WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 59 CHAPTER XII. TRANSACTIONS OF THE COMMISSIONERS- CHANGE OF OFFICERS- ENTRIES IN THE PIONEER RECORD BOOK- TAX LEVIES- ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW TOWNSHIPS- EARLY COURT HOUSES- THE "TEN-YEARS' WAR"- QUESTION OF REMOVING THE COUNTY SEAT FROM PERRYSBURG TO BOWLING GREEN- SUNDRY INDICTMENTS, ETC. IT was the intention of the writer to group, in one chapter, the doings of the commissioners, from 1820 to 1895; but this intention was cast aside in favor of distributing the transactions throughout the local chapters with which they were specially associated, and, for this reason, what promised to be one of the most exhaustive chapters of this volume now embraces only incidents, which were not apportioned to the histories of the bench and bar, the soldiers and the townships. No apology is offered for these concise and dry relations; for, with the foregoing chapters (from the pen of Mr. Evers), dealing with the most interesting years in Ohio's history, the reader must be prepared to meet the matter-of fact details of the history of Wood county. In December, 1820, John E. Hunt took the place of W. H. Ewing on the Commissioners' board, and in the new organization was made clerk. Beyond a short meeting, held in June, 1821, to inquire into the treasurer's accounts, and one in December of that year, to order a payment of $12.50 for the use of court house, nothing of importance was considered, until March 4, 1822, when they appointed Thomas W. Powell auditor, to fill a vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Ambrose Rice, taking his bond for $2,000. On that occasion, they declared the township of Waynesfield within the jurisdiction of Wood county, to be co-extensive with the counties of Wood and Hancock, and the township of. Auglaize with the counties of Williams, Henry, Putnam and Paulding. At this term, the proposal of Almon Gibbs to give the use of the upper part of his store for court purposes, on condition that his county, tavern and ferry tax be paid by the county, was accepted. In June, 1822, Samuel Spafford, appointed by the court in May previous, took his place as commissioner, vice Hubbell, resigned. Walter Colton was appointed treasurer, and his bond for $2,000 was accepted; while David Hull qualified as collector of State and county taxes. On September 2, 1822, the death of Almon Gibbs, one of the State road commissioners, is noticed in the record, and the appointment of Francis Charters the same day as his successor, is recorded, while Daniel Hubbell was also appointed to take up the unfinished work of the pioneer, on the State road, from the town of Maumee to Fort Defiance, and thence westward. The last session of the commissioners, held at Maumee, was that of September 2, 1822, while the first held at Perrysburg was that of March 3, 1823, when Hiram P. Barlow, Samuel Spafford and John Pray, were present. On that occasion the offer of Guy Nearing and Daniel Hubbell to erect county buildings for the sum of $895.00 was accepted, and, after some routine business, Aurora Spafford was appointed treasurer to succeed Colton, the bond being made at $3,000. Sixteen days later, the board assembled to view the jail building, which had been moved from Maumee to Perrysburg, where it was rebuilt by Daniel Hubbell, who received only $48 for the whole work of razing, moving and reconstructing. A sum of $25 was ordered to be expended on repairing it. These transactions, with the order to sell105lots at Perrysburg, by auction, on May 26,1823, for the use of the county, at a minimum price of $2o a lot- one-fourth of which was to be paid in cash and the cancellation of a contract with Thomas R. McKnight, to furnish a court room to the county for ten years, completed the first work of the commissioners at the new county seat. The appointment of Francis Charter, as collector, was made June 2, 1823, his compensation being fixed at the rate of six per cent. of the sum collected. Aurora Spafford was reappointed treasurer, who reported that he redeemed orders issued by the commissioners to the amount of $408.3 5. The terms of sale of lots at Perrysburg were made more popular, but the Act providing for placing the transfer of town lots on 60 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. the county records was ordered to be enforced, and the name of Commissioner Barlow to be used as prosecutor for the county. Let us look back three-quarters of a century to the first financial doings of the commissioners, and measure, if we can, how far the compensation offered by the new county was in accord with the work performed for her. In FF. 30-31-32 and 33 of Wood county's pioneer record book, the story of her first servants and of the moneys paid to them is told in cold figures. Let the form of the entries of orders be observed: C. J. McCurdy, May 5, 1820 . . . . . . . . . . $10 00 Thomas R. McKnight, May 5, 1820. . .. . . 28 00 C. J. McCurdy, May 5, 1820 . . . . . . . . . . . 10 00 Hunt & Forsyth, May 5, 1820 . . . . . . . . . .. 16 12 Almon Gibbs, May 5, 1820. . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 25 Seneca Allen, May 5,1820. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 50 George Patterson, May 5, 1820 . . . . . . . . . . 2 00 S. Allen, May 5,1820 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 00 H. Slawson, May 5. 1820 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 50 James H. Slawson, May , 1820 . .. . . . . . . . . 1 50 John E. Hunt (lister) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 25 Thomas Driver (lister). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 00 George C. White (guard). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 00 Ezra Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Norman L. Freeman (roads). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 75 James Carlin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 00 James Slawson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 75 Samuel H. Ewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Thomas McIlrath. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 50 Ephraim H. Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 00 Thomas Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Jacob Wilkison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 12 David Hull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 00 Wilson Vance (cancelled) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 50 John Perkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 00 Andrew Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 50 Samuel Ewing . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 50 Guy Nearing (juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 00 James Thomson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 00 George Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 15 David Hull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .2 90 Almon Gibbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 00 Salmon Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 10 Salmon Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 61 Francis Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 00 Guy Nearing (work on jail) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 50 William Griffith (work on jail) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 00 James Carlin (work on jail) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 50 Jacob Wilkison (work on jail) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 50 Peter G. Olliver (work on jail)..: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 00 Seneca Allen (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 Dexter C. Gunn (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 David Bucklen (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 50 David W. Hawley (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 Samuel Spafford (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 Guy Nearing (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 50 Thomas Learning (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 00 Artemus Underwood (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 4 50 John E. Hunt (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 50 James Carlin (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 00 Thomas McIlrath (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 Jacob Wilkison (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 John Jay Lovett (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 William Hunter (labor at jail) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 00 George Patterson (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 Wilson Vance (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 James Hunter (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 Hiram P. Barlow (grand juror) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 50 Guy Nearing (work on jail) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 50 James H. Slawson (services at court) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 75 George Patterson (keeping Jones) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 50 Daniel Hubbell (services at jail) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 50 William Griffith (attendance on court) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 00 Almon Gibbs (jurors' room) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 00 Seneca Allen (auditor's fees) . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 10 50 Daniel Hubbell (clerk to court) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 37 Horatio Conant (judge of common pleas) . . . . . . . . . . . 18 00 Samuel Vance (associate judge) . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 15 00 Daniel Hubbell (commissioner) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 37 Samuel H. Ewing (commissioner). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 87 Samuel Vance (iron for jail) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 75 John Pray (commissioner) . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 12 Peter G. Oliver (judge) . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 00 David Hull (sheriff) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 44 D. Hubbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 25 W. Vance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 50 S. H. Ewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 25 Seneca Allen (auditor) . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 3 00 J. Richardson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 00 G. Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 9 32 The orders represent the pay for work which would, today, cost ten times as much. The record is valuable not only as a souvenir of the first public servants of the Black Swamp, but also for purposes of comparison. In December, 1823, the commissioners asked John Shelby, representative in the State Legislature, and Joseph Vance, Congressman, to obtain for the county a complete title to the forfeited lots and to the common at Perrysburg.. The acceptance of the court house on March 15, 1824, and the tender of any unsold lots, at the county seat, for $15 each, to the contractors in lieu of cash, for the balance due them, formed the work of the board. In June of that year, Aurora Spafford was re-appointed treasurer, and Daniel Hubbell, collector. The former reported $333.5541 as paid into the treasury, while a balance of $553.42 was due to the court-house builders, who were again offered ten lots for $12 each to pay part of that indebtedness. In the closing month of the year, repairs on the jail were authorized. In June, 1825, Jonathan H. Jerome was appointed collector, and the old treasurer was reappointed. A special tax, equal to one-fourth of all the county levies, was ordered, to pay off the court-house debt, as the revenue of the treasurer's office was only $488.66 for the year. In December, the financial question was so pressing that the sale of lots at $12 each was ordered, and the trustees of the town of Perrysburg-T. R. McKnight, Walter Colton and Samuel Spafford were authorized to sell at any time, prior to June 1, 1826, Inlots 151, 162 and 175 for $3o in all, said lots to be devoted to burial purposes. In June, 1826, a radical advance in taxation was made, being one per cent. on the grand levy, one-half of one per cent, for road purposes, and one-half of a mill on the dollar for school purposes. At that time, the treasurer reported the receipt of $498.86 3-10 for the fiscal year. Ambrose Rice WOOD COUNTY, OHIO - 61 was appointed collector, and the receipt of $309.12 of the "Three Per Cent. Fund," acknowledged. In August, 1826, the question of finishing and re-paving the court house was debated, and the work of lathing and plastering and general furnishing was awarded to John McKnight, whose bid of $225 was the lowest. Jacob Wilkison ultimately was given another part of the work on a bid of $294.00. Ambrose Rice was appointed county assessor in March, 1827. In June following, Inlots 10 to 14-31 to 42-55 to 66-79 to 90-103 to 114-127 to 138-152 to 161 and 176 to 185,- inclusive,-in all 84 lots were appropriated for a poor-house building and garden. Elijah Hunting was appointed treasurer, the tax levy was placed at eight mills for general purposes, three mills for roads and one-half of one mill for schools. In August, 1827, the contract for furnishing the jail was awarded, the bid being $486. In June, 1828, the court house was finished, and about the same time Elisha Martindale, the assignee of Lakin, offered the jail for acceptance. There was no school tax levied in 1829. In this year the commissioners ordered that the Act of Legislature, providing for improving the breed of sheep, be adopted by the county. In December, 1830, the name of the township of Ottawa, established on June 14, of that year, was changed to "Weston," and the first. election ordered to be held at Edward Howard's house. At this session Waterville township was established, the resignation of Auditor and Clerk Powell was accepted, and James W. Robinson was appointed in his place. In January, 1831, the new auditor resigned to accept the office of clerk of court, when John C. Spink was appointed, John Webb and Daniel H. Wheeler being his bondsmen. Another appointment was also made necessary at that time by the death of Recorder Thomas R. McKnight. James W. Robinson succeeded him, thus having filled the offices of auditor, clerk of commissioners, clerk of court and recorder successfully within a brief period. In March, 1832, it was resolved to build a stockade around the jail, and this was done. A few months after the general tax was placed at five mills, the road tax at three mills, and the school tax at one mill, the last being one-fourth of a mill more than the school law demanded. The first sidewalk was mentioned at the June session, when the pathway in front of the court house was ordered to be paved or flagged. Many new roads were authorized that year, and, in December, Middleton township was established. Townships 3 and 4 in Range 12, and Township 3, in Range 11, were set off under the name of Perry, and some territory was detached from Middleton and attached to Portage, in June, 1833. At this time, the general tax was placed at four mills, and the road tax at three mills, while nothing is recorded of a school tax. On December 16, 1833, the sale of 201 inlots at Perrysburg to Ambrose Rice for $1,025, was negotiated. In March, 1834, Joshua Chappel succeeded Rice as county assessor, and, in November, 1834, Guy Nearing, Joshua Chappel and John C. Spink were named as members of a board of equalization. The establishment of Montgomery, Freedom and Troy townships dates back to December 1, 1834. Congressional Township 4, R. 12, was called Montgomery, and the election ordered to be held at Guy Morgan's house; Congressional Township 5, R. 12, was called Freedom, and the house of Michael N. Myers made the place of meeting, while Township 6, R. 12, was named Troy, and the polling place fixed at Thomas Learning's house. In February, 1835, the proposal to erect a building, to include the old jail, was recorded, and on March 2 the contract was awarded to Levi Tilton for $650. The contract does not appear to have been carried out, for in May, 1836, the question was revived. Liberty township was established on the latter day to embrace Congressional Townships 3 and 4 of R. 11o, and the place of meeting fixed at Henry Grove's house. At the same time Township 5, R. 11, was named Center, with the polling place at Adam Phillips' house; Township 3, R. 11, was named Bloom, with place of meeting at the house of Frederick Frankfather; Wing township, with its irregular lines, was to hold its first meeting at C. L. Wing's house, and Plain township at Henry Walker's house, in "what is now Bowling Green. In June, 1835, Sections 25 to 30, inclusive, were taken from the south end of Wing and attached to Waterville township. That day Willard V. Way was appointed auditor, to succeed J. C. Spink. Ten days later a bell belonging to Perrysburg was offered to the county on condition that it should be hung on the court house. Townships 3 and 4, in R. 9, were set off to form Milton township, on June 11, and the place of meeting fixed at Morrison McWilliam's house. On June 13, Horatio Conant was, appointed to appraise School Section 16, in Township 3, of the Twelve Mile Reservation, this being the first reference to such lands in the records of the commissioners. On the same day the general tax was placed at three mills, the road tax at two mills and the school tax at one- 62 - WOODS COUNTY, OHIO quarter mill, plus the three-quarter-mill tax demanded by the school law. In December, 1835, County-Surveyor Hiram Davis was ordered to procure the United States field notes for Townships 3 and 4, Range 11; of 4 and 5, R. 12, and of 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the U. S. Reserve at the Foot of the Rapids, and also of the additional survey of Perrysburg and of the Maumee and Western Reserve road in Wood county. In that month, also, the auditor, W. V. Way, was allowed $315.07 as salary, while the first claim for damages for running a road through Eben Wilson's farm was considered, and the first keeper of Wood county's standard measure was appointed in the person of Addison Smith. In March, 1836, Montgomery township was authorized to elect school trustees. E. B. Eagle was auditor at that time, but his death and the appointment of W. H. Sloane as his successor are noticed in the minutes under date of May 6. The new auditor and the new commissioners cast aside the old rawhide-covered volume, venerable as the first record-book of Wood county, bearing all the earmarks of official life for her first fifteen years, and telling much about the work of the pioneers in laying the foundations of her prosperity. In September, 1836, the commissioners gave notice that on October 11 they would consider proposals for building a court house. On December 5 the petition for the establishment of a new township was discussed, and Congressional Township No. 3, R. 1o, was set off under the name of Henry township. In February, 1837, the auditor was instructed to advertise in The Miami of the Lake for bids for building a court house. - Washington township was established June 5, 1837. Two days later, the county tax was placed at seven and one-half mills, the road tax at four mills, and the school tax at one and one-half mills on each dollar of assessed value. On June 5, 1838, the board ordered a deed to be given to the town of Perrysburg for lots 151, 162 and 175, formerly granted for burial purposes, and on the following day that all other lots owned by the county, with the exception of the two lots on which the new court house was building, should be offered for sale on September 1. The establishment of Troy township, and the rejection of a petition from Middleton, asking the annexation of that township to Washington, are recorded under date of December 3, 1838. On April 23, 1839, the Act authorizing Wood county to subscribe $1100,00o to the capital stock of the Perrysburg & Bellefontaine Railroad Company was observed by the commissioners, who signed the books at Perrysburg for, one thousand $100 shares. They appointed David Ladd, of Perrysburg, agent to borrow that ,sum at six per cent. At the same time David C.. Doane was appointed agent to borrow $5,000 for court-house-building purposes under the special Act of the Legislature. At the June session of 1839, a tax levy of seven mills for county purposes, three for road purposes, one for bridge purposes and two for school purposes was authorized. Twelve sections were attached to Perrysburg, and Hiram Davis was paid $30 for a map of the county. In December, Morrison McMillan succeeded Doane as agent in the matter of borrowing the $5.00o alluded to above. Notice was given to the electors of Fractional Township No. 6, original survey, to meet at the school house on Section 32, on April 28, 1840, to organize that township (Middleton). In June, 1840, the petition for the establishment of Congressional Township No. 3, R. 9, under the name of Jackson, was granted, and the place of meeting fixed at John Dubb's house. The tax levy, of five mills for county purposes, three for road purposes, one for school, two for bridge and two for interest, or thirteen mills on the dollar, was ordered. In December, 1840, David Ladd surrendered his commission as agent. to borrow $100,000, and his bill of $108 was paid. In June, 1841, River Tracts 56, 57, 58, 59, and fractional part of Section 16, lying on the southwest side of the Maumee in Township 1, U. S. Reserve, twelve miles square, M. R. L. E.,were attached to Perrysburg township (though the territory was attached to Middleton in the former year). At the Junesession of 1841, county tax of five mills; school, two; road, three; bridge, two; special for finishing court house, three; interest, two, and State, five, or a total of twenty-two mills, were authorized. On December 8, 1842, the court house was completed and occupied. In December, 1844, the s. of Section 36, Township 6, R. 10, and the s. of Section 31, Township 6, R. 11, were set off to Plain and Center. The attachment of Sections 3 and 10, in Township 5, N. R. 10 E. of Washington township to Plain township was ordered March 3, 1845. On June 3, 1845, the commissioners ordered Township 5, R. 9, to be set off and organized as a separate township, the meeting to be held at John Crew's house. The business of the year 1845 was principally given up to petitions for new roads, alterations of roads and settlements with the contractors on the Perrysburg & Findlay, and on the Kenton turnpike. On March 16, 1846, the commissioners, act- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 63 ing under the Act of March 2, that year, divided Wood county into four Assessors' Districts, as follows: Perrysburg and Lake townships, No. 11 - Jairus Curtis, assessor; Perry, Montgomery, Freedom, Troy and Center, No. 2-Thomas Eisenhaur, assessor; Portage, Bloom, Liberty, Henry and Jackson, No. 3- Francis Carrothers, assessor; and Milton, Weston, Washington, Middleton and Plain, No. 4- Michael Sypher, assessor. Special taxes for roads were common in 1844-45 and 1846-47, such part of the public business requiring the earnest study of the board. In June, 1846, the board purchased Inlot 21o at Perrysburg for the purpose of building a jail thereon. On July 7, John W. Woodbury was awarded the masonry work for $800, and the whole cost was estimated at $2,150, including Henry Thornton and Daniel Lindsay's contract, for all work outside the mason's contract, $1;022, and O. H. Carpenter's contract for iron work, amounting to $150. W. Huston and George Powers purchased each a half of the old courthouse lot. On June 17, 1847, the extraordinary levy for county, school, bridge and road purposes was ordered, and a detailed record made in the journal, showing specifically the application of the moneys to be levied. In December, 1847, the masonry work on the new jail was accepted, but on June 7, 1849, Woodbury petitioned for relief against losses sustained in carrying out his contract, owing to the manner in which the commissioners hurried forward his work. This petition won for him an additional $1100, to which his partner, S. N. Beach, waived all claims. The Act of January 13, 1829, - To Improve the Breed of Sheep," was ratified and adopted by the commissioners, March 5, 185o. In December of that year they remitted a fine of $100, imposed by Common Pleas upon Nelson H. Emmons for bigamy, provided that the guilty one would pay into the treasury the costs incurred by the county and interest thereon, within a year. In 1852, David Ross, Lewis F. Dubbs, Henry L. Wood and John Russell were appointed assessors of the districts in the order given. In December, 1853, several citizens were paid for their services in surveying and appraising swamp lands and laying out ditches on the same. On March 18, 1854, the board summarily declared vacant the office of sheriff, because Thomas L. Webb, the sheriff-elect, would not give $5,000 bail in addition to his official bonds. The coroner was notified to assume the office, discharge its duties and to furnish additional bonds for $7,000. Under this order, John Elder, the coroner, qualified on March 29, 1854. Congressional Township 3, N. R. 12 E. (Perry), was ordered to be organized April 7, 1854, for the purpose of taking charge of school lands. On September 7, ditches 27 to 36, were authorized as well as the clearing out of a natural water course. William Noel succeeded to the office of sheriff on December, 1854. A petition from the residents of Gilead was considered in December, 1855, and subsequently granted. About the same time, Township 3, N. R. 12 E. (Perry), was ordered to elect school trustees and treasurer to take charge of Section 16. In March, 1856, James W. Ross qualified as treasurer. In June, notices were given that holders of protested county orders would be paid with interest at 20 per cent. The appointment of Nathan W. Minton to re-survey the Wood-Sandusky line was made in September, 1858, and with this the commissioners appear to have ceased to consider everything save roads, ditches, bridges and finances. In 186o Addison Smith qualified as auditor. In June of that year the portion of the Toledo and Woodville plank road, in Wood county, was surrendered to this county, and accepted by the commissioners. At the same time, Congressional Township 4, N., R. 11 E., was established, and an election for school trustees and treasurer ordered to be held at the Johnson school house, under the authority of the law of March 14, 1831. In September, 1860, E. Graham qualified as treasurer, his bonds being $75,000. Not until June 7, 1862, is there a reference made to the Civil war. . On that date, the commissioners dealt with the Military Relief Fund, giving orders for $2,057 to 158 soldiers' families. On June 11o, the contract for building an addition to the jail was awarded to Henry Thornton, while the carpenter's work was awarded to Josiah Miller. On June 1, 1863, there were 388 soldiers' families in the county, to whom relief orders were issued for $2,716. In. 1864 the commissioners dealt with the Military Bounty Fund, and in March paid out $2,737 of the Relief Fund, and in June, $1,823. In June, 1865, a sum Of $4,134 was ordered to be distributed among the families of soldiers. The transactions of 1865 were confined to the establishment of an infirmary; to the building of court house, jail and offices at Bowling Green; to ordinances for ditches and roads; and to the financial affairs of the county-military, bounty and relief matters requiring much attention. In the pages devoted to county buildings the acts of the board in relation to county-seat matters are reviewed; while, in the military chapter, refer- 64 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO ences are made to the aid given by the county in men and money. The removal of the county seat entailed much work upon the commissioners. In the winter of 1865-66 a petition was presented to the Legislature for authority to vote on the question of removing the seat of justice from Perrysburg to Bowling Green. Though Mayor H. L. Wood, of Troy township, then representative, opposed the petition, a bill was passed, and duly signed, authorizing a vote on the subject. Then began that bitter, but bloodless, struggle known as the "Ten Years' War." On October 1, 1866, there was filed in the auditor's office a bond for $15,000, given by the following named citizens: A. Ordway, G. J. Rogers, Norton Reed, S. L. Boughton, Jeremiah Kitchen, D. L. Hixon, Franklin Sears, David Cargo, Alfred Thurstin, G. Z. Avery, M. Fuller, A. Fay, William Hood, James Hood, A. Selkirk, L. H. Burns, William Wakefield, Hugh Cargo, A. A. Thurstin, G. W. Smith, J. V. Owens, Darius Skinner, William Gorrill, Jacob Hartman, J. Hall, J. W. Tooker, Clinton Fay, L. Moore, S. G. Foot, R. A. Dunbar, Henry Lundy, Henry Hoff, Peter Klopfenstein, J. Howells and A. D. Pernot. This bond provided for a donation of ground and buildings for county purposes as good as the buildings at Perrysburg, should the people vote for the transfer of the county seat to Bowling Green. The question of removing the county seat from Perrysburg to Bowling Green was submitted to a vote October 9, 1866. Joshua Chappel and A. L. Fowler, justices of the peace, canvassed the vote, and declared that 2,176 citizens voted against the project, 2,454 for it, and 17 for removal to any point. The vote by townships is given as follows, the first figures representing the opponents, and the second, the friends of Bowling Green: Perrysburg, 817 against and 17 for; Lake, 163-3; Troy, 176-15; Freedom, 28-164; Montgomery, 58-271; Perry, 3-265; Bloom, 0-263; Portage, 21-180; Center, 1-261; Middleton, 168-58; Washington, 223-21; Plain, 7-333; Liberty, 36-151; Henry, 0-117; Jackson, 0-47; Milton, 116-99; Weston, 291 -86; and Webster, 68-103. This election was carried out under authority of an Enabling Act of the Legislature. Then followed the case of John Powers, contestor, vs. Norton Reed et al., contestees, before judge Mott, in March, 1868, which was continued to June 2, 1868, when a complete canvass of the votes showed 2,390 for removal, and 2,265 against, or a majority of 125 for Bowling Green. Judge Mott denied a motion for a new trial, and taxed the contestor $11,086.16 costs; but notice of appeal to the district court was entered by the contestor. On August 30, 1869, William White, judge of the supreme court, Alexander S. Latty, James Pillars and James McKenzie, judges of common pleas, assembled and entered the following judgment: "The court being fully advised in the premises, * * it is considered, and ordered that the petition in error be dismissed, and the same is hereby dismissed, and that the said John Powers pay the costs herein taxed at $35.70. And it is further ordered that a special mandate be sent to said Court of Common Pleas of Wood county to carry this judgment into execution. You are therefore commanded, that without delay, you cause the aforesaid judgment of our said District Court, to be carried into complete execution." On July 1, 1869, John Powers sought to hold an injunction against the commissioners in the matter of removal, but judge Pillars vacated the injunction. On October 7, 1870, the injunction suit by Powers against the commissioners was dismissed by judge Pillars, and the costs taxed against the county. The county-seat meetings held at Bowling Green, March 21 and 23, 1868, considered the petition presented by Perrysburg to the Legislature, and a statement of the claims of Bowling Green was ordered to be prepared and signed by the subscribers to the court-house-building fund, to be presented to the Legislature by Joseph Hollington and R. A. Dunbar. An organization of the Bowling Green interests was made with J. R. Rudulph, president; John W. Canary, vice-president; E. H. Hull, secretary; S. L. Boughton, treasurer; N. Reed, G. J. Rogers, S. L. Boughton, Joseph Hollington and A. A. Thurstin, executive committee. These officials were given charge of the Bowling Green interests in toto, so far as obtaining the county seat was concerned, and at once considered the location, donations of land being offered as follows: A. Ordway, an acre on the west side of Main street; N. Reed, an acre on Wooster street, and A. Thurstin, an acre on Summit and Thurstin streets. In June, 1868, ground was broken for foundations; on July 4 the corner stone was placed, and by October 23 the walls were completed under the superintendence of Norton Reed. In February, 1869, the bill against removal was dismissed in the State Supreme Court, but opposition was thoroughly quieted even then. On March 9, 1868, the commissioners ordered that a levy of $10,000 be made for the purposes WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 65 of building a court house at Bowling Green. On the same day a levy of $8,000 for the erection of necessary county offices was authorized, and a third levy of $5,000 for the construction of a jail. On March 5, the orders for levying the $8,000 and $5,000 taxes were rescinded. Work on the court house was carried on in December, 1869, when $441 was paid to A. Ordway on account, and on January 25, 1870, the commissioners notified the county officers that the court house and jail were ready for occupancy, specified the rooms assigned to each department, and ordered all books, etc., to be packed and moved to their new home. Judge G. C. Phelps, of the probate court, observed the order of the commissioners, and located at Bowling Green at that time. Not until April was the transfer wholly effected. On April 12, 1870, the commissioners met at Bowling Green, but, owing to the work of removal of books, adjourned to the 19th, when the first business was transacted here. In June, 1870, lot 151, north of the jail lot, was purchased for $175, and made a part of the public grounds. In August, 1871, a well was drilled in the courthouse grounds, and the contract for vaults was awarded to A. Ordway for $1,340. In 1872, after John Norris, of Perry township, took his place in the Legislature, a bill providing for reopening the county-seat question was introduced. He opposed the measure, and it was defeated. In the session of 1873-4 Nathan Hatfield, the successor of Norris, introduced a similar bill, which passed its several stages, and again called the voters of the county into this troublous question. The law providing for a vote for the removal of the county seat from Bowling Green to Perrysburg was approved March 17, 1875, and in October following 4,826 votes were cast for removal, and 4, 555 against removal. The vote of Perrysburg town and township was cast out, and Bowling Green held its place as the capital of the county. A new bill for removal passed the State Senate on March 31, 1876, by a vote of 19 to 12, but the subject may be said to have rested there. The commissioners in session March 7, 1871, adopted the following resolution against the attempt made by Lucas county to annex a part of Wood county: "Whereas, a bill is pending in the Legislature of the State of Ohio, introduced by a member thereof, of an adjoining county, having in view the annexation of a portion of Wood county to Lucas; therefore, Resolved: That the territory of our county should be maintained intact, and that we regard the efforts of any and all persons outside of our county to sever any portion thereof from the same as uncalled. for, and in our opinion cannot be carried by a. vote of the county; and that we hereby protest against and oppose any and every act and effort having in view such severance." To follow up their work in the matter of ditches, roads, etc., is beyond the limits of this chapter-it would not be necessary--it would be extravagant. Millions of dollars have been levied by general and special taxation, and it may be said that ninety-six per centum of the great sum has been expended judiciously under the direction of the commissioners whose names are given in other pages. It is unnecessary to go into the details of the indictments, entered in 1895, against one ex-commissioner, the three men in office, and in May of that year others connected with the court-house construction. The records of the auditor show how far the members of the board were vindicated; while the action of Prosecuting-Attorney Murphy in December, 1895, tells the balance of the story. Prior to December 6, 1895, a none prosequi was entered on each of the following indictments: No. 1331, against Knight, Gibson and Gundy, for letting the heating contract with out advertising for bids. No. 1333, against Stahl, Knight and Gibson, for levying a tax for the new court house without first submitting the same to the voters. No. 1334 against the same, for letting the contract for the treasurer's vault, without first advertising for bids. No.1335, against Knight, Gibson and Gundy, two counts; first for allowing Auditor Wilson $600 as compensation for keeping the new court-house journal; second, for falsely stating on their journal that the prosecuting attorney had instructed them that they had a right to do so. No. 1337, against Contractor Townsend, for fraudulently changing the stone usedin the court house. No.1338, against Yost & Packard, for permitting such change of stone. How much farther the people and courts may go toward undoing any wrong, which political zeal may have inflicted, is foreign to this work. RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE