Hancock County, Ohio - Matters of Interest, in Brief Parxigraphs, 1881

Matters of Interest, in Brief Parxigraphs

AT a session of the Court of Common Pleas, in and for the County of Wood - Hancock being then a part of said county - the court being held at Maumee, in 1820, "Wilson Vance was appointed Surveyor of Wood County."

At a session of the same court, held in May, 1822, "Wilson Vance was licensed to keep a tavern in Findley for one year. The court fixed the price at five dollars per annum."

At the October terra, 1824, of said court, the following entry was made on the court records : '^The Commissioners appointed to establish the seat of Justice in the County of Hancock, in the State of Ohio, report that they have selected the town of Findley, in said County of Hancock, as the most suitable site for the seat of Justice of said county, as per their report on file in the otfice of the Clerk of this Court."

" Resolved, By the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, that John Owens, of the County of Champaign, Alexander Long, of the County of Logan, Forest Meeker, of the County of Delaware, be and they are hereby appointed Commisioners, to locate and fix the seat of Justice, in and for the County of Hancock, February 2d, 1824."

ley, January 11th, 1825. This is to certify, that on the second day of September, in the year 1824, Samuel Kepler, of Williams County, and Rachel McKinnis, of Hancock County, were legally joined in marriage by me. a Justice of the Peace, in and for the County of Hancock, and Township of Finley. Given under my hand,

This was, undoubtedly, the first marriage in the county. At all events, it is the first of record in both Hancock and Wood Counties. Mrs. Kepler, who was one of the parties in interest, is still living. Many of her relations are residents of this county.

It might be of interest in this connection to give the dates of some others of these old-time weddings - matters of quite as much importance at that day - simple as were the ceremonies, and plain as were the accompaniments, as are the gorgeous displays made on such occasions at the present day. But to the record : there were none - on horseback, bride and groom both on same horse - all alone perhaps, in search of the man of law, who was authorized to say the words, that would make them one (?) and that afterwards a home must be hewn out of the forests, and that life - even married life was real - we can easily imagine that there were no extended wedding tours, no idle honeymoons, no rounds of gaiety - except, perhaps, the country dance at the infare, as it was called. And yet they lived, and loved and prospered. They enjoyed life, always looking on the bright side.

"On the 4th day of June, 1832, Thomas F. Johnston, Auditor, resigned, and the Commissioners appointed Joseph C. Shannon to fill vacancy. Johnston, late Auditor, was allowed forty dollars for extra services."

At the session of the Commissioners held in December, 1831, they sold to Rev. Peter Monfest, lot number 105, (first lot east of Commercial House,) and lot number 148, (now owned by John L. Downing,) for forty-three dollars and twenty-five cents, payable on the first day of April 1832.

The Commissioners, at their December session, in 1834, appointed Parlee Carlin, Recorder of Hancock County, until the next annual election in October.

The first case of contested elections, of which we have notice, in the records of the county, is the one indicated in the following notice, which seems to have been served on the Clerk of the Court :

" To the Clerk of Hancock County. You are requested to withhold the returns of the election of Union Township, wherein Wenman Wade was elected Justice of the Peace,

Wm. Roller

The Commissioners of Wood County, at their session in December, 1820, ordered that the " Road from Ft. Meigs, or the foot of the rapids of the Maumee of the Lake, to Bellefontaiue, be opened."

And at their session March 4th, 1822, this order was made : " Ordered by the Board that the Township of Waynesfield, within the jurisdiction of the County of Wood, be co-extensive with the boundaries of Wood and Hancock, and to include the same."

June 6th, 1826, the Commissioners of Wood County, " Ordered that four hundred dollars of road fund be apportioned to Hancock County, to be expended on the Urbana road, in said county."

The first order for printing so far as the records show, was made at the December session, 1836, of the Commissioners, and reads thus : " Ordered that Jacob Rosenberg print sixteen hundred county orders, for sixteen dollars, in Hancock County orders, to be issued when the orders are struck." »

It was also ordered at the same session, " That a warranty deed be made to Jacob Foster and Daniel Foster for in-lot No. 64 ; also, to William Taylor, for in-lots numbered 8 and 156."

It appearing that no record of land entries in the county had been kept in any of the county offices, and the County Commissioners believing such a record a necessity, we find in their proceedings, in 1839, this entry: " It was ordered that some suitable person go to each of the Land Offices in this Land Office District, and procure a duplicate of all lands entered in the county up to this date, with the names of the original enterers, the date of entry, the description, quantity, township and range, was ordered to be set up to the lowest bidder at public outcry. Whereupon, the same being cried in the presence of the Commissioners, it was cried off to Jacob Rosenberg, he being the lowest bidder, for the sum of thirty-nine dollars."

We find another order for county printing, this time, June 7th, 1842, and in this, as in the former one, the Commissioners fix the price. It was " Ordered that the Auditor of Hancock County, have the receipts and expenditures of said county, published in the Courier, providing he can get it done at the rate of 87^ cents per square, in a condensed form, if not, have it posted up as the law directs."

We have about this time a recorded specimen of how easy, and how quickly, an officer may resign, when he makes up his mind so to do. That the officer in question was in earnest no one doubted, and his resignation was accepted. "To Aquilla Gilbert, George Shaw and Andrew Rickets, Commissioners of Hancock County, Gentlemen: I hereby resign to you my office of Auditor of Hancock County, Ohio. You will therefore now consider said office vacant from this moment.

As soon as the Commissioners could recover from their sudden surprise, and comprehend the full meaning of the letter, they proceeded at once not only to receive the resignation so suddenly thrust upon them, but also to fill the vacancy, which they did by appointing James H. Barr until the first day of March next ensuing.

The Commissioners, on the 3d day of March, 1846, authorized Frederick Henderson to procure a suitable bell for the Court House, the original cost of which should not exceed two hundred and fifty dollars, and have the same placed in the cupola of the Court House.

In July, 1830, the Commissioners " Ordered the sale of cutting out the road - Bellefontaine to Perrysburg, and Findley to Defiance - thirty-two feet wide. All timber twenty inches in circumference to cut out, and the ground to be cleared of all timber."