Union County, Ohio - Chapter 6: County, State and National Representation, 1915

Chapter 6: County, State and National Representation

James Curry, representative from Madison county in 1819-20, introduced the bill for the erection of L'nion county, which was passed at that session. ]\Ir. Curry's home was in the new county.

1840- - William C. Lawrence: Champaign. Logan and Union counties. 1841 - Same; Logan and Lhiion counties. 1842 - Otway Curry. 1843 - William McBeth. 1844 - Xo record found.

County Auditors County Commissioners

1820-23, no record: 1823-25, Richard Gabriel: 1825-26, Alexander Robinson: 1826-27, James Boal. All the foregoing were appointed to the office;

Clerks Of Court

1820-21, Thomas Reynolds; Richard Gabriel was appointed clerk pro tern., November 13, 1821, but did very little duty in the office; his writing appears occasionally on the record until 1823; 1821-36, Silas G. Strong; 1836-43, James H. Gill; 1843-49, John Cassill; resigned in 1849 and James Kinkade appointed. The latter served until 185 1, when, under the new law, the office became elective. 1851-54, James Turner; 1854-69, Taber Randall; 1869-75, Francis T. Arthur; 1875-81, William M. Winget; 1881-88, John O. Bergner; 1888-94, Robert McCrory; 1894-00, Jasper N. Gosnell : 1900-06, C. C. Penhorwood; 1906-11, Charles Parrott: 1911-15, John C. Hartshorn; C. F. Smith, clerk-elect, will take office August 2, 191 5.

County Assessors

Ohio has had various systems of assessing its property. At first Union county was assessed by one man, and those filling such office were: 1827-31, John Jolley; 1831-33, Oliver C. Kennedy; 1833-35, Joseph K. Richey; 1835-37, J. January; 1837-39, Thomas F. Woods.

Then came in the system of township assessors, which usually, of later years, has had connected with it a land appraiser. Each voting precinct had one such official, as a rule. This gave the county in 1912-13 forty-nine assessors, counting the land appraiser assistants. But Ohio saw the error of so much clumsy and expensive machinery and, after a ten years' agitation, the present system finally was installed. This consists of an assessor from each township and one from each incorporated place, making only seventeen in all in the entire county. These are under the county assessor, or district assessor, a new office created. He has an office at the court house and all assessors send in their reports and lists to him for actual compiling and assessing. This is an appointi\'e office under the governor and he works under direction of a tax commission of three experts at Columbus. The term of office is to run as long as the governor or tax commissioners of the state see fit. The first person in Union county to be appointed by the governor to such position was M. T. Cody, appointed by Governor Cox in the fall of 191 3.

Probate Judges

The office of probate judge has been filled in Union county since the creation of the office under the code of 1850-51. by the following persons: Thomas Brown and James Smith served until 1869; John B. Coats, eighteen years; Judge L. Piper, six years; Judge James McCampbell, six years; Judge John M. Brodrick, six years ; Judge Dudley E. Thornton, six years : Judge Edward W. Porter, who took his seat February 9, 19 13.

County Superintendent Of Schools

This office was created in Ohio in 1914 and Prof. D. H. Sellers is the first. to hold the office. He is highly qualified for such work, and is rapidly getting the macliinery of the office in good working order. He is expected to visit all schools in the county once or more each year, and make such suggestions as he sees fit.

Internal Improvements

The early settlers of the county had no roads otlier than the Indian trails or the bridle paths through the heavy forest, and even when they began the work of road-making it was in a crude manner, not to be compared with present methods. The first highway of any importance constructed in the county was what is still known as the "Post road," laid out in 1812, across the southern portion of the county. The continuation of Main street north from Marysville, now called the old Sandusky road, was formerly known as the Portland road. An old plat, bearing date of June 10, 1829, made at Marysville for Josiah Westlake, by Silas G. Strong, shows this road, which crossed the southeast corner of lot No. 4, north of Mill creek. Mr. Strong at that time was agent for the sale of "fifteen thousand acres of good land in Union county."

In the early spring of 1844 an act was passed by the Legislature, authorizing the construction of a free turnpike road from Columbus, in the county of Franklin, to Bellefontaine, in the county of Logan, to pass via Marysville, Union county. The commissioners appointed from Union, to act with those from the other counties in laying out the road, were John Cassil and Norman Chipman. The commissioners were to form a corporation known as the "Tmstees of the Columbus, Marysville and Bellefontaine Free Turnpike Road." The first annual report of said trustees, dated Januar}' 20, 1845, showed that donations and taxes had been received to the amount of one million three hundred seventy-one thousand five hundred and seventyeight dollars, which had Iteen expended in implements and labor: the costs and expenses of laying and establishing the road were two hundred thirty thousand one hundred and twenty-five dollars.

February 24, 1853, the Marysville and Essex Plank Road Company was organized to build a plank road between the two points named, by way of Pharisburg. The capital stock was thirty thousand dollars, in shares of twenty-five dollars each, and the incorporators were J. S. Alexander, J. W.

Evans, P. Snider, C. S. Hamilton, G. A. Cassil, W. T. Brophy, Joseph Saxton, W. W. Woods, J. Marshall, Samuel McBratney and J. G. Sprague. Books were open for subscriptions of stock on the 2d of April following, at Marysville, Pharisburg, Richmond and Essex. All the incorporators resided at or near Marysville. Considerable stock was subscribed, but no immediate steps were taken toward the construction of Plie road, May 7, 1853, the company was fully organized at Pharisburg by the election of the following directors: G. A. Cassil, \V. T. Brophy, S. McBratney, C. S. Hamilton, of Marysville ; O. Jewet, S. G. Kirk, of Leesburg township ; Daniel Kinney, of Claibourne township. Although the project was set on foot in a spirit of earnestness, the road was never constructed, nor was a plank road ever laid in the county of Union, though the swampv places were sometimes corduroyed.

The total number of miles of gravel roads in the county in 1883 as shown by the records, was 475 and total cost $1,069,770.74. Since that date 230 miles have been built. During the past four years 31 miles have been completed at a cost of $97,000.00 and since 1907 the amomit expended for building and repairing gravel and stone roads is $670,000.00. The count}- has no doubt a greater number of miles of improved roads than any coimty in the state with a like amount of territory and commenced the building of these roads in 1867.

At the present time there are 705 miles of excellent pikes and gravel roads within the county. The people of the county are entitled to credit in recent years, for the condition the roads are found today. Taxpayers have been liberal in this respect.

Proposed Electric Lines

Union county has had her full quota of proposed electric lines, only one of which has yet materialized - the one running from Delaware through Magnetic Springs to Richwood.

A franchise was granted by the county commissioners of Union county at the March session of the board, irjoi, for three lines of electric roads. The proposed company was styled the "I'nion Electric Railway Company.'* The rate of fare was fixed in the franchise as two cents per mile. One line was to run from Marysville to Mt. Victory, via Broadway, Somerville and York; one from to Riclnvoorl, via Pharisburg and Magnetic Springs: the third route from ^larysville to Colnnihus. \ia Xew California, Jerome and Dublin.

In ^larysville nuicji troul)le was experienced in getting property owners along Fifth street (the main street of the city) to permit the Hne on that tlioroughfare, bnt finally the required number signed up. First one set of capitalists, then another tried to build the road, and years went by. Some material was placed along the proposed line, but finally all was abandoned and no road has ever been built.

Without going into details as to the many changes wrought out on paper bv various corporations, who have sought to construct steam railways through Union county, it will suffice to state that the present railroads of the county are the Pennsylvania Lines, the Big Four, the Toledo & Ohio Centual and the Erie line.

These roads have the following mileage : Toledo & Ohio Central, main line of 26.48; sidings, 1.36 miles. The Pennsylvania Lines, main line, 13.06, sidings, 4.23 miles. (This means double track of twice these figures.) The Erie (Nypano), main line, 23.90; sidings, 4.4 miles. The Big Four, main line, 17.45; sidings, 4.6 miles. St. Mary's Branch of the Toledo & Ohio Central, main line, 4.87 miles. The Columbus, Magnetic Springs & Northern l'',lectric line, from Delaware to Richwood, main line, 6.25; sidings, .23 miles.

The county's first railroad was constructed in 1850-54, from Springfield to Delaware, \-ia Irwin, Milford Center, Marysville and Dover. It was finished and an excursion ran on March 29, 1854. It carried a large number of passengers on its initial trip. The next day a young man was badly hurt at Delaware, having both legs cut off by the engine while he was attempting to jump on the pilot as it was coming from the engine house. Between Springfield and Delaware, the locomotive jumped the track several times. The flanges of the forward wheels of the locomotive, which was called the "Olentangy," were defective and the aid of "The Goshen" was necessary to pull the train back to Springfield, the passengers being delayed over night on the way. The business of this road has grown in very large proportions and its equipment is usually in keeping with the demands of the times. It is a part of the Big Four system, and belongs to the New York Central Lines. The original charter of this road was granted by the state in March, 1836, ilie i)l)ject being to construct a railway between Cleveland and Cincinnati, via CoJunilins. Hie act was revived in 1845, ^'""^ subsequently the road was constructed witliin the next nine }ears. The road, now styled the Erie, runs through this county from northeast to southwest, ha\ing station points at \^^oodland, Richwood, Claihourne, Broadway, Peoria and Pottersburg. It was originally styled the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio, or for short - the "Nypano." It was chartered in March, 1851. The system was formerly broad gauge, but more than forty years ago was made standard gauge.

The line known as the Columljus & Bellefountaine railway was incorporated April, 1878, "beginning at Columbus, running thence in a northwesterly direction through Union county, with station points at Dublin and Marysville. then on tlnxiugh northwest to Bellefountaine, Logan count)." This road was never built as designed, but another went near its survey through the county.

The Pennsyh-ania Cc-mipan\- operates the line from Columbus to Urbana, via Plain City, Unionxille Center and Milford Center on west to Urbana. A combination of railway corporations leased it in 1869 for ninetynine years, renewable forever, to the Pittsburg, Cleveland & St. Louis company. But it now belongs to the Pennsylvania system.

What is now styled as the Toledo & Ohio Central railroad extends from Columbus northwest through Union comity, having station points at Arnold, Dipple, Maiysville, Peoria and Raymond, and extends on through to Toledo. To obtain this road there was much labor and excitement, and years passed by before it was finally accomplished. The citizens of the county donated the right of way in full. This affords a direct outlet through Columbus and also connects the county with the commerce of the great lakes. It was completed through to Columbus in Jnuary, 1894. having reached as far as Marysville in 1893.

Telegraph Lines

The first telegraph line in the county was put up in the winter of 1858- 59, extending from Springfield to Delaware, via ]\Iar}-s\ille. The poles were distributed along the line early in October, 1858. and it was completed to Marysville in the latter part of February, 1859. Since that time the county seat has had telegraphic communication with the outer world.

Telegraph lines are found now along each railway line passing through the county, with offices from which messages are daily sent to all parts of the world.