Jefferson County, Illinois - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 4 of those read), 1883

Chapter with an unread heading (no. 4 of those read)

rr^HAT Illinois, now one of the greatest J- States of the Federal Union, once formed a county of Virginia is a fact unknown, perhaps, to a majority of our readers. In October, 1778, the General Assembly of Virginia jiassed an act for " establishing the county of Illinois, and for the more effectual protection and defense thereof." A clause of the act reads: " That all the citizens of this commonwealth, who are already settled, or shall hereafter settle on the western side of the Ohio and east of the l^Iississippi, shall be included in a distinct county, which shall be called Illinois County." By the provisions of the act, the Governor of Virginia was to appoint " a County Lieutenant or Commandant in Chief," who should " appoint and commission so many Deputy Commandants, Militia officers and Commissaries," as he should deem expedient, for the enforcement of law and order. The civil officers were to be chosen by a majority of the people, and were to " exercise their several jurisdictions and conduct themselves agi'eeable to the laws which the present settlers are now accustomed to. "

Patrick Henry, the first Governor of Virginia after the colonies had thrown off the galling yoke of Britain, appointed John Todd the County Lieutenant Commandant of Illinois. At Williamsburg, the capital then of Virginia, and in the very mansion of the royal rulers of the whilom colony, Gov. Henry indicted his letter of appointment to Todd on the 12th of December, 1778. It occupies the fii-sfc five pages of the record book of John Todd's official acts while exercising authority over the connty of Illinois, and is in Patrick Henry's own hundwi-iting. This old book, a Valuable relic of the early history of Illinois, is now in the possession of the Chicago Historical Society. From its pages, browned by time and dimmed with age, some interesting facts are gleaned. The following, of the first civil Grovernor of Illinois, is not out of place in this connection:

Todd was not unknown on the fi'ontier. Born in Pennsylvania and educated in Virginia, he had practiced law in the latter colony for several years, when, in 1775, he removed to Kentuek}', which was then, also, a county of Virginia. He became very prominent in the councils of its House of Delegates, or Representatives, the first legislative body organized west of the Alleghany Mountains. Early in 1777, the first court in Kentucky convened at Harrodsburg, and Todd was one of the Justices. Shortly after, he was chosen one of the Representatives of Kentucky in the Legislature of Virginia, and proceeded to the capital to fulfill this daty. The following year he accompanied Gen. George Rogers Clark in his expedition to " the Illinois," and was the first man to enter Fort Gage, at Kaskaskia, when it was taken from the British, and was present at the final capture of Vincennes.

The record book already referred to of itself forms an interesting chapter in the history of Illinois. After Gov. Henry had indicted upon its pages his letter to Todd, it was intrusted to a faithful messenger, who, on foot, carried it from tide water across the mountains to Fort Pitt, thence down the Ohio until he met with its destined recipient and delivered to him his credentials. It is supposed that Todd received it at Vincennes, then known to Virginians as St. Vincent, not long after the siu-render of that place to Clark on the 24th of February, 1779, and that he at once assumed his new duties as Governor, or " Lieutenant Commandant." This position he held until the time of his death, although his many duties called him frequently to Kentucky. In the spi'ing of 1780, he was elected a Delegate from the county of Kentucky to the Legislature of Virginia. In November following, Kentucky was divided into three counties, viz., Fayette, Lincoln and Jefferson, and in 1781 Thomas Jefiferson, who, in the meantime, had become Governor of Virginia, [appointed Todd Colonel of Fayette County, and Daniel Boone, Lieutenant Colonel. In the summer of 1782. Todd visited Richmond, Va., on business connected with the Illinois country, where, it is said, he had determined to permanently reside, and on his return he stopped over at Lexington, Ky., jmd while there met his untimely death. An Indian attack on a frontier settlement (Bryant Station) aroused the militia to arms, and Todd, as Senior Colonel, took command of the little army sent in pursuit of the retreating savages. It included Boone and many other pioneers whose names rank high in the history of the dark and bloody ground. At the Blue Licks, on the 18th of August, 1782, they came up with the enemy, but the headlong courage of those who would not heed the prudent counsels of Todd and Boone precipitated an action which proved more disastrous to the whites than any ever fought in Kentucky soil - that sanguinary theater of savage wai-fare. More than one-third of those who entered the .fight were killed outright and many others wounded. Among the slam was Todd, who fell, like the brave man that he was, with his face to the foe, gallantly fighting at the head of his troops. On the brow of a small hill overlooking Blue

Histohy Of Jefferson Couxty

Licks, and near the spot where he fell, still rejJosG the mortal remains of the first civil Governor of Illinois. August 18, 1882, the centennial of the disastrous battle of Blue Licks was held on the field where it was fought, and a resoluton adopted to erect a monument to the heroes that there fell in defense of their country.

John Todd was a soldier and a statesman. He was a soldier fit to stand by the mightiest and give command. He was a statesman tried and true, and marvelously adapted to the times and surroundings amid which he lived. Just such as he was he had to be, to fulfill the mission to which far-seeing wisdom had appointed him, and to blaze out the way for the C(jming hosts of civilization who were to people tjiis great Northwest. His tragic death, in the prime of life, was a calamity to the nation just struggling up from the tires of a mighty revolution, and a loss not easily repaired in that early period of our history.

Upon the organization of the Northwest Territory, Gen. Arthur St. Clair was appointed Governor. In the spring of 1790, in company with the Territorial Judges, he went to Cahokia, where, by proclamation, he organized the county of St. Clair, the first individual coiinty formed in what is now the State of Illinois, and ius seat of justice Was fixed at Easkaskia. Eandolph was the next county created in Illinois; and the date of its organization extends back to 1795. These were the only counties formed until after the dawning of the nineteenth century. At the session of the Territorial Legislature of 1811-12, Madison, Gallatin and Johnson were organized, and Edwards at the session of 1814. At the session of 1816, White, Jackson, Moni-oe, Pope and Crawford were organized, and at the last session of the Territorial Legislature Franklin, Washington, I

Union, Bond and Wayne came into existence. At the first session of the Legislature after Illinois was admitted into the Union as a State. Jefiferson County was formed, under the following act entitled an act for foi-ming a separate county out of Edwards and White Counties, approved March 26, 1819:

Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That all that tract of country within the following boundaries, to wit : Beginning where the line between Ranges 4 and 5 east intersects the base line; thence west with said line to .the Third Principal Jferldian; thence south twenty-four miles; thence east twentyfour miles; thence north to the place of beginning, shall constitute a separate county, to be called "Jefferson," and for the purpose of fixing the permanent seat of justice therein the following persons are appointed Commissioners : Ambrose Maulding, Lewis Barker, Robert Shipley, James A. Richard- .son and Richard Graham, which said Commissioners, or a majoritj' of them, being duly sworn before some Judge or Justice of the Peace in this State to faithfully take into view the convenience of the people, the situation of the settlement, with an eye to future population, and the eligibility of the place, shall meet on the 2d Jlonday of May, at the house of William Casey, in said county, and proceed to examine and determine on the place for the permanent seat of justice and designate the satne; provided: The proprietor or proprietors of the land shall give to the county for the purpose of erecting public buildings a quantity of land, not less than twenty acres, to be laid out in lots and sold for that purpose; but should the proprietor or proprietors I'efuse or neglect to make the donation aforesaid, then and in that case it shall be the duty of said Commissioners to fix on some other place for the seat of justice as convenient as may be to the inhabitants of said county, which place fixed and determined upon, the said Commissioners shall certify under their hands and seals and return the same to the next Commissioners' Court in the county aforesaid, which court shall cause an entry thereof to be made in their book of record, and until the public buildings be erected the courts shall be held at the house of William Casey, in the said county.

Sec 2. Be it further enacted. That the Commissioners aforesaid shall receive a compensation of two dollars for each and every day they maj' be necessarily emploj'ed in fixing the aforesaid seat of

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Sec. 3. Be it further enacted. That tlie citizens of Jefferson County are hereby declared entitled. in all respects, to the same rights and privileges a.s are allowed in general with the other counties in this State.

Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That the county of Jefferson shall vote in conjunction with White County for Representatives to the General Assembly of the State, and it shall be the duty of the Clerks of sai<l counties to meet at the court house in White County, within ten days after such elections, and make a certificate, signed by both Clerks, to the persons duly elected; and if the said Clerks shall fail to do the same they shall forfeit and pay the sura of one hundred dollars, for the use of said counties, to be recovered l)y action of debt in the countj' in which such delinquent Clerk may reside.

Six. 5. Be it further enacted. That the county of Jefferson shall be and compose a part of the Second Judicial Circuit, and the courts shall be holdcn therein at such times as shall be specified l)y law.

This was followed by a supplemental act, entitled " An act supplemental to an act for laying off a new county out of the counties of Edwards and ^\'hite," approved March 29, 1819, and is as follows:

Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois, reprenented in the General Aasemhly, That all that tract or part of country lying nortli of the county of Jefferson and west of the county of Wayne, and not included within Ihelimits of the said counties of Jefferson and Wayne, established by the act to whicli this is a supplement, l)e and the same is liereby attaclied to and forms a part of the said county of Jefferson, and that tlic inliabitants thereof have and enjoy all the rights and privileges, as far as may be, that the inhabitants of the county of .lelferson have and enjoy.

Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That the county of Jefferson be and the same is hereby attached to the Fourth Judicial Circuit of the State, etc., etc.

The county was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, and who was inaugurated into office on the 4th of March, 1801. He was born at Shadwoll, Albemarle Co., Va., April 2, 1743, and died at Monticello, his country seat, July

4, 1826, just half a century after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, a document penned by his own hand, and which has rendered his name immortal, and dear to every liberty-loving citizen of the whole country. Jefferson's administration was very popular, and he was elected to a second term, receiving more than threefourths of the votes in the electoral college. During his first term, the afterward notorious Aaron Burr was Vice President, and during the second, George Clinton was associated with him as Vice President.

On the 30th of March, 1819, two other acts were passed by the Legislature, pertaining wholly or in part to Jefferson County. Tlie first authorized Lewis Watkins to administer the required oaths to all officors commissioned for the county; and the other ordered an election in Wayne, Jefferson. .Clark and Alexander Counties, to be held on the fom-th Monday of April, for County Commissioners, Sheriffs and Coroners. The Coroner then was an important officer, as, in the absence or inability of the Sheriff to serve, the Coroner acted in his stead until the Sheriff resumed his duties.

In pursuance of the last-mentioned act, an election was held at the house of William Casey, which stood where the brick building recently known as Taylor's Commercial Hotel now stands. Some thirty or forty votes were cast; and Zadok Casey, Joseph Jordan and Fleming Greenwood were elected Commissioners, and Lewis Watkins, Sheriff. The Commissioners met at William Casey's on Monday, June 7, for the purpose of or ganizing the county court. Their certificates of election were signed by Oliver Morris and Lewis Watkins, Justices of the Peace, and attested by Edward Maxoy, acting Clerk of the Court; they were then duly sworn into office. Edward Maxey, the Clerk pro tempore, resigned, and the court appointed Joel Pace to the office of County Clerk. He gave bond in the sum of $1,000, with James Kelly and Isaac Casey as securities.

The Seat of Justice. - One of the first matters which engaged the attention of the court was the location of the seat of justice according to the provisions of the act for the formation of the county. As soon as the court convened, the Commissioners appointed for that purpose presented the following report:

According to an act of the General Assembly, approved March 26, 1819. appointing certain Commissioners to meet on the second Monday of May. at the liouse of William Casey, for the purpose of fixing a permanent seal of justice for and in Jefferson County, the following persons met. viz. ; Lewis Barker. Ambrose Maulding and James A. Richardson, who. after being duly sworn, have proceeded, determined and fixed upon the southwest quarter of Section 29. Range 3, of Township 2, on the land owned by William Casey, the town to be laid off in the southwest corner of said quarter, to commence near the timber, on a point not far distant from Casey's house, and thence to the foot of the de scent on a point on which Casey's house stands, or in such a manner as said County Commissioners shall designate. Given under our hands and seals this 12th day of May. 1819.

This report was accompanied by the following paper, confirmatory of Casey having complied with the require:n3nt3 of the twenty acre-clause of the legislative act:

Personally appeared before us the subscriber, William Casej'. and made a donation of twenty acres of laud, to be Liid off in town lots and sold for the purpose of paying for public buildings in the county of Jefferson, which twenty acres of land shall be laid off bj- the County Commissioners on the land designated by the Commissioners appointed by the State Legislature for fi.Kiug the permanent seat of justice for said Jefferson County. Whereof the said William Casey has hereunto set his hand and seal this 12th day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nineteen.

The report of the Commissioners was received, and the selection made by them becams the seat of justice of the new county, an honor which it has retained to the present day. There was, as is always the case, some little dissatisfaction at the selection thus made. Mr. Isaac Hicks wanted it near him, and offered a site known as " Post Oak Hill," which was a fraction nearer the geographical center of the county. Another " eligible location " was on the high grounds between Mrs. Samuel Casey's and Mrs. Dodds' residence. But Lewis Barker, one of the Commissioners, was the father-in-law of William Casey, and there were hints at the time that it was through his influence the present site was selected. Be that as it may, the location selected is a beautiful one for a town, and could scarcely be surpassed by any of the other sites offered. For their services in " fixing the permanent seat of justice," the court allowed Maulding S8, and Barker and Richardson §512 each. Maulding lived in Hog Prairie, a little this side of the present town of McLeansboro ; Barker owned the ferry at Cave-in-Kock, and Richardson lived in the vicinity of Carmi. Of the laying-out of the seat of justice, and its growth and devolopment as a town, the reader is referred to the chapters devoted to ilount Yernon.

The Courts. - Thus the county court was organized, the seat of justice established and the legal machinery of the newly created municipality put in motion. The first ses sion of the coui-t was taken up with the re- port of the Commissioners for locating the seat of justice, as already noticed; James Kelly and Jacob Barger applied for a writ to condemn a " mill seat;" license for retailing goods was fixed at $15, and the Clerk empowered to issue them when called on for the same; the laying off a town ordered, also the building of a court house, etc., etc. At the second session of the coui-t, held June 25, 1819, James Kelly was appointed County Treasurer; a list of the taxable property was ordered; Lewis Watkins took out tavern license, for which he paid a fee of $-4. At the third term of court, held September 6, among other business, the court house was received and the survey of the town ordered to be recorded. Also, W. Casey and J. Pace were ordered to " stake out" the town, and several roads ordered to be viewed and laid out. In this humble and unpretentious way, the county moved along quietly. The busi ness coming before the county court was of a general character, as above given, and was dispatched without much debate or wrangling. The last session held by this (the first) board, tavern keepers' rates of charges were fixed as follows: A single meal, 37i cents; lodging, 12|^ cents: keeping horse all night, 50 cents; a single feed, 25 cents. The first term of the Circuit Court convened in the town of Mount Yernon (then comprising but four cabins) on Monday, October 28, 1819, Hon. William Wilson as Judge and F. A. Hubbard, State's Attorney. Joel Pace was sworn as Clerk, and gave bond in the sum of $2,000. Lewis Watkins was Sheriff, and gave bond in the sum of .?10,000, with Zadok Casey, Joseph Jordan and John Wilkerson, secui'ities. But thirteen men could be found, outside of the officers of the court, to serve as grand jurors. These were as follows: Edward Maxey, F. McBride, J. C. Casey, W. Jordan, L, Johnson, A. P. Casev, John

Wilkerson, H. P. Maxey, Isaac Casey, James Johnson, S. Gaston, J. Lee and A. Harris. After receiving the usual charge from the court, they repaired to the jury room, which, in this case, was "G'id's first temples," and after an hour's deliberation returned into court, presented the indictments and were discharged. The next term of court was held on the 15th and 16th of May, 1820, Judge Wilson again presiding, and Henry Eddy acting as State's Attorney. But we will not follow the prooeadings of tho courts, as our readers would find them, doubtless, dry reading. The brief extracts have been made merely to show the commencement and organization of this important branch of the county's machinery.

Public Buildings. - At the first term of the County Commissioners' Court, it was resolved to build a court house. This building was unpretentious, but it served the purpose of those early days when we were not as proud as we are now. It was of hewed logs, and was 18x30 feet in dimensions. A stray pound was ordered, and at the February term, 1820, the court ordored a jail to be built. These early public buildings, however, will be noticed by Mr. Johnson, in his sketch of Mount Vernon, and all the facts pertaining to them and their successors will there be given. The part they bear in the organization of the county requires some reference to them in this connectiim, but this brief allu- ,sion must suffice.

Among the first acts of the court was laying off the county into civil divisions. At first it was divided into two districts, or townships, called respectively " Moore's Prairie" and "Casey's Prairie." At the Juue term of the court, in 1820, Walnut Hill Precinct or Township was formed It included all of Jefferson and Marion Counties north of the line dividing Townships 1 and 2 south. The next change in the civil divisions, of which we find any account, is in June, 1832, when Grand Prairie Precinct was formed. It was in the northwest part of the county, and was eight miles square. The voting place was fixed at Poston's mill. In June, 1834, Horse Creek Precinct was laid oif. It extended seven miles from the east line of the county, and was bounded north by the county line and south by the Fairfield road. The voting place was at Frank Haney's. Gun Prairie Precinct was formed in 1835. It began, the records say, where the "new hurricane" crossed the west line of the county, " ran with the hiu'ricane to Morgan's mill, to A. Toney's, to W. Toney's, to the edge of Moore's Prairie, and on to the south line of the county." The voting place was to be at the house of William King. The next precinct was formed in 1845. and was called Long Prairie. It was bounded by the West and Middle Forks of Muddy River and the Grand Prairie road, with the voting place at the house of H. Hicks. In 1846, Elk Prairie Precinct was formed. Its bounds were from the mouth of Dodd's Creek to Mendenhall's quarry, west to Middle Fork, down it to the county line, then up the creek to the beginniag. The voting place was fixed at J. Kelly's. A.t the same time. New Moore's Prairie Precinct was formed, including Township 4 and Range 4, with voting place at Wilbank's. With, perhaps, a few other changes in names and boundaries and geographical position, the county moved on for several decades, under the old precinct system.

1880, 20,686. If it has not increased as rapidly as some other counties in population. its growth has been steady and good, and its class of citizens will compare favorably with those of any portion of the State.

County Officers. - As a matter of interest to our readers, we present herewith a very full and complete list of county offcers, from the the formation of the county to the present time. It has cost considerable time and labor to prepare it, and it is believed to be substantially correct.

The County Commissioners come first, and are as follows: In 1819, they were Zadok Casey, Fleming Greenwood and Joseph Jordan; in 1820, William Casey, Joseph Jordan and Barton Atchison; in 1822. Samuel Gaston, William Hicks antl Barton Atchison; in 1824, W. J. Tunstall, John Jordan and H. B. Maxey; in 1826, Edward Maxey, Arba Andrews and M. Ham; in 1828, Edward Arba Andrews and M. Ham: in 1830, Edward Maxey, Arba Andrews and M. Ham; in 1832, Arba Andrews, Barton Atchison and Willoughby Adams; in 1834, Bai-ton Atchison, George W. Watters and J. M. Scott; in 1835, Noah Johnston succeeded Watters; in 1836. Willoughby Adams. Barton Atchison and A. Bruce: in 1838, William Bullock, James Sursa and Barton Atchison; in 1840, James Sursa, B. Atchison and James Kirby ; in 1841, Willoughby Adams succeeded Sursa; in 1842, Willoughby Adams, James Kirby and John Breeze; in 1844, James Kirby, F. S. Casey and A. D. Casey; in 1845, E D. Andrews was appointed to fill "out Kirby's term; in 1846. A. D. Estes, E. D. Andrews and F. S. Casey; in 1847, W. Adams, .John Troutt and F. S. Casey; in 1848, F. S. Casey, Dr. W. Adams and John Troutt; in 1849,* W. Dodda was elected

Probate Justice or Judge, and Dr. W. Adams and F. S. Casey. Associates; in 1852, W. Dodds. Probate Judge, and F. S. Casey and Dr. W. Adams, Associates. Judge Dodds resigned, and J. R. Satterfield was elected to fill out his term.

Judge J. R. Satterfield, the successor of Judge Dodds, is one of the old landmarks of Jeiferson County. Ho came here in the fall of 1818, a stripling of a lad. He is an old man now, and has grown gray in the service of the people. Indeed, so long has he been in the official harness, that he is almost looked upon as a prehistoric relic. His official integrity is above reproach, and his name is the synonym of fidelity and honesty. He was born in Pendleton County, Ky., and came to Illinois when but nine years old. Here he grew to manhood, and here he has spent an active life. He has been SherilT, County Superintendent of Schools, County Judge or Probate Justice for over twenty years, C()unty Recorder, Deputy Sherifl' and Justice of the Peace for forty years. He and Mr. Bogan have been in office so long, that they could not survive in private life. They are what the sage has termed " the noblest works of God " - honest men.

In 1853, J. R. Satterfield, Judge, and F. S. Casey and A. D. Estes, Associates; in 1857, J. R. ^Satterfield, Judge, Dr. W. Adams and S. W. Carpenter, Associates; in 1861, J. R. Satterfield, Judge, and W. Adams and F. S. Casey, Associates; in 1865, A. M. Grant, Judge, and W. Adams and F. S. Casey, Associates; in 1866, J. R. Satterfield was elected to fill out Grant's term, he having resigned; in 1869, J. R. Satterfield, Judge, W. Adams and S W. Carpenter, Associates. After this date, township organization came into efiect. Since the Board of Commissioners have been superseded by the Board of Supervisors, there have not been many changes in the oflice of County Judge. Jared Foster was elected County Judge in 1878, and in 1877 was succeeded by C. A. Keller, and he, in 1882, was succeeded by William B. Anderson, the present incumbent.

County and Circuit Clerks - Joel Pace was the first County and Circuit Clerk. He held both offices up to 1837. when Noah Johnston became County Clerk. He was succeeded by E. H. Ridgeway, in 1838, who held both offices until 1843, when J. F. Watson succeeded him ; in 1857, W. Dodds came in; in 1865, C. H. Patton; in 1869, W. Dodds; in 1871, J. N. Satterfield; in 1873, W. H. Smith; in 1877, J. N. Satterfield; iu 1880, Allen C. Tanner, the present incumbent. E. H. Ridgeway succeeded Joel Pace as Circuit Clerk in iS-tl, and in 1848 was succeeded by John Wilbanks. X- B. Tanner came in in 1852, and in 1854 was succeeded by J. S. Bogan, who is still in the office. It is a striking example of the "right man in the right place. " He came very near being defeated once, that is, he lacked but three votes of carrying the county unanimously. This may have been fun for Bogan, but it was rough on his opponent. The people of Jefferson County show their good sense in retaining Mr. Bogan, for we have never been in a more neatly kept or admirably arranged office than his. He has a place for everything, and IS particularly careful to keep everything in its place - even his deputies.

Sheriffs - Lewis Watkins was the first Sheriff, and was appointed in 1819; the next was W. L. Howell, who was appointed in 1821; in 1823, Howell was again appointed to the office; in 1824, Nicholas Wren came in; in 1828, James Bowman, who, it seems, filled the office to 1842, when W. J. Stephenson became Sheriff, and held the office until 1848, and was sitcceeded by Elijah Piper;

School Commissioners - D. Baugb was the first School Commissioner of whom we have any account, and was appointed in 1836; J. R. Satterfield was the next, and was appointed in 1845; he was succeeded by J. H. Pace in 1847; in 1850, W. H. Lynch; in 1851, J. H. Pace; in 1859, J. R. P. Hicks; in 1861, J. M. Pace; in 1869, G. W. Johnson; in 1873, J. D. Williams, the present incumbent.

the present incumbent. The first Assessor was James Kelly, and the next Edward Maxey. Among the early Justices of the Peace were the following, in their order of appointment: O. Morris, Lewis Watkins and W. Maxwell, in 1819; William Maxey in 1820, and in 1822, J. Roberts, James Abbott, J. Pace, John Jordan, W. L. Howell, Barton Atchison and Samuel Gaston.

Township Organization. - The State constitution of 1847-48, contained the provision of township organization - a provision that was to be voted on by the people of each county, and leaving it oprional with them to adopt or reject it in their respective counties. So, in accordance with the provisions of that constitution, the first township organization act was passed by the Legislature. But the law, in attempting to put it into practical operation, disclosed radical defects. It was revised and amended at the session of 1851, substantially as it existed until the recent revision in 1871. The adoption of township organization marks an era in many of the counties of the State. The northern part of the State adopted it first. The people who had settled there were mostly fi'om the East, and were familiar with the township system and its practical workings. The people in the southern part of the State were much more slow to take hold of the new system.

Jefferson County adopted township organization in 1869 though township officers were not elected until the following year. At the time of the change, the election precincts of the county ,were Blissville, Elk Prairie, Gun Prairie, Grand Prairie, Horse Creek, Horse Prairie, Jackson, Jefferson, Jordan Prairie, Knob Prairie, Long Prairie, Moore's Prairie and Mount Vernon; total, thirteen. The new system involved a few changes, and the civil and Congressional townships were made to correspond, and the following are their names and the first Supervisors of ea(;h as elected: Mount Vernon Township, H. Warren, Supervisor; Field, John C. McConnell, Supervisor; Shiloh, John R. Moss, Supervisor; Casner, Elijah B. Harvey, Supervisor; Pendleton, William A. Jones, Supervisor; Spring Garden, William S. Bumpua, Supervisor; Rome, Gilbert L. Cummings, Supervisor; Webber, S. V. Bruce, Supervisor; Blissville, Samuel Johnson, Supervisor; Elk Prairie, George W. Evans, Supervisor; Far rington, M. A. Morrison, Supervisor; Grand Prairie, Jacob Breeze, Supervisor; Moore's Prairie, J. A. Wilbanks, Supervisor; Bald Hill, John B. Ware, ^Supervisor; Mc- Clellan, William A. Davis, Supervisor; Dodds, Robert D. Roane, Supervisor. The following are the Supervisors at present: Thomas E. Westcott for Mount Vernon; Henry Breeze for Grand Prairie; William J. Bledsoe for Casner; J. B. Norris for Blissville; R. T. Wright for Bald Hill; Andrew Riley, Jr., for Rome; John C. Tyler ^for Shiloh; Elijah Collins for McClellan; S. H. Dolby for Elk Prairie; William J. Garrison for Fields; William S. Bumpus for Dodds; C. M. Brown for Sjiring Garden; Thomas F. Mooi'e for Webber; L. E. Jones for Pendleton: G. W. Clark for Moore's Prairie; L. B. Gregory for Farringtou.

The township system of Illinois is not closely modeled after the New England States. There, a representative is sent from each town to the Lower House of the Legislature. In New York, owing to her vast extent of territory, this was found to be impracticable, and a county assembly, denominated a Board of Supervisors, composed of a member from each township, was theti established. This ^modified system has been copied almost exactly in this State.