|
|
Twigs and Branches
|
||
Baber's Early History of Greene County Indiana Chapter IIEarly in the year 1821, THOMAS BRADFORD, as Sheriff pro tem, called an election, to be held at his house, for the purpose of electing county officers. At that election only County Commissioners were elected, and they were THOMAS PLUMMER, DAVID DEEM, and PETER HERRINGTON. THOS. BRADFORD, who acted as Sherif, pro tem, seems to have successfully filled all the necessary offices to constitute a board of election, and to make the election precect. He gave the officers their certificate of election, and they were sworn into office by PHINEAS B. ROGERS, a Justice of the Peace of Washington, Daviess county, on the 6th day of March, 1821 In addition to the usual oath of office, they were required to swear that they had not, since the first day of June, 1816, either directly or indirectly, knowingly given, accepted or carried a challenge to any person or persons, in or out of this State, to fight single combat with any deadly weapon, and that they would not knowingly give, accept or carry a challenge to any person or persons in or out of the State, to fight in a single combat with any deadly weapon during their continuance in office. This stringent oath in regard to fighting duels will astonish may **person who do not remember the olden times. Soon after the Revolutionary war closed, duels became of such frequent occurrence that the attention of Legislative bodies was called to it as a growing public evil. After the celebrated duel between Col. AARON BURR and General ALEXANDER HAMILTON, which resulted in the death of General HAMILTON, the public mind was more than ever called to the enormity of this practice. Dueling was prohibited in most of the States, and in Indiana, from the time she became a State , in 1816, officers, State and county, were required to take an oath similar to the one taken by our Commissioners, so far as it related to dueling. After the County Board was organized, they appointed THOMAS BRADFORD Clerk of the Board. On the 10th day of March, 1821, AMOS ROGERS, ABRAHAM CASS, CHARLES POLK and WILLIAM WHITE, as State Commissioners to locate the county-seat for Greene county, made their report, locating the county-seat on sections 9 and 10m in township 7 north, of range 5 west, and called it Burlington. The land for the county-seat was donated by THOMAS BRADFORD, FREDERICK SHEPHERD and ZEBULON HOUGUE. On the 6th day of April, the Board of Commissioners appointed John OWEN Treasurer of Greene county. EPRHRAIM OWEN was appointed Agent for Burlington, and GEORGE SHRYER was appointed Lister for the year 1821. The county was, at this meeting of the Commissioners, laid off in five townships, as follows: Highland, Richland, Burlingame, Plummer and Stafford. Highland township embraced the present township by that name, and the territory now covered by Eel River, Jefferson, Smith and Wright. Richland township by that name, and the territory now covered by Fairplay, Grant and Stockton. Burlingame township embraced the present Jackson, Center, and Beech Creek, and was names in honor of ABEL BURLINGAME, who [end page 3] probably then resided on the farm now owned by LAWSON OLIPHANT. We have no recollection of him or of any of his descendants. Plummer township embraced the present Cass and Taylor townships and was named in honor of THOMAS PLUMMER, who then lived in the township. He has left a large number of relatives, who still reside in the county. Stafford township embraced the present township by that names and Washington township. This township was named in honor of on the the STAFFORD’s who resided in the township (perhaps Jesse STAFFORD.) Several of the family still reside in the county The first Treasurer gave bon with PETER HERRINGTON and SAMUEL C. HALL as sureties. Inspectors of elections were appointed for the townships as follows: JOHN SANDERS for Highland, JOHN FIELDS for Richland, ABEL BURLINGAME for Burlingame, CORNELIUS WESTFALL for Plummer, and BENJAMIN STAFFORD for Stafford. At the June term, 1821, overseers of the poor were appointed for the townships: LEVI FELLOWS and WILLIAM BYNUM for Pummer; THOMAS SMITH and EVAN OWEN for Highland; ISAAC HUBBEL and JOHN GODLSBURY for Stafford; HIRAM HAYWOOD and WILLIAM SCOTT for Richland; MARK DUGGER and LEONARD NICHOLSON for Burlingame. The Commissioners also appointed Superintendents for the different sixteen sections: JOHN LEMON, ZEBULON HOGUE, JOHN S. BUSKIRK and ELI DIXON. The responsible office of Fence-Viewer seems to have received early attention by our Commissioners, and the following appointments were made: For Highland, CALEB JESSUP, ASA MOUNTS, and JONATHAN LINDLEY; for Richland, SOLOMON DIXON, JAMES WARNICK, and PETER C. VAN SLYKE; for Burlingame, JOHN STORM, GARRETT GBSON and ADAM MORROW; for Plummer, Cornelius BOGARD, JOHN SLIKARD, and LEVI FELLOWS; for Stafford, JOHN BREECE, JOHN GOLDSBURY and BENJAMON STAFFORD. At this term JAMES GALLETLEY was appointed eyor, to survey and lay out lots in the seat of justice (Burlington.) This ma surv n, although not a resident of our county, is identified in many ways with our early history. He was a Scotchman by birth, and in an early day was regarded as a man of education and literary culture. Whe he first came our West to mingle with our early settlers, he was much better informed in regard to the beauties of Burn’s poems and the classics, than he was in regard to log cabins and the customs of the far West; but his strong, practical common sense, soon enabled him to conform to frontier usage. It is said of him, that when he went into the forest to build his first cabin, he proceeded to cut his logs without assistance. When custom he invited his neighbors to help raise his cabin, as was the custom in our early-days. – One neighbor asked him the length of his logs. He answered, "well, some are 10 feet, some 15, some 20, and some 25 feet, but they will average 18 feet, which is to be the size of my house." The generous neighbors soon obviated this trouble by joining together and cutting logs the proper length. On the 15th day of May, GEORGE SHRYER, Lister for the county, reported to the Commissioners that he had listed all the property of the county for taxable purposes. He was allowed for his services the sum of #30 in county-order. His was the first county-order ever issued by the officers of Greene county. We are unable to tell when it was paid, but we find that more than three years afterwards, by virtue of a writ of garnishee, served by constable PETER HILL, this county-order was seized on a debt against the owner. At this time the Board of Commissioners made arrangements for a county seal, and it was expressly provided that there should be a heart in the center, surrounded with an olive branch. Thus Greene county started [end of page 4] out with an emblem of peace and saftey stamped upon her offical papers. On the 4th day of June, 1821, THOMAS WARNICK was qualified as Clerk of the Circuit Court for seven years, he having been commissioned on the 27th day of April, 1821. At the August term, 1821, constables were appointed for the various townships: Highland, JAMES JESSUP; Richland, RICHARD OSBORN; Burlingame, MARK DUGGER; Plummer, AANDREW SLINKARD; Stafford, JOHN BREECE. At this meeting SOLOMON DIXSON, who was our first representative in the Legislature, had a ferry established, which is no known as the Bradford ferry, at Fairplay. JAMES WARNICK, grandfather of the JAMES WARNICK of the present day, and father of the Clerk, was the first supervisor of the roads for Richland townships. JOHN LINDLEY was the first in Highland, CORNELIUS BOGARD in Plummer, and JOHN BREECE in Stafford The first Circuit Court convened at the house of THOMAS BRADFORD, which, we have been informed, was one mile south of Bloomfield, in September, 1821. J. DOTY was President Judge, and JOHN L. BUSKIRK, Associate Judge. THOMAS WARNICK was Clerk, and THOMAS BRADFORD, Sheriff. They seemed to have so much confidence in the fidelity and honesty of their Clerk, that they did not require any security on his official bond. The first Grand Jury was composed of JOHN SLINKARD, BENSON JONES, JOHN GOLDSBURY, REUBEN HILL, JAS. SMITH, LEVI FELLOWS, JONATHAN LINDLEY, BENJAMIN HASHAW, CORNELIUS BOGARD, CORNELIUS P. VAN SYLKE, ELI FAUCETT and JOSEPH RAMSONERS. At this term of Court, HENRY MERRICK was appointed Prosecuting Attorney; AMORY KINNEY was admitted to practice as an attorney. AMORY KINNEY afterwards become well known as an eminent Judge. The first case called for trail was THOMAS MOUNTS against ZEBULON HOGUE. This was an action for slander. It appears that even in that early day, when only a few settlers had gathered together, and when they needed each other’s sympathy and assistance,that the strong passion of malignity invaded the settlements, and arrayed one neighbor against another, and that they finally resorted to the law for redress. But in this instance it also appears that finally the "better angel of their nature" prevailed, and the cause was dismissed. And we are induced to believe that these litigants made friends, because on the same day, Mr. HOGUE went on Mr. MOUNTS' bond as surety for hiss appearance at the next term of court. At that term of court there was only one other case called for trail, and that was the case of BENJAMIN HASHAW against THOMAS MOUNTS. This case was also dismissed. These were the only cases called for trial during the year 1821. The grnad jury found four indictments, and they were continued until the next term. The first entry of land was made in 1816. Perhaps it will be of interest to some of our readers to know who entered land in the very earliest days of our county. In 1816 entries were made by DAVID LINDLEY, JONATHAN LINDLEY, JOHN JOHNSON, JOHN HAWKINS, EPHRAIM OWEN, SAMUEL OWEN, BENJAMIN OWEN, WILLIAM HAWKINS, JOSEPH HOLLINGSWORTH, SOLOMON DIXON, JOSHUA HADLEY, JOSEPH RICHARDSON, JOHN NELDON, JOHN STORMS, ISAAC STORMS, SCOTT RIGGS, JOHN HADDEN, PETER C. VAN SLYKE, THOMAS BRADFORD, and perhaps a few others. In 1817, entries were made by some of these men and by JOHN SANDERS, GEORGE GRIFFITH, JONATHAN OSBORN, BENJAMIN SHOEMAKER, JAMES SMITH, JOHN G. GRAY, THOMAS PLUMMER, CHARLES SCANLAND, WILLIAM CARTER, SAMUEL FIELDS, SETH FIELDS, SAMUEL PEERY and THOMAS BRADFORD Jr. In 1818, by Alex. WATSON, Joseph [end of page 5] SHELTON, Eli DIXON, George SHRYER, JULIUS DUGGER, MARK DUGGER, JOSEPH INGERSOLL, WILLIAM BARKER, ELIJAH and GEORGE CHINN, DAVID RICHEY, ABE WESTFALL, JOHN SLINKARD, JESSE STAFFORD, MATHIAS KILLIAN, MORDECIA MC KINNEY, JOHN HINKLE, ABRAHAM GARRETT, ISAAC HUBBELL, E. W. WOLTON, JOHN VANVOSRT, WILLIAM LEMON, WILLIAM HARRELL, EDMUND GILLAM, THOMAS BUSKIRK, JOHN BRADFORD, WILLIAM ROBINSON, R. S. UNDERWOOD, JAMES WARNICK, WILLIAM SCOTT, SSAMUEL C. HALL, GEORGE LASHLEY, GORDON PHELPS, JACOB SCUDDER, and WILLIAM ADAMS. In 1819, by JOHN ARTHUR, TJOMAS BARKER, PETER R. LESTER, CHRISTIAN BRUNER, JOHN O’NEALL, O. T. BARKER, BENJAMIN STAFFORD, GARRISON EVANS, DAVID WESNER, WILLIAM DILLINGER, ZACHARIAH DUNN, SIMEON HAGAMON, PETER HAYS, AANDREW VAN SLYKE and MARTIN WINES. In 1820, by WILLIAM BYNUM, ROBERT ANDERSON, WILLIAM HANESON, JOSEPH DILLINGER, DANIEL RAWLINS, and JOHN GARDINDER. In 1821, by HENRY ARNEY, JOHN CRAIG, JESSE ELGAN, JOHN ELGAN, SAMUEL HUGHEN, SIMON CARESS, JOHN BRUSE, JOSEPH KIRKPATRICK, OlIVER CUSHMAN, JOHN MC DONALD, ZEBULON JENKINS, GEORGE MILAM and JOHN MASON During the year 1821 only one conveyance of land seems to have been made in the county, and that was by DAVID LINDLEY to JONATHAN LINDLEY, for the west fractional section 18 town 8, range 5 a part of which is now owned by WILLIS WATSON. During this year only five marriage license were issued. ISAAC JACKSON was married to ELIZABETH GRIFFITH, by HUGH BARNS, M.G. WILLIAM RICHEY to NELLY RAMSONERS, by OBEDIAH T. BARKER, J.P. DAVID SMITH, to MARY BRINSON, by EDMUND JEANS, J.P. – SIMON DRAKE to MARY BURCHAM, by ABEL BURLINGAME, J.P. PHILIP SILER to SARAH LINDLEY, by John B. KELSHAW, J.P. Perhaps before closing the history for the year 1821, our readers would like to compare the expenses of that day with the present. Perhaps some of our people in this day will think that our ancestors were extravagant Let us not be too hasty. Let us remember that is was a year of extra expense, such as giving notice to the State Commissioners to locate a county seat, paying for having the election returns sent to the unusual distance of Merom and Spencer, and may other extra duties incident to the organization of a county. For the information of our readers, we give the list of expenditures for the first year:
With the close of the year 1821 we close this chapter [ end of Page. 6] |
|||
|
|
|||
