Stark County, Ohio - Chapter 9, 1881 (part 2 of 2)

Everything almost of a tangible nature having reference to the original incorporation of the village or town of t'anton has been lost. and, so far as we have been able to learn, after the most diligent inquiry, there is no one now living among us able to give definite information on the subject. But from an act passed by the General Assembly, entitled An act to incorporate the town of Canton," in March, 1838. when C. Anthony was Speaker of the House of Representatives, and George I. Smith was Speaker of the Senate, in Section 18 of said act. we find a repealing clause referring to a preceding act for the same purpose, as follows : " That the act entitled - An act to incorporate the town of Canton, in the county of Stark.' passed the thirtieth day of January, eighteen hundred and twenty-two ; and the act entitled ' An act to amend the act entitled, An act to incorporate the town of Canton, in the county of Stark,' passed February ninth, eighteen hundred and twenty-nine, be, and the same is hereby repealed.' .\s early as the year 1822. therefore. Canton was an incorporated town or village ; from some later public action, it seems that incorporated town and incorporated \illage were at that time treated as synonymous terms. The act of 1838 provided for a <livision of the town into four wards, bounded precisely as the four wards of the city are at this time. It provided for a Town Council consisting of the Mayor. Recorder, and two members of each ward, and into the hands of this body " the government of said town, and tlie exercise of its corporate powers" were vested. In August of the same year, 1838, the names of John Myei's, Mayor, and of Arnold Lynch, Recorder, appear upon the ordinance book. In May, 1839, from the same source we find that Jacob Rex was Mayor, and 1). A. Agnew, Recorder. On tlie old ordinance book we find the last ordinance of the Town Council, entitled An ordinance to regulate the sale of intoxicating liquors and for other purposes." passed -Vug. 14, 1852, attested by Benjamin F. Leiter, Mayor, and J. B. Estep, Recorder, and then two blank pages evidently left for recording some other ordinances, which for some reason or other was never done, and the next ordinance recorded is in the name of the -- Incorporated Village of Canton." passed in July, 1853, and is attested by John Lahm, Mayor, and J. B. Estep, Recorder. The explanation of this apparently- anomolous change of names is probably found in the fact that after the adoption of tlie new constitution of the State, in 1852. the Legislature, early in 1853, passed an act whereby a new classification of towns was ordained, and Canton, under the law, became an incorporated village. About this time, viz.. July, 1853, with u change in the name of the corporation, there seems to have been a general overhauling of the older ordinances for tiie direction of the Mayor, the Recorder, the Marshals and the Treasurer, and prescribing their duties, as well as ordinances regulating the li(iuor traffic and providing against offenses of various kinds opposed to the public morality. The village organization, however, continued only about one year, when, under authority of the same law by which she had become a village, an act of the Village Council, March 22, 1854, changed Canton into a city of the second class; and under the present classification it is in the third grade of second class cities. John Lahm at this time was still -^layor, and James B. Estep, Recorder. Atler this time, the ordinances were attested by the President of the Council, and the Clerk of the city. Thomas Goodman was the first President, and James B. Estep, the first Clerk under the new organization. This organization of Canton continues substantially the same to the present time.