Bureau County, Illinois - Chapter 25: Oeneral County Officers, Continued - Completing the List to, 1885

OENERAL COUNTY OFFICERS, CONTINUED - COMPLETING THE LIST TO DATE - MARRIAGES - FIRST ONE J. H. OLDS AND LOUISA C. BRYANT - POWERS EXERCISED BY THE COUNTY COURT - PUBLIC, CIVIL AND PRIVATE AFFAIRS - ETC., ETC., ETC.

IN the preceding chapter we gave a full list of the county officers to the adoption of township organization, and then a consecutive list of the leading officers of the townships to date. At this point we return now to the year 1850, and give the general officers of the county to date.

At the general election November 4, 1851, the following were elected: Aquilla Triplett, Associate Justice; William Martin, County Treasurer; Aaron B. Church, School Commissioner; Homer Fellows, County Surveyor.

November 2, 1852, the following: S. Allen Paddock, County Judge; J. D. Garton, Coroner; Osmyn Smith, Sheriff, and Edward M. Fisher, Clerk Circuit Court. 1853, November 8: Benjamin L. Smith, Judge; Joseph V. Thompson, County Clerk; Rufus Carey, Treasurer; Homer Fellows, Surveyor; A. B. Woodford, Coroner ; Aaron B. Church, School Commissioner. In 1856 C. L. Kelsey was County Judge.

1861. - S. M. Knox, Judge; Stephen G. Paddock, County Clerk; Winship, Surveyor. Winship then held the office until 1867, when H. G. Paddock was elected Surveyor and has held the office continually to the present time (November, 1884).

1877 - H. J. Trimble, Judge; and S. G. Paddock, County Clerk. By the new Constitution the term of Judge and Clerk was extended one year, and in 1882 the same officers were re-elected and are the present incumbents.

School Commissioners. - 1859, Charles Robinson; 1863, Chester Co veil; 1865, Marvin E. Ryan, who died in the latter part of 1866, and in January, 1867, Albert Ethridge was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1869, Albert Ethridge was elected. He resigned September, 1872, and Joseph Mercer was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1873, Jacob Miller was elected; 18-77, George B. Herrington elected; 1881, Jacob Miller again elected and is the present incumbent.

spoken of by those who knew him long and well as one of the most genial and pleasant men ever in the county. He was a native of Tennessee, born in Granges County, in June, 1809, and came to Bureau in 1834, and settled in Hall Township, on Section 18, afterward made a farm on Section 8. He left this county years ago and is now a resident of Nebraska. When he came to this county he brought his parents, his wife and two children with him. The two children were Benton and Mary. There were of his children born here: Ilo W. , Atlanta, Iris, Bena, Orta and William. None of his family are now in the county.

Marriages. - Having given nearly a complete account of the county officials and the civil history of the county, we may now give something of the social side of the story, and we can just now think of nothing more purely social than that old, old habit of marrying and giving in marriage.

The first marriage after the county had assumed its full legal existence was June 15, 1837, Justin H. Olds and Louisa C. Bryant. The ceremony was performed by John H. Bryant, Esq. There had been marriages in the territory of what constituted Bureau County earlier than this, and of these we have given an account in the preceding pages of this book, but this was the first marriage by the authority of Bureau County. It was a month, or July 13, 1837, before the second marriage occurred. The parties were Elias Funderburg and Nancy Smiley. August 24, 1831, Isaac Funderburg and Mary Long were married. August 5, Stephen Burnham and Hester Ann Coulter wore married by Kev. Henry Headley. September 21, John Snider and Margaret Harris were married by Elisha Searl. October 25, John Clapp to

Clerk's office was the license fee, and hence the one great source of supplies depended upon the activity of the marriage market. As it started off with only one wedding to the month, there did not seem to be much inducement for a Clerk to stay in the office at that time. True, he got the fees of his office - all of the fees, too - but business was dull and invariably the Clerk had to do some outside business to make a family support. Hence, generally, as soon as a man had worked and secured an office, he had to begin a vigorous compaign to find a deputy who j would take all the emoluments for attending : to it, and in case he did not find such a deputy, he would resign in self-protection.

November 20, 1 837, was married by Elisha Searl, J. P., John Perrine and Bachel Whitaker; December 13, by John Searl, J. P., Joseph S. Meyers and Del in a Searl; December 24, by Squire Daniel Bryant, Liberty Stimpson and Leah Clark; November 30, by Bev. Z. Hall, S. F. Doming and Mary Zearing.

This concluded the first year's work in this line by the new county, and the marrying ones it seems retired until the holidays were over. January 7, 1838, by William Frankenberger, Esq. , John Britt and Nancy Watkini January 25, by Bev. Z. Hall, Thomas Mer cer and Nancy Brigham.

This is the "Dr. Bill" of whom the poet, John H. Bryant, has immortalized in his description of his courtship with old Moumese's dusky daughter, a full account of which may be found in another part of this work.

But there was no holiday rest this year 1839 as there had been the year before, for on the 1st day of January, 1839, Squire Moses Spalding married George W. Minnier and Sarah Ireland.

This was the last marriage license recorded by Clerk B. L. Smith. The August election was just over and S. F. Demming being elected Clerk he records the next license, which is dated September 19, and certifies to the marriage of Abott Ellis and Matilda L. Durham.

This is the Merriman who was among the early attorneys here and afterward went to Peoria, and Sarah Kinney was a daughter of Simon Kinney, and a sister of the celebrated H. L. Kinney. Of both these people a more complete account may be found in another chapter.

The first money appropriation ever made by Bureau County was $15 to procure plank to cover bridges across the sloughs emptying into West Bureau Creek, on the stage road, near Elijah Smith's. Enos Matson was appointed agent to expend the money.

Five dollars was appropriated and Arthur Bryant appointed to expend the same on the bridge in the southwest quarter of Town 16, Range, 9 east.

Roads, roads, roads was the one great first subject to the people west of the river. We do not know but from this action of the first meeting of the Board, we can readily understand why what is now Bureau County was so anxious to detach itself from Putnam and become independent.

The old style County Commissioner's Court was a judiciary and executive, and legislative body to some extent. It embodied the old idea that it was the duty of the local govern ment to regulate all public affairs and a great many private ones. Hence, at one time in this State every county had some such regulation as the following:

"It is ordered by this court that the following rates of charges be allowed to be charged by the taverns in the county [only two had been licensed to keep taverns when this order was passed, namely John Vaughan and Jonathan T. Holbrook], to- wit: