Columbiana County, Ohio - Civil List, 1879

Civil List

The following is a list of the first civil officers of the Northwest Territory as organized in 1788, and of citizens of Columbiana County who have served as national, State, judicial, and county officers, including a complete schedule of territorial and State governors from 1788 to 1880.

In The Nation Members Op The United States House Op Representatives

In other sessions of Congress, the county of Columbiana has been represented by members chosen from other counties in the same district, as follows :

Territorial And State Governors

(a) Arthur St. Clair, of Pennsylvania, was governor of the Northwest Territory , ot which Ohio was a part, from July 13, 1788, when the first civil government was established in the Territory, until about the close of the year 1802, when lie was removed by the President.

(c) Return Jonathan Meigs was elected governor on the second Tuesday of October, 1807, over Nathaniel Massie, who contested the election of Meigs, on the ground that " he had not been a resident of this State for four years next preceding the election, as required by the constitution," and the General Assembly, in joint-convention, declared that he was not eligible. The office was not given to Massie, nor does it appear, from the records, that he claimed it, hut Thomas Ivirker, acting governor, continued to discharge the duties of tlie office until Dec. 12, 1808, when Samuel Huntington was inaugurated, lie having been elected on the second Tuesday of October in that year.

( <7 ) The result of the election in 1848 w-as not finally determined in joint convention of the two houses of General Assembly until Jan. 19, 1849, and the inauguration did not take place until the 22d of that month.

Commissioner Op Common Schools

Hon. W. D. Henkle was State commissioner of common schools in 1869 and 1870, and is the only person ever chosen to the head of a department in the State administration from the county of Columbiana.

State Representatives

1S13-14. - Thos. Rigdon (was a school-teacher and Baptist preacher), John Young (lived in New Lisbon and kept hotel). 1814r-15. - Thomas Rigdon, David Hanna, Fairfield.

Judiciary

The county of Columbiana has furnished no representative to the bench of the Supreme Court under either the first or second constitution. The following have been the president and associate judges under the first constitution, 1802 :

Judges Op Common Pleas, Ninth Judicial Disthict.J. Judges Op Probate

The following were elected in October preceding the earliest dates named, respectively for terms of three years, beginning and ending in February:

Under the first constitution the clerks of the courts were also clerks of probate. The following served for the periods named respectively :

Reasin Beall, 1803 to April, 1813 ; Horace Potter, until August term, 1828; Charles D. Coffin, until May term, 1838; William E. Russell, until May term, 1845; Samuel B. McKenzie, until 1852.

The following persons have served in the several county offices named, and were in most cases elected in October of the year preceding the earliest dates respectively :

Obadiah Jennings,* Fisher A. Blocksom, and Andrew W. Loomis were prosecuting attorneys, successively, between the years 1803 and 1834; but how long each held the position cannot be stated. The following have succeeded since the latter date :

The first treasurer of the county was Reasin Beall, who was appointed by the Court of Common Pleas, July 2(J, 1803, f and served until June 15, 1808. His successors in office have been the following: t fhe first money received by the treasurer was upon the day of his appointment, and was ''from Christian Smith, by the hands of the clerk, tor a license to keep a tavern in. the town ol' New Lisbon,

Reasin Beall was appointed recorder as well as clerk of the courts July 26, 1803, J and served in the former office until June 3, 1814. The following have been his successors :

The first surveyor of the county was William Heald, who held the office from the organization of Columbiana, in 1803, until 1830. The following have succeeded him from the date named, respectively :

% The first deed recorded in the office of the recorder is from Robert Johnston, of Franklin County, to William Wells, of Washington County, and, in consideration of S1446, conveys land in the county of Jetferson, - "lot number four and part of lot number five in the 9th township, 2d range, set at the mouth of Little Yellow Creek, which said lots wore granted to the said Robert Johnston, by the United States, by patent bearing datoon the 17th day of April, 17SS." Record signed by Robert Whitacre, deputy recorder.