Jefferson County, Illinois - Chapter 5: Jefferson County Organized, 1909

Chapter 5: Jefferson County Organized

Courage! There is none so poor - None of all who wrong endure - None so humble, none so weak But may flush his father's cheek. And his maiden's, dear and true. With deeds that he may do. Be his days as dark as night He may make himself a light. What though sunken be his sun - There are stars when day is done.

One of the first acts of the County Commissioners was the laying of the county into civil divisions. At first it was divided into two districts or townships called respectively "Moore's Prairie" and "Casey's Prairie." In 1820 Walnut Hill Precinct was formed. It included all of Marion and Jefferson counties north of the line dividing townships 1 and 2, south. Then the next change we find in the civil divisions is in June, 1 832, when Grand Prairie precinct was formed. It was in the northwest part of the county, eight miles square, the voting place being Poston's Mill. In June, 1834. Horse Creek precinct was laid off. It extended seven miles from the east line of the county and was bounded north by the county hne and south by the Fairfield road - voting place being Frank Haney's. Gun Prairie precinct was formed in 1835, beginning where the "New Hurricane" crossed the west line of the county, run with the hurricane to Morgan's Mill; to S. Toney's and W. Toney's to the edge of Moore's Prairie, and to the south line of the county - voting place, house of William King. The next precinct was Long Prairie, bounded on the west by Middle Fork and Muddy river, and the Grand Prairie road - voting place, H. Hick's house. 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, and to the county line, then up the creek to the place of beginning - voting place, J. Kelley's. At the same time New Moore's Prairie precinct was formed, including township 4, range 4 - voting place at Wilbanks. Then for many years the business of the county moved on under the old precinct system. The first Board of Commissioners was composed of Zadok Casey, Fleming Greenwood and Joseph Jordan, and under this system of commissioners (three in number) , the business of the county was conducted until 1 869, when township organization was voted in, and the county was laid off into sixteen townships, each six miles square. Under the precinct system, county officers changed but seldom, but managed to succeed themselves, but under township organization, the county officers changed oftener and the township officers change every year, evidencing the fact that the people rule.

County Officers

County Clerk. - Joel Pace was both County Clerk and Circuit Clerk, and held the office from 1819 to 1837, when Noah Johnson was chosen County Clerk. He was succeeded by E. H. Ridgway,

Circuit Clerk. - E. H. Ridgway succeeded Joel Pace, as Circuit Clerk in 1841 ; he by John Wilbanks in 1848, and he by T. B. Tanner in 1852. He resigned and John S. Bogan took the office in 1 854, and held it until 1 888, when W. A. Davis came in. In 1892, W. V. Satterfield took the place, died in office and J. F. Bogan filled out the term. Then L. E. Jones and then C. A. Keller; then George W. Highsmith and then Burl Hawkins, the present incumbent.

Sheriffs. - Lewis Watkins, the first Sheriff, was succeeded by W. L. Howell; in 1824, Nicholas Wren came in; James Bowman in 1828, who served until 1842, when W. J. Stephenson was chosen Sheriff and served until 1848. He was succeeded by Wiley Piper; 1850, J. R. Satterfield; 1852, William Dodds; 1854, J. R. Allen; 1856, James Wescott; 1858, John Bagwell; 1860, C. G. Vaughn; 1862, J. B. Goodrich; 1864, C. G. Vaughn; 1866, Wilham Dodds; 1868, W. E. Coffey; 1870. three terms, J. B. Goodrich; 1876, two terms, George W. Yost; Sam Cooper one term; then Thomas M. Gray, succeeded by John R. Ward, T. E. Manion, S. S. Howe, and the present incumbent. Grant Irvin.

County Treasurers. - The first Treasurer of Jefferson county was James Kelly, who perhaps handled a couple of dozen dollars during his term. He was succeeded by Edward Maxey; he by John Wilbanks ; he by Joseph Pace ; he by S. Goddard, he by J. Livingston, he by G. P. Casey; he by H. B. Newby, and A. B. Watson, John H. Watson, W. Hicks, S. W. Jones two terms; W. i

County Judges. - Until the adoption of township organization, the presiding officer of the Board of County Commissioners was the County Judge or Probate Justice and this position was filled about twenty-five years by Judge Satterfield, who has figured so extensively in the management of Jefferson county affairs. After Satterfield the Board of Commissioners passed out, and the county judgeship stood on its own merits, Jared Foster being elected County Judge, and those succeeding him were Judges C. A. Keller, W. B. Anderson, William T. Pace, Robert M. Farthing, J. D. Norris, Con. Schul and A. D. Webb, our present County Judge.

School Commissioners, or Superintendents, as they call them now - Browning Daugh is the first we have any account of. appointed in 1836; J. R. Satterfield came next in 1845; then came John H. Pace, W. H. Lynch, J. H. Pace, J. R. P. Hicks. Office changed to School Superintendent, and James M. Pace was chosen, followed by G. W. Johnson, John D. Williams, William T. Summers, Oscar Stitch, J. W. Hill and A. E. Summers, the present mcumbent.

County Surveyors. - The first elected Surveyor was Lewis F. Casey, who served for many years. He was followed by W. B. Anderson. A. M. Grant, John D. Williams, W. T. Williams, B. C. Wells, Kirby Smith, James Westcott, S. T. Maxey, and B. C. Wells, just elected.

Jefferson county adopted township organization in 1869, and the first Board of Supervisors were elected in 1870; Jacob Breeze, Grand Prairie; E. B. Harvey, Casner; Samuel Johnson, Blissville; John B. Ward, Bald Hill; G. L. Cummins, Rome; J. R.

Moss. Shiloh; William A. Davis. McClellan; G. W. Evans, Elk Prairie; John C. McConnell. Fields; D. H. Warren. Mount Vernon; R. D. Roan. Dodds; W. S. Bumpus. Spring Garden; M. A. Morrison. Farrington; S.V.Bruce, Webber; W.A.Jones Moore's Prairie. The county has had many good Boards of Supervisors since that day. Township organization has become quite popular with the people of the county, as it seems to be more nearly a homerule government than the old commissioner system, and yet it costs considerably more. Since the county was fully organized, officers have mainly been brought out by party machinery, each party presenting its candidates through caucus or primary. Sometimes Independents slip in. but usually the successful ones are old party nominees, sometimes one, sometimes the other.

During all this organization period, Joel Pace was officially part of the organization itself, and it seems proper that we here record "what manner of man" he was. Born in Virginia, he moved with his father to Kentucky. On reaching manhood, Joel went to Frankfort, Kentucky, where he worked for Thomas Long. The latter had a brother, Billy, merchandising in Vincennes, Indiana. Riley asked Thomas to refer him to a trusty young man who would make a good salesman. He recommended Joel Pace, and Riley employed him and sent him to Vincennes. Here he remained two years, when Riley had a stock of goods damaged by the sinking of a boat in the Ohio river, and he sent young Pace to sell them out as best he could at Shawneetown. Riley abandoned himself to drink and Joel left him and worked for Peoples & Kirkpatrick. at Shawneetown. Judge Brown, who was then "Judge of the Realm." then lived at Shawneetown, and he appointed Joel Pace Circuit Clerk of Jefferson county, and procured for him the additional offices of Recorder and Notary Public. So he had three offices when he came here in 1819. and was soon appointed to the forth office, County Clerk. And yet there was so Httle business that he attended to the duties of them all, and still found time to teach a school, the first ever taught in the county. Such was the "make-up" of the man, who at one and the same time held several of the most important offices of the county, for about twenty years, discharging faithfully his official duties. And it is always the pleasure of the historian to record the doings of a faithful public official. The early officers of the courts were efficient and faithful, but none of them wore official honors so long and faithfully without rest as did Joel Pace. He was in every respect an ideal pioneer, and Jefferson county is proud of his memory. The scramble for the "loaves and fishes" of the county was "light and airy" as compared with the strenuous work along that line in later years. The most lucrative offices of the county were filled by appointment and not by popular vote, as now, until about 1 840. The early records show few changes, the appomtmg powers seeming to agree with Chancellor Kent, who said: "The great danger to this county is the too freqent change of men who prove themselves faithful in office." All organizations have weak spots, and so with the organization of Jefferson county, but these weak spots were gradually "chinked" and "daubed," as the pioneers did their cabins, and were finally "cut out," and supplanted with better things and modes, until now we have one of the best organized, even running counties in this great and glorious state. We have not the room to give the organization of townships more space in this chapter, but may devote a chapter to that later. Havmg started the county machinery, we will go back and see what was the real character of our first inhabitants.