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There is a preponderance of births over deaths in the county of forty-three, a percentage excess of 10.6. There are two districts, the ones in which T. B. Ware and E. C. Gifford are registers, where deaths exceed births. Using the 1910 census return for the county, which was 26,351, CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 103 the per cent. increase by births was 1.5, and the per cent. decrease by deaths was 1.7. SCHOOL POPULATION OF URBANA IN 1865. In the spring of 1865 the regular town assessor, John S. Thomas, took the school enumeration of all the children between the ages of five and twenty-one; and at the same time compiled a complete and accurate census of the town. He published this in the Urbana Citizen and Gazette, September 1, 1865. These are the statistics which he submitted : White youth between five and twenty-one years : Males - 693 Females - 681 Total - 1,374 Colored youth between five and twenty-one years : Males - 69 Females - 72 Total - 141 Total white and colored, school age - 1,515 Total number of white residents of Urbana - 3,668 Total number of colored residents of Urbana - 396 Total population of city - 4,064 Total population of city in 1860 - 3,429 Increase in five years - 635 This was an increase of 18.5 per cent. SCHOOL POPULATION OF URBANA IN 1917. W. H. McGown, the school enumerator, found the school population of Urbana, May 1, 1917, to he as follows : Between six and twenty-one years : Males - 781 Females - 802 Total boys and girls of school age - 1,583 104 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Grouped by ages there were : Between ages six and eight - 281 Between eight and fourteen - 672 Between fourteen and sixteen - 198 Between sixteen and twenty-one - 432 Total - 1,583 This number is thirty less than was reported May 1, 1916, and only sixty-eight more than the city had in 1865. Thirty children were in the children's home, but they were not included in the city enumeration ; of the thirty there were, grouped by age : Between six and eight, 8; between eight and fourteen, 22; total, 30. Making general statements is dangerous if one's data does not cover a sufficient number of cases of a long period of time. This fact vitiates to some extent any general observations which can be made concerning Urbana's, school population. If the years 1865 and 1917 are typical ones, then we can indulge ourselves in some rambling generalizations. It is obvious that there are fewer children in Urbana in 1917 than in 1865 ; and, if this be true for many years, the city has depended for its growth in population upon acquisitions from the rural districts and other cities and towns. Since the school population of 1917 is 1,583 and that of 1865 was 1,515 ; the gain of the former over the latter is only sixty-eight, a per cent. increase of 4.5. The population of Urbana in 1865 was 4,064, and in 1910, 7,729 ; this shows a gain of 3,675, or a per cent. increase of 90. In other words, the school population of Urbana in 1865 was 37.5 per cent. of the whole, while that in 1917 is only 20.4 per cent. of the whole, almost half of that in 1865. Another interesting comparison is that of per cent. of boys and girls in the school population. In 1865 there were 1.2 per cent. more boys than girls, and in 1917 there were 2.7 per cent. more girls than boys.
CHAPTER IV. PUBLIC BUILDINGS OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. COURT HOUSES. Champaign county has had three court houses on three different sites and all three buildings were erected within the first thirty-five years of the county's history. As has been stated the seat of justice for the county was temporarily located at Springfield in 1805 and it was not until 1807 that it was removed to Urbana. Although a public square had been provided and the donor of the site had given one hundred and six lots to be sold, the proceeds from which were to be used in the construction of county buildings, yet no building was provided in the way of a court house or jail until in 1807. FIRST COURT HOUSE. The first commissioners' records are missing and it is not possible to trace in detail the history of the first and second court houses. The first temple of justice in Urbana was a log house, situated on lot No. 174, on East Court street, the same site being now occupied by a building used by McConnell & Pence for a livery stable. After the second court house was erected in the public square the log court house was sold to Duncan McDonald who converted it into a dwelling. During the War of 1812, the old log court house was used as an army hospital and many of Hull's soldiers died in it. In fact, there were so many sick and wounded soldiers in the court house at one time during the war that it became necessary to fit up the upper part of the jail for court purposes. The courts continued to he held in the jail until the new court house in the public square was completed sometime in the latter part of 1817. SECOND COURT HOUSE. The second court house of the county was a brick structure, two stories in height, and stood in the center of the public square. Owing to the absence 106 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. of documentary evidence it is impossible to give the cost 0f the court house, its dimensions, or even the exact date of its completion. Traditionary evidence supplies some facts concerning this ancient temple of justice and a summary of different descriptions of this building which have been handed down presents a fair view of it. The entrance faced the south and on that side was the only outside door to the building. On entering the building the clerk's and recorder's offices were on either side of a narrow hall which led directly from the entrance into a large room which occupied considerably more than half of the north part of the lower floor. This large room was the court room and for many years was the only public hall in the village. It was used for church services, as a school room, for political meetings and for every conceivable kind of public gathering. In the second story was to be found the remaining county offices, while for many years the Masonic lodge had its quarters in one of the rooms of the second story. There was no fence around the building and the one door to the building always being open, there was a constant temptation to the boys of the village to slip in and ring the bell which hung in the belfry. THE OLD COURT HOUSE BELL. The old c0urt house bell deserves a paragraph. It was an institution and served an important place in the life of the early history of the town. A large club was kept in the belfry to be used in giving the alarm of fire or to toll the deaths of the villagers. It announced the opening of court, called the children to school, and summoned the worshippers to church. When "Old Squire" Thomas died the bell was made to spread the sad news throughout the community, and according to the best accounts, this was the last time the bell was used for such a purpose. When the court house was torn down in 1840 the bell was broken. It was found when the old brick court house in the square was being dismantled in 1840, that it was an exceptionally well-constructed building. The late J. W. Ogden is responsible for the statement that when one section of the walls was pushed over that the whole wall remained intact. This may seem surprising in view of the fact that in those days most of the mortar was composed of equal portions of sand, lime and clay. Judge William Patrick had the unique distinction of carrying the first hod of brick that went int0 the construction of the c0urt house, which stood in the public square, and when this same building was razed in 1840 he carried the first hod of brick away. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 107 THE THIRD COURT HOUSE. The third court house in Champaign county is a part of the present building. The first mention in the records of the third building is found in the commissioners' minutes of March 17, 1837, at which time it was "Unanimously resolved by the commissioners in full board that in our opinion a new court house with fireproof offices ought to be built on the ground in Urbana purchased for that purpose [lots 16 and 17 had been purchased in 1830] and that we will commence making arrangements for the building of the same by making contracts for the material necessary to complete said building and also a draft of the most convenient court house that we may be able to obtain. And we hereby direct the auditor to give notice in the Urbana Record that we will meet at our office in said town on the 15th day of April next for the purpose of receiving proposals and entering into c0ntract f0r the delivery of 200,000 bricks for said building." On the appointed day the commissioners met and accepted the bid of Edmond Hovey to furnish two hundred thousand bricks, the same to be delivered on lots i6 and 17 in Urbana, at the rate of four dollars and fifty cents a thousand. The agreement as finally entered into between Hovey and the county commissioners provided that he should give a two-thousand-dollar bond, deliver the bricks at any time after April I, 1838, mould all brick nine by four and one-half by two and one-half inches, while he was to receive an order on the county treasury for three hundred dollars as soon as he delivered his signed bond to the auditor. The commissioners did not let the contract for the construction of the building in its entirety, but divided its construction among several contractors. It also seems that they had no idea of the kind of a house they were going to build when they let the first contract, other than it was to be of brick. This statement is born out by an entry indicating that James Dallas one of the commissioners, was allowed eight dollars "for going to Hillsborough to procure a plan for the court house," showing that as late as June 5, 1837, the board was still in doubt as to the kind of a building they were going to erect. At a special meeting on July 5, the board ordered that proposals would be received on the 15th day of August for "the wood materials in part for building the court house." However, on the day appointed for the opening of the said contracts the commissioners did not accept any of the bids, and it was not until September 12, 1837, that they accepted a proposal of Samuel McCord to furnish a part of the wood material for the proposed court house. 108 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. On November 3, the board ordered James Dallas to proceed at once to contract for the cut st0ne to be used and also "to procure a draft of the Portoco of said building." The next step in the construction of the court house was taken at the meeting of February 8, 1838, at which time it was ordered that a notice be published in the Columbus Journal and Register to the effect that the commissioners of Champaign county would receive proposals on March 15, 1838, for the building of a new court house in the town of Urbana. At the same time bids were advertised for the "hewed timber" to be used in the building. Before that time (March 5, 1838) the commissioners issued an order to James Long in the amount of one hundred dollars in part payment for stone for the court house. CHANGES IN THE ORIGINAL PLANS. The contract for the building of the court house was let on March 15, 1838, to Hall & Sheldon, the contractors agreeing to have the building completed by January 1, 1840. During the summer 0f 1838 the commissioners agreed to certain changes in the original plans and specifications of the court house and agreed to pay Hall & Sheldon an additional sum of one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight dollars for these stipulated changes. Work proceeded rapidly on the building during the summer and fall of 1839, and on November 5, 1839, the commissioners examined the building with a view to making a settlement with Hall and Sheldon, the contractors, or "undertakers," as they are called in the record. The contractors had received several payments as the work had progressed and at this time it was found that the county still owed them two thousand nine hundred dollars. Arrangements were made between the contractors and the commissioners whereby the latter agreed to meet this final payment by issuing a series of notes bearing seven per cent interest. On this same day (November 5, 1839), the commissioners formally accepted the new court house and the last thing done by the board on this day was to advertise in the Western Citizen that the old court house would be sold on December 4, 1839 to the highest bidder. On that date Emmor Kimber bid it off at three hundred three dollars and fifty cents, the purchaser giving William Happersett and Samuel Miller as securities. Joseph Smith was allowed one dollar for crying the sale. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 109 DELAY IN OCCUPYING EDIFICE. Although the court house was accepted from the contractor in November, 1839, it was not until the summer of 1840 that the county records were moved from the old court house in the public square to the new building. On March 5, 1840, Archibald Magrew, one of the county commissioners was furnished with an order on the county treasury to buy stoves, and he expended one hundred ninety-nine dollars and eighty-eight cents in the purchase of seven stoves, and John Puffenbarger was allowed seven dollars and sixty-two cents for putting the stoves up. Richard Stiles was allowed twenty-seven dollars for the thirty-three chairs he furnished the new court house. It is evident that the new court house was not occupied until after June 3, 1840, since on that date the commissioners designated the rooms for the various officials. The recorder, clerk, auditor, treasurer, commissioner of insolvents and grand ury were to occupy the six rooms on the first floor, while the sheriff, jury rooms and the main court room were to occupy the second story. On June 11, 1841, the commissioners ordered a fence built around the court house and set July 1, 1841, as the date 0n which they would received bids for its erection. The contract was let on the latter date to E. Sheldon and at the same time, James Thompson was awarded the contract for painting the fence which, according to the record, was "supposed to be three hundred and forty-seven feet in length," and extend across the east and south sides of the court house lot. It is not specified in the records the amount of Sheldon's bid for erecting the fence, although it specifically states that Thompson was to receive eighty-five dollars for painting it. The first janitor 0f the new court house was allowed thirty-five dollars a month. There were various other small amounts which appear in the records during 1840 and 1841 which were connected in some way or other with the building of the new court house, its equipment or the transference of the records from the old to the new building. A CERTIFICATE OF DEBT. It does not appear in the records that the commissioners floated a bond issue to cover the cost of the court house. The Urbana Banking Company advanced the county the necessary funds to make payments on the work as it progressed and on December 9, 1841, the commissioners—James W. McIntire, Absalom Fox and William Rosegrant—entered into a contract with the 110 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. bank respecting the money which had been advanced by it. This agreement. termed a "certificate of debt," is given as it appears on the commissioners' records : This day the commissioners of Champaign county executed and delivered to the Urbana Banking Company a certificate of debt in the words and figures following, to-wit State of Ohio, Champaign County. Certificate of debt at six per cent interest $9,000. This certifies that the county commissioners of Champaign county, State of Ohio under the authority of an act of the General Assembly of the State of Ohio entitled an act to authorize the commissioners of Champaign county to borrow money, passed February 13, 1839, have on the credit of the said county borrowed of the President and Directors of the Urbana Banking Company the sum of Nine Thousand dollars for the term of one year with interest thereon at the rate of six per cent per annum to be computed from the date thereof until the whole of said principle sum shall be paid; which interest is payable half yearly in advance by the county commissioners of Champaign county to the holder of this certificate at the office of the Urbana Banking Company in Urbana on the first days of July and January and at the expiration of the said term of one year the said principle sum of Nine Thousand dollars with the interest due thereon shall be paid by the county commissioners of Champaign county to the holder of this certificate and this certificate shall be assignable by endorsement and delivery or by a surrender thereof the holder shall be entitled to have the same substituted by new certificate of like tenor and for such sums of not less than One Hundred dollars each as may be demanded. In witness whereof James W. McIntire, Absalom Fox and William Rosegrant county commissioners of Champaign county for the time being have signed this certificate this Ninth day of December in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty-One. James W. McIntire Absalom Fox William Rosegrant County Com'rs Attest : A. R Colwell The county was not able to meet the full payment at the specified time, nor was the bank debt extinguished as late as 1844. On April 27, of that year the commissioners "ordered that $2,500 of the county fund be appropriated for the purchase of Urbana money to be applied to the payment of the debt due the Urbana Banking Company." "Agreeable to the above order $1,038.44 of the above money was applied to the purchase of Urbana money, which was applied to the payment of the bonds held by the Urbana Bank amounting to $1,733.50, and the balance 0f $1,461.56 paid back into the treasury as per receipt on file." CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 111 ADDITION TO COURT HOUSE, 1879-80. For many years prior to 1879, the question of building a new court house, or making substantial additions to the old one was discussed, but nothing was done toward relieving the admitted crowded condition of the building. The commissioners finally appealed to the Legislature of 1879 for assistance and that body responded by passing an act which took effect on May 13, 1879. Backed by this legislative act the commissioners met in special session on May 14, the day after the act became operative, and proceeded to formulate plans for repairing and enlarging the court house. They had previously asked for plans and specifications and on this day the plans of D. W. Gibbs, a Toledo architect, were accepted. The board entered into a contract with him to prepare the complete plans and specifications and also engaged him to superintend the work for the sum of five per cent. of the cost of the improvement. The board advertised for bids and appointed June 13, 1879, as the day on which they would open the bids and award the contract to the lowest bidder. There were a total of thirty-two bidders but only one, John Benson, submitted a bid covering the entire work as set forth in the plans and specifications. The improvement was arranged in eight separate items and contractors could furnish bids on all or any one of the separate items. The board of commissioners decided to divide the work among several contractors and after carefully comparing the many bids decided to divide the work among the following contractors : |
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James Hamilton, excavation, etc. Godfrey Leffler, brick work Stewart, Morgan & Conrad, plastering Beaver & Butts, carpenter work W. F. Gebhart & Company, galvanized iron work, etc William M. Black & Company, cast and wrought-iron work E. T. Haynes & Company, painting and glazing Gibbons & McCormick, plumbing, gas, etc. |
$ 1,288.00 2,900.00 625.00 3,500.00 2,629.27 2,888.00 621.00 538.00 |
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$14,989.27 |
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112 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. CONTRACTOR "CALLED TO TIME." As soon as the contractors had provided their bonds the work was begun, James Hamilton, who had charge of the excavating, starting on his part of the work at once. It appears, however, that he did not proceed as rapidly as the commissioners thought he should and on July 25, 1879, the clay on which he was to have had his work completed, the board informed him that if he did not put on a sufficient force to secure the immediate completion of the work that they would take the work in hand' themselves. On September 16, the commissioners ordered architect Gibbs to make plans for installing steam-heat apparatus and instructed him to have them ready to submit by the first Monday in the following October. Gibbs submitted plans for the proposed heating apparatus on October 6, and the board accepted them and agreed to pay him ten per cent. of the contract price for his services. The c0ntract for the heating apparatus was let on November 6, to Gibbons & McCormick in the sum of two thousand six hundred and sixty-eight dollars. Gibbs was again called into consultation on October 22, and asked to submit the plans for furniture which he had been asked at a previous meeting to prepare. In December, 1879, Haynes forfeited his c0ntract to paint the court house and the commissioners on the the 22nd of the month opened bids for this part of the work on the court house and two days later awarded the contract to W. L. McDaniel in the amount of seven hundred and forty dollars. The contract for the furniture for the clerk's and sheriff's offices and the court room was sold to Haynes, Spencer & Company, of Richmond, Indiana, on January 26, 1880, their bid being five hundred and forty-eight dollars. Subsequently the same firm furnished the furniture for the remainder of the court house, the total bill for furniture amounting t0 two thousand fifty-eight dollars and sixty cents. The firm of Hitt, White & Mitchell furnished the carpets, rugs, linoleum, rubber steps, brush mats, wall paper, etc., to the amount of nine hundred ninety-eight dollars and seventy cents. EDITOR WAXES ENTHUSIASTIC. The various officers occupied their rooms in the court house as they were completed and equipped with new furniture, some of them taking possession in March, 1880. Those who occupied rooms in the old part of the building were the first to move in, while by the latter part of May, the new porti0n of the building was completed so that it could be occupied. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 113 The local papers during the spring and summer of 1880 reported from week to week the progress being made in the work on the court house. The editor of the Champaign Democrat waxed very enthusiastic over the new court house in the issue of June 24, 1880, at which time it appears the building may be considered as completed. "Now we propose to tell our readers just how nicely the offices of the new court house are arranged. Even the casual observer as he passes by admits that the exterior of the reconstructed temple don't look so bad after all, but one cannot pass a just opinion upon the court house until after having gone through the same, noting the comforts and conveniences, and feasting his eyes on the beaming faces of the newly esconced county officers." Each office in the new court house was provided with running water for drinking purposes and gas for lighting purposes, while the whole building was heated with a hot-water furnace. The Democrat closed its flamboyant description as it appeared in June, 1880, with the following : "In short we do not know of a building. that is better adapted for the purpose intended than the Urbana court house, though we know of a number of $75,000, $100,000 and $125,000 court houses. The county commissioners deserve the credit of acting wisely and econ0mically in the court house matter. After everything is complete, including the minutest details in both out and inside improvements, the cost to the county will have aggregated in the neighborhood of $24,000." The lower rooms were occupied by the same offices in 1880 that they are today, but the second floor has undergone several changes. At first the sheriff's and probate judge's offices and jury rooms were on the east side, while the grand-jury room and witness rooms were located in the northwest corner where the sheriff and court stenographer are now found. Quarters for the common pleas judge were not provided in the court house until Judge Geiger came on the bench, and it was not until some years later that the sheriff was removed to the other end of the building and stationed in his present quarters. The court house was given its present appearance in 1903, when the commissioners had it stuccoed, giving the building an appearance 0f newness which belies its actual age. Fourteen years have passed since the stucco was put on, but so well was the work done that it is in as go0d condition today as it was when it was accepted by the commissioners. (8) 114 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. IMPERATIVE NEED FOR MORE ROOM. With the passing of the years the court house became so crowded that more room was imperatively needed and it became necessary to make some provision for additional space. There was considerable agitation for a new building, but it would have been necessary to submit the question to the voters of the county and the commissioners, after thoroughly discussing the matter, decided that it would not be wise to attempt the building of a new court house at this time. It was finally decided (January 22, 1917) to employ C. C. and E. A. Weber, Cincinnati architects, and after the architects had made a careful examination of the building and ascertained the amount of space which it was necessary to provide, they submitted plans and specifications embodying the ideas of the commissioners. The board had agreed to limit the amount expended for repairs to five thousand dollars and the architects necessarily had to draft their plans accordingly. The plans as accepted provide for a two-story addition to be built on the north side of the court house adjoining the surveyor's office. Its external appearance is to conform to the present exterior of the building. The l0wer story will be occupied by the surveyor and the upper story by the court library. The bids were opened on May 7, 1917, and the award was made to A. C. Rawlings, of Cincinnati, in the amount of four thousand six hundred ninety-nine dollars. The contractor began work within a few days and at the time this volume went to press the work was nearing completi0n. In order to provide for the addition the commissioners sold four thousand five hundred dollars worth of five per cent. bonds on May 7. The total amount to be raised was divided into nine bonds of five hundred dollars each, the first five to fall due on May 10, 1918, and the last four on May 10, 1919. It is probable that this addition will postpone for many years the necessity for the erection of a new court house. THE FIRST JAIL The first county jail stood on lot No. 107 on the north side of East Market street. It is not known when the building was erected but a record has been preserved (Duplicate of Miscellaneous Record A-A, page 15.5) which shows that the county commissioners on July 22, 1808, voted to make an addition to it. The record with its curious punctuation, curious use of quotation marks and spelling reads as follows : CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 115 At a meeting of the commissioners of Champaign county in Urbana on Friday the 22nd day of July 1808 to take into consideration an improvement on the jail and the following plan is adopted that there shall be an addition of 16 feet annexed to the east end of the present building and to extend 9 feet in front of the prison and raised two story with the old jail, the upper story 8 feet high and considered as one entire building to be covered with good walnut or popular joint shingles 18 inches long and to show 6 inches to the weather and the entire building to be weather boarded with 3/4 Inch poplar plank not to show more than 6 inches to the weather, the front eve to be "cornished" and backcased, 4 "pannel" doors lined, 5 twelve light windows, 2 iron grates, the doors windows and grates to be placed according to plan 3 floors the boards quartered and "groved" the underfloor 1 ½ inch oak the second & third oak ash or poplar the prison for criminals to be lined & sealed with 1 1/4 inch oak plank the rows of double tens to be 12 inches a part and four inches distance in the rows. The "Debters" apartment in the same, except the rows, which is to be 2 feet apart & the distance of nails as above, directed, the entire should be lined with inch poplar "plained" and "groved" and the entry to be partitioned with1 1 ½ inch plank "plained" and "groved" according to plot stair case runs up in entry back door to have wood hinges & locks a double "chimbly" with 4 "pindles two fire places down stairs & two up stairs according to plot with 6 pieces of 1 inch square iron bars to be confined in the back of the fire place in Dr. room so as to prevent an escape through the same one bar across the same "pindle" a 6 plate stove and pipe in the criminal room 2 iron grates made and to be "ribited" through the logs "oposit" on the outside of the old grates. The building to be "underpined" with brick or stone and undertaker to find all necessary articles to complete the within described building and it to be finished in a workman like manner and when the building is raised and enclosed the undertaker is to receive one half the sum agreed on by the undertaker and commissioners for completing the within described building and it is further considered that the jail department is to completed on or before the 15th clay of December 1808, and the whole building to be finished on or before the 15th day of May, 1809. Owing to the absence of the commissioners' records it is not known what this addition cost, or whether it was completed at the time specified. As has been mentioned in the description of the court houses, the jail was used for court purposes during the War of 1812 and until the court house was completed in the public square in 1817. As originally built, it did not provide accommodations for the sheriff, or jailer, as he was called in those days, but after it was enlarged in 1809 the sheriff was provided with quarters in the second story. It was in this building that the famous Simon Kenton was living and serving as deputy sheriff of Champaign county when the War 0f 1812 opened. It is needless to add that he did not live in it while the war was in progress. This first rude log jail continued in use until replaced by the frame structure completed in 1832, which stood on the site of the present jail on lots No. 16 and 17. 116 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. PRISON BOUNDS. During the early history of the county there was a curious provision concerning the imprisonment of persons charged with debt. The Legislature passed an act on January 12, 1805, entitled "An act regulating prison bounds" which provided that every person imprisoned for debt should be permitted the privilege of what were designated as prison bounds. These "bounds" were limited to an area defined by a radius of not more than four hundred yards surrounding the c0unty jail. Any prisoner to have the privilege of the bounds had to give a proper bond, signed by two or more sureties acceptable to the county of common pleas, double the sum for which he was committed, before he could exercise his freedom in the bounds. At no time and under no circumstances was the prisoner to go beyond the bounds, and in case he did, his bond was forfeited and he was committed to close confinement. This act, with some modifications, continued on the statute books until the constitution was changed in 1851. In 1833 the law was amended so as to make the prison bounds co-extensive with the limits of the county in which the misdemeanor was committed. There were many arrests and imprisonments for debt in the early history of Champaign county, but there is no record of those who took advantage of the privilege of exercising within the four-hundred-yard limit surrounding the jail. It was this prison-bounds limit which held the person of Simon Kenton at one time, or, at least, tradition says that Kenton was so incarcerated. THE SECOND JAIL. It is interesting to n0te that as early as 1829 the commissioners were making preparations for removing the court house from the public square and establishing it along with the jail at a new location. On June 5, 1829, the commissioners "concluded that they would purchase 0f James Ward of Kentucky the north halves of four lots in the town of Urbana, to-wit : Nos. 16, 17, 18, and 19, for the purpose of erecting county buildings thereon ; price of said lots to be $250." At a special meeting of the commissioners on July. 5, 1830, they received a deed for lots 16 and 17 and on the same day made arrangements to build a jail on one of the lots. These lots cost the county five hundred and fifty dollars and are now occupied by the court house and jail. On the following day, after concluding their purchase of the lots, the commissioners "agreed with W. Ward to make a plan of the CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 117 jail, together with a bill of materials which may be necessary, and at the same time they ordered that a notice be put in the Mad River Courant advertising for bids for its construction. The contract for the building of the jail was sold to the lowest bidder on September 22, 1830, and on that day Jesse Bayles secured the contract for the sum of two thousand six hundred and sixty dollars. He agreed to have the building completed by December 1, 1831. The records failed to give the plans and specifications of the proposed jail. No further notice is seen in the records of the building of the jail until June 10, 1831, at which time "the commissioners appointed William Ward to superintend the building of the jail in Urbana until finished, and agreed to pay him twenty-five dollars for his services." Owing to circumstances not recorded in the commissioners' minutes the contractor for the new jail was not ready to turn the building over to the county until March, 1832. From the report at the time it was accepted it appears that John Hamilton became associated with Bayles sometime during its construction. On March 17, 1832, the commissioners—David Markley, Miles C. Beatty and Timothy Powell—met for the purpose 0f receiving the new jail, "and after examining said jail they concluded that the contract had been complied with respecting the way that the work was to be done in said building, and therefore received said jail, and also ordered that the auditor should issue an order to John Hamilton for the balance due on the original contract ; they further ordered that an order should issue to the contractors (Hamilton and Bayles) for the sum of $111.23, their bill for extra work done to said jail not included in the original contract. It appears that the total cost of the jail amounted to the original contract awarded of two thousand six hundred and sixty dollars, with an additional one hundred and eleven dollars and twenty-three cents for extras, bringing the total cost up to two thousand seven hundred and seventy-one dollars and twenty-three cents. On the same day the commissioners accepted the new jail, which sto0d on the rear of the lot occupied by the present jail, they ordered the old jail on lot No. 107 to be sold to the highest bidder on April 14, 1832. On that date it was auctioned off at the court house door to Matthew Magrew and John Owen for the sum of three hundred and ninety dollars. The commissioners allowed John McCord two dollars "for crying the above sale." THE THIRD JAIL. The jail which was completed in 1832 continued to serve the county for half a century. For several years prior t0 1881 the grand jury had 118 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. declared that the old jail should be replaced by a new structure ; that it was badly ventilated, unhealthy and a disgrace to the county. It would seem that with this deplorable state of affairs recognized by the commissioners definite action would have been taken towards remedying the situation, but the rural sections of the county were opposed to such an expenditure of money as would be necessary to provide a suitable jail. The first official recognition by the commissioners of the demand on the part of the taxpayers for the new building was made on March 8, 1881, when that body ordered an election to be held on the 4th of the following April to decide whether the commissioners should order the erection of a jail, the cost of which was not to exceed thirty thousand dollars. This action on the part of the commissioners was taken in response to a petition presented on that day signed by more than one hundred citizens and taxpayers of the county, praying that the board submit the question of building the jail to the vote of the taxpayers. The result showed a majority of 435 in favor of building a new jail, the vote standing 2,406 to 1,971. An analysis of the returns shows that the rural districts were overwhelmingly against the project and that it was the large favorable vote of Urbana which made it possible to have a new jail. The tabulated vote follows : JAIL ELECTION OF APRIL 4, 1881. | ||
|
Affirmative |
Negative |
Adams township Concord township Goshen township Harrison township Jackson township Johnson township Salem township Union township Urbana township Urbana city Wayne township Mad River township Rush township |
151 108 100 21 219 113 118 105 105 1,037 48 120 161 |
24 79 316 158 74 303 131 105 71 136 207 150 217 |
Affirmative majority |
2,406 435 |
1,197 |
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 119 COMMISSIONERS MAKE TOUR OF INVESTIGATION. The favorable vote of the taxpayers gave the commissioners the authority to proceed at once with plans for the building of a new jail. On April 6, 1881, the day on which they canvassed the vote, they authorized the county auditor to prepare a public notice to architects that the commissioners would be in special session on April 13, 1881, to consider plans and specifications for the proposed jail. On that day J. C. Johnson, of Fremont, Ohio ; D. W. Gibbs, of Toledo, and Leon Weaver, of Dayton, appeared and requested to be permitted to submit their plans at some future date. On the following day (April 14, 1881,) architects Randall, of Chicag0, and Hodgson, of Indianapolis, submitted plans for the jail. After considering the plans of these several architects the commissioners decided that it would be a wise thing to visit the jails of some of the adjoining counties before accepting any of the plans which had thus far been submitted. To this end it was moved and ordered that they visit the jails of Hancock, Richland, Marion, Seneca and Montgomery counties, Ohio. As a result of this trip of investigation to the several jails the commissioners on April 25, 1881, decided to accept the plans of D. W. Gibbs, of Toledo, and notified him to confer with the board on the 2nd of the following May. On the appointed day Gibbs entered into a c0ntract with the commissioners whereby he agreed to furnish the plans and superintend the construction of the jail for five per cent. of the contract cost of the building. The following two months were spent in going over the plans and specifications with the architect and it was not until June 20, that the board felt ready to advertise for bids. On that day they ordered notices placed in the newspapers advertising for proposals for the constructi0n of the new jail in accordance with plans which were to be placed on file in the auditor's office. Sealed proposals were received up t0 July 21, 1881. A number of bids were submitted to the consideration 0f the board, and after carefully c0nsidering all the bids the board decided to award the contract to John Benson, in the amount of twenty-nine thousand six hundred and fifty dollars. His contract covered both material and construction and everything necessary to the completion of the building according to the plans and specifications. Benson gave bond in the sum of fifteen thousand dollars as a guarantee that he would complete the building in accordance with the contract. Sometime during July the old jail and sheds were sold. The jail proper 120 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. was sold to David Boyd for twenty dollars ; the two sheds on the south side of the jail also were sold to Boyd, for twenty-nine dollars ; the wood-house was sold to P. McCarty for eight dollars and twenty-five cents. NOT UP TO SPECIFICATIONS. Work 0n the new jail began in the fall of 1881, but winter set in before the building was enclosed, and work was suspended until the spring of 1882. After work was resumed in 1882, the superintendent of construction informed the commissioners that the materials being used were not up to specifications, nor was the quality of workmanship at all satisfactory. On April 26, 1882, the commissioners authorized the auditor to give notices that they would sell on May 13, 1882, to the best bidder thirty thousand dollars worth of jail bonds to be dated May I, 1882, and to bear six per cent. interest. The bonds were to be payable on six semi-annual instalments of five thousand dollars each, the first instalment falling due on January I, 1883, and the final instalment, July 1, 1885. They were sold on the appointed day to Emmett V. Rhoades for thirty thousand six hundred and twelve dollars and fifty cents. In a report to the commissioners 0n May 8, the representative of the D. W. Gibbs Company, who passed on the materials as well as the construction work, informed the board that he had condemned the whole work and had ordered Benson, the general contractor, to dismantle all of the brick work above the first story and make several changes in the work on the first floor. The work on the jail was finally resumed and it was eventually completed in a manner satisfactory to the commissioners. They formally accepted the completed building in the fall of 1882, and with a few repairs it has remained in use down to the present time. The sheriff's residence occupies the front of the building. The jail proper contains two tiers of cells for criminals ; three cells for women and children, a padded cell for insane or violent prisoners and a dungeon. It has been many years since the dungeon has been used, and the padded cell is used only occasionally. The heating plant in the court house furnishes heat for both court house and jail. In the spring of 1917 the commissioners ordered a new roof for the jail and at the same time advertised for bids to stucco it. The work was begun in June and was in progress at the time this volume went to press. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 121 THE COUNTY INFIRMARY. The care of the poor has been one of the duties of the county commissioners since the beginning of the county's history. One of the signs of our modern civilization is the care and attention we bestow upon those so unfortunate for one reason or another as to be unable to provide for themselves. Thus we have provided homes for the blind, the deaf and dumb, the insane, the epileptic, the feeble minded, the orphans, the aged, the poor, and in fact for all classes, who, from whatever cause, are unable to take care of themselves. It is this same spirit which has led all our great fraternal organizations to provide magnificent homes for their indigent members; it has led the nation to provide homes for its soldiers and sailors—and to provide a pension for every man who has served his country on the battlefield. Within recent years Ohio has placed upon the statute books two new laws which place in the hands of the county commissioners the discretionary power of granting pensions to all the blind in the country who are unable to take care of themselves, and also a pension to widowed mothers with children who have insufficient means of support. BAD EFFECT OF THE INDENTURE SYSTEM. Generous as the state is in 1917 in the care of its unfortunate, it is gratifying to note that our forefathers of a century ago were no less philanthropically inclined toward the unfortunate. One of the first acts of the local county commissioners was to provide a definite system of poor relief. Overseers of the poor were appointed for each township and a fund for poor relief was established. References are frequent in the county commissioners' record which sh0w the board's interest in taking care of the poor, but for twenty years after the county was organized there was no centralized system for taking care of the county's indigent or dependent classes. They were in a sense sold out to the highest bidder, a sort of decent white slavery, masquerading under the name of charity. The law called it the indenture system, but in reality the poor boy who was bound out as an apprentice too often received little but the food which he ate and the clothing he wore. If he learned a trade it was by accident and not because his master taught him 0ne. It is a safe estimate to say that at least one hundred poor children were indentured in Champaign county during its early history. 122 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. DEFINITE SYSTEM OF POOR RELIEF. From 1805 to 1825 Champaign county left the general direction of poor relief to the various townships, but in the latter year the county board of commissioners took definite action toward providing for a central home for the poor, a farm where those who were able to work might find employment and in that way assist in their own maintenance. To this end the commissioners appointed a board known as the directors of the poor house, and this board held its first meeting on January 21, 1825, in the old court house which stood in the public square. These directors were Sampson Talbott (president), Abner Barrett, James Smith, William H. Fyffe, Archibald Magrew and William Ward. The record of this board from its first meeting on January 21, 1825, to March, 1852, gives the best source of information concerning the history of the infirmary during these years. A careful study of this volume reveals many interesting things, but unfortunately many things which the historian would like to know were never placed on the record. For instance, it is impossible to tell from the record whether the county had any sort of a poor house between 1825 and 1828, the latter year being the year in which it bought its farm. The inference one gets from reading the record is that the county really owned such a house "somewhere in Champaign county," but the exact location is not disclosed. References are made to certain persons as having escaped from the poor house and still others as having been taken to such a place, but the whereabouts of this house is a matter of speculation. From the fact that the county bought ten acres of land on February 22, 1828, from Archibald Magrew, Jr., it may be inferred that the house, which had been previously mentioned in the record for three years, stood on this ten-acre tract. This ten acres was a part of section 11, township 4, range 11, and lies just east of Westville on the north side of the road. The commissioners at the time the purchase was made were Elisha Berry, James Dunlap and William Darnell. From the fact that the commissioners paid only one hundred dollars for the ten acres it would seem that there was no house on it, while on the other hand, since the owner of the land was a member of the infirmary board, he may have seen fit to sell the land at a bargain in order to get the farm located near his residence. In either case, however, a house was built on this ten-acre tract and here the c0unty infirmary remained until the summer of 1847. OnApril 15, 1847, the c0unty commissioners (Anson P. Howard, A. Stewart and Benjamin Davis), in consultation with the county infirm- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 123 ary board, purchased one hundred and seventy and one-half acres and two and one-half poles in sections 21 and 27, of township 5, range 11, of Urbana township. The land was purchased of John Hamilton, proprietor of the old Hamilton House in Urbana, for the sum of four thousand two hundred and sixty-two dollars and ninety cents. The county has not added to this tract since that time, but when the Dayton, Springfield & Urbana Traction Company secured its right-of-way through the county it passed along the side of the farm and two and seventy-seven hundredths acres of section 21 and 27 (a strip along the public highway, was sold to the company on July 9, 1900, for four hundred and eighty-four dollars and seventy-five cents. The county commissioners at this time were John Harlan, Isaac B. Happersett and Charles H. Espy. After the county purchased the new farm in 1847 they placed the old farm of ten acres on the market and it was sold, April 11, 1849, to Archibald Magrew for three hundred and fifty dollars. Magrew had sold it to the county twenty-one years before this time for one hundred dollars. The county commissioners at the time of the sale were A. Stewart, Benjamin Davis and S. G. Brecount. EQUIPMENT FOR NEW COUNTY FARM OF 1847. When the county moved to its new county farm in the spring of 1847 it seemed to have disposed of all its old equipment which it had on the old farm adjoining Westville. At least on May 5, 1847, the record schedules : A list of Property Bought by John Hamilton agent for Champaign Poorhouse & placed by him in the hands of Moffet Morris the keeper of sd Poorhouse & for the use of sd farm to wit- | ||
1 Sorrel horse bought of Igou 1 Sorrel mare of F. M. Tight 1 Cow Bought M. Morris 1 two horse wagon 1 shovel 3 plows, 1 log chane ($2.00), 2 hay rakes (50c) 2 single trees 2 Setts of waggon geers 1 Lott of Corn in crib 1 Cow calf bought of Abram Powell 1 do do do do I. B. Eakers 1 Wheat Fan $15 1 ax & maddock $3.00 2745 lbs. of live stock hogs at 21/2c pr lb 1 Small grain Cradle & scythe of Moffett Morris 1 lot of 8 sheep at 75c $6.00 & 1 Scythe & Snead $1.50 1 lot 4 quilts & 1 blanket 2 Cotts for beds & 1 small chair of Patrick & Stevenson |
$55.00 60.00 12.00 65.00 .75 15.00 21.00 25.00 15.00 10.00 18.00 68.62 4.50 7.50 3.00 6.00 |
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124 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. LIST OF PAUPERS IN 1847. This meagre equipment was evidently supplemented by some things taken from the old county farm, but no statement is given in the records of what was removed to the new home in the summer of 1847. The records are in such an incomplete state that it is impossible to tell when the transfer was made from the 0ld home near Westville to the new home south of Urbana, the one where the infirmary is still located. It was evidently in the spring of 1847. A record, dated March 11, 1847, follows : "A list of County Paupers at the county Poor House and now in the County house on the 7 Day of Same : John Umstead, age 76 ; William Addison, 49 ; William Hodge, 60; Jesse Clark, 44 ; George Benjamin ; Ann Black ; Nancy Stinson, 16, run away in July, 1847 ; Lorenzo Mitchel ; Samuel Mitchell ; William Yeazle ; Moses Kelley ; Addiline Gause ; Ge0rge and Milton Allen, sons of Widow Jerry Allen." There was a building on the farm which served until 1858, in which year a large brick structure was erected, which, with slight improvements, remained practically unchanged until 1900. In 1885 a separate building was erected for the men, the 1858 building being- set aside for the women ; in 1890 a steam heating plant was installed ; in 1900 the old building- erected in 1858 was completely overhauled and modernized ; in 1910 the laundry building and new stables were completed ; and in 1912 the hospital was opened for the reception of patients. THE COUNTY HOSPITAL. The present county hospital, one of the best-equipped institutions of its kind in the state was completed in 1912 at a cost of $14,980.90. It is a two-story brick structure with accommodations for twenty-five patients. It is in charge of the superintendent of the infirmary. Since there is no hospital of any kind in the county seat and no other in the county, the county hospital has proved to be a very valuable addition to the county's group of public buildings. It stands in the rear of the main building of the c0unty infirmary, the county having decided to built it in connecti0n with the county infirmary, rather than locate it in the county seat. The county hospital is maintained in connection with the county infirmary and makes its semi-annual report through the superintendent of the infirmary. The report for the six months ending March 5, 1917, follows : CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 125 Number of patients on hand, September 1, 1916 - 8 Total number of patients, September 1, 1916-March 1, 1917 - 62 Number of patients received since September 1, 1916 - 54 Number discharged between September I, 1916-March 1, 1917 - 54 Number of patients on hand, March 1, 1917 - 8 Receipts. From pay patients - $1,794.42 Bills receivable from pay patients - 880.00 Charity work, September 1, 1916-March 1, 1917 - 712.00 Total receipts for h0spital service - 3,386.42 Expenditures. Nurses - $ 575.00 Other help - 150.00 Drugs and supplies - 437.34 Provisions - 350.00 Fuel and light - 140.00 Total expenditures for hospital service - $1,652.34 COUNTY INFIRMARY IN 1916-17. The law provides that the superintendent of the county infirmary shall make a semi-annual report t0 the county c0mmissi0ners. The last report 0f G. W. Standish, the present superintendent; covers the six m0nths ending March 5, 1917. His report is a voluminous document of several pages and sets forth in detail the number of inmates, am0unt of money expended, receipts from the farm and a number of other details 0f a general nature. During this period of six months a total of sixty-nine inmates were received, thirty-four males and thirty-five females; at the end of the period there were forty-four males and thirty-seven females in the infirmary; twenty-seven males and twenty-nine females had been discharged; five males nd one female died during the last six months. The receipts for the sixonth period amounted to $2,501.28, more than half of which ($1,707.42) was received from the hospital. The actual operating expenses for this same period amounted to $8,722.33, nearly one-third of which amount ($2,635.46) was expended for groceries and provisions. The superintendent received a 126 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. salary of $720 and other employees an aggregate of $1,550.93. There was an average of seventy-six inmates during the six months, their average per capita cost of maintenance being $81.85, or about $3.44 a week. Superintendent Standish has made an enviable record since taking charge of affairs and has received the unqualified endorsement of the state board of charities for his method of management. THE CHILDREN'S HOME. The question of providing a home for orphaned and indigent children, as well as for those who needed a temporary home, had been agitated for some years prior to the actual beginning of the movement for the building of such a home. The agitation of several years culminated in 1891 in the county commissioners finally deciding to purchase land and build a suitable home. On May 12, 1891, after considering no fewer than forty propositions, they purchased fifty-two and one-half acres at the eastern edge of Urbana facing East Lawn avenue for the stun of four thousand two hundred dollars. In 1907 the trustees purchased ninety-seven and one-half acres at a cost of eight thousand eight hundred dollars, bringing the total acreage up to one hundred and forty-five acres. The first building was dedicated on June 1, 1892. It is a brick structure of fourteen rooms with accommodations for seventy-five children, and was erected at a cost of about twenty thousand dollars. The architect was C. C. Creagor and the house was built on what is known as the cottage plan. In 1896 it was found necessary to increase the housing facilities of the home and in that year a second building was erected, which, with the first building, provided room f0r one hundred children. The home has been fortunate in receiving two very valuable bequests since it was organized. The first was in the form of real estate, valued at fourteen thousand dollars, which was given by Lydia H. Humphrey in 1910. Of this amount the trustees used seven thousand two hundred eighty-nine dollars and forty-two cents for a school building, but the remainder of the bequest eventually reverted to the Humphrey estate, the home getting only the amount expended for the school building. The contract for the school building was let on November 26, 1911, to Patrick Heatherman and was completed and accepted by the trustees in 1912. The second bequest was also in the form of real estate and. represented the gift of A. W. Dick, a farmer of Adams township. Alfred Willoughby Dick, a retired widowed farmer living in Rosewood, died and left a will which provided that the residue of the proceeds of the CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 127 sale of his eighty-acre farm be given to the Children's Home to be used in such manner and for such purpose as the trustees might see fit. The farm was in section 13, of Adams township. V. H. Gibbs, the present probate judge, assisted in the making of the will—dated July 9, 1914—and was the executor of the same. Pursuant to the will the land was sold, the purchaser being William H. Yinger. The land brought one hundred and five dollars an acre, and after all the bequests and debts were paid the Children's Home received seven thousand six hundred ninety-six dollars and sixty-seven cents. The county received the cash in hand for the land at the time of the sale. PRESENT STATUS OF HOME. There are now four buildings included in the Children's Home plant. The first building, known as the main building, is used for the employees and as the dining room; two buildings for girls and boys, respectively, are similarly fitted out with a large sitting room, a dormitory sleeping room with fourteen beds, bath and wash rooms and halls; the school building accommodates forty children. There are now one hundred acres of the 0ne hundred forty-five in cultivation. The land has increased in value from $13,000 to $17,000. The total cost of the buildings has been $30,000, making the total value of the home in 1917, including land, buildings and equipment, $47,000. The current expenses for 1916 amounted t0 $10,265.30, which, with repairs of $439.30, brought the total expenditures to $10,704,60. The home receives money from two sources, from a direct tax of one-tenth of a mill on the dollar, which amounted to $9,074.30 in 1916, and from the farm and garden of the home, which in that same year produced a total of $1,991 worth of produce. Of this produce $800 worth was used in the home and the remainder was sold. The last report shows the farm had six horses, nine cows, twenty sheep, twenty to forty hogs and two hundred fowls. The barn has a silo attached and last year six acres were grown to silage. The farm in 1916 had thirty-five acres of corn, twenty acres of wheat, ten acres of truck, six acres of alfalfa and four acres of potatoes. The superintendent of the Children's Home is paid an annual salary of $900. Last year fees for medical services amounted to $289.50 and the teacher received $225. The salaries of other employees amounted to $1,320. Besides the superintendent, matron and teacher, there are nine other employees, two males and seven females. In 1916 the per capita cost for the main- 128 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. tenance of each child was $24.25, this being the largest annual per capita cost since the institution was started in 1892. When the Home opened on June 1, 1892, there were fourteen children ready for admission. Since that time and including the last annual report of the superintendent, there have been a total of six hundred and sixty-four children received in the home. At the last report there were seventeen boys and thirteen girls, a total of thirty. The average annual number in the home during the past twenty-five years has been twenty-six, but in 1916 the daily average was thirty-seven, twenty-two boys and fifteen girls. During 1916 eight children were placed in homes and fourteen were returned to their parents or guardians. At the close of 1916 the trustees of the home had in private homes and subject to their control fifty-five boys and sixty-five girls. Only eleven children were admitted to the home in 1916 and five of these were returned to their parents or taken out during the year. Children are received between the ages of five and eighteen and in special cases children of younger years are temporarily committed. Few children remain the legal limit—eighteen years for girls and twenty-one for boys. CONTROL OF THE CHILDREN'S HOME. The institution is in control of a board of four trustees appointed by the county commissioners. At first the appointment was for three years, but later the tenure was increased to its present length of four years. John J. Mumper, of Urbana, has been president of the board since it was organized and was reappointed in 1917 for four m0re years. Benjamin F. Hull, of Mechanicsburg, has been on the board for twenty years. Albert Harmon, of St. Paris, and Lewis E. Willes, of North Lewisburg, are the other two members on the board. One member of the board is retired each year, thus always insuring at least three old members of the board, but the commissioners have been in the habit of continuing the members of the board in office from year to year. It is a custom which ought to continue as long as their service is satisfactory. They receive no salary. The first superintendent of the home was Harry Rawlings, but he served only a few months in 1892, being compelled to resign on account of the death of his wife. Joseph C. Tomlin was appointed t0 succeed him and rendered satisfactory service for twelve years, 1892-1904. John Duncan succeeded Tomlin for a two-year tenure, giving way in 1906 to Clayton E. French, who served until March, 1916. Mr. French is now engaged in the grocery business in Urbana. Peter A. Boisen, the present incumbent, has had charge CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 129 since March, 1916. Mr. Boisen was a former farmer of the county and made an unusual success of his farming. In fact, he is one of the wealthiest farmers in the county, and took the position of superintendent of the Children's Home only because he was so much interested in the children. It is unusual for such men to be willing to assume such a position, the usual incumbents of this office in the state not being- men of wealth. The county is rightly proud of its Children's Home and the good it has accomplished during the twenty-five. years of its existence has fully justified its maintenance. THE BLIND OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. One of the striking evidences of the manner in which the people of Ohio take care of those so unfortunate as not to be able to take care of themselves is seen in the provision for the care and maintenance of the blind. From the earliest period of the state's organization local authorities have provided for the poor and needy, and, during the m0re than an hundred years which have elapsed since the state was organized, scores of laws have been enacted by the Legislature looking to the care of all dependents, delinquents and defectives. The present method of caring for the blind 0f the state dates from April 2, 1908, at which time the Legislature passed an act providing f0r a system of pensioning those so afflicted. The pension is granted after an investigation by the proper authorities shows that the person seeking the pension is justly entitled to it. When any blind person is admitted to the county infirmary the pension automatically ceases. The county is made the unit in the distribution of the fund provided for this purpose, the fund being provided by a direct tax assessed for the purpose. The county commissioners are authorized to levy a special tax not exceeding two-tenths of one mill on the dollar, the same to be levied and collected as are other taxes in the county. THE LAW DEFINING A BLIND PERSON. The law defines a blind person as anyone who, by reason of the loss of eyesight, is unable to provide himself with the necessities of life; who has not sufficient means of his own to maintain himself, and who, unless relieved as authorized by the act, would become a charge upon the public or upon those not required by law to support him. By an act of the General Assembly, passed February 18, 1913, the county commissioners are given full power to (9) 130 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. determine the beneficiaries of this relief fund and the extent 0f the relief that may be granted each individual. The maximum relief granted is one hundred and fifty dollars per annum, payable quarterly. The commissioners also have the power to increase or decrease the amount granted any pensioner. The amounts given in the appended table in connection with the pensioners of Champaign county are those granted at the time their application was accepted, some being increased later and some decreased. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY'S BLIND PENSION LIST. Since the law pensioning the blind went into operation in 1908, the following blind persons in Champaign county have been placed on the pension list. The names are taken from the record kept by the county auditor and are given in the order they appear on the official records, together with the addresses of pensioners and the respective amounts of their annual pension : Catherine M. Collins, St. Paris, $100; Ellen Corbett, Urbana, $100; Catherine McConneha, Urbana, $100, dead ; Grant Middleton, Mechanicsburg, $i00, dead; Lillian T. Miller, Magrew, $80, discontinued; George C. Petty, Urbana, $100 ; Harvey H. Robison, Urbana, $100, colored; Mary Ann Strickland, Rosewood, $80; Alfred Barber, Woodstock, $120; Annetta Blackwood, Urbana, $100; Mary A. Criffield, St. Paris, $80, dead; Sarah J. Everett, St. Paris, $100; Amanda Impson, North Lewisburg, $120, dead; Elizabeth Linebaugh, Urbana, $60, discontinued; Evaline Martz, Rosewood, $100, dead; Etta May McDargh, Urbana, $80; Allen B. Miller, St. Paris, $150, discontinued; Mahala A. Miller, West Liberty, $150, dead; Wilson B. Rudisill, DeGraff, $100; George L. Spain, North Lewisburg, $100; Katheryn Tucker, Spring Hills, $100, dead; Rosina Hopkins, North Lewisburg, $60, dead; Daily Townsend, North Lewisburg, $60, dead ; William H. Griffith, Urbana, $115, county infirmary; Rosa Anna Parks, North Lewisburg, $100; Carrie Freeman, North Lewisburg, $100, discontinued; Sarah E. Evans, Urbana, $120, discontinued; Susanna Campbell, St. Paris, $80; Phoebe J. Smith, St. Paris, $80; Louisa Reed, North Lewisburg, $60; Honora Shea, Urbana, $80; John Kelley, Cincinnati, $80, county infirmary; Jonathan Huffman, Mechanicsburg, $60; Christopher Brunetta, Urbana, $80; John Powell, Mechanicsburg, $120, discontinued; Columbus Sewell, Mechanicsburg, $120, discontinued; John M. Moffatt, Urbana, $80; Rachel Rice, St. Paris, $80; Anna Baker, St. Paris, $100, dead; Jesse M. Lewis, Urbana, $80; Demarius Brandyberry, Rosewood, $80; Bertman Hartman, Urbana, $80; Bessie M. Gales, Urbana, $80; Samuel Biddle, Urbana, $60, dead; Elizabeth Goldsberry, Urbana, $60, dead; David McConneha. Urbana, $80; Louis Tucker, Urbana, CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 131 $100, discontinued ; Fannie Otte, Woodstock, $100; Mary E. Brown, St. Paris, $75; William Gatten, Urbana, $60 ; J. W. Irwin, Rosewood, $100 ; Ellen Draper, North Lewisburg, $100; L. C. Henry, Urbana, $60; Amy Slaughter, Woodstock, $60; Henry Johnson, $72. During the nine years the law has been in operation there have been fifty-five blind persons placed on the pension r0ll in the county, twenty-four men and thirty-one women. The record shows that ten have died since they were granted a pension, two have been transferred to the county infirmary and seven have been dropped for one reason or another from the pension roll. In April, 1917, there were twenty-eight drawing a pension. CHAPTER V. ROSTER OF COUNTY AND STATE OFFICIALS. There is a striking difference between the number of county officials in 1805 and the number in 1917 and the difference in the salaries paid is no less striking. The janitor of the court house now receives a larger annual salary than the combined salaries of the clerk, recorder and auditor in 1805. The first county election in Champaign county saw one man elected for three Offices—clerk, auditor and recorder. The man who performed the threefold duties was Joseph C. Vance, the father of the future governor of Ohio, and he served in this triple capacity until his death on May 16, 1809. The first sheriff was John Dougherty and the first surveyor was Solomon McCullough. The name of the first treasurer does not appear on the early records, for he was appointed, and not elected by the voters of the county until several years later. The first representative of the county in the General Assembly was John Sterrit and the first state senators were Duncan McArthur and George Todd. None of these three men in the Legislature was living in the county as it is constituted today. The first three associate judges were John Reynolds, John Runyon and Samuel McCullough, all three commissioned on February 21, 1805, for seven years. The first president judge was Francis Dunleavy, not a resident of the county, nor elected by the voters of the district of which he was the judge. Both the president and the associate judges were elected by the Legislature. The county did not have common pleas and probate judges until after the adoption of the Constitution of 1851. The first prosecuting attorney was Arthur St. Clair, Jr., a son of the former governor of the Northwest Territory. The judges and prosecutors are listed in the chapter devoted to the bench and bar of the county. In the following pages may be found as complete a list of county officials as could be compiled from the official records. COUNTY CLERK. The office of clerk of the common pleas court was provided for in the first constitution of the state, and each succeeding constitution adopted in CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 133 the state has provided for the office. The tenure was seven years during the period of the first constitution. (1803-1852) ; from 1852 to 1909 the tenure was three years; since 1909 it has been two years. The complete list of clerks from the organization of the county to the present time follows : Joseph C. Vance, 1805, died in office, May 16, 1809; William Ward, 1809-16; Samuel Gibbs, 1816-22 ; J. C. Pearson, 1822-43 ; Samuel H. Robinson, 1843-50; Joseph C. Brand, 1850-52 ; William F. Mosgrove, 1852-55 John Russell, 1855-64; A. J. Guthridge, 1864-67; Versalius Horr, 1867-76; George T. Seibert, 1876-79; Joseph M. Maitland, 1879-85 ; Griffith Ellis, 1895-91; Oscar S. Cheney, 1891-97; .Charles F. Organ, 1897-1903 ; Marion R. Talbott, 1903-09; Emmett W. Kite, 1909-13 ; Louis C. Hovey, 1913-17; Ernest Smith, 1917. COUNTY AUDITOR. The office of county auditor was at first associated with the office of clerk, the business of the office not being sufficiently onerous or remunerative to occupy the entire attention of one man. While the early records are not complete, it is certain that the offices of clerk, recorder and auditor were combined under Joseph C. Vance when the county was organized in 1805. At his death in the spring of 1809 the offices of recorder and auditor were taken over by his son, David Vance, and the latter served until 1830. William Ward became clerk in the fall of 1809. In the year 1830 Mathew Magrew took charge of the duties of the two offices of recorder and auditor and for six years served in this two-fold capacity, giving way in 1836 to David Vance, who served until 1839, when Magrew again took up the duties of the two offices and served in this dual capacity until 1841. In that year the offices of recorder and auditor were separated and E. P. Fyffe became the first official to devote all of his time to the duties of the auditor's office. The complete list of auditors since 1841 follows : Edward P. Fyffe, 1841-45; Francis M. Wright, 1845-55; Sampson P. Talbot, 1855-63; John T. Zumbro, 1863-69; John M. Fitzpatrick, 1869-90; Simeon Taylor, 1890-93; Colin McDonald, 1893-99 ; Shepherd B. Grove, 1899-1905; Clinton E. Russell, 1905-1I; Oscar E. Eby, 1911-15 ; William S. Coffey, 1915. COUNTY TREASURER. The office of county treasurer has been in existence from the organization of the county, but for several years the incumbent was known as 134 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. the "collector." The early records of the office are missing and for this reason it is not possible to trace the consecutive incumbents of the office prior to 1863. The first time-lock safe was installed in the treasurer's office in January, 1879. The court house was repaired and enlarged during 1879-80, the building assuming its present size. The records of the treasurer's office since 1863 are kept in such shape that it is easy to follow the succession of incumbents. The amount turned over by each outgoing treasurer to his successor up to 1904 is also indicated.. The following table shows the names of the treasurers, the years of their tenure, and the amounts they turned over to their respective successors up to the close of the term of M. W. Thomas. Since 1904 the treasurer has made a monthly statement to the auditor. Thomas P. Bond, 1863-September 7, 1864 - $31,111.32 James F. Spain,. September 7, 1864-October 9, 1867 - 24,111.32 S. P. Talbot, October 9, 1867-September 9, 1867 - 34,714.25 William H. Baxter, September 9, 1868-September 3, 1872 - 103,902.20 William V. Taylor, September 3, 1872-September 4, 1876 - 28,459.27 James I. Blose, September 4, 1876-March 7, 1879 - 174,723.23 Emmet V. Rhoads, March 7, 1879, September 4, 1880 - 39,811.43 Griffith Ellis, September 4, 1880-September 20, 1884 - 26,567.49 R. S. Pearce, September 20, 1884-September 20, 1888 - 45,149.84 Joseph W. Davis, September 20, 1888-September 8, 1892 - 49,143.08 Arthur Guthrie; September 8, 1892-September 12, 1896 - 28,237.10 George A. Talbot, September 12, 1896-September 4, 1900 - 35,975.29 M. W. Thomas, September 4, 1900-September 6, 1904 - 33,863.56 Duncan B. McDonald, September 6, 1904-September 5, 1908 James Ewing, September 5, 1908-September 4, 1912 Warren W. Rock, September 4, 1912-September 3, 1917 Lou B. Berry, September 3, 1917. COUNTY RECORDER. The county recorder has charge of all the deeds, mortgages and transfers concerned with all property, both personal and real, in the county. He has more records to keep and his office is visited with more regularity by the taxpayers of the county than any other. When the county was organized in 1805 the 0ffices of clerk, auditor and CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 135 recorder were combined and for the first four years (1805-1809) Joseph C. Vance served in this triplicate capacity. Upon his death in the spring of 1809 his son, David Vance, became recorder and auditor, the clerk's office being set off by itself, with William Ward in. charge. David Vance remained in the office twenty-one years, being followed in May, 1830, by Mathew Magrew. R. R. McNemar served as recorder, pro tem from June to October 19, 1839. The office has attracted able men as a usual thing, and the records show careful attention to the niceties which must be observed in the transcription of official records. The several volumes of abstracts were compiled several years ago by R. C. Horr and represent the labor of four years on his part in their compilation. The complete. list of recorders from 1805 follows: Joseph C. Vance, 1805-09; David Vance, 1809-30; Mathew Magrew, 1830-36; David Vance, 1836-39; R. R. McNemar, 1839; Mathew Magrew, 1839-42; Decatur Talbott, 1842-54; D. M. .Fisher, 1854-64; George Kiser, 1864-79; Michael A. Jordan, 1879-88; T. G. Keller, 1888-93 ; John W. Crowl, 1893-1900; Joseph S. Moses, 1900-06; Lincoln Burnham, 1906-11; Wesley 'A. Smith, 1911-15; Ernest I,. Shaffer, 1915. COUNTY SHERIFF. The office of county sheriff is directly concerned with the enforcement of the law and is the only one which is attended with any unusual danger to life and limb. In the course of more than a hundred years the county has seen scores of desperate criminals handled by its sheriffs, but during all this time the sheriffs have performed their duty without regard to any finger which might be encountered on their part. There have been some criminals who have escaped from the jail, but they have been comparatively few in number when it is taken into consideration that thousands have been' incarcerated in the jail. A full description of the jails of the county is given in another chapter. The sheriff is the only official of the county who is provided with a residence by the county while in the discharge of the duties connected with his office. For a number of years in the early history of the county there was no provision in the jail for housing the sheriff and his family, but the county now has very comfortable accommodations for him. The office of the sheriff in the court house has photographs of all the sheriffs since 1849, a custom which should be inaugurated in all the other offices of the county. The complete list of sheriffs follows : John Dougherty, 1805-06; 136 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Daniel McKinnon, 1806-10; Samuel McCord, 180-13; David Vance, 181317 ; John Wallace, 1817-21; Frederick Ambrose, 1821-25 ; John Wallace, 1825-29 ; John Owen, 1829-33 ; Frederick Ambrose, 1833-37; Henry Van-meter, 1837-41; John Owen, 1841-43; John C. Nigh, 1843-47; John West, 1847-51 ; James Taylor, 1851-53 ; David F. Spain, 1853-57; John Clark, Jr., 1857-61; Charles H. Ward, 1861-65 ; William V. Taylor, 1865-69 ; Thomas McConnell, 1869-73; Benjamin F. Ganson, 1873-77; Samuel C. Bosler, 1877-81; Joseph Chamberlin, 1881-85; Ridgley P. Wilkins, 1885-89.; Martin B. Saxbe, 1889-93 ; Robert N. Miller, 1893-97; Louis H. McLain, 1897-99; Luther W. Wean, 1899-1901; Daniel T. Hull, 1901-05 ; Core S. Ireland, 1905-09; Randolph McAdams, 1909-13; Floyd S. Powell took office January I, 1913, and died the 26th of the following month ; Charles E. Faulkner, 1913-17; John H. Siegle, 1917. COUNTY SURVEYOR. The chapter on the organization of the county explains the various surveys of the county and gives in detail the difficulties which have surrounded the surveyors of .the county from the beginning of the county's history. The portion of the county east of the Ludlow Line still offers the most difficulty to the surveyor, although land titles, roads and ditches are gradually getting more definitely defined. The early surveyors had little technical training in their profession and many of their surveys bear distressing evidence of their lack of surveying knowledge. In those early days open land was so abundant and so cheap that no one was inclined to quarrel with his neighbor over a few feet or even a few rods of land. But with the increase in the value of land and the necessity for getting exact surveys, it has become necessary to resurvey practically all the portion of the county east of the Ludlow Line. The office of surveyor in Champaign county bears little resemblance in 1917 to the office as it must have appeared one hundred years ago. Now the surveyor and all of his assistants must be trained men and do their work in such a way that it will bear the most searching investigation. The variation of an inch in a survey may lead to litigation and this means that all the work 0f the office must be done with the most extreme care. Since 1904 the county surveyor has had general charge of all the roads, bridges and ditches in the county and this has added very materially to his duties as they were in the olden days. The office in 1917 employs five persons besides the sur- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 137 veyors: Raymond H. Smith, county highway superintendent; Charles M. Richey, deputy county surveyor ; Dean Hull and Melwood Stanope, rod men and chainmen; Hazel Kirke Reck, clerk and stenographer. The records of the county surveyors furnish the only means of determining their names and respective tenures since the first surveyor took charge of the office in 1805. Several names appear affixed to surveys Which are evidently not the names of the regular county surveyors, with the result that it is not always possible to tell who was and who was .not the official surveyor. There is no question concerning the sequence of the incumbents of the office after William Hamilton .assumed the duties of the office in 1842, but there is considerable confusion in the records prior to that year. The first surveyor was Solomon McCullough and he was in the office from 1805 until 1824. It is probable that John Arrowsmith followed McCullough and continued to serve until 1842. Thomas Cowgill did much surveying during this period, but he was not the county surveyor. Since that year the succession has been as follows : William Hamilton, 1842-43 Thomas Cowgill, Jr., 1843-46; James B. Armstrong, 1846-54; William S. Taylor, 1854-58; James O. Baird, 1858-62; C. W. L. Taylor, 1862-80; Benjamin Thompson, 1880-86; James Swisher, 1886-1902; Carey S. Pratt, 1902-09; James Swisher, 1909-11; Richard F. Darnell, 1911-15; Harry B. Hull, 1915. STATE REPRESENTATIVES. The few settlers who were in the territory now comprehended within Champaign county prior to 1805 were under the jurisdiction of either Franklin county to the east or Greene county to the west. When the county was organized in 1805, Champaign was united with Greene county in a representative district and John Sterrit was the representative in the General Assembly from Greene at the time Champaign was organized. Joseph Tatman represented the two counties in the fifth General Assembly, which convened on December I, 1806, and he served through the fifth and sixth sessions, Samuel McCulloch being the first representative elected from Champaign county. Since the opening of the seventh General Assembly, December 5, 1808, Champaign county has constituted one representative district. Two representatives from the county have served as speaker of the. House : Thomas A. Cowgill, 1880-81; sixty-fourth session ; C. D. Conover, 1912, eighty-first session. The complete list of, representatives since that date follows : 138 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. |
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Representative. |
Session |
Year |
Samuel McCulloch Daniel McKinnon Samuel McCulloch Joseph Vance Samuel Newell |
7, 8. 9. 10, 11, 12. 11. |
1808-1809 1810 1811 1812-1813 1812- |
From the eleventh to the eighteenth sessions inclusive Champaign had two representatives. |
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Hiram M. Curry Samuel Newell Alexander McBeth Joseph Vance Samuel McCulloch Samuel Henkle John Inskeep Reuben Wallace |
12 13 13 14, 15. 14 15 16 16, 17, 18. |
1813 1814 1814 1815-1816 1815 1816 1817 [817-1819 |
| > With the organization of Clark county in 1818 it was joined with Champaign in the election of a representative for the eighteenth session of the General Assembly. |
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Aaron L. Hunt Joseph Vance James Cooley Aaron L. Hunt (unseated) John L. Meredith Benjamin Cheney Edward L. Morgan Samuel McCord Benjamin Cheney Samuel McCord John Wallace William McDonald E. L. Morgan Benjamin Cheney William McDonald Samuel Newell E. L. Morgan |
17 18 19 20 20 21, 22, 23 24 25 26 27, 28 29, 30 31 32 33, 34 35 36 |
1818 1819 1820 1821 1821 1822-1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828-1829 1830-1831 1832 1833 1834-1835 1836 1837 |
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 139 |
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Representative |
Session |
Year |
Moses B. Corwin W. C. Lawrence W. B. McCrea Joseph C. Brand Ira A. Bean William Richey J. C. Phillips |
37, 38 39 40, 41 42 43 44, 45 46, 47 |
1838-1839 1840 1841-1842 1843 1844 1845-1846 1847-1848 |
During the forty-seventh, forty-eighth and forty-ninth sessions Champaign county had two representatives in the General Assembly. |
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Henry W. Smith John D. Burnett James Rayburn James Williams |
47, 48 48, 49 49 50 |
1848-1849 1849-1850 1850 1852 |
Beginning with 1852 the Legislature has met biennially. |
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James M. Maitland Hiram Cable |
51 52 |
1854 1856-1857 |
Cable served in an adjourned session convening January 5, 1857. From the fifty-second to the seventieth sessions inclusive, there were both regular and adjourned sessions; this means that the Legislature met annually, although it was the intention of the constitutional convention of 1850 to restrict the sessions of the Legislature to one every two years. |
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Jonathan Cheney John J. Musson Anson P. Howard Leander H. Long S. T. McMorran Robert C. Fulton J. F. Gowey Thomas A. Cowgill John W. Ogden Thomas A. Cowgill Samuel M. Taylor |
53 54 55 56 57, 58 59, 60 61 62, 63, 64 65, 66 67 68, 69, 70 |
1858-1859 1860-1861 1862-1863 1864-1865 1866-1869 1870-1873 1874-1875 1876-1881 1882-1885 1886-1887 1888-1893 |
Taylor resigned in January, 1803, and Thomas E. Hunter was elected at a special election to fill the vacancy. 140 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. |
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Thomas E. Hunter William M. Gehman H. H. Brecount Edwin Hagenbuch Sherman Thompson W. L. Gard C. D. Conover Clyde Hooley |
70, 71 72. 73. 74, 75 76, 77 78, 79 80, 81 82. |
1893-1894 1896-1898 1898-1900. 1900-1994 1904-1908 1908-1912 1912-1916 1916 |
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STATE SENATORS. When Champaign county was organized in 1805 it was in the senatorial district represented by Duncan McArthur and George Todd. The fifth session of the General Assembly, which convened on December 1, 1806, found Calvin Cone serving with McArthur, and this session created a new senatorial district by uniting Champaign, Butler and Warren counties. The two senators of this district of three counties in the sixth General Assembly, which convened on December 7, 1807, were John Digger and Richard S. Thomas. The seventh and eighth General Assembly were represented in the senate by Hiram M. Curry, of Champaign county, and the county during these two sessions as well as the ninth and tenth sessions was constituted a separate senatorial district. Alexander McBeth served during the ninth and tenth session (1810-011). The tenth session created what was called the Champaign senatorial district, composed of Champaign, Miami and Preble counties and this district remained unchanged until the 24th General Assembly, which convened on December 5, 1825. The senators during this period (1812-1825) were as follows : | ||
Senator |
Session |
Year |
Alexander McBeth David Purviance Daniel McKinnon Thomas W. Furnas George Fithian William L. Henderson James Cooley W. Buell John P. Findlay |
11 11, 12, 13, 14 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 21, 22 22, 23 19 20, 21, 22. 20 20 |
1812 1812-1815 1813-1817 1822-1823 1823-1824 1820 1821-1822 1821 1822 |
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 141 |
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Thomas W. Furnas Robert Fithian Robert W. Young |
22, 23 22, 23 23 |
1823-1824 1823-1824 1824 |
Beginning with the twenty-fourth session Clark and Champaign counties were united in a senatorial district, and they continued in one district until 1836, when Logan county was added. The district had one senator during this period, 1825-1836. |
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James Cooley John Daugherty Sampson Mason A. R. Colwell Charles Anthony |
24 25, 26, 27 28, 29 30, 31 32, 33 |
1825 1826-1828 1829-1830 1831-1832 1833-1834 |
From 1836 to 1838 Champaign, Clark and Logan counties were united in a senatorial district. John H. James, of Urbana, was a senator for this district during the thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh sessions. During the thirty-seventh, thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth sessions Champaign county was divided between two senatorial districts: One composed of Champaign, Clark and Logan counties; the other of Champaign, Logan and Union counties. The first district elected James to the thirty-seventh and Joseph Vance to the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth sessions, but with the beginning of the fortieth session Champaign county was united with only Logan and Union counties. Beginning with the fortieth session and continuing through to the forty-seventh session (1848) there was no change in the composition of the senatorial district including Champaign county. |
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Benjamin Stanton John Gabriel Ira A. Bean Joshua Judy |
40, 41 42, 43 44, 45 46, 47 |
1841-1842 1843-1844 1845-1846 1847-1848 |
Beginning with the forty-seventh session Hardin county was attached to the district formerly composed of Champaign, Logan and Union counties, and the four counties were united until the first regular session after the adoption of the constitution of 1850. The last session before the new constitution was the forty-ninth, which convened on December 2, 1850. |
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Harvey Vinal |
47, 48, 49 |
1848-1850 |
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The first Legislature after the adoption of the new constitution divided the state into thirty-three senatorial districts, the same number which the state has today. Champaign county was placed in the 142 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. eleventh district with the counties of Clark and Madison, and no change has been made in this district since it was organized. The first session under the new constitution convened on January 5, 1852, and at that time John D. Burnett, one of the ablest lawyers of Urbana at the time, represented the district. Since there are three counties in the district it has been the custom to alternate in the selection of the senators between the three counties. Of the senators of the eleventh senatorial district who have served since 1852, the following have been from Champaign county: John D. Burnett, Joseph C. Brand, Samuel S. Hinkle, Anson P. Howard, William R. Warnock, M. M. Sayre, Thomas A. Cowgill, S. M. Mosgrove, Evan P. Middleton and Sherman S. Deaton. |
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Senator |
Session |
Year |
John D. Burnett Henry W. Smith Joseph C. Brand Samuel S. Hinkle R. A. Harrison Sampson Mason A. P. Howard Toland Jones J. W. Keifer A. P. Howard William M. Beach Alexander Waddle William R. Warnock George W. Wilson Thomas J. Pringle M. M. Sayre S. W. Durflinger Thomas J. Pringle. Thomas A. Cowgill Thomas B. Wilson D. W. Rawlings S. M. Mosgrove William M. Jones John L. Plummer Evan P. Middleton |
50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 |
1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 |
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Middleton resigned on August 8, 1901, to accept an appointment as judge of the common pleas court of Champaign county, and at a special election in the following November was selected to fill out his unexpired term. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 143 |
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Senator |
Session |
Year |
Nelson A. Riggin Oran F. Hypes Sherman S. Deaton Charles F. Gallagher T. A. Busby |
73 76, 77 78, 79 S0, 81 82 |
1902 1904 1908 1912 1916 |
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY OFFICIALS - 1917. The following table gives the list of all the county officials in 1917 together with their salaries. The salary of all county officials are payable at the end of each month and, with very few exceptions, all the officials have a fixed salary. The coroner is the only official in the county whose salary is made up of fees. The county surveyor formerly received certain fees, but the White-Mulcahy act of the 1917 Legislature placed him on a straight salary and provided for the reversion of all fees to the county. He was formerly allowed fifty dollars a month for tax-map drafting. Beginning with June 28, 1917, the surveyor is placed on a straight salary basis, the same as all other officials of the county except the coroner. Some officials are allowed a per diem for the time actually spent ; others get only their expenses ; still others serve without pay. The following table gives the names of the county officials on June 1, 1917: |
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Office and Incumbent. |
Salary |
Common Pleas Judge, Evan P. Middleton Judge of Probate, Virgil H. Gibbs Clerk of Court, Louis C. Hovey Prosecuting Attorney, Harold H. Houston Auditor. William S. Coffey Recorder, Ernest L. Shaffer Treasurer, Lou B. Berry Surveyor, Harry B. Hull Sheriff, John H. Siegle Coroner, David H. Moore Commissioners, Grant S. Hunt, A. M. Glendenning, W. H. Hunt. Infirmary Superintendent, George Standish Superintendent of Children's Home, Peter A. Boisen Matron of Children's Home, Mrs. Peter A. Boisen |
$3,650 2,215 1,935 1,450 2,215 1,450 2,215 1,732 1,580.04 fees 1,349.92 1,680 900 75 |
144 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. |
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Humane Officer, David H. Brown County Superintendent of Schools, J. C. Neer District Superintendent of Schools, W. B. Crim County Sealer of Weights and Measures, J. T. Woodward County Board of Elections, Elmer Little, Frank W. Todd, Levi Willis, Floyd Freeman, J. J. Enright Jury Commissioners, David McCarty (Dem.), Frank Ganson (Rep.) per day Court Bailiff, Joseph Moses Court Stenographer, Emma Montgomery Budget Commission, Auditor, Treasurer, Prosecuting Attorney County Board of Education, G. L. Freeman, C. M. Goul, Jacob Snarr, R. M. Kite, Herman Carr Trustee of Children's Home, John J. Mumper, B. F. Hull, Alber Harmon, Lewis E. Willes County Board of Review, Auditor, Treasurer, President of Board of County Commissioners County Board of Visitors, Mrs. E. P. Middleton, Mrs. John Hance, James F. Hearn, Mrs. Anna S. McCracken, George Deyo Homer Humes County Agricultural Agent, John A. Brown Representative to General Assembly, Clyde A. Hooley Senator (Joint with Clark and Madison), T. A. Busby |
300 2,340 1,500 720 100 5.00 720 1,140 none none none none expenses none 1,000 1,000 |
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CHAPTER VI. TOWNSHIPS oF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. Champaign county now has twelve townships, although in 1817, just one hundred years ago, it had twenty-three townships. The setting off of Clark and Logan counties by the Legislature in 1817 reduced Champaign county to its present size. The historian has not attempted to give any history of the townships which were set off from Champaign county when Clark and Logan were formed. Their names and boundaries are given in the chapter on county organization. The organization of townships after the first three were organized in 1805 was always left to the county commissioners, the first townships—Mad River, Salem and Springfield—being organized by the associate judges. Subsequent townships were organized upon petition by voters within the territory asking to be organized as a township. The townships were all organized by 1828, the last township to be organized being Adams (1828). There has been an effort in the county t0 keep the townships practically of the same size. Salem being the largest (forty-eight square miles) and Harrison being the smallest (twenty-four square miles). THE ELEVEN LOST TOWNSHIPS. It is not generally known that there were eleven townships organized in Champaign county between 1805 and 1817 which. are now parts of other counties. All of the present county of Clark, eleven miles south of the present Champaign-Clark line was organized into townships before the organization of Clark in 1817. The townships were Springfield, Madison, Bethel, Harmony, Moorefield, Pleasant, German and Pike. The exact limits of these townships is not known, but it is improbable that any of them included territory now within the present limits of Champaign county. Their organization, however, is a matter of Champaign county record, but in the absence of the commissioners' records for the years between 1805 and 1817 it is not possible to determine their exact limits. With the creation of Clark county by the legislative act of December 26, 1817, and its formal 0rganization on the first of (10) 146 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. the following March, these townships disappear forever from Champaign county history. The same Legislature which detached eleven miles from the southern part of Champaign county to form a part of Clark county—at the same time detaching the eight townships already organized therein—also detached that part of the present Logan county between the Greenville Treaty Line and the present Champaign-Logan county line, the same becoming a part of the Logan county provided for by the legislative act of December 30, 1817. At the time this strip was cut off from the northern part of Champaign county there were three townships which had been already organized, namely, Zane, Jefferson and Miami ; and these three townships presumably embraced all the detached territory, but none of them (with the possible exception of Harrison) included territory within the present limits of Champaign county. TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS. Ohio rejoices in a multiplicity of township officials and the list seems to be increasing instead of decreasing. Most of the townships of Champaign county have from ten to fifteen elective officials, as well as several who are appointed. At the head of the official family of each township is a group of five officials—three trustees, a clerk and a treasurer—while below this group is a corps of justices of the peace, a posse of constables, a set of assessors—and, lastly, a quartet of highway superintendents. In addition to this lengthy list of officials there are various and sundry other positions which come under and are subsidiary to the highway superintendents. The duties performed by the three trustees, the clerk, and the treasurer are all in the hands of one man in the townships of Indiana. Besides, the Indiana trustees have charge of all the schools, select all the teachers and perform most of the duties of the township highway superintendent in Ohio—for which the Indiana trustees receives. two dollars a day for each working day in the year. This by way of comparison. In Ohio each of the three trustees receive one dollar and a half a day for each day employed on township work, and fifteen minutes is a day in the eyes of the law. Each township treasurer is allowed two per cent. on all the orders issued by him and this averages from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars per annum. Beginning on January 1, 1918, the trustees will receive two dollars and a half per day. The clerks are paid about one hundred and fifty dollars a year on an average. The justices of the peace and constables are purely fee officers and their remuneration frequently approaches the point CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 147 of infinity. In fact, it is difficult to secure competent justices of the peace and they are constantly resigning, so that it is difficult to keep the legal number in office. The average township constable very seldom has the chance to display his bravery in the exercise of the duties connected with his office. The township assessors are allowed four dollars a clay and in the spring of 1917 were limited to twenty days' work; in 1916 they were allowed a maximum of forty-eight days, but the new law relieved them of most of their duties. Many of them performed all of the duties of their office in less than a week in the spring of 1917. TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS 1N 1917. The township highway superintendents receive a maximum per diem of two dollars and twenty-five cents, the number of days to be determined by the township trustees. Jackson township has only one road district, but each of the other townships have four districts. The highway superintendents are appointed by the township trustees. A summary of the township officials shows the following: Forty-five highway superintendents, thirty-six trustees, twenty-four justices of the peace and an equal number of constables, twenty-three assessors, twelve treasurers, the same number of clerks—a total 0f one hundred and seventy-six township officials, an average of about fifteen to the township. The appended table gives the trustees, clerks, treasurers and assessors of each. township, all of whom are elected for two years and took their office on January 1, 1916: Urbana Township. Trustees—George Mayse, John T. Evilsizor, James Todd. Clerk—B. F. Dixon. Treasurer—Charles Leaming. Assessors—John P. Mundel, H. H. Douglas, C. W. Pearce, Harry McNally, W. W. Thornburg. Mad River Township. Trustees—John Hayner, L. D. Ward, Joshua Rhodes. Clerk—Alpha Evilsizor. Treasurer—Earl Smith. Assessor—Frank Ward. 148 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Harrison Township. Trustees—C. D. Wilson, C. W. Scoby, F. G. Mohr. Clerk—Samuel Siegenthaler. Treasurer—H. M. Ferrell. Assessors—Guy Speece, J. N. Barnett. Adams Township. Trustees—Ode Clark, Ed. F. Harmon, J. M. Burkhold. Clerk—Marley J. Martz. Treasurer—C. F. Houseman. Assessor—John E. Hoffman. Union Township. Trustees--H. C. Everhart, James Perry, Elmer Pullins. Clerk—William Sceva. Treasurer—G. M. Myers. Assessor—C. M. Gout. Jackson Township. Trustees—Edward Thackery, B. F. A. Pence, William T. Neal. Clerk—Morris Leffel. Treasurer—Claude Batdorf. Assessors—Glenn Weikert, James Davis. Wayne Township. Trustees—M. L. Russell, C. W. Outram, Guy Black. Clerk—Ed. LaRue. Treasurer—Grant Nincehelzer. Assessor—Ora Outram. Concord Township. Trustees—W. F. Kizer, W. P. Wilson, C. T. Barger. Clerk—C. E. Bedell. Treasurer—Charles E. Russell. Assessor—J. F. Zimmerman. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 149 Rush Township. Trustees—Fred Coates, D. W. Louden, Asa Owen. Clerk—George Clark. Treasurer—Paul C. Spain. Assessors—Levi Kidder, Joab Overfield, Warren Hoisington. Johnson Township. Trustees—Solomon Walborn, D. R. Barger, A. C. McBeth. Clerk—C. M. Duncan. Treasurer—Logan Carlo. Assessors—Cory N. Pence, P. A. Ammon. Salem Township. Trustees—I. J. Kauffman, W. A. Granstaff, I. F. Garard. Clerk—C. R. Stonebraker. Treasurer—E. L. Blair. Assessor—Rush Harvey. Goshen Township. Trustees—Glen Rutan, W. S. Brittin, C. W. Bumgardner. Clerk—T. B. Ware. Treasurer—F. P. Legge. Assessors—H. M. Fudger, W. H. Boulton. The following chapters devoted to historical sketches of the twelve townships of the county are given in chronological order, that is, as near chronologically. as can be determined. The official petitions for the organization of the townships have not been found in a single instance. The first three townships organized on April 20, 1805, were not the result of petitions, but were arbitrarily set off by the associate judges. The succeeding nine townships of the county were undoubtedly organized by the commissioners upon the presentation of satisfactory petitions, but no record of these petitions has been preserved. Not only are the petitions not on record in the commissioners' journal, but the original petitions themselves are missing. Therefore, in the absence of all documentary evidence, the historian is forced to rely upon other data for evidences of the beginning of these nine townships. The poll books of seven townships have been preserved, giving the voters on October 8, 1811, and this established beyond doubt a date for that many townships: From other sources it may be proved that the other townships were organized approximately at the dates assigned them. |