Coles County IL Archives History - Books .....Organization Of The County 1879 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com June 28, 2007, 6:59 pm Book Title: History Of Coles County ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY. It has been said by a late writer that "the native American mind tends as naturally to self-government as the duck takes to the water." The organization of new counties into corporate bodies with legal existence, while yet there are but a few hundred voters within their limits, is proof positive of the trite remark. In 1830, the population of this part of the country had increased to such an extent (for a wilderness) that the people began to think of forming a new county. What is now Coles County was then a part of Clark, as we have already stated, and Darwin, the county seat, was remote from the settlements of this region. In the year above mentioned (1830), a petition to the Legislature to have Coles set off from Clark County, was circulated by Joseph Henry, George Hanson and Andrew Caldwell. During the session of 1830-81 the act was passed by the Legislature creating the new county, which embraced in its limits, as mentioned in the beginning of this history, the present counties of Coles, Cumberland and Douglas. The following is the act of organization: SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That all that tract of country within the following bounds, to wit: Beginning at the northeast corner of Section Four, in Township Sixteen north, in Range Fourteen west of the second principal meridian; thence west on the line dividing Townships Sixteen and Seventeen, to the eastern boundary of Range Six, east of the third principal meridian; thence south on said line the line dividing Ranges Six and Seven, the eastern boundaries of Macon and Shelby Counties, to the southwest corner of Clark County, Township Nine north, Range Six; thence east on the line dividing Townships Eight and Nine, to the southeast corner of Section Thirty-one, the east boundary of fractional Range Eleven east; thence north on said line, which is the division between fractional Range Eleven and Range Fourteen, to the northeast corner of Section Nineteen, in said Range Eleven, in Township Twelve north; thence to the northeast corner of Section Twenty-one, in said Township Twelve, and Range Fourteen; thence north on sectional lines, the center of said range, to the place of beginning, shall form a new county, to be called Coles. SEC. 2. For the purpose of fixing the permanent seat of justice of said county, the following persons are appointed Commissioners, viz.: William Bowen, of Vermilion County, Jesse Essarey, of Clark County, and Joshua Barber, of Crawford County; which Commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at the house of Charles Eastin, in said county, on the fourth Monday in January next, or within five days thereafter, and being duly sworn before some Justice of the Peace of the State, faithfully and impartially to take into view the convenience of the people, the situation of the present settlement, with a strict view to the population and settlements which will hereafter be made and the eligibility of the place; shall proceed to explore and carefully examine the country, determine on and designate the place for the permanent seat of justice of the same: provided, the proprietor or proprietors of the land shall give and convey by deed of general warranty, for the purpose of erecting public buildings, a quantity of land, in a square form, or not more than twice as long as wide, not less than twenty acres. But should the proprietor or proprietors of the land refuse or neglect to make the donation aforesaid, then and in that case the said Commissioners shall fix said county seat (having in view the interest of the county) upon the land of some person who will make the donation aforesaid. If the Commissioners shall be of the opinion and decide that the proper place for said seat of justice is or ought to be on land belonging to Government, they shall so report, and the County Commissioners shall purchase one-half quarter-section, the tract set forth, in their name, for the use of the county. The Commissioners appointed to locate the seat of justice shall, so soon as they decide on the place, make a clear report to the Commissioners' Court of the county, and the same shall be recorded at length in their record-book. The land donated or purchased shall be laid out into lots, and sold by the Commissioners of the county to the best advantage, and the proceeds applied to the erection of public buildings, and such other purposes as the Commissioners shall direct; and good and sufficient deeds shall be made for the lots sold. SEC. 3. An election shall be held at the several places of holding elections as now laid off by Clark County, in said Coles County, on the Saturday preceding the first Monday in February next, for one Sheriff, one Coroner, and three County Commissioners, for said county, who shall hold their offices until the next general election in 1832, and until their successors be qualified, And it shall be the duty of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of said county, and if there be none, then the Recorder or Judge of Probate, to give at least fifteen days' notice previous to said election, and who shall appoint the judges and clerks of said election, who shall be legal voters; and the returns of said election shall be made to the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Recorder or Judge of Probate, as the case may be, and by him, in the presence of one or more Justices of the Peace, opened, and they jointly shall give to the persons elected Commissioners, certificates; and that of the Sheriff and Coroner to forward to the Governor; which election in all other respects be conformable to law. SEC. 4. All courts shall be held at the house of Charles Eastin in said county, and continue to be held there until public buildings shall be erected for the purpose, unless changed to another place by order of the County Commissioners' Court, who shall make the same a matter of record. SEC. 5. The Commissioners appointed to locate the county seat, shall be allowed $2 per day each, for every day necessarily employed in locating the same, to be paid by said county. Approved, December 25, 1830. This act gave to Coles County a legal being, and steps were at once taken to put the machinery of existence into operation. According to the provision of the act creating it a county, an election was held in February, 1831, at Ashmore's, the only voting place in the county, and about sixty votes were cast. At this election, George Hanson, Andrew Caldwell and Isaac Lewis were elected County Commissioners, and constituted a County Court for the transaction of county business; a system which continued in force until the adoption of a new State Constitution in 1848. The Commissioners mentioned in the foregoing act to locate the seat of justice, viz., Bowen, Essarey and Barber, met, and after a thorough investigation of all eligible points suggested, decided on the present site of Charleston. Charles Morton and and Benjamin Parker owned the land, and each donated twenty acres for town purposes, as provided in the act of organization. In February, 1831, the survey was made by Thomas Sconce, first County Surveyor, and in April of the same year, the first sale of lots was made. The Commissioners gave the name of Charleston to the county seat, in honor of Charles Morton, one of the men who donated twenty acres of land to the county. Feeling under some obligations to Mr. Morton for the assistance he rendered them while engaged in locating the town, they told his wife that they had determined to call the place Mortonville, when she offered an amendment to their proposition, saying that if they desired to compliment her husband in that way, to add the last syllable of Morton to Charles, and call their town Charleston. They accepted her suggestion, and thus the capital of the county received its name. During the year 1831, the first Court House of Coles County was erected, down on the "town branch," as the murky little stream is called. It was built of hewed logs, covered with "clapboards," floored with sawdust and provided with wood benches for seats. This served as a temple of justice until 1835, when the brick building, still in use, was erected. Originally, it was an old-style edifice, of the pattern still to be seen in many of the counties of Illinois, but has been modernized, remodeled and transformed into quite an imposing structure, with an altogether attractive appearance. It stands in the center of a handsome square, thickly planted with maple-trees, and surrounded by a substantial iron fence. In a few years more, when the trees get their growth, the public square of Charleston will be a beautiful spot, and an ornament to the city. The first Jail was a little log cabin, in the south part of the town, which, in an early day, perhaps, served the purpose of a prison; but in this enlightened age, when crime has become a science, and criminals a band of professional experts, would prove but a frail barrier between them and liberty. The present Jail is in the Court House building. The first Circuit Court was held at the house of Col. Flenner, three miles west of Charleston. Hon. William Wilson was the presiding Judge. This session of Court is thus described: "The Judge sat on a log, the lawyers on rotten chunks, and the parties engaged in litigation swung to the bushes." James P. Jones was Circuit Clerk, and was appointed by Judge Wilson at this session. Jones was a resident of Clark County, and his appointment to the office of Circuit Clerk excited the just indignation of the Coles County people, They felt themselves competent to fill any office in their county, and well qualified to receive the salary pertaining to it; and to have an outsider step in and relieve them of the responsibility of trying the experiment was a blow to their pride not to be forgiven. The first records of the Circuit Court are non sunt inventa, and hence, few particulars of the sessions for two or three of the first years can be obtained now. The first record-book in the Circuit Clerk's office begins with the April term, 1885, Hon. Justin Harlan presiding. As we have said, George Hanson, Andrew Caldwell and Isaac Lewis were elected the'first County Commissioners. They held the first session of their Court in 1831, at the house of Charles Eastin, in the Kickapoo settlement, and appointed Nathan Ellington Clerk, who thus became the first County Clerk of Coles County. In 1832, Isaac Lewis, Andrew Clarke and James S. Martin were elected Commissioners, and, in 1834, were succeeded by Stephen Stone, Nathaniel Parker and Eben Alexander, who, in turn, were succeeded in 1836, by A. N. Fuller, Alex. Miller and James S. Martin, and they by F. L. Moore, H. J. Ashmore and James M. Ward in 1838. The records here show a change in electing the Commissioners; electing one each year, instead of three every two years, and that in 1840, John Wright succeeded Ashmore; James Gill in 1841, succeeded Moore, and William Collom succeeded Moore in 1842. In 1843, Isaac Gruell and H. J. Ashomre succeeded Wright and Gill. In 1844, John Cutler succeeded Ashmore, F. L. Moore succeeded Collom in 1845, John M. Logan succeeded Gruell in 1846, and F. G. Frue succeeded Cutler in 1847. The Constitution of 1848 provided that the County Court should consist of a County Judge and two Associate Justices. Under this new regime, W. W. Bishop was the first County Judge, and John M. Logan and H. J. Ashmore were chosen the first Associate Justices. This branch of the Court continued, with frequent changes of officers, until the adoption of township organization, which went into effect in the spring of 1860, as will be noticed under another head. As a matter of history, and for the benefit of the reader, we append a list of the different officers from the organization of the county, the date of their election and the terms of their official service, as compiled by Capt. Adams, and published in his Centennial Address. The list was prepared with great care, is said, by those well posted, to be substantially correct, and presents a valuable record to all who are interested in such matters, or have occasion to refer to it. The list is as follows: Sheriff.-At the February election of 1831, Ambrose Yocum was elected the first Sheriff of the county, and re-elected in 1832, but died before his term expired. William Jeffries was elected in 1834, and held two terms, when he was succeeded by Albert Compton in 1838, wTho continued in office until 1846. L. R. Hutchason was then elected, and served two terms, and was succeeded in 1850 by Richard Stoddert; he was succeeded by Thomas Lytle in 1852; Lytle, by John R. Jeffries in 1854, and he by H. B. Worley in 1856. Worley was succeeded by M. Jones, in 1858; he by I. H. Johnston in 1860; John H. O'Hair succeeded Johnston in 1862, and James B. Hickox succeeded him in 1864, and, in turn, was succeeded by G. M. Mitchell in 1866, when C. C. Starkweather was elected in 1868, followed in 1870 by A. M. Brown, who was succeeded in 1872 by Owen Wiley, and Wiley by George Moore in 1874; James M. Ashmore succeeded Moore in 1876, and he was succeeded by John E. Brooks in 1878, the present incumbent. Probate Judge.-James P. Jones was the first Probate Judge. At the time of the organization of Coles County, this office was filled by appointment of the Governor. In 1834, Jones was succeeded by John F. Smyth, and in the same year, Smyth was succeeded by S. M. Dunbar; he by William Collom in 1835; Collom by Reuben Canterbury in 1837; he by John W. Trower. Robert S. Mills succeeded Trower in 1843; W. W. Bishop succeeded him in 1847, and filled the office until 1857, when he was succeeded by Gideon Edwards, who died in office in 1864. J. P. Cooper was appointed to fill the vacancy, and, in 1865, McIIenry Brooks was elected, and was succeeded in 1869 by A. M. Peterson, who was followed by W. E. Adams in 1873; and, in 1877, J. R. Cunningham, the present Judge, was elected. County Clerk.-As before stated, Nathan Ellington was the first County Clerk, and filled the office until 1839, when he was succeeded by Loran D. Ellis, who soon after fled the country, and Ellington was appointed to fill the vacancy. Ellington was followed, in 1840, by Enos Stutsman, who resigned his office, and Samuel Huffman was appointed to fill the vacancy. In 1853, James McCrory succeeded Huffman, and held the office until 1861, when he was succeeded by Jacob I. Brown. Brown was succeeded by W. E. Adams in 1865; Adams by Richard Stoddert in 1873, and he, in 1877, by the present Clerk, W. R. Highland. Coroner.- Robert A. Miller was the first Coroner, and, in 1836, was succeeded by Ichabod Radly, who canvassed the entire county on foot for the office. (He deserved it.) Preston R. Mount followed Radly in 1838; A. G. Mitchell followed Mount in 1842, and William Harr followed Mitchell in 1844. Stephen Stone was elected in 1846, and was succeeded by James W. Morgan in 1858, and he by S. F. Crawford in 1860; he, in 1861, by Dr. Samuel Van Meter, who was succeeded by D. P. Lee in 1862, and he by A. G. Mitchell in 1864; Mitchell by O. D. Hawkins in 1868; he by Joel W. Hall in 1870; Hall by D. H. Barnett in 1872, and he by Lewis True in 1874. Circuit Clerk.-James P. Jones, as stated, was the first Circuit Clerk, and was succeeded by Nathan Ellington, who held the office until his death in 1855, when his son, James D. Ellington, was appointed to fill the vacancy. In 1856, George W. Teel was elected, holding the office two terms, and, in 1864, was succeeded by H. C. Wortham, and he by W. N. McDonald in 1872. He died in December following his election, and A. H. Chapman was appointed Clerk pro tempore, and was succeeded in June, 1873, by E. E. Clark, who was succeeded, in 1877, by the present incumbent, W. E. Robinson. Recorder.-James P. Jones was the first Recorder of Coles County. He was succeeded in the office, in 1834, by John F. Smyth, and he by S. M. Dunbar in December of the same year. Nathan Ellington received the office in 1835; John W. Trower in 1843; Ellington again in 1846, and Enos Stutsman in 1847, who held the office until the adoption of the new Constitution of 1848, when the office of Recorder was consolidated with that of Circuit Clerk. Treasurer.-A. G. Mitchell was the first County Treasurer, and was succeeded by Richard Stoddert in 1843, who held the office until 1849, when he was succeeded by Thomas Lytle, and he by Jacob I. Brown in 1851; Brown by D. C. Ambler in 1855; he by A. Y. Ballard in 1857; he by Abram Highland in 1859; he by D. H. Tremble in 1863; he by H. M. Ashmore in 1869; he by George Moore in 1871; he by W. B. Galbreath in 1873, and he by J. F. Goar in 1877, the present Treasurer of the county. Surveyor.-The first Surveyor of the county was Thomas Sconce, who was succeeded by Joseph Fowler in 1835; he by Sconce again in 1839. Lewis R. Hutchason was elected in 1843, and was succeeded by Thomas Lytle in 1847; he by John Meadows in 1852; he by William A. Brun in 1855; he by Lewis B. Richardson in 1859; he by Thomas Lytle again in 1861; he by James S. Yeargin in 1864; he by George A. Brown in 1867; he by John H. Clark in 1869, and he by the present incumbent, John L. Aubert, in 1875. School Commissioner.-Charles Morton was the first School Commissioner of the county, and held the office until 1841, when he was succeeded by James Alexander, and, in 1845, he was succeeded by James B. Harris; he by H. Mann in 1849; he by Gideon Edwards in 1851; he by James A. Mitchell and he by W. H. K. Pile in 1861; he by Elzy Blake in 1865; he by Rev. S. J. Bovell in 1869; he by Rev. Allen Hill in 1873, and he by Prof. T. J. Lee in 1877, who is now in office. State's Attorney.-In 1860, J. R. Cunningham was chosen State's Attorney for the judicial circuit of which Coles County was a part. This position he held for four years. The new Constitution, adopted in 1870, gave to each county an attorney. The first appointment under this new order of things, was Col. A. P. Dunbar, who was succeeded by J. W. Craig. Robert M. Gray is the present State's Attorney. Legislators.-The first Representative of Coles County in the General Assembly of the State was Dr. John Carrico, in the session of 1832. In 1834, James T. Cunningham was a member of the Legislature from this county. He also served in the sessions of 1837 and 1840; was a candidate for the Constitutional Convention in 1848, and was the choice of his party for Congress in the campaign of 1860. He came from Kentucky to Coles County in 1830, and was a man of good judgment, liberal views, and skilled in the details of finance. In the sessions of the Legislature of 1836-37, and in 1844, and in 1855, Col. A. P. Dunbar represented the county, and served with Lincoln and Douglas. He gave to Douglas the name of Little Giant; introduced the bill for moving the capital from Vandalia to Springfield; also a bill allowing fees to jurors, which position had before been honorary; also a resolution asking Congress to reduce the postage on mail matter,* and Illinois thus became the first State to move in that direction. In the General Assemblies of 1838 and 1842, Hon. O. B. Ficklin represented the county. He is a native of Kentucky, but in an early day settled in Wabash County, and afterward in Coles. He was appointed, by the Legislature, Prosecuting Attorney for this Circuit, and, in his official capacity, once prosecuted a colored woman here for murder. She was poor, and the other attorneys in attendance volunteered to defend her. Mr. Ficklin closed the case in a vigorous speech, and after he sat down, the woman observed, that she "believed in her soul dat Massa Ficklin had done her as much harm as good in his speech." Mr. Ficklin has served several terms in Congress, and for a long term of years as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions, and is at present, together with Hon. H. A. Neal, a man of fine ability, member of the State Legislature. * Postage on letters was twenty-five cents, payable at the office of delivery. In 1838, Dr. B. Monroe was elected State Senator. He was from Kentucky, and came to this county in 1833, and possessed fine business qualifications. In the sessions of the Legislatures of 1836 ** and 1846, L. F. Snider represented Coles County. He was born in Elizabethtown, Ky., and came to Charleston in 1838, where he lived until 1860, when he went to Chicago. Under the administration of Gov. Duncan, he was Attorney General of the State. As a lawyer, he was eminent in his profession, and as a public speaker had few if any peers in the Western country. Joseph Fowler in 1842, W. D. Watson in 1852, W. W. Craddock in 1858," Dr. John Monroe in 1862, Col. J. M. True in 1866, and Hon. G. W. Parker in 1868, have all, honorably to themselves, represented Coles County in the Legislature of the State. In 1870, Hon. James A. Cunningham and Hon. A. Jeffries were the representatives; were wise law-makers and watchful guardians of the rights of the people. In 1874, Hon. C. B. Steele and Hon. James A. Connolly represented the county, and were able legislators. In the Congress of the United States of 1864 and 1866, Hon. H. P. Bromwell, now of Denver, Colo., but for many years a resident of Coles County, represented this Congressional District. He was a man of brilliant talents and a lawyer of fine ability. Dr. Thomas P. Trower and Thomas A. Marshall were delegates from this county to the Constitutional Convention of 1848. Col. Marshall was also State Senator in 1858, and during his term, by right of seniority, was Lieutenant Governor. ** In 1836, he was living in Greenup (now Cumberland County). Thus, we have noted the formation of the county, together with the different branches of county offices and government, and the names of the incumbents of these offices down to the present time, with a brief glance at the county's law-makers and counselors. Before passing from this part of our work, it may be of some interest to say a few words of township organization. When the county was formed, it was divided or laid off into a number of civil townships or election precincts. The names and boundaries of these precincts we are unable to give, as the first record of the County Commissioner's Court cannot be found. When the county adopted township organization in 1859, the fall of which year the vote was taken, there were three Commissioners, viz., John Hutton, John Monroe and James T. Cunningham, appointed to la}^ off the county into townships. They accordingly divided it into twelve civil townships, as follows: Hutton, Ashmore, East Oakland, Morgan, Seven Hickory, Milton (now Humbolt), North Okaw, Mattoon, Paradise, Pleasant Grove, Charleston and La Fayette, their boundaries and names still remaining the same to the present time, as may be seen by reference to the map in the front part of this work, except Milton, the name of which has been changed to Humbolt. The first Board of Supervisors were John Hutton, Hutton Township; John Hoots, North Okaw; Joseph Edman, Pleasant Grove; Milton W. Barnes, Ashmore; William 11. Jones, La Fayette; Richard Stoddert, Charleston; James Monroe, Mattoon; A. R. Sutherland, Milton; Samuel Rosebrough, Seven Hickory: Nathan Thomas, Morgan; George W. McConkey, East Oakland, and Adam W. Hart, Paradise. The Board held its first meeting May 7, 1860, and organized by making George W. McConkey temporary Chairman, but, afterward, James Monroe was elected permanent President of the Board. The county is still under township organization. Additional Comments: Extracted from: THE HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY. ILLINOIS, CONTAINING A History of the County—its Cities, Towns, &c; a Directory of its Tax-Payers; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; General and Local Statistics; Map of Coles County; History of Illinois, Illustrated; History of the Northwest, Illustrated; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c, &c. ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO: WM. LE BARON, JR., & CO., 186 DEARBORN STREET. 1879. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/coles/history/1879/historyo/organiza102gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 24.6 Kb