Huntington County, Indiana - Chapter 20: Statistical Review, 1914

Value of Statistics in History - Increase in Population and Wealth - Increase in Farm Products - Vote in Presidential Elections - Chronology - Events Leading Up to the Organization of the County - Principal Events Since the Organization - Official Roster - List of County Officials from 1834 to 1914 - Re¬ flections.

On May 5, 1914, exactly eighty years had elapsed since the first board of county commissioners of Huntington County met in a log house, in the little Town of Huntington, and took the preliminary steps for the organization of the county under the provisions of the act of February 1, 1834. Statistics are neither romantic nor poetical and are not always interesting reading, but they frequently tell the story of a nation's progress better than anything else. So it is to statistics that the historian must look for an accurate account of Huntington County's development.

At the first election in August, 1834, for county officers, only 147 votes were cast. It must be remembered that the present county of Wabash then comprised part of Huntington for political purposes and that some of the voters lived in that territory. The number of people then living within the present limits of Huntington County probably did not exceed eight hundred. Between 1834 and 1840 Wabash County was organized as a separate jurisdiction and at the presidential election on November 4, 1840, Huntington County cast 134 votes for president. Since that time, as shown by the United States census reports, the popu¬ lation has steadily increased. Although a few townships show a decrease in population since the year 1890, the county at large, the City of Huntington and a majority of the townships have made gains. The following table shows the increase in population since 1840 - the first United States census taken after the organization of the county:

The greatest increase in the number of inhabitants was in the decade between the years 1840 and 1850, when it was nearly 500 per cent. During this period all parts of the county were settled and the last of the present twelve civil townships was organized. Between 1850 and 1860 the population nearly doubled, the first improved roads were built, the free public school system was inaugurated in all parts of the county, the first railroad was constructed through the county and public build¬ ings were erected.

The increase in wealth has fully kept pace with the growth of popula¬ tion. The earliest figures available on this subject are those of 1840, when the total value of taxable property was $109,050. In 1913 the tax duplicate of the county showed taxable property valued at more than twenty-one million dollars, which was distributed among the several townships and incorporated towns as follows: on Huntington County farms and lands aggregating $611,218. During the year 288 mortgages amounting to $390,968 were satisfied by pay¬ ment in full.

A further evidence of the development of the county's resources is seen in a comparative statement of the principal crops in 1850 (the earliest reliable statistics that can be found) and 1911. In 1850 the corn crop was 216,173 bushels, and in 1911 it was 1,850,633 bushels. During the same period the wheat crop increased from 76,750 bushels to 429,660 bushels, and the oats crop from 82,764 bushels to 1,271,010 bushels. The value of live stock in 1850 was $42,611 and in 1912 it was $1,631,878.

Even a casual study of the election returns shows that Huntington County has always been what is known as a close county in political matters. At no time in its history has any party been sufficiently strong to justify the old saying that "a nomination is equivalent to an election. ' ' While the great mass of voters has been about equally divided between the two dominant parties, there has always been enough of the independent element to sway the result to whichever side that vote inclined. No returns can be found for the presidential election of 1836, the first in which the citizens of Huntington County partici¬ pated. In 1840 a total of 134 votes were cast for the presidential candidates, but it cannot be ascertained how they were distributed. The following table shows the vote for the leading presidential candi¬ dates since 1844. In this table the democratic candidates come first, followed by the whig candidates until 1856, when that party was sup¬

Several times in presidential elections a few votes have been cast for the candidates of some third party. In 1844 Birney and Morris, the candidates of the liberty party, received 8 votes. Four years later Van Buren and Adams, the free soil candidates, received 31 votes, and in 1856 Fillmore and Donelson, of the American or know nothing party, received 56 votes. The Breckenridge and Lane democratic ticket in 1860 polled 54 votes. In 1875 the Greenback vote for Cooper and Cary was 19, and four years later Weaver and Chambers, the Greenback candi¬ dates, received 125 votes. That was practically the end of the Greenback party in the county. The prohibition vote for President was 186 in 1888 ; in 1892 it was 263 ; in 1896 it dwindled to 54 votes ; in 1900 it was 248 ; in 1904 it was 435 ; in 1908 it was 405, and in 1912 it was 399.

The disruption of the republican party in 1912 led to the organiza¬ tion of the progressives (sometimes called the bull moose) party, with Roosevelt and Johnson as the candidates for President and vice president, respectively. This ticket polled 1,586 votes in Huntington County, and in the same year Eugene V. Debs, the socialist candidate for President, received 252 votes.

Political divisions, such as states and counties, are the outgrowth of a series of events, the beginning of which is often many years before and at some point far distant from the state or county itself. This is true of Huntington County. While the actual organization of the county dates from 1834, the foundation for that organization was laid more than a century and a half before that time. Following is a list of the principal events that had an influence in leading up to the creation of the county, as well as the chief events that have occurred within the county since it was established, each of which is treated in detail in the appropriate place. At first glance it may seem that, in some instances at least, these occurrences are somewhat remote from the direct history of the county, yet each one formed a link in the chain. Had any one of these events terminated differently, subsequent events might have been materially influenced thereby, so that the history of the region now in¬ cluded in Huntington County would have to be recorded in quite a different manner.

April 9, 1682, La Salle claimed all the Mississippi Valley as a domain of France, under the name of Louisiana. By this act the territory now comprising Huntington County became a French possession.

July, 1701, Cadillac founded the post of Detroit, from which a line of French posts extended westward up the Maumee and down the Wabash valleys.

July 3, 1748, Miami Indians first appear in history, when some of their chiefs signed a treaty of peace at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, though they were mentioned by French writers as early as 1658.

1778-79, George Rogers Clark captured the British posts in Indiana and Illinois. Huntington County claimed by the colony of Virginia as a result of the conquest.

September 3, 1783, Treaty of Paris concluding the Revolutionary war. By this treaty the western boundary of the United States was fixed at the Mississippi River.

July 13, 1787, the Northwest Territory established by act of Congress. This territory included the present states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.

August 20, 1794, Little Turtle signally defeated by Gen. Anthony Wayne at the battle of Fallen Timbers, thus paving the way for the acquisition of Indian lands in Indiana.

September 30, 1809, General Harrison concluded another treaty at Fort Wayne, by which the Indians cede to the United States two large tracts of land in Indiana.

October 6, 1818, treaty of St. Mary's, Ohio, by which the Miami Indians ceded all their lands south of the Wabash in Indiana to the United States, except the "Big Reserve."

October 16, 1826, the Pottawatomi Indians ceded to the United States all their claims to certain lands north of the Wabash. Ten days later the Miami tribe relinquished all claim to the same lands and Huntington County became part of the unorganized territory of Indiana.

August 1835, the first grand jury met. It was composed of Elias Murray, Joel Grover, John F. Merrill, John Burk, Paul Burk, Thomas Brackenridge, George A. Fate, Obadiah Ward, John Thompson, Channing Madison, Edwin Madison and William Delvin.

May 15, 1837, a board of justices, composed of Jesse Cleveland, John S. Merrill and Leander Morrison, elected to manage the county business.

April 13, 1847, Chief La Fontaine died at Lafayette while on his way home from Kansas. His remains were brought to Huntington and buried in the Catholic cemetery.

April 5, 1858, corner-stone of the first courthouse built by the county laid under the auspices of Mystic Lodge, No. 110, F. & A. M., of Huntington.

November 6, 1860, presidential election. Lincoln and Hamlin, the republican candidates, carry the county by a plurality of 202, after one of the hottest political campaigns in the history of the county.

April 19, 1882, a contract for the erection of a new county jail and sheriff's residence awarded to J. W. Hinckley by the county com¬ missioners.

Below is given a list of the officials who have administered the affairs of Huntington County since its organization, with the year in which each was elected or entered upon the duties of his office. This list is as complete as it is possible to compile from the records. Where a number of years is indicated as having elapsed between the election of one man and that of his successor, it shows a reelection of the first named officer, as in the case of Joseph Wiley, who served as clerk from 1841 to 1854. In order to understand these evidences of reelection, it is well for the reader to bear in mind that clerks, auditors, recorders and county assessors are elected for four years, and all other county officers for two years.

Recorders - For twenty years after the organization of the county, the duties of the recorder were discharged by the clerk, or by an officer appointed by the county commissioners. The recorders that have been elected by the people are as follows: Martin B. Brandt, 1854; Thomas L. Lucas, 1862; Isaac K. Schlosser, 1870; Lewis J. Day, 1874; Porter Ayres, 1878; Martin Little, 1886; Cyrus Nave, 1890; Robert Blackburn, 1894 (served less than two years of his term and Nathan Fisher appointed until the next general election); J. J. Sprinkle, 1896; George Weller, 1900; Frank S. Bash, 1904; Howard D. McClelland, 1908; John Tier¬ ney, 1912 (and died in office).

Surveyors - From the early records it is impossible to give a consecu¬ tive list of the county surveyors prior to 1850. William Delvin was sur¬ veyor from 1837 to about 1840 and laid out several of the older towns in the county. Since 1850 the office has been filled by the following gentle¬ men : S. C. Putnam, 1850 ; S. H. Swaim, 1853 ; Frank Calvert, 1854 ; John Roche, 1858 (served but a short time and G. S. Brinkerhoof was appointed to fill out the remainder of the term) ; G. S. Brinkerhoof, 1860 ; Thomas Bolinger, 1862 ; W. G. Bratton, 1864 ; Aaron Sprinkle, 1866 ; Harvey C. Black, 1868; J. M. Hatfield, 1872; J. W. Gussman, 1874; John C. Altman, 1878; Henry H. Wagoner, 1882; Thomas B. Hart, 1886; R. D. Smith, 1892; Thomas Ruggles, 1896; Herman E. Taylor, 1898; Mahlon F. Smith, 1902; Harley E. Rittgers, 1906; James B. Ver¬ non, 1910 ; Samuel V. Hite, 1912.

Coroners - No authentic record of the coroners prior to 1840 is avail¬ able. Since that time the office has been filled as follows: John Buchanan, 1840; James M. Bratton, 1841; David Myers, 1844; Isaac

County Commissioners - Section 5 of the act of February 1, 1834, which provided for the organization of Huntington County, provided certain duties to be performed by ' ' The board of commissioners at their first meeting after they are elected, ' ' etc. The first meeting of that board was on May 5, 1834, and the first official act of said board was to divide

Jesse Cleveland, John S. Merrill and Leander Morrison, who were elected on May 15, 1837, and whose names appear in the above list as commissioners, were not designated as county commissioners, but as a "board of justices," which transacted the county business. Samuel Moore, elected in 1838 to succeed John S. Merrill, was also one of the justices. In 1839 the office of county commissioner was reestablished by law and a new board elected as above indicated.

County Assessors - Section 112 of the tax law of 1891 sets forth that "There shall be elected, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, 1892, and every four years thereafter, in each county in this state, one county assessor," etc. The act also provided that the county commissioners of each county, on the first Monday in June, 1891, "or as soon as possible thereafter," should elect a county assessor to serve until the general election in 1892. Pursuant to the latter provision, the county commissioners of Huntington County, on June 1, 1891, elected Isaac E. Fisher the first county assessor. Since then the office has been filled by the following incumbents: Morris W. Kelsey, 1892- (resigned after a few months and William W. Sutton appointed to serve until the general election of 1894) ; David Burket, 1894; Charles S. Weeks, 1900; Isaiah M. Strouse, 1906 (died in office and the last eighteen months of the term filled by James B. Williams by appointment) ; James B. Williams, 1910.

County Council - On March 3, 1899, Governor Mount approved an act authorizing the establishment of a county council in each county of the state, to have general supervision over the business of the county, particu¬ larly in the matter of appropriations. Section 2 of the act provides: "That within twenty days after the taking effect of this act, the board of county commissioners of each county of the state shall meet and make and spread of record an order dividing such county into four councilmanic districts, of contiguous territory, as nearly equal in population as possible : Provided that no township shall be divided in forming such districts."

Under this provision the commissioners of Huntington County met on May 3, 1899, and divided the county into the following districts: 1. The townships of Jackson, Clear Creek, Warren and Union; 2. The Township of Huntington; 3. The townships of Dallas, Polk, Wayne and Lancaster; 4. Rock Creek, Jefferson and Salamonie townships.

By Section 5 of the act it was provided that "An election of councilmen shall take place at the general November election in 1900 and in 1902, and every four years thereafter," etc. In these elections one councilman is chosen by the voters of each district, and three from the county at large, making a membership of seven men in the full council. Since the taking effect of the act the members elected in Huntington County have been as follows :

1900 - David Anglemyre, William McGrew and John S. Glenn, at large; William T. Purviance, first district; James Eckenrode, second district; John Stouder, third district; Joseph D. Creviston, fourth district.

1902 - Isaac A. Smith, Martin W. Little and Laban Allred, at large ; William T. Purviance, first district ; William F. Swaim, second district ; John Stouder, third district ; Vestal C. Shaw, fourth district.

large; William T. Purviance, first district; John M. Smith, second dis¬ trict / John Stouder, third district; Arthur P. Back, fourth district.

Heyrescntatives - Prior to 1868 Huntington County was joined to some of the adjacent counties to form a representative district for the election of a member of the lower branch of the State Legislature. During this period the district was represented by Samuel Jones, Joseph Cheesebro and Samuel McCaughey, Huntington County men, at different times. Since the county was made a representative district by itself it has been represented in the lower house of the general assembly as follows: John R. Coffroth, 1868; William H. Trammel, 1870; Buell M. Cobb, 1872; James C. Favorite, 1874; James C. Branyan, 1876; Henry Drover, 1878; James B. Kenner, 1880; John IT. Barr, 1882 (reelected in 1884) ; Cyrus E. Briant, 1886 (reelected in 1888) ; Hiram Gill, 1890 (reelected in 1892) ; Firman D. Smith, 1894; John J. Hart, 1896; Harvey C. Dilley, 1898 (reelected in 1900) ; Marion B. Stults, 1902 (reelected in 1904 and 1906) ; Edmund M. Wasmuth, 1908 (reelected in 1910) ; J. Ray Dickin¬ son, 1912.

Since 1906 Huntington also shares in the election of joint representa¬ tive for the counties of Huntington, Kosciusko and Whitley, and forms part of a senatorial district composed of the counties of Huntington and Whitley. The returns of elections in these joint districts, being kept in different counties, makes it difficult to obtain the names of the senators and representatives elected, and they are therefore omitted.

In every county, or other political subdivision of the country, where public officials are elected by popular vote, it sometimes happens that men are chosen for positions of trust and responsibility more because they are "good mixers" than for their capability and integrity. It is therefore not surprising that officials of this class occasionally prove to be guilty of malfeasance in office, or when they retire at the close of their terms the public records of the office are found in such a shape as to furnish conclusive evidence of the incompetency. Fortunately for the interests of the people of Huntington County, such instances are ex¬ tremely rare. A casual study of the above list of the men who have been placed in charge of the county's business throughout its entire history, will disclose the names of many who are remembered as men of sound judgment, executive ability and unimpeachable integrity, who, in the exercise of their official functions used the same careful and conscientious methods that marked them as successful men in their private business enterprises.

To win a sufficient number of friends and supporters to be elected to a public office is well, but to retain the friendship and confidence of these supporters after the office is relinquished is better. And few, indeed, are they who have at any time administered the affairs of Hunt¬ ington County, who have forfeited any of the esteem or good will of their fellow citizens.

Four score years have fled since the first county officers entered upon their work of building up a civilized community in a wilderness. During all these years the development along all lines has gone steadily forward. The men who aided in making the laws of the state, or who have ordered the local affairs of the county have assisted in this development, both in their private and public capacity. In a few instances newspapers have made charges of extravagance or lack of judgment on the part of public officials, but generally such charges have been uttered for political pur¬ poses and few of them were based upon any substantial foundation. When another history of Huntington County shall be written eighty years hence, it is to be hoped that the record of her public servants shall be as free from stain as that of the first eighty years of her career. QC