Delaware County, Indiana - Chapter 6: County Organization and Government, 1924 (part 2 of 2)

Recorder - As noted above, William VanMatre and Samuel W. Harlan were the early recorders of Delaware county, carrying on the affairs of this office in conjunction with the affairs of the clerk's and the auditor's office. In 1834 Samuel R. Collier, a pioneer surveyor who had much to do with establishing definite lines hereabout while the lands were being settled, and who afterward served for some years as official surveyor of the county, was elected recorder and he held that office for four years, during which time he gave an individ- ual character to the pages of the deed records that is of continuing interest even in the present day. John Marshall then served for a brief period as recorder and was succeeded by Patrick Justice, who in 1845 was succeeded by James A. Maddy, of Granville, who later became engaged in merchandising at Muncie and who served as recorder for ten years, to be succeeded by George B. Norris, who died in office and was succeeded by T. E. Burt, incumbent during the period of the Civil war and who in 1865 was succeeded by Will H. M. Cooper, whose successor was Samuel Gayman, who served for eight years and in 1878 was succeeded by James L. Streeter, who served for ten years or until in 1887 when O. M. Wilson entered the office. Wilson was succeeded in turn by Thomas E. Harrington and Reuben Thompson and it was during the respective terms of these three that the recorder's office is said to have been the most remunerative of any office in the court house, the filing of oil and gas leases during that period having kept the recorder busy. Thompson was succeeded in 1898 by George E. Dungan, who was re-elected in 1902 and was followed by William H. Hufford, elected in 1906. Charles W. Fletcher was elected in 1910, Ross Dowden in 1914, and James L. Davis in 1918. Mr. Davis was re-elected in 1922 and is thus now serving his second term in the recorder's office. Treasurer - When Delaware county was organized the collection of taxes for the carrying on the functions of county government was in the hands of a "collector," whose duties in such sparsely settled counties as this then was were generally combined with those of the sheriff, hence it is likely that Peter Nolin, the first sheriff of Delaware county also served as the first '"'treasurer" of the county, an office that was not definitely prescribed until by a law of 1840 the office of treasurer was created. A carefully preserved tax receipt of Stephen Cox for "fore dollars and 35 cents, in full of state and county tax for the year 1837," signed by Adam Wilson, "Collector Del. Co.," reveals that Wilson then was "collector." Stephen Long was the first treasurer of Delaware county elected under this law of 1840 and after four years of service he was succeeded in 1845 by Volney Willson, who had come here as a young man from New York state and whose first service at Muncie was as a school teacher, and was presently made deputy county treasurer, thus being a logical successor to the first incumbent in that office. He later became a large landowner and until the time of his death in 1890 was regarded as one of the leading men of affairs in this county. Willson served for three terms as treasurer and in 1853 was succeeded by Frederick E. Putnam, a pioneer merchant and also for many years one of the leaders of the community, who died in 1901 at the age of eighty-three years. Putnam served for four years as county treasurer and was succeeded by Samuel F. Brady, who was treasurer during the period of the Civil war; succeeded in 1865 by Capt. Frank Ellis, a soldier of the Civil war, who was elected while still in the field, and afterward judge of the circuit court. John Holbert was the next treasurer and he was succeeded by Samuel Gibson, who in 1881 was succeeded by Amos L. Wilson and he by J. W. Taylor and the latter by George Kirby, elected in 1888. Kirby was succeeded in turn by Mark Powers and David A. Lambert, the latter of whom was succeeded by Charles F. Koontz, elected in 1900. James M. Motsenbacker was elected in 1904, Ralph H. Clark in 1906-08 and George L. Haymond in 1910. The latter was succeeded in 1914 by Goldsmith Gilbert Williamson, the first and only Democrat ever elected to this office, and he in turn by Earle H. Swain, 1916-18, and Fred J. Reasoner (1920-22), the present incumbent in the treasurer's office, this office also serving as treasury for the city of Muncie.

Sheriff - As noted above, Peter Nolin was the first sheriff of Delaware county. He served for four years and was succeeded by William S. Thornburg and the latter by William Gilbert, who in 1839 was followed by Joseph Thomas, whose brief incumbency was followed by that of James Howell, who served for four years and was succeeded in turn by Joseph M. Davis, H. E. Bowen, Clark McColly, William Walling and John W. Dungan, the latter of whom was serving when the Civil war broke out. In 1863 he was succeeded by D. D. Daugherty, who was followed successively by Wilson R. Smith, Orlando H. Swain, C. H. Maitlan and Andrew J. Slinger until in 1876 John W. Dungan again was elected to this office and served another four years, to be followed by J. R. McKimmey, who was succeeded by C. H. Maitlan for another term and he in 1888 by Orlando H. Swain, elected for another term. Swain was followed in the sheriff's office by William P. Sherry, Thomas Starr and William N. Swain, the latter elected in 1900. Stafford B. Perdieu was elected in 1904, and W. Albert O'Harra in 1908. By re-election the latter served a double term and was succeeded by Jesse G. White, elected in 1912, who also served two terms; Thomas Hiatt, 1916, and Harry E. Hoffman, the present incumbent, elected in 1920-22.

Surveyor - Reference is made elsewhere to the service of the plucky government surveyors who came into the swamps here and "ran the lines" for the primal survey of the lands in the New Purchase. By the time Delaware county was organized in 1827 these lines had become pretty well established and many entries had been made. John Tomlinson, a practical surveyor and who also served as one of the early associate judges of the circuit court in this county and as judge of probate, as has been set out elsewhere, was elected first surveyor of the new county, and in this capacity served for ten years or until succeeded in 1838 by the brilliant Samuel R. Collier, of lamented memory among the pioneers of the county, who in 1842 was succeeded as surveyor by Stephen C. Collins, and he in turn by David B. Dowden, James S. Slack, Joshua Truitt and William G. Ethell, the latter of whom was serving during the period of the Civil war and who resigned in 1865, to be followed by William Truitt and Stanton J. Hussey. Hussey resigned before the completion of his term of office and was succeeded by William Truitt, former surveyor, who was kept in office until succeeded by E. H. Stradling, elected in 1882, and who was succeeded by Jonathan D. Fenwick, elected in 1886. Fenwick was followed in turn by O. W. Storer and Charles Gough, the latter elected in 1898, and who continued in office until the incumbency of Harry V. Moore, elected in 1906. Charles M. Armintrout was elected surveyor in 1910, S. Horace Weber in 1914 and H. Lester Janney, the present incumbent in the surveyor's office, was elected in 1916 and by successive re-elections has been continued in that office.

Coroner - The first coroner of Delaware county was William Gilbert, a kinsman of Goldsmith Gilbert, founder of old Muncietown, and the succession in this office, with varying terms of service, has been as follows: Charles Redpath, George Cummerford, Martin Galliher, James Nottingham, Charles Rickart, James Mason (who served during the period of the Civil war), Milton James, G. W. H. Kemper, W. J. Boyden, D. V. Buchanan, Charles W. Smith, William E. Driscoll, Joseph F. Bowers, Ulysses G. Poland, Aaron A. Cecil, John S. Coffman, J. Frank Downing, John H. Williamson and J. Frank Downing, the present incumbent, elected again in 1920 and now serving in that office.

Superintendent of Schools - Upon the organization of something like a definite public school system "back in the good old days," the township trustees held the examining power over prospective teachers and wonderful and weird indeed were some of these "examinations." In 1837 the court was clothed with authority to name three county examiners of schools and teachers, which helped some. In 1858 this appointing power was transferred to the board of county commissioners, which was a retrograde movement. In 1861 it was provided that the examining power thereafter should rest in one "examiner" instead of three, which simplified things somewhat. Charles W. Moore was the first "examiner" in Delaware county under this system and he was followed in turn by G. S. Maddy, E. J. Rice, William Richardson, Frederick E. Putnam, Thomas J. Brady, Arthur C. Mellette, Ralph S. Gregory and O. M. Todd, the latter of whom, a Presbyterian clergyman, was holding the office of county school examiner when in 1878 this office was abolished and that of the present county superintendent of schools was created, the new officer to be elected by the county board of education consisting of the several township trustees in the county. Todd was elected county superintendent to succeed himself and in 1879 was succeeded by Albert Worthington Clancy, a one-armed school teacher, who had been serving as principal of one of the Muncie schools. Clancy held the office for two terms or until in the summer of 1883 when he was succeeded by John O. Lewellen, now a Muncie lawyer, who was continued in the office for fourteen years or until the election in 1897 of Charles Van- Matre, who also was retained for a like term of service and.in 1911 was succeeded by Ernest Black, who served until the election of the present incumbent, Lee O. Baird, elected in 1921.

County Commissioners - Owing to the destruction of the records of the early boards of county commissioners, the succession in this office up until in the early '40s cannot be given with any assurance of precision. It is known, however, that Enoch Nation, Valentine Gibson and Aaron Stout constituted the first board of commissioners, and that among others who served during the period covered by the records that were destroyed by fire were Matthew Conner, Isaiah E. Beck, John Richey, John Collins, Stephen Long, Samuel Hutchings, William Harvey and John Rees, the two latter of whom, together with Michael Thompson, constituted the board when the record was opened in 1842. With varying terms of service these and Thomas S. Neely, Eli Boots, Thomas Hughes, James Orr, David Shoemaker, Charles Mansfield, Joseph Thomas, Henry Hill, Abraham Shank, John B. Babb, George A. Helvie, Volney Willson, George A. Helvie, Joseph Orr, Samuel Weidner, William Miller, Jesse Nixon and John Truitt rendered service up to the time of the Civil war, the three latter constituting the board in 1861. Then up to the '80s, with varying terms of service, Samuel S. White, Miles Harrold, John Parker, T. J. Matthews, Liberty Ginn, William Miller again, Alexander Darter, Eli Smith, James Stewart, W. A. Shoemaker, Samuel Davis, William F. Watson and Benjamin F. Smith rendered service, the three latter constituting the board in 1880 when Delaware county began to respond to new impulses along all lines. Since then service on the board has been rendered by C. E. Jones, James Barrett, R. M. Snodgrass, Thomas Marshall, Thomas Sharp, Mathew McCormick, L. S. Sparks, M. A. Cunningham, H. C. Schlegel, Lewis G. Cowing, Nathan J. Shroyer, John Huffer, John S. Ellis, Peter A. Helm, Enoch Drumm, William T. Janney, John B. Jackson, William Sunderland, Samuel A. Clark, David M. Hays, Jonas F. Shoemaker and John R. Retherford. Mr. Retherford died while serving as a member of the board and was succeeded by his son, Clarence L. Retherford, who was appointed by the board in February, 1921. The present (1923) members of the board of county commissioners are Sherman J. Shroyer, Andrew Jackson and John W. McCreery. Following the death of Frank D. Haimbaugh, postmaster of Muncie, January 2, 1924, William H. Williams, superintendent of the Delaware county infirmary, was appointed postmaster and Sherman J. Shroyer, president of the board of county commissioners, was appointed superintendent of the infirmary, the vacancy thus created on the board being filled by the appointment of John W. Truitt to that position.

The present members of the county council are Moses E. Black, C. L. Retherford, Charles Koontz, George Watson, John G. Kirklin, Charles VanMatre and William Clark.

The trustees of the several townships are as follows: Salem township, George S. McGaughey; Mt. Pleasant, Peter J. Kautsman; Harrison, John W. Black; Washington, Henry M. Long; Monroe, John F. Clevenger; Center, Merritt Heath; Hamilton, Dumont Lontz; Union, Taylor G. Gibson; Perry, Irvin V. Thornburg; Liberty, David Hausknecht; Delaware, Cyrus J. Stafford; Niles, Charles M. Rickert.

Elmer Ferguson is the county assessor and the assessors of the several townships are as follows: Salem, Arthur Franklin; Mt. Pleasant, William S. Reed; Harrison, William R. Hiatt; Washington, John A. Rench; Monroe, Sylvester M. Priddy; Center, George W. Pfeiffer; Hamilton, Henry Gumpp; Union, George A. Morris; Perry, Raymond

A Big Concern And Going Strong

The current (1923) appropriation for the year ending December 31, 1924, approved by the county council, shows that Delaware county is a big concern and going strong, the total levy being in excess of $350,000 on an estimated basis of $105,538,845 of taxable property, with taxes to be collected, in the county revenue fund, $216,247.90; bond or sinking fund, $10,906.55. This appropriation covers authorized expenditures in the following departments of the county government: Clerk of the circuit court, $4,270; auditor, $9,638; treasurer, $7,535; recorder, $8,410; sheriff, $13,620; surveyor - fees and $600 expense; county superintendent, $400; assessor, $2,024; coroner, $1,300; county health commissioner, $4,255; commissioners court, $3,140; board of review, $1,000; board of truancy, $2,150; assessing, $18,507.50; expenses of poor, $18,250; court house, $13,400; jail, $7,760; poor farm, $31,320; orphans home, $38,350; state penal and benevolent, $6,500; insanity inquests, $5,000; epileptic, $100; elections, $10,000; soldiers' burial, $8,000; printing and advertising, $1,500; hospital association, $10,000; county agent, $2,300; inspector of weights and measures, $1,560; sequestered tax collections, $10,000; examination of public records, $1,485; tubercular test, $3,500; miscellaneous, $2,580; new bridges, $56,000; bridge repairs, $10,000; prosecuting attorney, salary and $1,300 expense; expense of circuit court, $17,000; superior court, $2,700; for payment of bonds and interest, $15,721.45.