Miami County, Indiana - Chapter 7: Organization and Political History, 1896

Chapter 7: Organization and Political History

HEY held elections, open, free, Where all expressed their voice; All bowed to the majority And all obeyed the choice. The people ruled and not a part, The many not the few; The universal mind and heart Were honest, strong, and true! * * * * * The lawyers were not popular, Their clients were but few; They made things look so dark or fair We knew not what was true. Of magistrates a small supply Answered our horest needs, The 'Squire the marriage-knot could tie And write our notes and deeds, - Horace P. Biddle's American Boyhood.

ECEMBER 18, 1828, the legislature organized a large territory in the D north part of the state in a civil district and iv was named Cass county. It embraced the territory now included in the counties of Miami, Wabash, Fulton, Marshall, Kosciusko, Elkhart and St. Joseph and parts of La:Porte, Starke and Pulaski. The Indians were rapidly selling their land, emigrants were pouring in, and the county of Cass was soon too large to be well governed. St. Joseph was the first organized out of this territory in 1830; La Porte in 1832; Miami in 1834; Wabash aud Kosciusko in 1835; Fulton and Marshall in 1836; Elkhart and Pulaski in 1839; and Starke remained a part of Kosciusko county until 1850.

The boundary of Miami county was established by act of legislature, January 2, 1834. Alexander Jameson, John Crudson and John W. Miller were appointed commissioners and were directed to meet at Miamisport. They held their first meeting at the home of John McGregor, Wednesday, the 3rd day of June 1834. B. H. Scott was selected clerk pro tem. He appointed John McGregor, sheriff. Scott acted as clerk by appointment until August and was then elected to the position. Huis duties were that of clerk, auditor and recorder. 'The records of 1884 and 1835 are not much more than one busy day's 'session of the commisgioner's court of to-day. All could have been written by Scott himself in two days, now it takes from six to eight, busily at work the year round. All the early records of the court house were destroyed by fire, March 16, 1843, except the records of 1834 and '35 which happened to be at the home of one of the county officers. It is a relic of pioneer government. It would take an experienced copyist with a microscope to correctly transfer Scott's writing to a modern style.

The first business that came before the commissioners was a petition by Louis Druillard for a ferry across the Wabash. 'This was ordered filed until the next term. A grocer's license was granted to Nathaniel McGuire and Wm. Thompson, one year, each paying $12.50 for thesame. Wm. A. Reyburn was appointed local agent and Abner Overman treasurer.

The seconds day's session was held at the home of B. H. Scott, and the sheriff being absent, the clerk opened the court. 'The land in the south partof the county had not yet been sold by the Indians. That north of the Wabash was ordered by the commissioners to be divided. into two townships, to be ° known as Peru and Jefferson. An election was ordered: to be held in each township, Saturday, the 21st day of June, for the purpose of electing justices of the peace, one voting place fixed at Miamisport and one at the nome of the Widow Wilkinson in Mexico. Wm. Bain wae appointed inspector of elections in Jefferson and Wm. Coats in Peru township. The bond of Wm. Reyburn for $1500 us local agent was approved. The clerk was ordered to apply for ten copies of the state laws and after the commissioners allowed $2 per day for their services, they adjourned to meet the 4th Monday ia September.

A special session was held June 19th. The clerk was ordered to make out a poll book for the election to be held in August. The following names were drawn by the clerk for grand and petit jurors.

A license was. granted to Louis Druillard to run a ferry across the Wabash for one year for $5, and the rate of fare was-fixed by the commissioners. The two townships were divided into supervisors districts, and Aaron Rheinberger, Jacob Wilkinson and Isaac Murquiss were appointed to serve as supervisors until the fall election.

Tbe board met the first Monday of September at the home of the clerk in Miamisport. 'The business that came before them was making allowances, granting licenses. ordering elections, appointing officers, and hearing petitions. Two county roads were petitioned for; one by Stewart Flagg and others and one by Joseph Forgy and others. Joseph Clymer, George Townsend and John F. Sanders were appointed viewers. One of the roads petitioned for was from.

was ordered for Peru township on the 4th of October for the purpose of electing two justices of the peace. Tavern licenses were granted to Jamies T. Liston and Patrick Murphy, for one year, for $12.50 each. A grocery license, or a +¢license to vend merchandise" as'expressed then, was granted Louis Druillard, for one year for the usual price. John Reyburn was allowed $5 for services as coroner at an inquest on the body of John Carr. A jury of twelvs men set on the body of Carr and each was allowed 75 cents.

The next session of the commissioners was held November 3rd, 1834. Grocery licenses were granted to D. jh. Tracy, Lee & Craner, John Prewitt, I. Evans &-Co., Bearss & Coleand Pike & Co. A number of allowances were made for services as viewers of Mexico road. James Smith and Wm. Mary were appointed constables of Peru township and Joseph B. Campbell couaty surveyor. At the next session held January 5th, 1835, considerable business was transacted - licenses granted, petitions read, election ordered, officers appointed, a tax levy was made, and juries for the February term of court drawn. It was ''ordered that for the purpose of raising a revenue, a tax be levied. on the following described property; Towno lots; polls, 50. cents, horses, mules and asses over three years of age, 50 cents each; work oxen 50 cents per pair; watches of gold or silver 50 cents euch; pleasure carriages, 50 cents each. "

The grand and petit jurors drawn for the February term was composed of the following gentlemen: Grand jurors; Isaac Stewart, John Jackson, George Taylor, H. A. Tarkington, Joseph Clymer, Ira Evans, Robert Wade, James Sanders, Nathaniel McGuire, Geo. Townsend, John Marshall, Jerry Wilkinson, - - Fennimore, Alexander Jamison, Jos. Holman, John Plaster Joseph B. Campbell, and Wm. Cannon. Petit jurors; Jos. C. Taylor, - ~ Mowbray, Shepherd, Wm. Wilkinson, Aaron Kheinberger, Stewart Forgy, Ratliff Wilkinson, R. Runsford. John Ray, John Smith, Wm. N. Hood, Wm. T, Liston, Lewis Dure, Geo. W. Holman, John Hoover, Wm. Coats, C. R. Tracy, A. Beard, Isaac Marcy, Abner Overman, John Wiseman, W. M. Reyburn, W D. Nesbit and Joseph Oldham.

The commissioners held their next session in March, 1835. James B. Fulwiler, now a justice of the peace of Peru, was then granted a license to vend merchandise for the period of one year, for which he was assessed $10. Allowances were made to the jurors, but the most of them did not accept any pay, and the sheritf, Jacob Linzee donated his services,

A tax levy was made on real estate at the May term. A tax of 3of one per cent. was levied on all town lots in Miami county; eighty cents on every hundred acres of first rate land, seventy cents on second rate, and forty cents on third rate.

Some time during the summer of 1834, the commissioners appointed by the legislature, for the purpose of changing the county seat from Miamisport to Peru, met in the former place and ordered the change. The proceedings of this commission are not in Scott's records, and if filed were burned with the court house in 1843. 'The proprietors of the site of Peru, in consideration of the change of the county seat, donated the public square and built the courthouse and jail. The court house was a brick structure, 40 feet square and two stories high. The contractor was Samuel McClure. The records had just been moved into it, the desks arranged, and part of a term of court held in it, when on the night.of March 16th, 1848, it was discovered on fire and was entirely consumed with all the records. 'The jail was erected in one corner of

The county commissioners then ordered that a fire proof building be erected, 16x45 feet. built of brick, with stone foundation and to be divided into three rooms of suitable dimensions for auditor, clerk and treasurer. George W. Goodrich purchased the contract for the erection of this building for $769.00. In 1848 another building was erected on the public square, 16x20 feet, for a recorder's office. The present court house was built by Nathan Crawford and was completed in 1858. The contract according to specifications was purchased for $29,600, but the building being enlarged and changed from the original plan,-cost more than' that sum. The building is 60x80 feet, three stories high, with a large basement used for a jail. It is built on the 'sNorman Castle" style. On the first floor are the offices of.clerk, sheriff, auditor, treasurer and recorder. There are four large fire-proof vaults in which the records and papers are kept.

The. first election heid in Miami county was in Miamisport, 'the first Monday in August. 1834, at the house of Louis Druillard. Only sixty votes were cast. B. H. Scott was elected clerk; Jucob Linzee, sheriff; John W. Miller, Alexander Jameson and John Crudson, commissioners; Jacob Wilkinson and Stephen G. Shanks, associate judges. Daniel R. Bearss was appointed school commissioner and Joseph Holman, probate judge. After the first year, three were elected annually to the office of school commissioner. John Plaster, Eli Cook and H. Mendenhall were elected to this office each year until: it was abolished. The office of local, or county, agent was filled by appointment. By act of legislature, January 2d, 1834. an act to establish Miami county, it was enacted in section five; «'The agent. who shall be appointed to superintend the sale of lots at the county seat of said Miami county, shall reserve ten per centum out of the proceeds thereof, and also ten per centum out of all donations to said county, and pay the same over to such person or persons as may be lawfully appointed to receive the same for the use of a county library for said county." This office of local agent seems to have been abolished after the first year. The office of road commissioner, and tax collector, and other minor offices have long since been disposed of.

The history of the organization of the townships will be given under the subject of the different townships. The territory north of the river was first divided into two townships, called Perry and Jefferson. Out of these,. Perry, Union and Richland were organized in 1837; Erie, first called Blackhawk, in: 1839. A.township on the north-east corner, called Lake, was by act of legislature attached to Fulton county in 1844. Union township was divided in 1859 and the northern part was named Allen. After the treaty of 1840, the south part of the county was organized. Butler was established 1n 1841; Washington in 1843; Pipe Creek about the same time; Deer Creek in 1845; Clay and Harrison in 1846; Jackson in 1845.

County Officers

'CLERKS: Benj. H. Scott filled the office of clerk from 1834 to 1848, and in addition the office of auditor until 1841, and that of recorder until 1848; James B. Fulwiler. 1848; Alexander Blake, 1855; Darius C. Darrow 1863; John A. Graham, 1367; Jesse S. Zern, 1871; Chas. A. Parsons, 1879; Joseph H. Larimer, 1887; Charles R. Hughes, 1895.

AupiTors: James M. Defrees, 1841; Ira Mendenhall, 1851; Thomas Jay 1859; (died in office); Franklin T. Foote (appointed) and Elam Henton, (died in office) 1862; Charles Pefferman, 1864 (appointed by the county commissioners); Milo D. Ellis, 1865;Louis B. Fulwiler, 1870; R: B. Runyaao, 1878; Wm. B. Miller, 1886; Thos. G. Stewart, 1890; Michael Bappert, 1895.

SHERIFFS: Jacob Linzee, 1834; A. Leonard, 1838; (died in office and Lewis D. Adkison appointed to fill the unexpired term;) John A. Graham, 1841; Noah S. Alisbaugh, 1845; Coleman Hinton, 1847; Jonas Hoover, 1851 (resigned office) Abram Moore, 1854; John Wertz, 1855; Joseph Hiner, 1857 (resigfed office;) John F. Miller and Oliver H. P. Macy, 1864; Wesley Wallick, 1864; Samuel Ream, 1868; Willard Griswold, 1872; Vincent O'Donald, 1876; A. Parks, 1830; Edward T. Gray. 1834; James B. Rhineberger, 1888; Thomas McKinstry, 1899,