USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I > Part 41
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Trousers, in their present shape, were in- troduced into the British army in 1813, and tolerated as a legitimate portion of evening dress in 1816.
CHAPTER XI
COUNTY FORMATION AND GOVERNMENT-POPULATION-OFFICIALS
LOCATION AND EXTENT OF COUNTY-LOCATION OF TOWNS AND BOROUGHS-PIONEER COUNTY LAWS-COURTHOUSE AND JAIL-FIRST ASSESSMENT- PIONEER LICENSES-TAXABLES, 1837 -INDUSTRIAL STATISTICS, CENSUS OF 1840-LIST OF RETAILERS, 1860-TAXABLES, 1915- ELECTIONS AND POLLING PLACES-OFFICIALS
When William Penn came to what is now the State of Pennsylvania and organized what has become our present Commonwealth, he erected three counties, which were Bricks, Philadelphia and Chester. Chester county ex- tended over the western portion of the State at that time. In reality, it had jurisdiction over only the inhabitable portion, but its boundary lines extended west of what is now Jefferson county.
On May 10, 1729, Lancaster county was erected from Chester. On January 27, 1750, Cumberland county was erected from Lan- caster. On March 9, 1771, Bedford county was erected from Cumberland. On March 27, 1772, Northumberland county was erected, and for twenty-four years our wilderness was in that county. On April 13, 1796, Lycoming county was erected from Northumberland, and on March 26, 1804. Jefferson county was erected from Lycoming county. Thus it will be seen that this wilderness was embraced in six other counties before it was erected into a separate county.
The name of the county was given in honor of Thomas Jefferson, who was then president of the United States. The original area of Jefferson county contained twelve hundred and three square miles, but it now has only about four hundred thirteen thousand, four hundred and forty acres ; highest altitude, from twelve hundred to eighteen hundred and eighty feet above sea level; length of county, forty-six miles ; breadth, twenty-six miles.
"Jefferson county is now in the fourth tier of counties east of the Ohio line, and in the third tier south of the New York line, and is bounded by Forest and Elk on the north, Clear- field on the cast, Indiana on the south, and Armstrong and Clarion on the west. Its south line now runs due west twenty-three and a third miles from the Clearfield-Indiana corner ;
its west line, thence due north twenty-eight and a quarter miles to the Clarion river; its north line, first up the Clarion river to Elk county, thence due south a half mile, thence southeast thirteen and three quarters miles, to Clearfield county ; its east line runs first south- west ten miles, thence due south fifteen and a third miles, to the starting place at the Clear- field-Indiana corner.
"The original boundary lines enclosed an area of more than one thousand square miles, embracing much of what is now Forest and Elk, beyond the Clarion river. At what time the present boundaries were erected is not certain ; but much shifting took place, espe- cially along the northern border, until com- paratively recent years."
From "An act to erect parts of Lycoming, Huntingdon and Somerset counties into Sep- arate County Districts," we quote :
"Section 1. That part of the county of Lycoming, included within the following lines, to wit: Beginning at the northeast corner of Venango county, and thence east thirty miles ( part along the line of Warren county), and thence by a due south line fifteen miles, thence a southwesterly course to Sandy Lick creck, where Hunter's district line crosses said creck ; thence south along Hunter's district line to a point twelve miles north of the canoe place, on the west branch of Susquehanna ; thence a due west line until it intersects the eastern boundary of Armstrong county ; thence north along the line of Armstrong and Venango counties, to the place of beginning, be, and the same is hereby erected into a separate county, to be henceforth called Jefferson county ; and the place of holding the courts of justice shall be fixed by the Legislature at any place at a distance not greater than seven miles from the center of the said county, which may be most beneficial and convenient for the said county.
207
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
"Section 7. That the governor shall, as soon as convenient, appoint three commission- ers to run and mark the boundary lines of the counties of Jefferson, Clearfield, and Cambria. according to the true intent and meaning of this act ; and the said commissioners, or any two of them, shall have power to run the
any of . the said counties, according to the ratio which shall then be established for ap- portioning the representation among the sev- eral counties of this Commonwealth, shall be entitled to a separate representation, provi- sion shall be made by law apportioning the said representation, and enabling such county
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aforesaid lines, and shall have, for their serv- ices, the sum of two dollars for every mile so run and marked, to be paid out of the treas- ury of this Commonwealth.
"Section 8. That as soon as it shall appear by an enumeration of the taxable inhabitants within the counties of Jefferson, Mckean, Clearfield, Potter, Tioga and Cambria, that
to be represented separately, and to hold the courts of justice at such place in the said county as is or may hereafter be fixed for holding the same by the Legislature, and to choose their county officers in like manner as in the other counties of this Commonwealth.
"Section 9. That the governor be and he is hereby authorized and required to appoint
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
three suitable persons for trustees in each of the said counties, who shall receive proposals in writing from any person or persons, or any bodies corporate or politic, for the grant or conveyance of any lands within the said coun- ties respectively, and within the limits pre- scribed by this act for fixing the place of hold- ing courts of justice in said counties respec- tively, or the transfer of any other property, or payment of money for the use of said coun- ties, and transmit to the Legislature from time to time a copy of the proposals so re- ceived under their hands; and when the place of holding courts of justice in the said counties respectively shall be fixed by the Legislature, to take assurances in the law for the lands and other valuable property, or money contained in any such proposals, which shall or may be accepted of.
"Section 13. That for the present conven- ience of the inhabitants of the county of Jef- ferson, and until an enumeration of the tax- able inhabitants of said county shall be made, and it shall be otherwise directed by law, the said county of Jefferson shall be, and the same is hereby annexed to the county of West- moreland ; and the jurisdiction of the several courts of the county of Westmoreland, and the authority of the judges thereof, shall ex- tend over and shall operate and be effectual within the said county of Jefferson.
"Section 15. That the electors within the counties erected by this act shall continue to elect at the same places and with the same counties as heretofore.
"Approved-the twenty-fifth day of March. in the year of our Lord one thousand and eight hundred and four.
"THOMAS MCKEAN.
"Governor of the Commonwealth of Penn- sylvania."
The following appeared in a book published in Philadelphia in 1832:
"Jefferson county was provisionally erected by an act of 26th March, 1804, and is bounded north by Mckean and Warren, east by Mc- Kean and Clearfield, south by Indiana, and west by Armstrong and Venango counties. 'Central lat. 41º 15' N., long. 2° W. from W. C.
"Like the rest of northwestern Pennsyl- vania. the county is hilly, and iron and coal are in abundance : the latter is in every part of the county. The soil in the valleys is in many places highly fertile, but the great body of the county cannot be rated above second quality. It is abundantly watered, having on the south Mahoning creek; on the west Little Sandy Lick creek and Big Sandy Lick creek. 14
whose branches stretch across the county. Clarion river, or Toby's creek, with its many and large ramifications, intersects the northern half of the county in every direction.
"The State road from Kittanning to Hamil- ton, in the State of New York, runs diagonally across the county from southwest to north- east, and the turnpike road from Phillips- burg to Franklin traverses it from southeast to northwest, passing through the town of Brookville; and a company has lately been incorporated for making a turnpike road from Ridgway, through Warren county, to the State line in New York, in the direction of Jamestown.
"There are three small villages in the county. including the seat of justice, viz .: Brookville, Punxsutawney and Ridgway. At the first. which was commenced in August, 1830, there are about forty dwellings, four taverns, and four stores; at Punxsutawney ten or fifteen dwellings, two taverns, and one store ; and at Ridgway some half dozen dwellings, etc. Port Barnett, Centre, Cooper and Jefferson are marked on the map as towns. There is a tavern at the first. The others are mere names.
"There are two or three gristmills only. but more than four times as many sawmills. and the export of the county is lumber solely. unless venison hams be included. Two mil- lion of feet of white pine boards, etc., were cut in 1830 and rafted down the Big Mahon- ing, Red Bank, or Sandy Lick creek, and Clar- ion river, to the Allegheny river, and thence to Pittsburgh and other towns on the Ohio.
"The population is composed of Germans. some English, and some settlers from New York. and consisted, by the census of 1830, of 2,025. That there is room for great in- crease is obvious, when we observe that this population might be comfortably supported 011 two thousand acres. whilst seven hundred. sixty-six thousand acres are unsettled. There are several sects of Christians in these wilds. chiefly Presbyterians, Seceders, and Metho- dists. But there is not a church building in the county."
LOCATION OF TOWNS AND BOROUGHS
The towns and boroughs of the county are situated on the following original warrants : Brookville, on No. 394, T. Pickering. original owner; Reynoldsville, 3.875. Henry Geddis : Brockwayville, 84, 81 and 35, H. Syphert. D. Kennedy. and E. Bradley; Corsica, 681, Dr. William Smith ; Summerville, 378, Leroy & Linklaen: Port Barnett. 390, T. Pickering &
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Co. ; Big Run, 525, T. Pickering & Co .; Punx- sutawney. Samuel Findley ; Perrysville, Ma- son warrant ; Sprankle Mills, on line of war- rants Nos. 3,298 and 3.925; Walston, 3,054, Leroy & Linklaen; Adrian, 3,955, Jeremiah Parker: Clayville, 3,055; Emerickville, 3,947, Jeremiah Parker: Fuller's Station. 3.959, Jeremialı Parker ; Richardsville, -; May- ville, 341, Timothy Pickering; Sigel, 3,356, Robert Gilmore; Knox Dale, 3,961, Jeremiah Parker; Ringgold, 2,939, Wilhelm Willink & Co .; Sandy Valley, 187. Timothy Pickering; Rockdale Mills, 2,955, Wilhelm Willink & Co .; Belleview, 3,196, Leroy & Linklaen.
PIONEER COUNTY LAWS *
March 26, 1804 .- Jefferson county erected and boundaries named; by the same act an- nexed to Westmoreland county for judicial purposes.
February 3, 1806 .- Authority of commis- sioners of Westmoreland county and other county officers of said county extended over and within the county district of Jefferson.
February 24, 1806. - Jefferson county placed in the Western district for the Supreme court, and the State divided into ten judicial districts, the counties of Somerset, Cambria, Indiana. Armstrong and Westmoreland com- prising the Tenth.
March 10, 1806 .- Jefferson county annexed to the county of Indiana, and the authority of the county commissioners and other county officers of said Indiana county to extend over and within the county of Jefferson. It re- mained thus annexed to Indiana county for all purposes until 1824, and for judicial pur- poses until 1830.
March 31, 1806 .- Jefferson county made into a separate election district, elections there- in to be held at the house of "Joseph Barnett, on Sandy Lick, in said county."
March 21, 1808 .- Jefferson county placed in a Senatorial district, composed of the coun- ties of Armstrong. Indiana and Jefferson, the return judges thereof to "meet at the house occupied by Widow Eller, in Blacklick town- ship, Indiana county."
By the same act Jefferson county placed in a State Representative district, including also the counties of Armstrong, Jefferson and In- diana, the return judges of which were to meet at the house of Absalom Woodward in Armstrong county.
* For road laws see Chapter VI, Roads and Bridges.
March 20, 1812 .- Jefferson county placed in the Eleventh Congressional district, com- posed of the counties of Westmoreland. Arm- strong. Jefferson and Indiana.
March 14, 1814 .- Authority granted for the subdivision of Jefferson county into six dis- tricts, for the election of justices of the peace.
March 8, 1815 .- Jefferson county placed in the Sixteenth Senatorial district, composed of the counties of Westmoreland, Indiana and Jefferson, the return judges thereof to meet at the house of John Kelly, in the town of Newport, in Blacklick township, Indiana county.
By the same act Jefferson county was placed in a State Representative district, along with Armstrong and Indiana counties, the three counties being entitled to two members, and the return judges were to meet at the house of Absalom Woodward, in Indiana (sic) county.
March 24, 1817 .- The county having been divided into two election districts, Pinecreek and Perry, the latter declared a separate elec- tion district by act of Assembly, elections therein to be held at the house of John Bell, of said township.
. April 22, 1822 .- Jefferson county placed in the Seventeenth Congressional district, com- posed of the counties of Westmoreland, In- diana and Jefferson.
December 23, 1822 .- Sales of unseated lands in Jefferson county for taxes authorized.
January 21, 1824 .- Election of county commissioners and county auditors first au- thorized; and when elected. to "hold their office and transact the public business at such places as shall be determined upon by a ma- jority of the commissioners first elected until the seat of justice is ascertained."
1826 .- County commissioners of the pro- visional county of Jefferson to draw their warrants on the county treasurer for expenses of laying out roads, criminal prosecutions, and all other costs and expenses incidental to said county ; and the authority of the county commissioners of Indiana county over Jef- ferson county to cease.
1826 .- One half of all road taxes received by the treasurers of Jefferson and Mckean counties from unseated lands to be applied for seven years to the improvement of the "leading roads" in said counties; and G. C. Gaskill and James Gillis, of Jefferson county, and Jonathan Colgrove and Paul E. Scull, of Mckean county, appointed commissioners to expend said fund in the "making, clear- ing and opening" of said "leading roads." In
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
1828 this act was repealed as to Jefferson county.
April 10, 1826 .- Young township having been erected, now made a separate election district, elections therein to be held at the house of Elijah Heath, in Punxsutawney.
April 16, 1827 .- Ridgway township, of Jef- ferson county, having been formed, the same is now made into a separate election district, elections to be held at the house of James Gal- lagher in said township.
April 14, 1828 .- Rose township having been erected, the same is now declared a separate election district, elections therein to be held at the house of John Lucas, in said township.
March 3, 1829 .- An act to encourage the destruction of foxes and wildcats, awarding a bounty of thirty-seven and a half cents on the scalp of every fox produced, and one dol- lar on the scalp of every wildcat.
April 8. 1829 .- John Mitchell, of Centre county ; Alexander McCalmont, of Venango county ; and Robert Orr, of Armstrong county, appointed to meet at the house of Andrew Barnett, of Jefferson county, and from thence to view, select, and "determine the most eli- gible and proper situation for the seat of jus- tice for the said county of Jefferson."
April 2, 1830 .- "AN ACT TO ORGANIZE THIE PROVISIONAL COUNTY OF JEFFERSON FOR JUDICIAL PURPOSES
"SECTION I. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That from and after the first day of October next the inhabitants of the county of Jefferson shall enjoy all and singular the jurisdictions, powers, rights, liberties, and privileges whatsoever within the same which the inhabitants of other counties of this State do, may, or ought to enjoy by the laws and constitution of this Commonwealth.
"SECTION 2. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the county of Jefferson shall be attached to and form a part of the Fourth Judicial district, until otherwise ordered by law, and that the judges of the Supreme court. and the president of the Fourth Judicial district, and the associate judges to be appointed in the said county of Jefferson, shall have like powers, jurisdictions and authorities within the same as are or may be warranted to and exercised by the judges in the other counties of this Commonwealth. and the said county of Jefferson is hereby
annexed to the Western district of the Su- preme court of this Commonwealthi.
"SECTION 3. And be it further enacted by the authority aforcsaid, That the citizens and inhabitants of the said county of Jefferson, who are or shall be qualified to vote agreeably to the Constitution and laws of this Common- wealth, shall at the first general election, to be held on the second Tuesday in October next at their respective election districts, choose two fit persons for sheriffs, two for coroners, and all other officers necessary to be elected for the said county of Jefferson in the same manner and under the same rules, regulations and penalties as by the laws of this Common- wealth similar officers are chosen in other counties, and said officers when chosen as aforesaid and duly qualified to enter on the (luties of their respective offices shall have and enjoy all and singular the powers, authorities, privileges and emoluments in or any way arising out of their respective offices, in and for the county aforesaid, as fully as such of- ficers are entitled to in any other county within this Commonwealth ; and it shall and is hereby declared lawful for all the public officers of the said county of Jefferson, from and after the first day of October next, to do, perform and exercise all the duties of their respective offices in as full and ample manner as if the several courts should be opened on that day by the president and judges of the same, and any process that may issue returnable to the first term in said county shall bear test as of the first day of October next.
"SECTION 4. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the courts of Common Pleas and General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, and Orphans' court for the county of Jefferson shall, from and after the first day of October next, commence and be holden on the first Monday after the courts in Clearfield county.
"SECTION 5. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all suits which shall be pending and undetermined in the court of Common Pleas of Indiana county on the first day of October next, when the de- fendant or defendants in such suit or suits shall at that time be resident in Jefferson county, shall be transferred to the court of Common Pleas of Jefferson county, and shall be considered as pending in said court, and shall be proceeded on in like manner as if the same had been originally commenced in said court, except that the fees thereon, due to the officers in Indiana county, shall be paid to them when recovered by the prothonotary or
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
sheriff of Jefferson county, and the prothono- tary of Indiana county shall procure a docket and copy therein all the docket entries respect- ing the said suits to be transferred as afore- said, and shall on or before the fourth Monday in November next have the said docket, to- gether with the records, declarations and other papers respecting said suits, ready to be de- livered to the prothonotary of Jefferson county, the expense of said docket and copying to be paid by the prothonotary of Jefferson county, and reimbursed by the said county of Jeffer- son on warrants to be drawn by the commis- sioners of Jefferson county on the treasury thereof.
"SECTION 6. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That it shall and may be lawful for the commissioners of Jefferson county, and they are hereby required, as soon as they may deem it expedient, to erect or cause to be erected on such part of the public square in the town of Brookville as they may deem best suited thereto a courthouse, and offices for the safe-keeping of the papers and records of the said county, and until such courthouse is erected the courts of justice shall be opened and held in such house in said county as the judges and commissioners may obtain for that purpose.
"SECTION 7. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the sheriff, coro- ner and other public officers of Indiana county shall continue to exercise the duties of their respective offices within the county of Jeffer- son until similar officers are appointed and elected agreeably to law within and for the said county of Jefferson.
"SECTION 8. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the sheriffs and coroners of the said county of Jefferson be- fore they enter on the duties of their offices shall give security in like sums as similar of- ficers do in the county of Indiana and in the same manner, and under the restrictions as similar officers are compelled to do in the sev- eral counties of this Commonwealth.
"SECTION 9. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the seat of justice for the county of Jefferson shall be, and the same is established and confirmed at the mouth of the North Fork of Sandy Lick creek, in the county of Jefferson, and it shall be the duty of the commissioners of said county to demand and receive from John Pickering, Esq., a sufficient deed or deeds in fee simple, in trust to them and their successors in office for the use of said county. for all the lands or lots which the said John Pickering. Esq ..
has agreed to give for the purpose of aiding in the erection of public buildings, agrecably to the act of the General Assembly of the eighth day of April, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine, entitled 'An Act authorizing the Appointment of Commission- ers to fix a proper site for the seat of justice in Jefferson county, and also for one public square in the said town of Brookville for the purpose of erecting public buildings thereon,' and the said commissioners shall procure the said deed or deeds when recorded in the office for the recording of deeds in the county of Indiana, to be recorded in the proper books directed to be kept for the county of Jeffer- son, and the said commissioners and their suc- cessors in office, or a majority of them, shall and are hereby authorized to sell and dispose of the said lands or lots aforesaid, and to make and execute deeds to the purchasers, and the moneys arising from such sales shall be by them applied to the erection of public build- ings for the use of the said county of Jeffer- SO11.
"SECTION 1O. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the said commis- sioners shall, as soon as may be, proceed to lay out the said town of Brookville, and file a draught and return of the survey of the said town, together with the proceedings under and by virtue of this act. in the office for the recording of deeds in and for the county of Jefferson, and an exemplification of the same shall be evidence in all matters of controversy touching the same.
"AApproved-the second day of April. A. D. one thousand eight hundred and thirty. "GEO. WOLF." 1831 .- An act relieving the prothonotary. register and recorder of Jefferson county from payment of State tax on his fees and com- missions, and refunding all such taxes already paid by him.
February 7. 1832 .- Boundary line between Jefferson and Venango counties fixed, Rich- ard Irvin. Esq., having run and marked the same "to the entire satisfaction of both coun- ties."
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