USA > Pennsylvania > Juniata County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 48
USA > Pennsylvania > Mifflin County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 48
USA > Pennsylvania > Snyder County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 48
USA > Pennsylvania > Union County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 48
USA > Pennsylvania > Perry County > History of that part of the Susquehanna and Juniata valleys, embraced in the counties of Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Union and Snyder, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. V. 2, Pt. 1 > Part 48
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MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
William Maclay, from 1815 to 1819. George Kremer, from 1823 to 1827. George F. Miller, from 1865 to 1868.
t Died 1847. 2 Vice Wagenseller.
3 Died in Philadelphia, June 21, 1877.
1180
JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY.
District composed of the Counties of Northumberland, Union and Columbia.
1814-15 .- D. E. Owen, Robert Willett, J. Hutchin- son and Henry Shaffer.
Union County.
1815-16 .- Ner Middleswarth and Jacob. Brobst. 1816-17 .- Ner Middlesworth and Jacob Brobst. 1817-18,-Frederick Stees and Joseph Stillwell. 1818-19 .- John Ray and Ner Middleswarth. 1819-20 .- John Ray and Ner Middleswarth.
1820-21 .- Frederick Wise and Dan Caldwell. 1821-22 .- Ner Middleswarth and James Dale.
1822-23 .- Simon Snyder and James Dale. 1823-24 .- James Dale and Simon Snyder. 1824-25 .- Ner Middleswarth and William Forster. 1825-26 .- Ner Middleswarth and James Madden. 1826-27 .- James Madden and William Forster, Jr. 1827-28 .- Ner Middleswarth and John Driesbach. 1828-29 .- John Dreisbach and Ner Middleswarth. 1829-30 .- Ner Middleswarth and Philip Ruhl. 1830-31 .- Ner Middleswarth and Philip Ruhl. 1831-32 .- Henry Roush and Philip Ruhl.
1832-33 .- William L. Harris and George Weirick. 1833-34 .- Robert P. Maelay and Simon Shaffer. 1834-35 .- Ner Middleswarth and Jacob Hummel. 1835-36 .- Ner Middleswarth and John Montelius.
Union, Juniata and Mifflin.
1836-37. - Henry Yearick, . Enoch Beale and James Inghes.
1837-38 .- Abraham S. Wilson, James Hughes and Henry Yearick.
1838-39 .- John Funk, William Ramsey and John Montelius. 1840 .- Abraham S. Wilson, Isaac Hottenstein and William Cox, Sr. 1841 .- Ner Middleswarth, John Funk and Joseph Bell. 1842 .- John 11. MeCrum, William Ross and John A. Vanyalzah.
1843 .- Thomas J. Postlethwaite, David Glenn and Samuel Reber.
Union and Juniata.
1844 .- John Hall and John Adams.
1845 .- John Wall and John Adams.'
1846 .- John McCrum and Jacob McCorley.
1847 .- Jacob MeCorley.
1847 .- John MeMinn.
1848. - John MeMinn and Samuel Weirick. 1849 .- Samuel Weirick and John Mclaughlin.
1850 .- Eli Slifer and John Mclaughlin.
1851. --- Eli Slifer. 1852 .- William Sharon. 1853 .- John Beale. 1851. - John W. Simonton. 1855 .- J. W. Crawford.
Union, Juniata and Snyder.
1856 .- George W. Stronse. 1857 .-- Thomas Bower.
1858 .- Thomas Hayes and Daniel Witmer.
1859 .- John J. Patterson and Win. F. Wagenseller. 1860 .- Thomas Hayes and Wm. F. Wagenseller.
1861 .- Thomas Hayes and John J. Patterson.
1862 .- 11. K. Ritter and J. Beaver.
1863 .- H. K. Ritter and George W. Stronse. 1864 .- John Balsbach and Samuel HI. Orwig.
Lycoming, Union and Snyder.
1865 .- S. H. Orwig, S. Alleman and Chas. Wilson. 1866 .- S. C. Wingard, D. A. Irwin and I. Rothrock. 1867 .- S. C. Wingard, Charles D. Roush and J. H. Wright. 1868 .- R. H. Lawshe, C. D. Roush and G. G. Glass.
1869 .- W. P. I. Painter, Thomas Church and Wm. G. Herrold.
1870 .- Theodore Hill, Thomas Church and Andrew HI. Dill.
1871 .- Samuel Wilson, Jolm Cummings and William Young. Snyder und Union. 1872 .- William G. Herrold. 1873 .- Charles S. Wolfe. 1874 .- Charles S. Wolfe.
Union. 1875-76 .- Charles S. Wolfe. 1877-78 .- Alfred Hayes.
1878-82 .- Charles S. Wolfe.
1882-84 .- S. H. Himmelreich.
1884-86 .-- Albert Schooley.
PRESIDENT JUDGES.
Seth Chapman,1 July 11, 1811.
Ellis Lewis, October 14, 1843.
Abraham S. Wilson, March 30, 1842.
S. S. Woods, November 20, 1861. Joseph C. Bucher, November 7, 1871.
ASSOCIATE JUDGES.
Hugh Wilson, October 11, 1813.
John Bolender," August 26, 1815. Adam Light, December 11, 1820. George Schnable, March 26, 1840. John Baskin, March 15, 1841. Joseph Stillwell, January 21, 1843. John Montelius, February 27, 1845. Jacob Wittenmyer, February 28, 1848. James Harrison, March 7, 1850. James Marshall, November 10, 1851. Jacob Wittemnyer,3 November 10, 1851. Philip Ruhl, November 17, 1855. John W. Simonton, November 12, 1856.
1 Resigned, October 10, 1833. z Resigned December 11, 1820 ' Legislated out.
1181
UNION COUNTY.
John Walls, November 20, 1860. John W. Simonton, November 23, 1861. Martin Dreisbach, February 3, 1865. Martin Dreisbach, November 6, 1865. Jolm W. Simonton, November 9, 1866. Jacob Ilunnel, November 9, 1870. Cyrus Hoffa, November 17, 1871. Jacob Hununel, December 3, 1875. William F. Wilson, December 8, 1876. George W. Royer, November 7, 1880. James Lepley, November 7, 1881. Morris Wesley Creamer, November 3, 1885. DEPUTY ATTORNEYS GENERAL.
William Irwin, 1814. John Lashells, 1815. M. MeKinney, Jr., 1818. James Merrill, 1821. Jahn Mumma, 1824.
C. A. Bradford, 1826. John A. Sterrett, February, 1828. John Wyeth, September, 1828.
Isaac Slenker, 1830. Sammel Weirick, 1836.
Robert B. Barber, 1839.
John Porter, 1842. George W. Graham, 1843. Robert B. Barber, 18446. William Van Gezer, 1848.
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.
George Hill, December, 1850. William Van Gezer, December, 1853. James B. Hamlin, December, 1856. Joseph C. Bucher, December, 1859. Alfred Hayes, December, 1862. Andrew A. Leiser, September, 1876. G. II. Getz, September, 1879. J. F. Duncan, September, 1882.
PROTHONOTARIES.
Sinon Snyder, Jr.,' October 14, 1813. Joseph Stillwell, February 7, 1821. George A. Snyder, January 22, 1824. Joseph Stillwell, Jannary 28, 1830. Robert P. Maclay, January 6, 1836. Samuel Roush, January 31, 1889. Jacob II. Horning, November 14, 1839. John P'. Gntelins, October 13, 1840. William Roshong, November 12, 1841. Jacob Haus, November 11, 1847. Joseph Eyster, November 25, 1850. Samuel Roush, November 22, 1853. James W. Sands, November -, 1862. C. II. Hassenping, November 18, 1865. W. O. Shaffer, November, 1853.
REGISTERS AND RECORDERS. Simon Snyder, Jr., October 14, 1813. Peter Hackenberg, February 7, 1821.
' Simon Snyder, Jr., Esq., was born at Lancaster, No- vember 9, 1763, and died at Harrisburg, May 10, 1838.
John Maclay, Jannary 22, 1824. Samuel Roush, January 28, 1830. George Aurand, January 6, 1836. Robert Forster, January 31, 1839. John Glover, November 14, 1839. Samuel Aurand, November 12, 1842. Henry Anrand, Jr., Angust 25, 1845. Daniel Bellman, November 17, 1845. Christian Breyman, November 22, 1851. J. W. Pennington, November 29, 185.1. George Merrill, November 27, 1857. Elisha H. Weikel, November 28, 1863. Reuben Kline, November 22, 1869. II. E. Gnteliu-, November, 1885.
SHERIFFS.
John Ray, December 13, 1813. Frederick Wise, October 30, 1816.
Isaac Mertz, October 30, 1819. Jacob Rhoads, October 21, 1822. Philip Seebold, October 20, 1825.
John Haas, October 24, 1828. John Cummings, October 18, 1831. John Cummings, Jr., November 3, 1834. William Glover, October 17, 1837. Israel Gutelius, October 24, 1840. Jolin M. Benfer, October 17, 1843.
Henry S. Boyer, October 24, 1846. Archibald Thomas, October 24, 1849.
John Kessler, October 27, 1852. Daniel D. Guldin, October 24, 1855. Lafayette Albright, December 16, 1861. Thomas Church, December 16, 1864. Lafayette Albright, December 17, 1867. Michael Kleckner, December 10, 1870. Lafayette Albright, November 31, 1873. Thomas P. Wagner, December 26, 1876. S. Il. Himmelreich, December, 1879. C. A. Eaton, December, 1882. Peter W. Brown, January, 1886.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
1813. Daniel Caldwell, [ 1827. Thomas Youngman Frederick Gut- 1828. John Ziegler.
clins, and Philip Moore.
1814. James Dale.
1815. John Bower.
1816. Henry Roush.
1817. Mishael Lincoln. 1818. Jacob German. 1819. William Kessler. 1820. Sebastian Witmer.
1821. Joseph Fuehrer.
1822. Christian Miller. 1823. Uriah Silby. 1821. George Weirick.
1825. Samuel Aurand. 1826. John Montelius.
1829. William Betz.
1830. Peter Hackenberg.
1831. Philip Franck.
1832. J. F. Wilson. 1833. John Keller. 1834. James Harrison.
1835. Samuel B. Barber. 1836. John K. Snyder.
1837. Archibald Thomas. 1838. Jacob Iuniel.
1839. Henry Hilbish. 1840. Smunnel Bopp. 1811. Jacob MeCorley. 1812. Solomon Engle, 1843. Michael Clemens.
1182
JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
1844, JI. Saunders, Jr. 1845. Jacob Martin.
1863. Samuel Marshall. 1861. Michael Kleekner. 1865. Michael Brown.
CORONERS.
1816. Isaac Mertz. 1834. Jacob Aurand.
1819. Daniel Winter. 1837. Joseph Long.
1817. Joseph Winters.
1866. T. V. Ilarbeson.
1822. Jacob Swineford.
1825. Christian Shroyer.
18.11. Matthew Brewer. 1812. Jacob Reichley.
1828. R. Vanvalzah, Jr. 1845. John D. Smith.
1831. John Bower. 185%. William In. Harris
The office of Coroner has not been filled since 1678.
NOTARIES PUBLIC. Christian Miller, January 6, 1820. Henry C. Hickok, April 12, 1853. George A. Frick, December 28, 1854. O. Norton Worden, May 14, 1855. John B. Miller, Angust 12, 1856. Samuel Slifer, December 9, 1857. William Jones, January 12, 1858.
Andrew Kennedy, January 15, 1858.
George A. Frick, January 2, 1861.
Samuel Slifer, January 12, 1861. Andrew Kennedy, June 24, 1861.
Joseph J. R. Orwig, January 11, 1861.
Samuel Slifer, January 14, 1861. Andrew Kennedy, June 29, 1864.
S. P. Myers, April 7, 1865. Samuel Slifer, January 11, 1867. Andrew Kennedy, October 30, 1867. Simon P. Myers, April 7, 1868. Paul Geddes, July 15, 1869.
John Stitzer, November 12, 1869. Samuel Slifer, January 6, 1870.
Mellville Reese Dill, May 5, 1870.
John S. Stitzer, November 15, 1872. Samuel Slifer, January 9, 1873.
William Rule, April 30, 1873. D. B. Miller, May 6, 1873. Samuel Slifer, January 12, 1876. Jolin Stitzer, January 22, 1876. William Rule, March 20, 1876. D. B. Miller, May 3, 1876. G. N. Le Fevre, March 29, 1877.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE BY APPOINTMENT. John Bolender, March 26, 1813. George Weirick, March 26, 1813. Thomas Shipton, August 27, 1813.
Thomas Youngman, November 10 1813. John Cummings, December 19, 1813. Christopher Seebold, March 26, 1813. Henry Spyker, March 30, 1813. Adam Wilt, March 26, 1813. Henry Yeariek, March 26, 1813. John Wilson, November 1, 1813. Philip Burchart, March 26, 1813. Joseph Fuehrer, March 26, 1813. Peter Hackenberg, Jr., March 26, 1813. Dan Caldwell, March 26, 1813. Christian Miller, January 25, 1814. Frederick Gutelius, November 11, 1814. Abraham Anrand, June 23, 1814.
DEPUTY SURVEYORS.
1813. Simon Snyder, Jr. 1818. Adam Wilt.
1821. John Hayes.
1833. Robert G. H. Hayes. 1836. Solomon Engle.
1836. Michael 11. Weaver.
1839. Robert G. II. Hayes. 1846. James Madden. 1846. Philip Hilbish.
1850. Robert G. H. Hayes. 1854. J. Henry Motz. 1858. Wilson I. Linn. 1859. Conrad Sheckler. 1868. Reuben F. Brown. 1874. Conrad Sheckler. 1876. C. MI. Hayes. 1883. John R. Tollmer.
1814. Michael Schoch.
1855. R. H. Laird.
1817. Joseph Stilwell.
1857. 11. P. Sheller.
1818. Thomas Shipton.
1859. R. II. Laird.
1820. Chris'r Scebold.
1861. John A. Mertz.
1823. William Kessler. 1826. Sammel Wilson. 1829. Samuel Aurand.
1865. John Hayes.
1867. William Jones.
1831. Jacob Mauck.
1835. Isaac Peters.
1838. John P'. Seebold.
1841. Michael Kleckner.
1843. Philip Gross.
1845. Archibald Thomas.
1873. James Pross. 1875. B. F. Eatou.
1847. Charles Seebold.
1849. Daniel Horlacher.
1878. Thomas Church.
1851. Jacob Mauck.
1881 Weidler Roland.
1853. Henry Solomon.
1851. C. Breyman. 1851, (November), David Schwenek. 1853. A. J. Peters.
1831. J. II. Horning.
1834. S. Weirick.
1855. Andrew Kennedy.
1836. MI. IL. Weaver.
1869. Peter Hursh.
1841. J. J. Maclay.
1878. E. S. Gutekunst.
1813. J. S. Dubois.
1874. George Schoch. 1875. Joseph Bopp, Geo. Schoch and Jolin Yarger. 1881. Joseph Musser,
1856. William Rule.
1857. R. V. B. Lincoln.
1858. James Pross.
Samuel Marshal, and J. Machemer.
1859. D. H. Kelly.
1860. F. Bolender.
1861. J. M. Walters.
1862. Robert Reed.
1884. Jacob Spigslinger, Robert Brown, and Thomas Reber.
COMMISSIONERS' CLERKS.
1813. Flavel Roan.
1817. Frederick Gutelius.
1821. John Mauch.
1868. E. S. Gutekunst. 1869. T. V. Harbeson. 1870. S. B. Iloffinan. 1871. William Stoans. 1872. J. W. Kanfinan.
1852. Adam Sheckler.
1853. Sam Leitzel.
1854. John D. Romig.
1873. Joseph Bopp.
1855. R. V. B. Lincoln, Jacob fuumnel, George Schoch.
1867. S. B. Hoffinan.
1848. James Barbin.
1849. John Wilt.
1850. George Heimbach, 1851. S. K. Herrold.
1879. J. B. Miller.
COUNTY TREASURERS.
1863. William Jones.
1869. William Hanek. 1871. John Hertz, de- ceased. William Jones appointed to fill vaerney.
1884. J. P. Brooks.
1846. R. II. Laird.
1183
UNION COUNTY.
William Kessler,' June 24, 1816. John Schnee, May 13, 1816. George Schoable, July 14, 1817. Juteob German," May 9, 1817. Robert Willett, October 20, 1817. Andrew McClenahan, May 30, 1817. Samuel Wilson, June 3, 1819. Michael Rathfon, March 16, 1819.
John Reifsnyder, June 3, 1819.
John Bassler, May 17, 1819. George Aurand, January 4, 1820. John Nesbit, March 26, 1821. James McClellan, June 4, 1821.
Samuel Haupt, October 4, 1821.
John Glover, Jr., March 21, 1822. Jacob German, March 29, 1822. Valentine Haas, September 23, 1822. Samuel Ludwig, March 29, 1822. Charles Weirman, December 11, 1823. Joseph Stiliwell, November 18, 1823. Joseph Musser, December 8, 1823. Mathew Brewer," December 10, 1823. John Mauck, June 22, 1825. Solomon Engle, April 17, 1827.
William Cameron, February 19, 1827. Thomas R. Lewis, November 23, 1827. Henry Strubel, April 14, 1828. Henry Herold, April 14, 1828.
Dr. Isaac Hottenstine, March 12, 1828. Michael Wittenmoyer, April 20, 1829. Isaac Smith, April 20, 1829. James Fleming Linn, January 2, 1829. John Maclay, December 7, 1829. Robert G. II. Hayes, March 12, 1829. Simon Snyder, February 3, 1829. John Rank, February 3, 1829. Jacob McCorley, February 3, 1829. George Clingan, December 15, 1829. Amos Stroh, May 5, 1830. James Madden, February 24, 1831. Samuel Geddes, August 2, 1831.
Jacob J. Marr, May 31, 1831. Jacob Musser, May 17, 1832. William Kessler, January 11, 1833.
William Roshong, September 3, 1834.
Jonathan Farnsworth, February 2, 1835. John Highly, November 18, 1835. Isaac Jones, March 27, 1835. Samuel Roush, December 1, 1835. Henry Noll, December 9, 1835. Peter II. Hawk, November 4, 1835. John Lenig, April 20, 1835. John Emmit, March 14, 1835.
' Resigned April 30, 1819. ? Resigned December 14, 1821. 3 Resigned September 27, 1838.
David Schwenek, June 7, 1836.
James Harrison, February 3, 1836. Samuel B. Barber, June 7, 1836. Peter Hackenberg, Sr., June 8, 1836.
Philip Ruhl, March 27, 1837.
Joseph MeCool, November 6, 1837. Daniel Bellman, March 3, 1837.
Andrew Glover, March 27, 1837.
John Courtney, October 21, 1838. Lewis Bertram, December 25, 1838.
Levi B. Chris, January 3, 1838.
Jacob F. Hummel, November 14, 1838.
Jacob Riblet, December 26, 1838.
Conrad Stock, Jannary 11, 1839,
George N. Youngman, April 16, 1839.
COUNTY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS.
Jacob S. Whitmer, May, 1854.
David Hackendorn, May, 1855.
V. C. Gundy, May, 1863. A. S. Burrows, May, 1872.
B. R. Johnson, October, 1882.
POPULATION OF UNION COUNTY.
TOWNS.
1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840
1850
1860
1870
1680
Buffalo
2370
924
1348 812
970
9681
1011
1010
Gre g . .
904
Hartleton Bor .
75
1866
2112
1530
1143
1561
Kelly . .
739
788
779
942
1041
Lewis . .
658
1007
815
Lewisburgh Bor
579 1094
1220
2012
2606
3121
3080
Limestone .
913
880
880
Mimlinburg Bor
620
663
704
783
865
911
1168
New Berlin Bor
515
l'union .
1869 2085
1630
1452
820
840
724
West Buffalo . .
1183 1404
1460
1107
1075!
1046
1208
White Deer
1677 1295
1252
1539
1639
1676!
1865
9633 9854 11759 13634 14145 15837 16905
1
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CHAPTER II. BENCH AND BAR .:
THE BENCH.
CHARLES II., along with his grant of land to William Penn, gave him the government over it, and in that was the power of establish- ing courts of judicature and the appointment of the judges.
With an Orphans' Court modeled after the Orphans' Court of the city of London, a Court of Chancery being utterly prohibited, the sys- tem of County Courts was established.
The simplicity of them has been preserved, there being a Court of Common Pleas, Quarter Sessions of the Peace, Orphans' Court and Oyer
' By J. Merrill lanu.
1560
1521
1714
East Bullilo .
. .
. .
821
292
:300
Hartley . .
1239:1730
807
741
672
646
John Reifsnyder, April 25, 1831.
1316
-
1184
JUNIATA AND SUSQUEHANNA VALLEYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.
and Terminer and General Jail Delivery, all held simultaneously, by one judge or set of judges, from which there is appeal to one Supreme Court.
The act of Assembly of the year 1722 gath- ered up the scattered trails of prior acts into one uniform law, and this was followed by rcorganizations of the system of the judiciary under the Constitution of 1776, of the Consti- tution of 1790, of 1836 and again of 1873.
There were attempts at Circuit Courts and, in cities, of Nisi Prius and District Courts, but they have all faded into the severe simplicity of the County Courts, except that, under the Constitution of 1873, in cities and large coun- ties there are separate Orphans' Courts. And now where one county, as it may, when there are forty thousand inhabitants, constitutes a separate judicial district, there are no associate judges not learned in the law; and if the busi- ness of the county requires it, there may be additional law judges. But where there is more than one county in a district,-that is, where the president judge holds the County Court in more than one county,-the counties so under him are what is called a judicial district, and associate judges, (two), not learned in the law, remain.
The act of Assembly of the year 1791 divided the State into five districts for the pur- pose of holding courts. The act of 1806 divided the State into ten districts, Northumberland, Luzerne and Lycoming constituting the Eighth District. Luzerne went off with the Eleventh District into Wayne, Pike and Monroe, leaving Lycoming and Northumberland in the Eighth, and when Union County was erected out of the county of Northumberland, by the act of the 22d March, 1813, it was declared to belong to the Eighth District, consisting further of the counties of Lycoming, Northumberland and Columbia, which latter was erected out of Northumberland the same year.
The act of the 21st March, 1842, created the Twentieth Judicial District, comprising the counties of Mifflin, Union and Huntingdon, and the act of the 5th of April, IS19, took away Huntingdon, leaving Mifflin and Union in it. When Snyder County was erected, in
1855, out of Union, the Twentieth District con- sisted of Union, Suyder and Mifflin, and so re- mained under the act of 9th of April, 1874, and the act of 7th of August, 1883.
The act erecting Union County out of North- umberland was passed the 22d of March, 1813. Under the act the courts were to be held at Mifflinburg until commissioners, appointed by the Governor, should determine the location of the county-seat.
Governor Simon Snyder appointed James Banks, of Mifflin County, Henry Haines, of Lancaster County, and Edward Darlington, of Chester County, the commissioners.
Two of them, Banks and Haines, Darlington not acting, met at Selinsgrove on the 28th of June, and made their report in favor of Longs- town, as it was then called, fixed the site of the court-house and offices on a lot belonging to Christopher Seebold, and the site of the prison on a lot belonging to John Solomon.
The act of the 8th of March, 1815, provided that after the first Monday in May of that year the courts should be held at New Berlin, which name the act gave to Longstown, though it did not lose its patronymic for many a long year- forty at least-thereafter.
Meanwhile the first court was held in Mifflin- burg on the 14th day of February, 1814. In the old one-story log building that had been used for a church, probably a union of denominations, but called the old German Church, on the north side of Green Street, be- tween Fourth and Fifth, second lot from Fourth Street, the court convened.
John Ray, the sheriff, had provided a crier in the person of Christian Brown, who, when Seth Chapman, president judge of the Eighth District, with Hugh Wilson as his associate, took their scats, opened the court.
The commission as president of the Eighth District, consisting of the connties of Columbia, Northumberland, Lycoming and Union, was read, and then the commission of Hugh Wilson, Esq., asassociate judge of Union County, bearing date the 14th of October, 1813; then the com- mission of Simon Snyder, Jr., Esq., as prothono- tary, clerk of the Quarter Sessions, clerk of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, elerk of the Or-
:
UNION COUNTY.
1185
phans' Court, register of wills and recorder of deeds for the county of Union, was also raul,-all the offices were compact in his one person. Then followed the commission of John Ray, sheriff, and John Driesbach, Esq., coroner. Then Enoch Smith, an old lawyer from Sunbury, stood in his place, and moved for himself and for E. G. Bradford, Samuel Hepburn, Ebenezer Greenough, Charles Maus, William Irvin and John Lashells to be sworn in as attorneys, and then Mr. Lashells moved that John Johnston and Ethan Bald- win be sworn in as attorneys, and, on mo- tion of Mr. Bradford, George Hall, George Friek, Allen Marr and Hugh Bellas were also sworn, and William Irvin as deputy attorney- general of the county. This constituted the bar of Union County on that day. Lashells and Maus lived in Mifflinburg at the time. Irwin came from Harrisburg and the rest from North- umberland County. The last survivor of the party was George A. Frick, Esq., who died at Danville on the 10th of June, 1872, at the age of eighty-five.
The quaint record of the day goes on : John Ray, Esq., high sheriff of the county, comes into court and returned to the court the venire facias juratores to him directed, with a certain panel thereunto annexed, containing the names of the persons by the sheriff summoned as the grand inquest, and they were John Boal, Adam Reager, Arthur Thomas, Jacob Musser, John Fisher, James Madden, Robert Chambers, Valentine Haas, Jacob Housewerth, John Nagel, James MeClure, John Williams, Aaron Cham- berlin, Levi Zimmerman, Philip Gemberling, Frederick Wurtz, James Caldwell, Andrew Grove, David Simmons, Abraham Tenbrook, Henry Rarnstone, John Aurand, John Seidle and John German, and they all attended except Jolın Nagel,-all cognizable names in the local history, and they are men notable at the time, for in those days the sheriff chose the foremost men of the county for its grand inquest. Indeed, in those days-it is yet remembered by some-there was a solemn announcement of the entrance of the grand inquest, and a pre- monitory thump on the floor by the tipstaff, and a hush of silence in the court-room, all
business at once stopped, and led by the solemn old tipstaff-the people turned in awe, and as this body, of imposing appearance, filed into their box, stood a moment before they seated themselves, their foreman remaining standing, the clerk of the court asked them for their bills. All other business was suspended, and in solemn silence they took their departure-until then the court not resuming their business.
The sheriff, John Ray, in his bill of charges for February sessions, 1815, against the com- missioners, charges "To Court Crier, $6.00," but does not say who he was. George Shoch, now in his 82d year (A. D. 1886), remembers that it was Christian Brown. Upon the removal of the courts to New Berlin, at May term, 1815, Daniel Winters is the court crier until September, 1819, and at December term, 1819, Philip Miller appears as such. Court criers appear to have been appointed by the sheriff until the act of March 23, 1829; there- after they were to be appointed by the sheriff, by and with the approbation of the court, to be paid a sum for each day's attendance, to be allowed by the court. The act of the 14th of April, 1834, gave wholly to the court the power to appoint crier and tipstaves, to be paid as the judges allow.
Philip Miller held the office until 1853, a period of thirty-four years, when he became so deaf that even the conservatism of Judge Wil- son had to retire him. Benjamin Schell then became crier, much to the disappointment of Jimmy Cornelius, a noted tipstaff, until Febru- ary, 1862, when Judge Woods appointed David Slifer, Schell becoming a tipstaff, until, at the death of Slifer, Schell was reinstated, and remained until February 16, 1874. Frank Donchower was appointed, and bids fair to remain until he quits fishing.
Philip Miller's profile struck you as you entered from the western door-his bald head looked like a polished hickory-nnt, his pointed shirt-collar stood high up on his face; he wore a dark purple pin-tail coat, and if he was opening the court his jaws were shaking, his cheeks wab- bling and his lips, not well sustained by teeth, flopped in and out, and the sound that came was utterly unintelligible. His principal duty,
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outside of proclamation, was to keep a large snuff-box, about the size of a modern spittoon, tacked up against a post inside of the bar, filled with snuff. Lawyers and judges were fond of snuff. Beside the titillation, it was often a neat assistant in opening a case, or gave time to balance when taken aback.
Their wages appear to have been a dollar a day; their perquisites-recognized perquisites -one dollar paid by an attorney when sworn in, and candle-ends, which gas has taken away. They all grow very old and very deaf, and the funny mistakes of the court crier relieve the severity of the court.
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