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206 - HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY CHAPTER IV. ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-ITS CIVIL DIVISIONS-POLITICAL HISTORY-ELECTION STA- TISTICS - THE COUNTY FARM. "But the sunshine shall light the sky. As round and round we run; And the Truth shall ever come uppermost, And Justice shall be done. - Mackay. IT has been said that the native American mind tends to self-government as naturally as the babe turns to the maternal fount for nourishment, and the organization of Delaware County (so named from the Delaware Indians, who once possessed the country), into a body corporate, with a legal existence, over seventy years ago, and only seen years after the first settlement in it, is proof of that proposition. The limited settlements scattered throughout the immense area of country, rendered the original counties somewhat extensive in domain. .1s for instance, the county of Washington, the first formed within the present territory of Ohio, comprised about half of what. is now the entire State, and was established in 1788, by the proclamation of Gen. St. Clair, then Governor of the Northwestern Territory. The next county formed after that of Washington was Hamilton, erected in 1790. Its bounds included the country between the Miamis, extending northward from the Ohio River, to a line drawn due east from the standing stone forks of the Great Miami." As white people poured into the Territory, the old counties were divided and subdivided, thus forming new ones to accommodate the growing population. Ross County was the sixth organized in the Northwestern Territory, and at the time of its formation, embraced a large portion of the State. It was created under a proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, on the 20th of August, 1878. On the 30th of April. 1803, Franklin was formed from Ross, and organized into a separate division. February 10, 1808. Delaware County was set off from Franklin. under an act of the Legislature, which is as follows, and entitled "An Act Establishing the County of Delaware;" SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the. General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That all that part of Franklin County included in the following bounds, be, and the same is hereby, laid off and erected into a separate and distinct county, by the name of Delaware, viz.: Beginning at the southeast corner of township number three, in the sixteenth range of the United States Military District; thence west with the line between the second and third tier of townships, to the Scioto River, and continued west to the east boundary of Champaign County; thence with the said boundary north, to the Indian boundary line; thence eastwardly with said line, to the point where the north and south line between the fifteenth and sixteenth ranges of the said United States Military District intersects the same; thence south with the said last-mentioned line to the place of beginning. Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, That from and after the first day of April next, the said county of Delaware shall be vested with all the privileges, powers and immunities of a separate and distinct county; Provided, That all suits and actions of what nature soever, that shall have been commenced before the said first day of April, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and execution, and all taxes, fines and penalties which shall be due previously to said day, shall be collected in the same manner as if this act had not passed. SEC. 3. Be it further enacted, That all .Justices of the Peace and other officers, residing within the limits of said county shall continue to exercise the duties of their respective offices until successors are chosen and qualified according to law. SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the Associate Judges of said county, to divide the same into townships, and publish the same in at least three of the most public places in each township, in which publication they shall request the electors in each township to meet in their respective townships on the first Monday of May next, and elect one Sheriff; HISTORY OF' DELAWARE COUNTY. - 209 PAGE 207 - PICTURE OF DELAWARE COUNTY COURT HOUSE PAGE 208 - BLANK one Coroner, and three Commissioners, who shall hold their offices until the next annual election, and until others are chosen and qualified, together with the necessary township officers; Provided, That the notice. shall be set up at least ten days before the said first day of May. Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the town of Delaware shall be the temporary seat of justice for the said county of Delaware until the permanent seat of justice shall be established according to law. JOHN SLOANE, Speaker of the House of Representatives, pro tempore ; THOMAS KIRKER, Speaker of the Senate. February 10, 1808. In 1820, Union County was created, the larger portion of its territory being taken from Delaware, and in the formation of Marion and Morrow Counties in 1824 and 1848 respectively. Delaware was again called on to contribute to the manufacture of new counties. These last drafts upon the territory of Delaware brought it down to its present dimensions-a little less than 500 square miles. It embraces eighteen civil townships, and while it is somewhat irregular in boundaries, it is of much better shape than many other counties of the State, and is quite large enough, too, for convenience. In pursuance of the act authorizing its formation, Delaware County held an election upon the day specified in the act, at which the following county officials were elected. to serve until the regular October elections, viz. : John Welch, Avery Powers, and Ezekiel Brown, Commissioners; Rev. Jacob Drake, Treasurer ; Dr. Reuben Lamb, Recorder ; Solomon Smith, Sheriff, and Azariah Root, Surveyor. The following transcript of the records shows some of the first business of the honorable court: June 15, 1808. A petition for county road on west side of Whetstone River, beginning at the Indian line ; thence to Delaware : thence to south lines of the county, as near the river as ground and river angles will admit. petition granted, and Messrs. Byxbe, Nathaniel Wyatt and Josiah McKinney appointed Viewers, and Azariah Root, Surveyor. JUNE 17. Resolved, that a jail twelve by forty feet be built of oak logs, that will pass a foot, and hewed on both sides, the sides hewed to be laid together, the corners half dovetailed, the floors of logs fourteen inches through and hewed on three sides. Eight feet between floors. A cabin roof; a grated window of three sufficient bars of iron in each room. One outside and one inside door of white-oak plank, two inches thick, and two thicknesses well riveted together. The outside to be hewed down after it is laid up. The building to be finished January 1, 1809.* * Addison Carver took the contract to erect this jail, at $128 75. Resolved, by the Board of Commissioners, that for every wolf scalp over six months old, there shall be allowed two dollars, and for all under, one dollar. Resolved by the Board, that prices of tavern licensee shall be in town, six dollars, and in the country, four dollars. Sept. 7, 1809. The settlement with Solomon Smith, Collector of Taxes for the year, shows a balance for the county of forty-two dollars and sixty and a half cents, JUNE 5, 1810. The State and County Taxes for 1809, in Delaware County, were increased to six hundred and fifteen dollars and thirteen and seven-tenth. cents. The foregoing is a sample of the proceedings o1 the County Court for the first year or two of the county's existence, and will also serve to show what it was for years to come. The early records are rather meager and incomplete, and some wholly destroyed (by fire), so that extracts only can be given. From these records, we learn that a second jail was built of stone, and, according to contract, was to be completed and ready for occupancy January, 1814. Solomon Agard was the jailer, and the jail was erected adjoining his residence. Prior to 1850, another jail was built which served the county as a prison, until the erection of the present elegant jail, in 1878. The contract for this building was let at $22,000, but extras were added, until the total cost reached the sum (to be exact) of $25,845.35. It has all the modern inventions and improvements of ironclad cells and burglar-proof doors. With all the precautions, however that have been taken to make it a safe repository for criminals, desperate characters sometimes effect their escape. The first court house of Delaware County was ordered built in 1815. It was, as stated in the records, to be of "good, well-burnt brick, forty feet by thirty-eight square;" we leave the reader to conjecture whether the bricks were to be of that size or the building. On the 10th of January, 1815 the County Commissioners made a contract with Jacob Drake for the erection of the building, at cost of $8,000, to be paid as follows: $1,000 to be paid next April; $1,000 at the end of 1816 and the balance in $500 payments yearly till the whole is paid off." Upon searching the records no account of the completion of this edifice is found up to 1822, when there is a break of several years in the records. That it was actually built, there is no doubt, but to fix the date of its completion is not an easy matter, nor shall we attempt it. It did duty as a temple of justice * In 1814, raised to $13 and $7 respectively. 210 - HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. until 1870, when the present court house was built at a cost of about $80,000. It is a modern brick, and, while it is not "magnificently extravagant," it is a neat and tasty structure. The organization of the Circuit or Common Pleas Court, is more particularly given in the history of the bench and bar, in another chapter, and will be but incidentally alluded to here. Its first session was held by Judge Belt, of Chillicothe, in the tavern of Joseph Barber. This was a small cabin, about fifteen feet square built, of poles, and was the first house erected in the town of Delaware, and stood near the Sulphur Springs. Its circumscribed limits necessitated sending the grand jury out to deliberate under the shade of a tree, while the petit jury occupied similar quarters at no great distance. The first jury trial was the "State of Ohio against Valentine Martin," for "assault and battery " upon Reuben Wait. The case came up for trial before Judge Belt. June 3, 1808. Martin plead guilty, and was fined $4 and costs. The names of the jury are as follows : Thomas Brown, Daniel Strong, Valentine Foos, Ezekiel Van Horn, Aaron Welch, Nathan Carpenter, David Dix, George Cowgill, David Butler, John Patterson, Azariah Root and Josiah McKinney. The first civil case was an action brought by Jacob Drake against Elias Palmer, for boarding and money loaned, and other claims. The attorney for the plaintiff was Jeremiah Osborne, and, for the defendant, John S. Wells. We deem it unnecessary, however, to encumber our pages with the old records of the court. The few extracts that have been given are merely for the purpose of showing the Growth and development, from a very small beginning, of one of the important civil divisions of the State. But we will note one or two other points before passing. The first deed on record is a conveyance by Solomon Broderick, of Sussex, N. J., to Jacob Awl of Paxton, Penn., for $500. It was transcribed from Vol. I. page .193, of the records of Ross County, and was for 250 acres of land, lying in the southeast part of the county, in what is now Harlem Township, and is dated May 14, 1800. Broderick, it seems, had acquired a title to 4,000 acres of the military lands of the United States, and the second record shows a sale by him to the same party of 500 acres of these lands for the suet of $1,000. We have stated elsewhere that many of the early settlers of the county were Revolutionary soldiers, who held warrants upon the military lands in the Northwestern Territory. This was a means of adding. many settlers to the number then (as now) flocking to the Great West. The first patent granted by Congress to soldiers of the Revolutionary war, as a land warrant upon the military land embraced in Delaware County, was given by John Adams, President, to Francis Carbery. The deed bears date May 2, 1800. and describes a body of one hundred acres of land, in "Lot six. of first quarter fourth township and twentieth range. Ezra Tryon, another soldier of the Revolution. records the second patent, and took the .second place in time of locating. These were followed by many other veterans of the Revolution. who laid their patents or warrants upon land, and thus obtained pay for military service-not in greenbacks. as the soldiers in the late war, but in Western lands, an investment that proved much more valuable than at the time was believed to be possible. The next move, after the formation of the county. was the location of the seat of justice. This was done by Commissioners, appointed for the purpose, by the General Assembly. They met in March. only a few weeks after the passage of the act organizing the county, and, upon considering the respective merits of contesting points, made their decision in favor of Delaware. A short time previous to the location of the county seat the town of Delaware had been laid out by Hon. Henry Baldwin and Col. Moses Byxbe and the plat recorded in Franklin County. Baldwin lived in Pittsburgh, but, together with Byxbe, owned a large tract of military land in this section. The location of the county scat at Delaware was a great disappointment to the people of Berkshire, who had aspired to the dignity of having their own town become the seat of justice.. The rivalry for that honor was kept up for a number of years, before the Berkshireites gave up the contest. Previous to the building of the first court house, the little court business necessary to be transacted was done in taverns and private houses. People were better their than they are now; perhaps and did not require so much "lawing " to keep them straight. Delaware County; at the time of its organization, comprised a population of only a few hundreds, and hence did not need many divisions of its territory. The same act that formed the county authorized the Associate Justices, viz.. Moses Bysbe, Thomas Brown and Josiah McKinney, to divide, it into townships. Accordingly they met; in obedience to this act, and divided the county into three townships, as follows "All east of the HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. - 211 crater of eighteenth range was made the township of Berkshire ; all West and north of the north line of the fourth tier of townships, and continued line west, was made the township of Radnor ; all south of Radnor, and west of Berkshire, was made the township of Liberty." Among the first business, however, transacted by the Commissioners' Court was the creation of additional townships. Marlborough was the first. and its formation bears date .June 15, 1808. 1t comprised the area within the following boundary: Beginning at southeast corner of the sixth township, in the eighteenth range of the United States Military Survey ; thence north on the east line of, the eighteenth range to the Indian boundary line to the west line of the nineteenth range: thence south with said west line of the nineteenth range to the south line of the sixth township: thence east with the south line of the sixth township until it intersects the east line to the eighteenth range at the place of beginning. June l6, Delaware Township was created. as the records have it, by a "concurrent resolution of the Board of Commissioners." Its original area was as follows : Beginning at the northwest corner of Township 5 Range 19 of the United States Military Survey: thence south with the range line too the center of Township 4: thence east on center line of said township to the center Township 4 in Range 18, to the north line of Township 5 in the same range: thence west on said line to the place of beginning. The formation of' Sunbury bears the same date and is bounded as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of Section 2 of Township 5 and Range 17 of United States Military Survey: thence south with said line of the county; thence east with said county line to the: east line of said county ; thence north with said county line to the Indian boundary line; thence westerly with said boundary line to the east boundary of Marlboro Township ; thence south with said boundary to the southeast corner of said township thence east to the place of beginning. Many of the townships, at the time of their organization were much larger than they are at present: their boundaries have been materially changed in some cases-changes resulting in the: total annihilation of one (Sunbury) at least. As a. sample of the changes that have taken place in the area of certain of the townships, Delaware, at the time of it, formation, included, in addition to its present extent, Sections 1 and 2 of Troy, 2 and 3 of Brown. and 2 of Berlin. As the population increased new townships were created, until we find the number increased to twenty-four. viz., Berkshire, Berlin. Bennington, Brown, Concord, Delaware, Genoa, Harlem, Harmony, Kingston, Liberty, Lincoln, Marlborough, Orange, Oxford, Peru, Porter, Radnor. Scioto, Sunbury, Thompson, Trenton, Troy and Westfield. In the formation of new counties. Portions of several of these townships have been taken. while Bennington, Harmony, Lincoln, Peru and Westfield have been transferred bodily. In 1820, Mr. Howe gives twenty one townships, with all aggregate population of 22,060. The County Atlas published in 1866, gives the following tabulated statement of the townships and their population, for six decades: Townships. 1810. 1820. 1830. 1840. 1850. 1860 Berkshire .............................................................1,057......1,407.....1,557 .....1,392 Berlin ................................................................... 646....... 827.....1,151......1,303 Bennington* ........................................................ 490.......1,052 Brown ....................................................................313....... 908......1,176......1,181 Concord ............................................................... 458....... 1,185.....1,369......1,136 Delaware City ...................................................... 532........ 898.....2,074......3,889 Delaware Township ............................................. 410........1,019.....1,249......1,332 Genoa..................................................................... 658........1,193.....1,369 .....1,126 Harlem .................................................................. 535........ 963.....1,182......1,289 Harmony * ............................................................ 241......... 676 Kingston ................................................................ 582......... 657........761.........675 Liberty .....................................................................619.......... 811.....1,050......1,178 Lincoln".................................................................. 226......... 549 Marlborough ........................................................ 503........1,182...... 587...... 512 Orange ................................................................... 367......... 789..... 1,150....... 990 Oxford .....................................................................415.......... 774........ 829....1,133 * Transferred to new county organizations. 212 - HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. Peru*...................................................................... 529.......... 737 Porter...................................................................... 304.......... 678......1,037.....1,079 Radnor .................................................................... 582........1,174......1,204.....1,342 Scioto ...................................................................... 465.......... 877......1,126.....1,579 Sunbury t .................................................................518 Thompson ............................................................. 233......... 660....... 732...... 870 Trenton....................................................................................1,188..... 1,238.......996 Troy ..........................................................................369........ 838....... 976 ..... 900 Westfield * .............................................................. 471.......1,019. Totals in county ................(1) 2,000..(1) 7,639....11,523.....22,060.....21,817....23,902 By the census of 1870, the population had increased to 25,175 and at the present writing is perhaps not far short of 30,000. Numerous changes have taken place, as we have already stated, until at present the county is composed of the following divisions, viz., Berkshire, Berlin; Brown, Concord, Delaware, Genoa, Harlem, Kingston, Liberty; Marlborough, Orange, Oxford, Porter, Radnor, Scioto, Thompson, Trenton and Troy. The following pages on the political history of the county are written by the Hon. James. R. Hubbell: In the early history of Delaware County there was but little party strife. The act of the General Assembly creating the county was passed the last year of the Administration of Thomas Jefferson, and the exciting events of the war of 1812, which soon followed. wiped out the old Federal party that had so bitterly assailed Mr. Jefferson. The war measures of Mr. Madison and the Republican party in Congress were earnestly supported by the citizens, generally throughout the county. The scramble for the .. loaves and fishes .. of office, compared with a later date, was almost nothing. But few offices were sought for their emoluments. The most lucrative office, were filled by appointment, and not by popular election. The niost important office, then as now, was that of County Auditor, which was filled by the appointinent of the County Commissioners. It was not until the year 1821 that this office was made elective by the popular vote. The County Treasurer, Surveyor and Recorder of Deeds were also appointed by the Commissioners. The Prosecuting Attorney and Clerks of the Court were appointed by the court. These officer were made elective by the law of 183. In most cases the offices were filled by faithful and competent men The appointing power conferred by * Transferred to new county organizations. t Divided among other townships. (1) Aggregate population of county. the. Legislature upon the Commissioners and the court, although anti-republican in principle. seems to be, judging from the experience of the past, the pest calculated to secure efficiency and competency in office. Experience has shown that the less frequently changes are made, the better it is for the public service. The early records of the county show, under the appointing power but few changes. From 1820 until 1830, the duties of County Auditor were faithfully discharged by Solomon Smith, an honest and competent officer and he was succeeded by Gen. Sidney Moore. who efficiently and satisfactorily performed the duties of the office during the period of another decade. In 1822, Thomas Reynolds succeeded his brother-in-law. the Rev. Joseph Hughes. in the office of Clerk of the Court. which he retainer until 1838. when he voluntarily resigned. Mr Reynolds was a man remarkable for his personal attractions and possessed qualifications for public and official duties of it high order and his resignation of the office was a matter of universal regret with both bench anti bar, as well as with the public. The office of County Surveyor, for about twenty years (from 1822 to 1842 was filled by James Eaton, a skillful and accurate officer; he was subsequently promoted to the office of County Auditor and State Senator. Of those who figured most conspicuously in the early politics and in official stations were Joseph Eaton. Azariah Root, Solomon Smith, Elias Murray, Pardon Sprague. and Sidney Moore and his brother Emery Moore. During the eight years of the Administration of James Monroe (the fifth President). between the years 1817 and 1825. there was no party politics. This period in our national history has been called the "era of good feeling." and during; this time Delaware County seemed peculiarly favored and exempt from political animosity and strife. The Presidential election of 1824 wits attended with unusual excitement-probably the most ex- HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. - 213 citing of any election that had ever taken place in the country, with the exception of the Presidential election of 1800, which resulted in the success of Mr. Jefferson over the elder Adams. At this election the Presidential candidates were Gen. Jackson, of Tennessee; Henry Clay, of Kentucky; John Q. Adams, of Massachusetts, and William H. Crawford, of Georgia. Each of these distinguished gentlemen had his friends. who supported their favorite candidate from personal preference and not. from considerations of party. At that election Mr. Clay was the choice of the majority of the voters of Delaware County, as he was of a majority of the voters of the State of Ohio, but he was not elected. In the Electoral College, Gen. Jackson led Mr. Adams by a small plurality, and Mr. Crawford was in number the third on the list of candidates, and Mr. Clay was dropped from the canvass. Neither candidate having a majority of the electoral vote under the Constitutional rule, upon the House of Representatives devolved the duty of making choice of President, each State, by its delegation in Congress, casting one vote. Mr. Adams was chosen by the casting vote of the State of Kentucky. Mr. Clay was a member of the House of Representatives. and its Speaker, and it was doubtless owing to Ohio's great influence and popularity that the delegation from Kentucky was induced to cast the vote of that State for Mr. Adams, an Eastern man, in preference to Gen. Jackson a Western and Southern man. By that act. Mr. Clay was instrumental in organizing political parties that survived the generation of people to which he belonged, and ruled in turn the destinies of the Republic for more than a quarter of a century. In the new Cabinet. Mir. Clay was placed by Mr. Adams at the head of the State Department, which gave rise to the charge of "bargain and sale" between the President and his chief Secretary, that threw the country into a blaze of excitement from center to circumference. At this time no one doubts the patriotism and honesty of Henry Clay, but the charge was so persistently made by the partisans of Gen. Jackson, it greatly injured Mr. Clay in the public estimation, and contributed largely to the General's success in the Presidential race of 1828. At the Presidential election following, party lines were closely drawn between Gen. Jackson and Mr. Adams, but the result of a hot and bitter contest was a small majority for the Adams electoral ticket in the county, as there was in the State. Gen Jackson, the hero of New Orleans, was most triumphantly elected both by the electoral and popular vote, and on the following 4th of March, the political power and official patronage of the country passed into his hands. At this time parties were known here, as elsewhere throughout the country, as the Jackson and anti-Jackson party. Delaware was almost uniformly classed, by her vote, as anti-Jackson. In 1824, Gov. Jeremiah Morrow, anti-Jackson, was re-elected Governor of Ohio, receiving a small majority over Allen Trimble, of the same political faith, and his principal competitor. Capt. Elias Murray and Jackson, was, at the same election, returned to the House of Representatives, in the State Legislature, and re-elected in 1825. Allen Trimble was elected at the October election in 1826, to succeed Gov. Morrow, receiving quite a large majority in the county and State ; Pardon Sprague, anti-Jackson, was chosen successor to Capt. Murray in the State Legislature, and re-elected in 1827. In 1828, Gov. Trimble was re-elected over the Hon. John W. Campbell, the Jackson candidate, long a distinguished member of Congress from Ohio. Gov. Trimble's majority was little less than three thousand in the popular vote, and a little over two thousand in the county. Milo D. Pettibone, anti-Jackson, at the same election, was elected Mr. Sprague's successor in the Legislature. Mr. Campbell was a member of Congress when Mr. Adams was chosen President by the House of Representatives, and was known to be opposed to Mr. Adams and for Gen. Jackson. Immediately upon the accession of Gen. Jackson to the Presidency. Mr. Campbell was rewarded for his friendship and fidelity to the General's fortunes with the appointment of United States District Judge for the District of Ohio. While holding a term of his court in Columbus in the summer of 1833, he was taken suddenly ill, came to Delaware for the benefit of the sulphur - spring water, and in a few days died-we believe, of cholera. At the election in 1829, Col. B. F. Allen, who was known as a friend of the Administration, was returned to the Legislature. He was succeeded by Amos Utley, of Berkshire. in 1830. The Senatorial District of which Delaware County was a part, was composed of Crawford. Marion and Delaware Counties during this period, and from about the year 1828 to the year 1832, Charles Carpenter, anti-Jackson a merchant living in Sunbury-then quite a young man, represented the district. He was from Luzerne County, in the Wyoming Valley, and the family connection in the eastern part of the county 214 - HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. was quite numerous and influential in its early history. Senator Carpenter subsequently moved West, we think to Missouri. where he held several official positions and died soon after the close of the late civil war. In 1831, Gen. .John Storm. who was anti-Jackson was elected to the Legislature by a small majority. over B. F. Allen, the .Jackson candidate. Gen. Storm obtained his military title by being elected by the Legislature to the office of Major General in the " Peace Establishment." He died before the close of his legislative term, greatly lamented by his constituents and a numerous family connection. He was quite young and his friends had predicted for him a successful political career. In the Presidential campaign of 1832 such was or had become. the popularity of Gen. Jackson, he swept everything before him. Col. James W. Crawford, who was a lieutenant in the company commanded by Capt. Elias Murray in the war of 1812, was elected as the Administration candidate the successor of Senator Carpenter, and Capt. John Curtis. Administration candidates was returned to the House of Representatives and re-elected in 1833. Gen. Sidney Moore was re-elected Auditor an his brother Emery, re-elected Sheriff The entire anti-Administration county ticket was elected, except the Whig, candidate for the Legislature. At the election in 1832, Robert Lucas, the Jackson candidate. was elected Governor over Darius Lyman, the candidate of the Clay ticket, by several thousand majority, although Delaware County cast a majority of her votes for Mr. Clay for President and Lyman for Governor. It was about this time that the two great parties assumed distinctive names. The Administration party took the name of Democrat and the opposition that of Whig. Delaware County was a Whig county. In 1834, Emery Moore was elected to the State Legislature and Gen. Andrew H. Patterson. then Postmaster at Delaware and a Democrat. was elected Sheriff as the successor of Mr. Moore. Gen. Patterson was a most remarkable man in many particulars. He was a saddler by occupation. and his education in early life had been neglected but he had great tact and shrewdness in the management of men and was the most successful electioneerer Delaware County ever had. He was re-elected Sheriff in 1836, and in 1838 was elected to the Legislature over Judge Hosea Williams Whig by a majority of twelve votes and in 1839 was elected by a majority of several hundred votes over Hon. T. W. Powell, the Whig candidate. Gen. Patterson met with pecuniary loses in late life, moved West, and it is believed he never retrieved his fortune. The Whigs carried the county in 1836 for Gen. William H. Harrison for President, and Joseph Vance. Whig. for Governor, over their opponents by large majorities, and the entire Whig ticket was elected. except Dr. Carney, the Whig candidate for the Legislature, who was defeated by Col. B. F. Allen. Democrat, by a majority of nine votes. The importance of one vote is to be seen in the result of this election. Upon the Legislature chosen in this election devolved the duty of, electing a Senator in Congress, to succeed the Hon. Thomas Ewing, whose term would expire the 4th of March following Mr. Ewing was a candidate for re-election and was the favorite of his party in Ohio, and the West. Col. Allen had known Mr. Ewing in early life. and his friends claimed, or represented in all parts of the county, that he would support Mr. Ewing if he were the choice of the county. On election day. printed petitions were presented at every election precinct for names asking the Representative to support Mr. Ewing for a re-election. The ruse accomplished its object. Col. Allen was selected by a majority of nine votes. and his vote elected the late Gov. William Allen over Mr. Ewing. To what extent, if at all. Col. Allen was a party to the fraud it is not known. He was a man of great firmness, but he was a zealous partisan, and possibly he may have yielded to the influence and demands of his party, his conviction of duty against his will although ordinarily an honest man. At the following election. in October 1837, Dr. Carney on the "Ewing Fraud," as it was called, was elected over Col. Allen by over a hundred majority; and in 1838, Allen was elected to the state Senate. It was in this election, the late Wilson Shannon Democrat, of Lawrence, Kan_ Was elected Governor of Ohio over Gov. Joseph Vance, Whig but the Whig ticket for the county offices was elected except judge Williams who was defeated by Gen. Patterson for Representative. In 1839, the entire Democratic ticket. for the first time after its organization, was elected, viz.: William W. Warner. Commissioner; Albert Picket. Jr.. Recorder; George W. Mark. Treasurer; and Morgan Williams, Assessor. The average majority for these candidates was 300. The "hard-cider" campaign of 1840, greatly increased the forces of the Whig party, and the Whig ticket was elected by an average majority of over 600. viz. : Emery Moore was again chosen to the State Legislature; Col. John F. Dunlap, County Auditor; Peleg HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. - 215 Banker, re-elected Sheriff, Horatio P. Havens, Commissioner. and D. T. Fuller, Prosecuting Attorney. It was during the memorable campaign of 1840, the "Liberty Party " was organized, and a ticket fir President and Vice President nominated. For several years previous, the antislavery agitation had been making, slowly but unmistakingly its deep impressions upon the public mind, and more especially the minds of the religious portion of the people, but it was not until about this period that the friends of the cause of emancipation proposed political action. James G. Birney , a former slaveholder of Kentucky, but then a resident of Michigan. was at the head of the ticket, and Thomas Morris, of Ohio, placed second. The electoral ticket for the candidates received about l00 votes in the county. This vote was taken principally from the Whig party. Four years later, the vote of this party was largely increased. This organization was possibly premature and misguided, but no party was ever actuated by loftier or purer motives. The Antislaverv movement. at that time, was not larger than the cloud the Hebrew prophet saw. that o rapidly spread over the whole heavens and filled the earth with refreshing showers. At this time no one expected to live to see the institution of negro slavery in America abolished, but in less than the period allotted by Providence to a generation of men, by an amendment to the Federal Constitution, slavery and involuntary servitude of every species, in all the States and Territories belonging to the American Union, was forever abolished. . But notwithstanding the drafts the Antislavery party. the Temperance party; and other parties from time to time, made upon the Whigs, they continued to be the dominant party until the repeal of the Missouri Compromise in 1854, which led to the organization of the Republican party, which then was and still is in the ascendency in Delaware County. As pertinent to the organization of the county and its political history, we append an abstract of the vote cast at the first regular election ever held in Delaware County, following it with a statement of the elections since the beginning of the war in 1861, as taken from the official vote. This statement shows merely the ticket elected in the county, and the majorities received by the State and National ticket. The vote cannot be given from the organization of the county, owing to the incompleteness of the records, and hence we begin with 1861, the most important epoch, perhaps, in the history of the county or the State. The first vote of the county. which was taken October 11. 1808. is as follows: To see the chart look at a hard copy of the history. The result of other elections were as follows 1861-David Tod. Governor. majority 1,224; Benjamin Stanton. Lieutenant Governor. 1,224; S. V. Dorsy, State Treasurer. 1,215; Isaiah Scott. Judge Supreme Court. 1,209; .J. R. Riley. Comptroller of Treasury, 1,215: B. B. Cowen, Secretary of State, 1,209; .John Torrence, Member of Board of Public Works. 1,210: T. C. Jones. Judge Common Pleas Court. 1,215: J. A. Sinnott. State Senator. 1,202: J. R. Hubbell. Representative, 216 - HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. 1,161; C. B. Paul, County Treasurer, 1,055; C. F. Bradley, County Commissioner, 4,027 (no opposition); Burton Moore, County Infirmary Director, 1,583. 1862-W. S. Kennon, Secretary of State, majority 417 ; F. T. Backus, Judge Supreme Court, . 408; C. N. Olds, Attorney General, 436; W. D. Henkle, School Commissioner, 440; J. B. Gregory, Member of Board Public Works, 514; J. H. Godman, Congress, 470; R. W. Reynolds, County Auditor, 41; B. C. Waters, Sheriff, 507 ; H. M. Carper, Prosecuting Attorney, 486; R. T. McAllister, County Commissioner, 427 ; Albert Worline, Infirmary Director, 320; B. F. Willey, Coroner, 463; G. C. Eaton, Surveyor (no opposition), 1,9'27 . 1863-John Brough, Governor, majority 908; Charles Anderson, Lieutenant Governor, 904; J. H. Godman, Auditor of State, 905 ; G. V. Dorsey. Treasurer of State, 899; H. H. Hunter, Judge Supreme Court. 903; J. M. Barrere, Member Judge Board Public Works, 899; J. R. Stanberry, State Senate, 898; J. R. Hubbell, Representative, 899; B. F. Loofbourrow. County Clerk, 918 ; Thomas W. Powell, Probate Judge, 877 ; G. P. Paul, County Treasurer. 907 ; A. R. Gould, Recorder. 915; W. T. Watson, County Court, 912; George Atkinson, Infirmary Director, 909. 1864-Abraham Lincoln, President, majority 630 ; Andrew Johnson, Vice President, 630 ; Horace Wilder, William White, Luther C. Day, Judges Supreme Court, average majority 923; H. Smith, Secretary of State, 937 ; W. P. Richardson, Attorney General. 926; P. Y. Hertzing, James Moore, Members of Board of Public Works, average majority 934; M. R. Brailey, Comptroller of Treasury, 924; J. R. Hubbell, Congress (no opposition), 2,604; O. D. Hough, Representative, 771; Charles Neil, County Auditor, 950 ; J. W. Ladd, Sheriff, 947 ; H. M. Carper, Prosecuting Attorney, 933; O. H. Williams, County Commissioner, 960; Ezra Riley, Infirmary Director, 928; E. C. Vining, Coroner, 891. 1865-J. D. Cox, Governor, majority 822; A. G. McBurney, Lieutenant Governor, 826; S. S. Warner, State Treasurer, 833; W. H. West, Attorney General, 831; James Moore, Member Board of Public Works, 832 ; J. A. Norris, School Commissioner, 828; Rodney Foos, Clerk of the Supreme Court, 832 ; Willard Warner, State Senator, 833 ; 0. D. Hough, Representative, 805 ; W. T. Watson, County Treasurer, 846 ; C. F. Bradley, County Commissioner, 819 ; James Cox, Infirmary Director, 806 ; W. M. Overturf, Infirmary Director, 815. 1866- W. H. Smith, Secretary of State, majority 876; Isaiah Scott, Judge of the Supreme Court, 874; J. M. Barrere, Member Board of Public Works, 873; C. S. Hamilton, Congress, 810; T. C. Jones, Judge of Common Pleas Court, 854 ; T. W. Powell, Probate Judge (no opposition), 4,288; Charles Neil, County Auditor, 881; B. F. Loofbourrow, County Clerk, 888; A. R. Gould, Recorder, 892; John S. Jones, Prosecuting Attorney; 869 ; J. W. Ladd, Sheriff, 845 ; S. P. Lott, County Commissioner, 885; Jacob Sheets. Infirmary Director, 865 ; S. Davidson, Surveyor. (no opposition), 2,833. 1867-R. B. Hayes, Governor, majority 416: John C. Lee, Lieutenant Governor, 411; J. H. Godman, Auditor State, 416 ; S. S. Warner. Treasurer State, 416 ; M. A. Brailey, Comptroller of Treasury, 418 ; W. H. West, Attorney General 414: John Welch. Judge Supreme Court, 417 : P. V. Hertzing, Board of Public Works, 416 ; Jay Dyer, State Senator, 379; A. E. Lee, Representative, 366 ; W. T. Watson, County Treasurer. 433: O. H. Williams. County Commissioner, 430 J. A. Armstrong, County Commissioner, 466: Ezra Riley, Infirmary Director, 429. 1868-U. S. Grant, President, majority 812: Schuyler Colfax, Vice President, 812; Isaac R. Sherwood, Secretary of State, 699; William White. Judge Supreme Court, 696 ; James Moore, Member Board of Public Works, 698; J. A. Norris, Commissioner of Schools, 694; Rodney Foos, Clerk of Supreme Court, 698; John Beatty, Congress, 690; J. F. Doty, County Auditor, 532; William Brown, Sheriff, 609 ; John S. Jones, Prosecuting ;Attorney (no opposition), 2,886 ; A. M. Fuller, County Commissioner, 594 ; James Cox, Infirmary Director, 618 ; B. A. Banker, Coroner, 634. 1869-R. B. Hayes, Governor, majority, 642 ; John C. Lee, Lieutenant Governor, 649; Luther C. Day, Judge Supreme Court, 648; S. S. Warner, Treasurer State, 650 ; F. B. Pond, Attorney General, 650 ; R. R. Porter, Member Board of Public Works, 646 ; M. M. Munson, State Senator, 640 ; T. F. Joy, Representative, 478 ; B. C. Waters, Probate Judge, 15 ; James Cox, County Treasurer, 398 ; B. F. Loofbourrow, Clerk of Court, 63 ; E. B. Adams, Recorder, 601; Charles Arthur, County Commissioner, 599 ; S. Davidson, Surveyor (no opposition), 4,286 ; Jacob Sheets, Infirmary Director, 634 ; George Nelson, Infirmary Director, 395 ; Hosea Main, Infirmary Director, 560. HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. - 217 1870-Isaac R. Sherwood, Secretary of State, majority 634; G. W. McIlvaine, Judge Supreme Court, 587 ; W. T. Wilson, Comptroller of Treasuay, 611 ; P. V. Hertzing, Member Board of Public Works, 601 ; John Beatty, Congress, 479 ; W. G. Williams, State Senator, 636 ; C. H. Kibler, Judge Common Pleas Court, 56 7 ; W. S. Wright, Board of Equalization, 521 ; J. F. Doty, County Auditor, 480; William Brown, Sheriff, 266 ; John S. Jones, Prosecuting Attorney, 517 ; A. A. Welch, Coroner, 519 ; Roswell Cook, County Commissioner, 491; M. L. Griffin, Infirmary Director, 543. 1871-Edward F. Noyes, Governor, majority 538 ; Jacob Mueller Lieutenant Governor, 483 ; W. H. West, Judge Supreme Court, 507 ; James Williams, Auditor of State, 520 ; Isaac Welch, Treasurer, 543 ; F. B. Pond, Attorney General, 406 ; Thomas H. Harvey, Commissioner of Schools, 583; Rodney Foos, Clerk Supreme Court, 539 ; S. R. Hosmer, Member of Public Works, 519 ; Thomas C. Jones; Judge of Common Pleas Court, 726; William McClelland. Judge Common Pleas Court, 540 ; T. B. Williams, State Senator, 958 ; Eugene Powell, Representative, 24 ; J. F. Doty, County Auditor, 164 ; James Cox, County Treasurer, 325; Hugh Cole. County Commissioner, 313 George -Nelson, Infirmary Director. 61. 1872-U. S. Grant. President, majority 703; Henry Wilson. Vice President, 703 ; A. T. Wikoff, Secretary of State, 397 ; John Welch, Judge Supreme Court. 406 ; R. R. Porter, Board Public Works, 398 ; J. W. Robinson, Congress, 369 ; B. C. Waters, Probate Judge, 263 : John Chapman, Clerk of Court, 153 : J. W. Crawford. Sheriff, 127 ; E. B. Adams. Recorder. 467 ; Jackson Ripple, Prosecuting Attorney, 362: Charles Arthur, County Commissioner, 405 : .John B. .Jones, Infirmary Director, 224 ; A. A. Welch, Coroner, 362 ; Samuel Davidson, Surveyor. 380. 1874-A. T. Wikoff, Secretary of State, majority, 75 ; Luther C. Day, Judge Supreme Court, 79 ; Rodney Foos, Clerk, 80; T. W. Harvey, Commissioner of Schools, 70 ; S. R. Hosmer, Board Public Works, 77 ; J. W. Robinson, Congress. 18 ; G. L. Sackett, Sheriff, 25 ; F. M. Marriott, Prosecuting Attorney, 239 ;Wells Andrews, County Commissioner, 7 ; Charles T. Grant, Infirmary Director, 85 ; M. L. Griffin, Coroner, 45. 1875-R. B. Hayes, Governor, majority 127 T. L. Young, Lieutenant Governor, 49 ; James Williams, Auditor of State, 81 ; J. M. Milliken, Treasurer, 113 ; T. E. Powell, Attorney General, 183 ; G. W. McIlvaine, Judge Supreme Court, 124 ; Peter Thatcher. Member Board Public Works, 122 ; Edwin Nichols, State Senator, 172 ; J. A. Carothers, Representative, 160 ; J. T. Evans, Clerk of Court, 153; F. B. Sprague, Probate Judge, 176 ; S. C. Conrey, County Auditor, 235 ; J. H. Warren, County Treasurer, 80 ; E. B. Adams, Recorder, 154 ; W. Seigfried, County Commissioner, 79 ; L. B. Dennison, Surveyer, 130 ; C. T. Grant, Infirmary Director, 30. 1876-R. B. Hayes, President, majority 464 ; W. A. Wheeler, Vice President, 464 ; :Milton Barnes, Secretary of State, 347 ; W. W. Boynton, Judge Supreme Court., 407 ; James C. Evans. Member Board Public Works, 312. ; John S. Jones, Congress, 479 ; J. D. Van Deman, Judge Common Pleas Court, 666 ; Jerome Buckingham. 479 ; John J. Glover, Prosecuting Attorney, 267 George L. Sackett, Sheriff, 457 ; Zenas Harrison, County Commissioner, 439 ; Henry C. Olds, Infirmary Director. 198: E. C. V Vining, Coroner, 459. 1877- R. M. Bishop, Governor, majority 118 J. W. Fitch, Lieutenant Governor, 299 ; J. W. Oakey, Judge Supreme Court, 79 ; R. J. Fanning; Clerk Supreme Court, 397 ; Isaiah Pillars, Attorney General, 78 ; A. Howells, Treasurer of State. 100 ; .I. J. Burns, School Commissioner, 71 ; M. Schilder, Member Board Public Works, 81 ; J. W. Owens, State Senator, 107 ; D. H. Elliott, Representative, 205 ; S. C. Conrey, County Auditor. 107 : J. H. Warren, County Treasurer, 729 ; N. R. Talley, County Commissioner, 216 ; G. W. Stover, Infirmary Director, 281. 1878-Milton Barnes, Secretary of State, majority 247 : William White, .fudge Supreme Court. 240: George Paul, Member Board Public Works, 241 Lorenzo English, Congress, 291; John Chapman, Clerk of Court, 576 ; F. B. Sprague, Probate Judge. 641 ; H. S. Culver, Prosecuting Attorney, 408 ; W. H. Cutler, Sheriff, 528 ; A. M. Rawn, Recorder, 699; A. H. Packard, County Commissioner, 618 ; L. B. Dennison, Surveyor (no opposition.) 2,582 ; Jonas Waldron, Infirmary Director, 55 ; J. W. N. Vogt, Coroner, 196. 1879-Charles Foster, Governor, majority 242; A. Hickenlooper, Lieutenant Governor, 225 ; W. W. Johnson, Judge Supreme Court, 285 ; J. T. Oglevee, Auditor of State, 265; G. K. Nash, Attorney General, 268 ; Joseph Turney, Treasurer of State, 307 ; James Fullington, Board of Public Works, 305 ; Thomas F. Joy, State Senator, 912; J. S. Jones, Representative, 255; Cicero Coomer 218 - HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. County Treasurer, 241 ; Zenas Harrison, County Commissioner, 189 ; John Shea, Infirmary Director 8. It was at least half a century after the first settlement made in Delaware County, before it was found necessary to ereet an almshouse or infirmary. Up to 1851 the pioneers of the county managed to provide for themselves, and would have scorned the idea of subsisting at public expense. How ever as the population increased in number; an individual was occasionally met with whose indolence and lack of energy finally grew into absolute indigence and want. Many families who had hard work to make both ends meet in the older settled States dazzled by the stories told of the Western country and how fortunes in this new. El Dorado were but waiting to be gathered in, had sold their few possession and come hither. They arrived in a wilderness. penniless instead of a land flowing with milk and honey as they had expected and their extravagant dreams were rudely swept away. When they found that here, as well as elsewhere labor and toil were required to provide the necessaries of life. As their children increased around them, and they found themselves growing old, they were at last reduced to the necessity of asking aid of others.. Their neighbors soon grew weary of lending assistance and presented the matter to the County Commissioners. In 1853 this august body composed at the time of Ezra Olds, O. D. Hough, and Joseph Cellars, appointed three Directors to investigate and provide for this unfortunate class of humanity. They appointed Horatio P. Havens, Amos Utley and William M. Warren, who thoroughly canvassed the subject; and consulted with the leading men of the county as too the propriety of purchasing a farm and erecting upon it suitable buildings for the poor. The Directors met the Commissioners, and, together, they agreed upon a future course with reference to an infirmary and county farm. Some time during the year 1854, they purchased of Joseph Blair 113 1/2, acres of land in Brown Township, about half a mile west of the village of Eden. and five and a half miles east of Delaware. The farm, at the time of its purchase. presented anything but a desirable aspect: being more or less covered with water, swamps and forests. There were no buildings on it to amount to anything; the roads leading to it were impassable most of the year, and just what induced the county officials to select, for this important institution a locality seemingly so unfavorable, appeared at the time, a problem not easily solved. But the wisdom of the purchase is more plainly visible now than at the time it was made. Since being cleared up and properly drained, the land proves of an excellent quality, and adapted to raising all kinds of grain, fruits and vegetables. During the year a substantial brick building was erected, forty by one hundred and forty feet in dimensions. The front part of it was used by the Superintendent, while the rear portion was devoted to the inmates. On the east and west sides were two large wings, two stories high and forty feet long, also used by initiates. The first flour of main building contained dining-rooms, kitchen; storeroom. washroom, etc., while, the upper stories were used as sleeping-rooms. The entire building had a large roomy basement and cellar. The yard in front of the institution is large, and presents a fine and picturesque appearance, with a beautiful little rivulet meandering through it. As yet there are very few trees or shrubs:. owing to the fact that it has been used as a flower and vegetable garden. A thrifty young orchard of choice fruits has been planted on the farm. and nothing left undone to contribute to the comfort and welfare of the unfortunates who are forced to pass their declining days on the charity of the county. It was found necessary. in 1856. to provide a prison for the insane. as the infirmary was not designed for this species of county charge. Accordingly, a building was erected just in the rear of the infirmary buildings, and was of stone and brick : the. windows were set in the walls high up from the ground, latticed with heavy iron bars. and the cell-doors; opening into small hallways. were thoroughly protected with iron gratings, and firmly secured by another door outside which was of wood This building was a small, pen like place, and extremely uncomfortable. It was, therefore, determined to build another and a more commodious one. The Legislature passed an act in 1874-75, authorizing the Commissioners to levy a tax. and the Directors to build "a prison for the insane." This new building is fifty feet long thirty feet wide and two stories high besides the basement, which is used as a furnace room. It is built large and commodious is provided with every modern improvement and convenience that can contribute to the comfort of its unfortunate inmates, and is fire-proof. The first and second stories are divided by large hallways. running through the center from one end to, the other, with cells on either side eight by ten feet, built of stone and brick. and secured HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. - 219 with iron doors and heavily barred windows. This building met the hearty approval of all, but was scarcely completed (at a cost of over $10,000 when the Legislature passed another act, authorizing the erection of to State Asylum for the Insane. When the State institution was completed. the inmates were removed from the County to the State Asylum, leaving the County Asylum a rather useless institution. The infirmary is in the charge of a Board of Directors who are elected by the people. They employ a Superintendent to manage the farm, the buildings, and the inmates. The salary of the, Superintendent, is at present. $450, and the county keeps him and his family, furnishing everything needed in the house and on the farm, except the clothing of the family. In 1870, a new purchase of 105 acres of land was made of John L. Thurston, which, added to the original farm makes quite a large tract. It is conceded by all, that the institution under the present administration. is in a most prosperous and flourishing condition. The first Superintendent was Eli Jackson, and the present one is M. M. Glass. The inmates in 1855, the first year after opening the institution were; twenty, and the expenses of the year $1,400. The administration has; so far, been marked by strict honesty and economy, and not the least fraud has ever been perpetrated. Those who have been chosen year after year by the people, to watch over and care for the poor and unfortunate, have been men of whom nothing but. good could be spoken. The physician is Dr. J. H. Smith. of Eden who attends to all the professional business for the stun of $200. The medicine is furnished by the county. The following is the report of 1878: Superintendent's salary ............................................. $450 00 Supplies for the poor inside ..................................... 5,814 57 Hired labor for the institution .................................... 696 00 Medicine and physician's salary ................................... 300 00 Total ......................................................................... $7,260 57 For the poor outside of the institution ....................... 4,700 03 Grand total .............................................................. $11,960 60 Average number of inmates for the year ............................. 84 Adults, males:......................................................................... 31 Children, " .............................................................................. 22 Adults, females .......................................................................25 Children " ............................................................................. 6 Corn raised on farm (bushels) ...........................................3,000 Wheat " " " " .................................................... 500 Oats " " " " ................................................ 1,000 Potatoes" " " " .................................................. 800 Fat hogs sold from the farm amounting to ......................... $400 (RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) |