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Henry County, IAGenWeb |
Portrait and Biographical Album
of Henry County, Iowa
Chicago: Acme Publishing Company, 1888.
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Only a short time elapsed after the first settlement was made before there was a
population sufficient to justify organization. The Wisconsin Territorial
Legislature, in 1836, passed an act creating several counties, among which was
that of Henry. Soon after the passage of the act, steps were taken to perfect
its organization. Officers were elected and entered upon the discharge of their
duties. Robert Caulk, Samuel Brazelton and Geo. J. Sharp were the first County
Commissioners elected. J. D. Payne was the first County Commissioner's Clerk,
holding at the time the office of Clerk of the Courts. John H. Randolph was the
first Recorder, D. C. Ruberts, County Treasurer, John Biddle, Coroner, and
Andrew Kennedy, Sheriff. The first session of the County Commissioners' Court was held Jan. 16, 1837, and that body immediately went to work to put in order the governmental machinery of the county. The bonds of the various county officers were approved, roads were located, and steps taken for the erection of county buildings. On the 13th of February, 1837, it was ordered by the board "that the contract for building a court-house in Mt. Pleasant be let, and that the Supervisors receive sealed proposals on said contract." In May following the order was rescinded, but on June 24 of the same year, it was re-enacted in the following terms: "Ordered the building of a court-house in the town of Mt. Pleasant, on lot 2, block 10, of the following size, to-wit: 30x18 feet in size, and ten feet in height between the joists." For some cause the building was not completed until the fall of 1839, the builders being George W. Patterson, Levi Hagar and Everett Rogers. The jail, a square log building, 16x16 feet in size, was completed about the same time, John H. Randolph being the principal builder. The first seal used by the Commissioners was a twenty-five cent silver piece impressed in wax. The first road laid out by the board was from Mt. Pleasant to Rome, in the spring of 1837. The next was from Mt. Pleasant to New Baltimore. Others were soon established in all directions, and as in the olden time, all roads led to Rome, so it would appear from the proceedings of the board that all roads were to lead to Mt. Pleasant. On the 2d of October, 1838, the first grand jury ever impaneled in the county was drawn. Those comprising this jury were Jacob Burge, Absalom Cornelius, Hezekiah Lee, Samuel Wells, Zenoway Plunket, William I. Wossal, John S. Stephenson, Robert Simmons, Richard Stewart, Samuel S. Walker, Amos Lemmons, Lewis Watson, William Thrash, Payton Wilson, Sampson Smith, Elijah Breading, Samuel C. Smith, Thomas Leas, John M. Hanson, Lambeth Heath and William B. Lusk. Petit jurors were also chosen at the same time. The jury was composed of the following-named persons: Lewis F. Temple, John Hale, William Walters, David McKnight, P. C. Tiffany, Alexander Hollingsworth, James Righey, William Faulkner, Peter Boyer, George Maffit, Jr., Daniel Sears, Joel C. Garretson, Larkin Johnson, Samuel Gearheart, Joseph Ingersol, Berry Jones, James Mitts, William M. Morrow, John T. Davis, Barney Bristine, S. E. Sweet, William Abernathy, E. Rogers and Benjamin Golson. The county was governed by County Commissioners until 1851, when the law creating County Commissioners' Court was abolished, and the County Commissioners' powers were vested in the County Judge. During the existence of the County Commissioners' Court but little business was transacted of public interest, although a great amount of work was done. All the preliminary work in the organization of the county, the laying out of the roads and the building of bridges, had to be superintended by them. As a general thing the work of the Commissioners was satisfactory to the county. From 1837 to 1851, the following named served as County Commissioners: 1837 - Robert Caulk, Samuel Brazelton, George J. Sharp (part term), Claborn Jones (part term). 1838 - Claborn Jones, Sr. (part term), Robert Caulk, Samuel Brazelton, Payton Wilson (part term). 1839 - Geroge W. Patterson, Samuel Brazelton, Henry Payne. 1840 - Robert Caulk, Henry Payne, T. O. Wamsley. 1841 - Robert Caulk, T. O. Wamsley, Lewis F. Temple. 1842 - Robert Caulk, Lewis F. Temple, William H. Lyon. 1843 - Robert Caulk, William H. Lyon, Henry Swan. 1844 - Robert Caulk, William H. Lyon, Edmund Archibald. 1845 - Edmund Archibald, Robert Caulk, Jacob W. Payne. 1846 - Jacob W. Payne, Edmund Archibald, Robert Caulk. 1847 - Edmund Archibald, Jacob W. Payne, Robert Caulk. 1848 - Edmund Archibald, Jacob W. Payne, Robert Miller. 1849 - Benjamin Blodgett, Jacob W. Payne, Robert Miller. 1850 - Benjamin Blodgett, Robert Miller, T. L. Hunt. In the winter of 1850 the General Assembly of the State passed an act creating the office of County Judge. M. L. Edwards was the first to hold this position in Henry County. During his administration, license was granted to the Burlington & Mt. Pleasant Plank Road Company, and a proposition was submitted to a vote of the people for the establishment of a county poor-house. At the April election, 1853, the vote was taken, resulting as follows: For poor-house, 702; against poor-house, 278. About this time the subject of a railroad reaching from the Mississippi to the Missouri River, and passing through Henry County, was being agitated. The county was asked to subscribe to the capital stock of the county the sum of $100,000, and on the 2d of July, 1853, the County Judge issued an order for an election to be held on the first Monday in August of that year, for or against a subscription. The result of that vote was as follows: For subscription, 1181; against subscription, 445. In August, 1855, while Mr. Edwards was still County Judge, a proposition was submitted to a vote of the people for or against subscribing $1,000 to the capital stock of the Keokuk, Mt. Pleasant & Muscatine Railroad. The result of the vote was as follows: For subscription, 1,065; against subscription, 649. Bonds of the full amount were issued to the company, but the road was never built, and before the $1,000 had been paid the interest on the bonds had doubled the original amount, all of which had to be paid. Judge Edwards served until Aug. 11, 1855, when he was succeeded by E. Killpatrick, who remained in office until January, 1860. He was succeeded bny W. I. Warwick, who served until legislated out of office, in January, 1861. In 1860 the General Assembly of the State passed an act creating a Board of Supervisors, consisting of one Supervisor from each civil township. At the August election, 1860, the first Board of Supervisors for Henry County was chosen, and on the 5th of January, 1861, its first session was held. For the four following years the board had to grapple with issues growing out of the Civil War. Its record, during that time, was commendable, provisions being made for the aid of soldiers' families so far as the finances of the county would permit. This system of County Government, consisting of one Supervisor for each civil township, continued until 1870, during which time the following named served as members of the board: 1861 - Pleasant Almond, A. Baxter, Joseph Brown, H. R. Lyons, J. W. Maynard, T. W. Woolson, Jacob Luzadder, R. M. Pickle, E. B. Ratliffe, John M. Temple, John P. West, A. L. Auld. 1862 - Pleasant Almond, A. L. Auld, A. Baxter, J. Kauffman, S. M. Holland, A. R. Lyons, Jacob Luzadder, R. M. Pickle, E. B. Ratliffe, John M. Temple, Joseph Brown, Harpin Riggs, Caleb Russell. 1863 - A. Baxter, J. C. Green, S. M. Holland, J. Kauffman, J. Luzadder, H. R. Lyons, E. B. Ratliffe, H. Riggs, S. Ross, C. Russell, J. L. Waitman. 1864 - P. Almond, J. C. Green, E. Kenyon, J. B. Cook, J. Kauffman, G. T. Auld, R. G. McFarland, H. Riggs, S. Ross, E. B. Ratliffe, D. Pierson, J. L. Waitman, Jacob Luzadder. 1865 - P. Almond, G. T. Auld, O. H. P. Buchanan, J. B. Cook, J. C. Green, Thomas Grant, E. Kenyon, W. F. Jones, J. Kauffman, D. Pierson, J. L. Waitman, H. Riggs, R. G. McFarland. 1866 - R. Allen, J. B. Cook, William R. Crew, Thomas Grant, J. C. Green, W. G. Jones, J. Kauffman, E. Kenyon, Robert Leeper, S. R. Nugen, J. W. Smith, C. Russell, O. H. P. Buchanan. 1867 - Reuben Allen, J. B. Cook, W. R. Crew, E. Kenyon, S. R. Nugen, C. Russell, J. W. Smith, O. H. P. Buchanan, Thomas Grant, J. C. Green, Jacob Kauffman, Robert Leeper, Samuel P. Ratliffe. 1868 - R. Allen, John Bangs, J. B. Cook, W. R. Crew, Thomas Grant, J. C. Green, W. A. Jessup, J. Kauffman, E. Kenyon, S. P. Ratliffe, C. Russell, J. W. Smith, O. H. P. Buchanan. 1869 - O. H. P. Buchanan, R. Allen, J. B. Cook, William R. Crew, J. C. Green, W. A. Coulter, E. Kenyon, J. L. Lessenger, William A. Jessup, John Bangs, C. W. Clark, L. D. McKinnen, C. Russell. 1870 - O. H. P. Buchanan, James D. Spearman, J. B. Cook, Jesse Cook, J. C. Green, W. A. Coulter, E. Kenyon, C. Russell, M. Lyman, J. L. Lessinger, L. D. McKinnen, C. W. Clark, W. A. Jessup. The General Assembly of the State, having passed an amendatory act in regard to the Board of Supervisors at the annual election in the fall of 1870, a new Board of Supervisors was elected, consisting of three members elected from the county at large. The first meeting of the new board was held Jan. 2, 1871. This system has continued to the present time, and probably been more satisfactory than that of the "one man power," the business being transacted by the County Judge, or that of a board, consisting of one Supervisor from each township. The following named have served as members of the board up to the present time: 1871 - James B. Shaw, Jacob Kauffman, William R. Crew. 1872 - James B. Shaw, William R. Crew, William Allen. 1873 - W. R. Crew, William Allen, O. H. P. Buchanan. 1874 - O. H. P. Buchanan, William Allen, Henry Dorland. 1875 - W. R. Crew, George Hammond, George H. Spahr. 1876 - W. R. Crew, George Hammond, George H. Spahr. 1877 - George Hammond, W. R. Crew, George H. Spahr. 1878 - George Hammond, W. R. Crew, George H. Spahr. 1879 - C. W. Clark, George Hammond, George H. Spahr. 1880 - George Hammond, C. W. Clark, S. L. Steele. 1881 - C. W. Clark, S. L. Steele, L. F. Willard. 1882 - S. L. Steele, L. F. Willard, C. W. Clark. 1883 - L. F. Willard, C. W. Clark, S. L. Steele. 1884 - C. W. Clark, S. L. Steele, David Wallace. 1885 - S. L. Steele, David Wallace, C. F. Spearman. 1886 - David Wallace, C. F. Spearman, Jacob Lane. 1887 - C. F. Spearman, Jacob Lane, H. C. Weir. 1888 - Jacob Lane, H. C. Weir, C. F. Spearman. |
Transcribed by Conni McDaniel Hall for Henry County IAGenWeb, November 2014.