Fountain County IN Archives History - Books .....Board Of Commissioners 1881
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Book Title: History Of Fountain County

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS.

   Under this head it will not be possible to do more than give the names of
those who have been chosen to serve the county in this most responsible and
important position.

   The first board of commissioners, as we have seen, was composed of Frederick
C. Paine, Samuel Archer and and [sic] Isaac Colman.

   These served until November, 1832, after which the board consisted of Jacob
T. Wikoff, James Frazier, and Isaac Colman.

   And the following are the names and terms of service of each of the gentlemen
who have served the county in this capacity since November 1832:

   September 1833. James Frazier, J. T. Wikoff, Daniel McMillan.
   March 1834. Jacob T. Wicoff, Daniel McMillan, Stephen Philpott.
   November 1834.   Daniel McMillan, Barnet Ristine, Wm. McClure.
   September 1835. Barnet Ristine, Wm. McClure, Ormsby Green.
   November 1836. Barnet Ristine, Ormsby Green, Jonathan Birch.
   May 1837. Barnet Ristine, Joseph Glasscock, James Orr Jr.
   September 1839. Joseph Glasscock, Solomon Hetfield, Solomon Clark.
   September 1840. Solomon Hetfield, Joseph Glasscock, Martin Briggs.

   This board, upon a petition of the citizens of the township, changed the name
of Van Buren to Centre, at their January session 1841; and changed it back again
to Van Buren at the March session 1841.

   September 1841. Joseph Glasscock, Solomon Hetfield, William S. Crain.
   December 1841. Joseph Glasscock, William S. Crain, George Ridge.
   September 1842. Joseph Glasscock, Wm. S. Crain, Daniel Myers.
   September 1845. Joseph Glasscock, Wm. S. Crain, Joseph G. Pollock.
   September 1847. Joseph Glasscock, Joseph G. Pollock, John Ward.
   September 1849. Joseph Glasscock, John Ward, George Ridge.
   June 1850. Joseph Glascock, John Ward, William Trullinger.

   Mr. Trullinger was appointed by the associate judges to fill a vacancy caused
by the resignation of Mr. Ridge.

   September 1850. Joseph Glasscock, William Trullinger, Henry Cooper.
   September 1851. Joseph Glasscock, Henry Cooper, Stephen Kennedy.
   December 1852. Henry Cooper, Stephen Kennedy, John D. Murdock.
   March 1854. Stephen Kennedy, John D. Murdock, Benedict Morris.
   June 1854. Stephen Kennedy, Benedict Morris, Joseph Glasscock.

   Mr. Glasscock was appointed to fill vacancy caused by resignation of Mr.
Murdock.

   December 1854. Stephen Kennedy, Benedict Morris, Thomas Lyons.
   December 1855. Stephen Kennedy, William Furr, John Nebeker.

   Mr. Nebeker was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Benedict
Morris.

   December 1856. William Furr, John Nebeker, William Trullinger.

   Mr. Trullinger was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Stephen Kennedy.

   March 1857. William Furr, William Trullinger, Octavius A. Crowley.
   November 1859. William Furr, William Trullinger, John Nebeker.
   December 1860. William Furr, John Nebeker, Harley Greenwood.
   November 1861. John Nebeker, Harley Greenwood, Henry Moffitt.
   December 1862. Harley Greenwood, Henry Moffitt, Geo. Ridge.
   November 1863. Henry Moffitt, George Ridge, William Swank.
   August 1864. Henry Moffitt, George Ridge, John R. Campbell.

   Mr. Campbell was appointed to fill a vacancy caused by the death of William
Swank.

   November 1868. John R. Campbell, Jacob Rhoads, Henry Cade.
   December 1868. Jacob Rhoads, Henry Cade, William Trullinger.

   Mr. Trullinger was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
John R. Campbell.

   December 1870. Jacob Rhoads, William S. Coon, John B. Yeager.
   December 1871. William S. Coon, Jno. B. Yeager, Oliver Shelby.
   April 1872. William S. Coon, Oliver Shelby, Jesse Marvin.

   Mr. Marvin was appointed in the place of John B. Yeager, who was removed by
the judgment of the circuit court of Tippecanoe county, to which court the
proceeding against him was taken, by a change of venue. The cause for the
removal was, that while he was a commissioner he had been appointed
superintendent of the county asylum for the poor.

   December 1872. Oliver Shelby, William S. Coon, James Orr.
   October 1873. Oliver Shelby, James Orr, Brazilla M. Kerr.
   December 1874. James Orr, Brazilla M. Kerr, William M. Osborn.
   October 1875. Brazilla M. Kerr, William M. Osborn, John B. Yeager.
   October 1878. Brazilla M. Kerr, Hiram Funk, Peter A. Guy.
   April 1879. Hiram Funk, Peter A. Guy, James Frazier.

   Mr. Frazier was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of B. M.
Kerr; and at the succeeding election was elected. The last named gentlemen are
the commissioners at this time.

   At the October election, 1876, Joseph Allen was elected to succeed William M.
Osborn, but died before he had qualified, and Mr. Osborn held over until the
election in 1878. The date given, preceding the names of each board of
commissioners, indicates the first session, regular or special, at which each
incoming commissioner served, and not the date of his election.

   In looking over the names of those who have served the county in this
honorable and useful office, it will be noticed that they were of its best
citizens—honest, upright men, who, in the main, were satisfied to do what they
could, and strove earnestly to act well their part. A close and critical
examination of all the transactions of the various boards of commissioners of
the county would doubtless disclose many errors and mistakes, and in a few rare
instances, perhaps, something worse. But it is the lot of man to make mistakes;
and it would be too much to expect men, inexperienced sometimes, and surrounded
by those who, having their confidence, are willing to betray it, not to fall
into error. The wonder, to one fully acquainted with the difficulties which
usually surround a county commissioner, is, that these men have done so well.
The county commissioners hold the purse-strings of the county, and it is their
duty to pay all honest claims; and when it is remembered how like an honest
claim a dishonest one can be made to be, and how hard it is to suspect those
whom we have known as friends, it will not surprise us to find that plain,
honest, straightforward men, sitting as county commissioners, have sometimes
been imposed upon. But, after all, who would not rather be one of these men,
with the record of an honest life behind him, than that man who, under the guise
of friendship, took advantage of his honest and unsuspecting nature and cheated
him into the doing of a wrong act?


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

HISTORY OF FOUNTAIN COUNTY,

TOGETHER WITH
HISTORIC NOTES ON THE WABASH VALLEY,

GLEANED FROM EARLY AUTHORS, OLD MAPS AND MANUSCRIPTS
PRIVATE AND OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE, AND OTHER AUTHENTIC, THOUGH, FOR THE MOST
PART, OUT-OF-THE-WAY SOURCES.

BY H. W. BECKWITH,
OF THE DANVILLE BAR; CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETIES OF
WISCONSIN AND CHICAGO.

WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

CHICAGO: H. H. HILL AND N. IDDINGS, PUBLISHERS.
1881.


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