving in active practice but five, viz. : Amzi and Thomas Fuller, Earl Wheeler, Charles K. Robinson and Wm. H. Dimmick. The bar had grown at the net rate of one in five years. Its increase in numbers during the next quarter of a century was more rapid. Its elements, however, were continually shifting, as a large proportion of those who commenced practice sooner or later removed from the county or turned to other callings, aud few of those who pursued their legal studies in the county remained long after admission. During this period thirty-one attorneys commenced practice in the county, viz .: F. M. Crane, Ira Vadakin, S. G. Throop, Frederick Saxton, Elias Griswold, Hiran Blois, C. P. Waller, R. M. Grenell, J. M. Alexander, C. S. Minor, Jacob A. Kanouse, Joseph D. West, H. B Beardslee, S. E. Dimmick, John W. Myers, James H. Norton, M. C. Tracy, G. G. Waller, Win. Minor, Jackson Woodward, Ebenezer Richardson, Francis Drake, Henry Peet, E. O. Hamlin, George W. Allen, H. M. Seely, Marshal Wheeler, C. F. Eldred, W. H. Dim- mick, Thomas Hawkey and George F. Bentley. Three of these were also engaged more or less in journalism. Mr. Beardslee for fourteen years published the Wayne County Herald, giving little attention to the practice of law ; and Messrs. Myers and Norton were for shorter periods connected with the same paper. On the semi-centennial of the beginning of a resident bar but eleven of the thirty-one remained in practice, viz. : F. M. Crane, C. P. Waller, C. S. Minor, S. E. Dimmick, G. G. Waller, E. Ricli-


ardson, H. M. Seely, C. F. Eldred, W. H. Dimmick, Thomas Hawkey and G. F. Bentley. Messrs. Woodward and Drake were dead; Mr. Beardslee was in the State Senate, and absorbed in politics; Messrs. Blois, Throop, Geo. W. Alleu and Marshall Wheeler had given up the profession; and the remainder had left the connty. Of the bar formed during the first quarter of a century, none remained but Judge Eldred and Earl Wheeler,-the former of whom had wholly and the latter largely retired from active professional life.


During the twenty years that followed, twenty-five attorneys entered upon practice in the county, viz .: M. Regan, F. A. Dony, M. M. Thorp, H. F. Power, F. B. Brown, G. S. Pnrdy, P. P. Smith, W. H. Lee, L. G. Dimock, E. C. Mumford, H. Wilson, D. H. Brown, H. Greene, W. Dickinson, W. J. Tracy, J. B. Dimmick, A. T. Searle, F. M. Monaghan, O. L. Rowland, J. J. O'Neill, C. A. McCarty, M. M. Treadwell, J. J. McCarty, F. P. Kimble and M. E. Simons. Ten of these, after follow- ing the profession for a time, dropped from the roll of resident attorneys. Messrs. Regan, F. B. Brown, D. H. Brown, Dickinson, Dimmick and O'Neill removed from the county, Mr. Dony entered the ministry, Messrs. Thorp and Dimock songht other pursnits, and Mr. Power, having given up the profession a few years after his admission, died in 1882. May 3, 1886, R. M. Stocker was admitted to the bar aud commenced practice.


Of those having a place, either transient or permanent, among resident attorneys, the fol- lowing, named in the order of their admission to the bar of the county, died while in practice, viz .: Andrew M. Dorrance, Thomas Fuller, George B. Wescott, Ebenezer Kingsbury, Chas. K. Robinson, William H. Dimmick (the elder), Frederick M. Crane, Samnel E. Dimmick, Jackson Woodward, Francis Drake and George F. Bentley. John I. Allen, George W. Allen and H. F. Power died after quitting the pro- fession. Amzi Fuller, Nathaniel B. Eldred and Earl Wheeler retired after a long period of professional labor and died a few years later. Charles P. Waller died while president judge. Henry M. Seely became Judge Waller's succes-


151


WAYNE COUNTY.


sor on the bench. Edward O. Hamlin retired from active professional duties in June, 1885, in consequence of impaired health, after more than thirty years of labor at the bar and on the bench. The remainder removed from the county or left the profession for other employments, except the following, named in the order of their admission to the bar of the county, who are still in practice, viz .: Charles S. Minor, George G. Waller, Ebenczer Richardson, Henry Wilson, William H. Dimmick (the younger), George S. Purdy, Peter P. Smith, William H. Lee, Elwin C. Mumford, Homer Greene, Wil- liam J. Tracy, Alonzo T. Searle, Francis M. Monaghan, Orville L. Rowland, Charles A. McCarty, M. M. Treadwell, James J. Mc- Carty, Frank P. Kimble, Myron E. Simons and Rhamanthus M. Stocker. All of these reside in Honesdale, except Messrs. Richardson and Treadwell, who are residents of Hawley.


As the resident bar formed in Wayne, after the erection of Pike, was composed at the outset of two young men but recently admitted to practice, much of the legal business of the county naturally remained in the hands of the older and more experienced lawyers who had practiced at its bar before the territory was divided. But as the resident attorneys gained in numbers, in experience and in public confi- dence, the employment of non-residents grad- ually fell away, and it became comparatively rare soon after Messrs. Crane, Minor, the Wallers and S. E. Dimmick came to the bar. Among the last non-resident attorneys to cease practice in Wayne were Franklin Lusk and Judge Jessup, of Susquehanna, and Judge Collins and Henry M. Fuller, of Luzerne. In practice in Wayne, Mr. Lusk had usually been associated with Mr. Crane, Judge Collins with Charles P. Waller, and Mr. Fuller with Joseph D. West. As late as September, 1854, Judges Collins and Jessup appeared, associated with C. P. and G. G. Waller, in behalf of the defense, on the trial of Timothy Grady for arson.


The bar of the county, though not large, has long ranked high in professional ability. It has furnished three president judges and an attorney-general of the State. Under the rules adopted at September Term, 1798, the


preparation for the bar consisted of three years' study under the direction of an attorney, or two years' study after reaching the age of twenty- one-the last year to be passed in the office of a resident attorney. A good moral character was a further requisite; and the unanimous approval of the examining committee was nec- essary to admission. These continued the re- quirements until December Term, 1876, when the period of study was raised from two years to three, with a proviso that graduation with the degree of A. B., from any institution author- ized to confer such degree, should be deemed equivalent to one year of study. September 10, 1883, a further amendment was adopted, requiring a preliminary examination, previous to registry as a student, "in all the branches of a good English education, English composition, general history and particularly English and American history." Both preliminary and final examinations are made by a standing committee, now consisting of the three oldest members of the bar-Messrs. Minor, Waller and Wilson.


Law Students .- For a long time compara- tively few of those who had prepared for the bar in Wayne County remained to practice for any considerable period; and forty years after the admission of the first resident student, those who had read law in the county composed bnt half of the resident bar. Thereafter the pro- portion steadily increased; and of the resident attorneys in practice twenty years later, three- fourths had studied for the profession in the county.


For twenty-five years after the admission of the first resident attorney but four students prepared for the bar in Wayne Connty, viz .: Thomas Fuller, Wm. H. Dimmick, Charles K. Silkman and Milton Dimmick. Of these, only Thomas Fuller and William H. Dimmick remained to practice; the others removed from the county. During the next quarter of a cen- tury twenty-eight pursued the study of law in the county and were admitted to the bar, viz .: Ira Vadakin, Hiram Blois, R. M. Grenell, J. M. Alexander, Joseph D. West, H. B. Beardslee, S. E. Dimmick, John W. Myers, Milton C. Tracy, William Minor, Jackson Woodward, E. Richardson, Francis Drake, Henry Peet, F. O.


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152


WAYNE, PIKE AND MONROE COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA.


Hamlin, Ara Bartlett, Albert Willis, M. J. Slocum, George W. Edgett, George W. Allen, Jason Torrey, Marshal Wheeler, Henry Box, C. F. Eldred, Jolın P. Heatlı, William H. Dim- miek (the younger), Thomas Hawkey and Geo. F. Bentley. At the close of this period but six of the number remained in practice, viz .: S. E. Dimmick, E. Richardson, C. F. Eldred, Wm. H. Dimmick, Thomas Hawkey and George F. Bentley. Messrs. Woodward and Drake had died; Messrs. Blois and Wheeler had given up the profession; Mr. Beardslee was devoted to politics, had been elected to the State Senate, and was but nominally a member of the bar; and the remainder had removed from the county. Thomas Fuller and Wm. H. Dimmick (the elder), previously admitted, had died. The years following, down to May, 1886, witnessed a greater proportionate development of staying power among resident students. During this period twenty-seven were admitted, viz .: Geo. V. Brower, Michael Regan, F. A. Dony, T. F. Ham, H. H. Ham, H. F. Power, F. B. Brown, Wm. W. Johnson, Geo. S. Purdy, Q. A. Gates, P. P. Smith, Wm. H. Lee, L. G. Dimock, E. C. Mumford, D. H. Brown, Homer Greene, John F. Wood, Wm. J. Traey, J. B. Dimmiek, A. T. Searle, F. M. Monaghan, O. L. Rowland, James J. O'Neill, Charles A. McCarty, M. M. Treadwell, Frank P. Kimble and R. M. Stocker. In May, 1886, thirteen of the number remained in praetiee, viz .: Messrs. Purdy, Smith, Lee, Mumford, Greene, Tracy, Searle, Monaghan, Rowland, McCarty, Treadwell, Kimble and Stocker ; together with E. Richardson and Wm. H. Dimmiek, resident students previously admitted. Messrs. Dony, Power, F. B. Brown and Dimoek had given up the profession, and the remainder had removed from the eonnty. Of those previously admitted, S. E. Dimmiek, Thomas Hawkey and George F. Bentley had died, and C. F. Eldred had removed from the eounty.


The only resident attorneys in May, 1886, wliose preparation for the bar was not made in Wayne County, were Messrs. Minor, Waller, Wilson, J. J. McCarty and Simons; and of these, Messrs. MeCarty and Simons were natives of the county.


Commissions of President Judges.


Judges. Commissioned from


Jacob Rush Aug. 13, 1791


John Spayd. March 1, 1806


Robert Porter July 6, 1809


John B. Gibson Oct. 16, 1812


Thomas Burnside .Jan. 28, 1816


David Scott .. July 7, 1818


William Jessup. April 7, 1838


Nathaniel B. Eldred. April 6, 1849 Nathaniel B. Eldred [elected] 1st Monday of December, 1851.


George R. Barrett. April 29, 1853


George R. Barrett [elected] 1st Monday of December, 1855.


George R. Barrett [re-elected] 1st Monday of December, 1865.


James M. Porter, 1st Monday of December, 1853.


Thos. S. Bell March 23, 1855 Samuel S. Dreher, 1st Monday of December, 1870.


Charles P. Waller, 1st Monday of January, 1875.


Henry M. Seely .. Aug. 28, 1882 Henry M. Seely [elected] 1st Monday of January, 1884.


Commissions of Associate Judges.


Judges. Commissioned from


Samuel Preston March 22, 1798


John Ryerson. March 22, 1798


Samuel C. Seely March 22, 1798


John Biddis March 22, 1798


Richard Brodhead. March 31, 1803


John Brink April 3, 1804


Samuel Stanton. .Oct. 14, 1814


Abisha Woodward. Oct. 14, 1814


Moses Thomas Nov. 17, 1815


Isaac Dimmick. Nov. 27, 1829


Jas. Manning. Oct. 31, 1833


Moses Tyler. Feb. 27, 1840


Virgil Grennell Feb. 27, 1842 Virgil Grennell [re-commissioned] July 22, 1847.


Oliver Hamlin March 11, 1825


James Mumford. Feb. 9, 1848


James Mumford [elected] 1st Monday of December, 1851.


Thos. H. R. Tracy, 1st Monday of December, 1851.


Paul S. Preston .March 12, 1850


John Torrey. March 18, 1851


Francis B. Penniman. May 15, 1856.


Jas. R. Dickson, 1st Monday of December, 1856.


Phineas Howe, 1st Monday of December 1856.


153


WAYNE COUNTY.


Rodney Harmes, 1st Monday of December, 1860.


Butler Hamlin, 1st Monday of December, 1861.


Wm. B. McLaury, 1st Monday of December, 1861.


Phineas Arnold, 1st Monday of December, 1866.


Phineas Arnold [re-elected] 1st Monday of December, 1871.


Isaiah Snyder, 1st Monday of December, 1866.


Otis Avery, 1st Monday of December, 1871


Otis Avery [elected] 1st Monday of Decem- ber, 1872.


Otis Avery [re-elected] 1st Monday of Jan- uary, 1878.


Frederick W. Farnham. .Jan. 27, 1872.


John O'Neill, 1st Monday of December, 1872.


Henry Wilson. Jan. 27, 1876. Giles Greene, 1st Monday of January, 1877.


Michael Brown, 1st Monday of January, 1882.


Lorenzo Grambs, 1st Monday of January, 1883.


Elisha P. Strong. June 18, 1884.


Elisha P. Strong [elected] 1st Monday of . January, 1885.


Roll of Attorneys .- Names of non-residents in Roman lower-case; of those who studied in the county, but commenced practice elsewhere (so far as can be ascertained), in italics; of those who gave up the profession or removed from the county after commencing practice (as nearly as can be ascertained), in SMALL CAPITALS; of residents who died while in practice, retired after passing the active period of life, or still remain at the bar, in CAPITALS.


Attorneys. Date of Admission.


David Stroud. September 10, 1798


John Ross .. September 10, 1798


William A. Patterson September 10, 1798


Job Halstead September 10, 1798


Thomas B. Dick December 10, 1798


Thomas Anderson December 10, 1798


Daniel Grandien. December 10, 1798


Daniel F. Barney December 10, 1798


Sanford .Clark. December 10, 1798


Robert Trail. .February 11, 1799


Hugh Ross February 11, 1799


George Wolf. February 11, 1799


Nathan Palmer. September 10, 1799


Roswell Wells .December 9, 1799


Peter Wicoff. September 10, 1800


George Griffin. May 12, 1801


Dan Dimmick September 9, 1802


Samuel Sitgreaves May 9, 1803


Robert Wood. May 12, 1803


Samuel C. Seely May 13, 1803


John Ewing September 5, 1803


Jesse Brush. February 11, 1805


Eliphalet Stickney February 12, 1806


Daniel Stannard December 2, 1806


John Cross December 9, 1808


Edward Mott. .May 1, 1809


John L. Haight December 3, 1810


William P. Spering. April 30, 1811


Francis B. Shaw September 3, 1811


Garrick Mallery. .December 2, 1811


Mr. Evans


November 29, 1813


ANDREW M. DORRANCE, April 22, 1816 Thomas Meredith April 22, 1816


AMZI FULLER ..


August 26, 1816


NATHANIEL B. ELDRED [pres't judge], January 27, 1817.


Charles Catlin January 28, 1817


George Denison August 26, 1817


Josiah H. Miner.


August 26, 1817


Jesse Olmstead.


April 28, 1818


Oristus Collins.


August 23, 1819


Daniel M. Brodhead. August 25, 1819


Richard Eldred. August 25, 1819


John N. Conyngham


August 28, 1820


John M. Read.


August 26, 1823


Oliver S. Dimmick.


November 28, 1825


Benjamin A. Bidlack


June 24, 1826


THOMAS FULLER August 19, 1826


William Lewis. January 23, 1827


Thomas Armstrong


June 11, 1828


GEORGE B. WESCOTT April 27, 1829


JOHN D. TAYLOR


August 25, 1829


George W. Woodward.


August 25, 1830


John J. Wurtz


August 25, 1831


EARL WHEELER


1 November 9, 1831


Thomas P. Phinney


April 24, 1832


CHARLES K. ROBINSON 1 November


Term, 1833.


EBENEZER KINGSBURY. 1 November


Term, 1833.


David Wilmot August 18, 1834


Lewis Jones, Jr. January 20, 1835


Henry Pettibone August 17, 1835


Hendrick B. Wright.


June 15, 1836


WILLIAM H. DIMMICK


June 19, 1836


Stephen Strong.


June 19, 1836


Luther Kidder August 15, 1836


Alexander T. McClintock, November 20, 1837


Charles K. Silkman


November 21, 1837


Albert L. Post


January 22, 1839


JOHN I. ALLEN September 9, 1839


Ralph B. Little. September 9, 1839


1 The date of admission is not shown by the record ; the date given is that of the earliest appearance as attorney.


1


15


WAYNE, PIKE AND MONROE COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA.


Davis Dimock, Jr. .September 9, 1839


Crosby W. Ellis .September 12, 1839


FREDERICK M. CRANE, January 25, 1840 Milton Dimmick January 30, 1840


Dwight N. Lathrope


September 7, 1840


Edmund L. Dana


.September 1, 1841


Joseph T. Richards


.September 3, 1841


Robert J. Niven


November 29, 1841


H. M. Fuller.


.January 31, 1842


IRA VADAKIN


January 31, 1842


SIMEON G. THROOP.


September 1, 1842


Warren J. Woodward August 30, 1842


FREDERICK SAXTON


.December 5, 1842


ELIAS GRISWOLD.


December 10, 1842


Franklin Lusk


September 5, 1843


HIRAM BLOIS


September 9, 1843


Samuel Hodgdon


December 4, 1843


Harrison Wright.


January 29, 1844


CHARLES P. WALLER [pres. judge], Jan- uary 29, 1844.


RUFUS M. GRENELL .May 2, 1844


J. MARION ALEXANDER December 2, 1844


CHARLES S. MINOR December 3, 1844


John B. Lafarge.


February 3, 1845


JACOB A. KANOUSE


February 8, 1845


JOSEPH D. WEST.


May 5, 1845


Horace B. Burnham


September 3, 1845


HOWKIN B. BEARDSLEE ... December 3, 1845


SAMUEL E. DIMMICK May 6, 1846


JOHN W. MYERS.


May 6, 1846


John Brisbin.


September 7, 1846


JAMES H. NORTON


.September 9, 1846


John Shouse


December 6, 1847


David S. Koon


.February 8, 1848


MILTON C. TRACY


September 11, 1848


Edwin B. Eldred.


September 11, 1848


GEORGE G. WALLER, September 11, 1849


.


WILLIAM MINOR


December 3, 1849


Edward G. Mallery


December 3, 1849


Lyman Hakes


.December 6, 1849


John C. Fish


September 6, 1850


EBENEZER RICHARDSON


.Decem-


ber 3, 1850.


JACKSON WOODWARD December 7,


1850.


Mr. Truesdale


February 4, 1851


FRANCIS DRAKE


February 4, 1852


HENRY PEET


.February 4, 1852


Daniel S. Dickinson


September 7, 1852


William Smith.


.September 7, 1852


EDWARD O. HAMLIN, September 7, 1852


George Perkins


September 8, 1852


Martin Canavan.


December 8, 1852


Ara Bartlett


May 3, 1853


Horatio W. Nicholson.


September 7, 1853


Albert Willis.


September 13, 1853


William H. Jessup. .December 13, 1853 Alfred Dart. .September 5, 1854


James M. Porter, Jr September 4, 1856


Lucien F. Barnes


September 4, 1856


John C. Kunkle.


September 14, 1857


William H. Miller. September 14, 1857


A. Bushnell


December 9, 1857


Max Goepp.


September 13, 1858


Milton J. Slocum.


May 3, 1859


George W. Edgett.


May 3, 1859


GEORGE W. ALLEN.


May 3, 1859


HENRY M. SEELY [pres't judge], Septem- ber 13, 1859.


Alfred Hand.


December 8, 1859


HENRY WILSON


December 9, 1859


Jason Torrey.


.February 8, 1860


Frederick Fuller


.September 8, 1860


MARSHAL WHEELER


.September 8, 1860


Henry W. Bo.c.


September 8, 1860


William L. Headley


.September 8, 1860


CHARLES F. ELDRED


December 5, 1860


John L. Gore,


September 12, 1861


P. C. Gritman.


December 2, 1861


John P. Heath


May 9, 1862


WILLIAM H. DIMMICK, December 4, 1862


Ira C. Mitchell


.December 6, 1862


THOMAS HAWKEY


.May 4, 1864


M. M. Dimmick.


.September 5, 1865


GEORGE F. BENTLEY, February 7, 1866


George V. Brower.


May 9, 1866


MICHAEL REGAN, JR


.May 9, 1866


Garrick M. Harding.


February 7, 1867


John P. O'Neill


.September 3, 1867


Mortimer C. Addoms


September 14, 1867


FRANCIS A. DONY


February 3, 1869


E. B. Sturges.


May 6, 1869


Henry Welsh


September 15, 1869


Rees Davis.


December 7, 1869


Thomas F. Ham.


December 8, 1869


Henry H. Ham.


December 8, 1869


MOSES M. THORP


May 6, 1870


Charles E. Lathrope.


May 2, 1871


H. FRANK POWER.


.September 5, 1871


FRANK B. BROWN


September 5, 1871


William W. Johnson


September 5, 1871


Cornelius W. Bull


December 6, 1871


William H. Davis.


December 6, 1871


P. R. Weitzel


July 18, 1872


Oliver N. Goldsmith


May 7, 1873


GEORGE S. PURDY


May 9, 1873


Quincy A. Gates.


December 2, 1873


John Nyce.


.May 5, 1874


S. L. Tiffany.


.May 6, 1874


PETER P. SMITH.


May 7, 1874


WILLIAM H. LEE


.December 10, 1874


Alexander H. Farnham ..


.December 14, 1874


J. M. C. Rauck


February 3, 1875


Charles G. Van Fleet.


.May 13, 1875


LAFAYETTE G. DIMOCK ... December 6, 1875


Emory Robinson.


June 5, 1876


ELWIN C. MUMFORD ... September 6, 1876


James H. Torrey


February 13, 1877


155


WAYNE COUNTY.


Joseph H. Gray. April 2, 1877


A. Ricketts .. .May 15, 1877


D. M. Van Auken.


.September 3, 1877


Samuel W. Weiss September 4, 1877


Thomas F. Wells. February 7, 1878


Cornelius Smith May 6, 1878


George K. Powell May 8, 1878


DANIEL B. BROWN.


September 14, 1878


HOMER GREENE .December 5, 1878


John F. Wood. .December 13, 1878


WHARTON DICKINSON December 14, 1878


E. W. Simrell .February 6, 1879


WILLIAM J. TRACY. May 7, 1879


James Edward Burr. May 13, 1879


L. P. Hinds. .September 2, 1879


John D. Biddis. May 10, 1880


J. H. Van Etten.


May 10, 1880


Harry T. Baker


May 10, 1880


L. Lafflin Kellogg August 17, 1880


Timothy F. Bush August 24, 1880


L. A. Watres. September 15, 1880


James S. Wilson December 6, 1880


Edwin F. Uhl December 7, 1880


M. M. Riley. December 7, 1880


William H. Armstrong


December 9, 1880


Abraham S. Knecht .December 9, 1880


Wilbur F. Lathrop.


February 5, 1881


C. T. Alverson


September 8, 1881


A. H. McCollum,


.October 25, 1881


Frederick L. Hitchcock. October 26, 1881 W. Scott Brandt. February 15, 1882


J. BENJAMIN DIMMICK October 2, 1883


ALONZO T. SEARLE. October 2, 1882 FRANCIS M. MONAGHAN, October 2, 1882 ORVILLE L. ROWLAND, December 4, 1882 J. H. Campbell. December 13, 1882


JAMES J. O'NEILL May 7, 1883


CHARLES A. MCCARTY May 10, 1883


George A. Post. May 10, 1883


Edwin Young.


May 26, 1883


M. M. TREADWELL, December 5, 1883


L. Warren Seely .. May 5, 188+


Stanley N. Mitchell May 7, 1884


JAMES J. MCCARTY .October 6, 1884


William J. Welsh October 14, 1884


E. M. Dunham June 13, 1885 Samuel W. Edgar October 7, 1885


FRANK P. KIMBLE. March 3, 1886


J. B. Williams. March 12, 1886


MYRON E. SIMONS. March 13, 1886


RHAMANTHUS M. STOCKER, May 3, 1886.


The Commonwealth's Attorneys .- Down to the middle of the present century the prosecu- tions on the part of the commonwealth in the county courts were conducted by deputies ap- pointed by the attorney-general. By act of


May 3, 1850, this office was made elective un- der the title of district attorney, and the term fixed at three years, commencing the first Mon- day of December. By the Constitution of 1873 the commencement of the term was changed to the first Monday of January following the election.


No record appears to have been kept in the attorney-general's office of the appointments of deputy attorney-general for the several counties, and in only a few instances does the record in Wayne County show even the fact of a deputa- tion being filed. Hence it has been found im- possible to ascertain the dates of these appoint- ments for the county. The nearest approach possible has been made by a careful examina- tion of the indictments during the fifty-two years preceding the first election of district at- torney, the signatures to these showing when each attorney-general began the discharge of his duties. At times in the early history of the courts there appears to have been no deputy, and the indictments were signed by the attorney- general; but whether he attended in person cannot be ascertained. In some instances an attorney acted as deputy under a temporary ap- pointment by the court.




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