Tipton County IN Archives History - Books .....Organization Of The County 1883
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Book Title: Counties Of Howard And Tipton, Indiana

ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.

   On Monday, the 3d of June. 1844, the three County Commissioners who had been
elected met at the house of Jesse Brown, to set the official machinery of the
county in motion. William Harrington produced his commission as Sheriff from
Gov. Whitcomb, and the County Commissioners, in turn, exhibited their
certificates of election. These first Commissioners were Robert E. Davison, John
D. Smith and Thomas Jackson. Their first act was to cast lots for the long and
short terms, which was done with the following results: Davison, one year;
Smith, two years, and Jackson, three years. N. J. Jackson was appointed
temporary County Auditor, and Jesse Brown, County Assessor. Mr. Brown had served
as Assessor under appointment from the Commissioners of Hamilton County, and he
now presented his assessment list, which was formally received, and he was paid
$18.75, for his services for twelve and a half days. The Board then proceeded to
create townships as follows: Madison, to be six miles square, in the southeast
corner of the county; Cicero, to be six miles square, and to adjoin Madison on
the west; Jefferson, to be six miles from north to south, and eight miles from
east to west, and to be located west of and adjoining Cicero; Prairie, to be all
of the county north of Jefferson Township. Elections in Madison were ordered
held at the house of John B. Cole; in Cicero, at the house of Jesse Brown; in
Jefferson, at the house of Stephen Bleven, and in Prairie at the Montgomery
Schoolhouse. John Hogan was granted a license to vend merchandise for six months
for 50 cents, his capital amounting to $60. This gentleman, at that period, was
not an Astor or a Stewart. All Road Supervisors, who had previously been
appointed under Hamilton County jurisdiction, were ordered to open all roads
that had been properly laid out and granted. Two Justices of the Peace were
ordered elected in each of the townships, Madison, Cicero and Jefferson, and one
in Prairie. At the September term, 1844, N. J. Jackson was again appointed
temporary Auditor, as he had not yet qualified as Clerk, to which office he had
been elected. Elias S. Conner was appointed Constable of Cicero Township.
Madison was divided into four road districts, Cicero into three, and Jefferson
into four. Jesse Frasier was appointed Constable of Prairie Township. The county
was divided into three Commissioners' Districts, as follows: All east of an
extended line between Sections 31 and 32, Township 21 north, Range 5 east, to be
District No. 1; all east of the extended eastern boundary of Section 36,
Township 21 north, Range 3 east, to be District No. 2; all the remainder of the
county to be District No. 3. On Monday, October 14, 1844, David P. Alder, Jesse
Carter, Samuel H. Cunningham and G. W. Thomas, four of the five Commissioners
appointed by the Legislature to locate the county seat, appeared, and after
investigating the merits of several locations, formally drove the stake and
permanently fixed the seat of justice of Tipton County on Section 11, Township
21 north, Range 4 east, on a tract of 100 acres that was donated to the county
by Samuel King, in consideration of having the county seat located thereon.
These Commissioners were paid $159 for their services and discharged. The county
seat was named Canton. William H. Nelson was appointed County Agent, and
directed to lay out the new county seat, after the design of a plat furnished by
the Locating Commissioners, and was ordered to sell not exceeding fifty of the
lots so laid out. As the county had no funds to carry on expenses, the Auditor
was directed to procure a quire of printed county orders, which were to be
issued to raise money.

   In December, 1844, Charles Thurman was appointed County Surveyor. In laying
out Canton (now Tipton), he was assisted by John Criswell, Jesse Brown, M. L.
Thomas and E. D. Thomas. Andrew Evans was Clerk of the first public sale of town
lots, and James Graves was Auctioneer. A. M. Young became Sheriff in the fall of
1844. N. J. Jackson was formally qualified as Clerk and ex officio Auditor.
George Tucker was licensed to sell liquor in January, 1845. The buyers of lots
in Canton up to March 3, 1845, were Daniel Smith, Lewis Jones, Silas Blount, E.
S. White, Lewis Beck, Jesse Frasier, Daniel Lister, J. M. Chew, Samuel Neese, D.
G. Wilkes, N. J. Jackson, George Tucker, L. C. Fairie, Daniel Welshous, William
Ballard, M. L. Thomas, Brown & Whisler, Samuel Dale, J. N. Starkey and Wilson
Thompson. The total receipts of the sale, thus far, were $702.75, one-fourth of
which was cash. Almost all the early funds of the county came from the sale of
town lots. This was a very important source of revenue, but the county was
forced to issue orders, at a considerable discount, which discount continued to
increase as time passed, and the orders were not redeemed.

   In June, 1845, Joseph Van Buskirk was paid, in orders, $27.75, for assessing
the county. The first county tax levied was in 1845, upon the basis of this
assessment, 21 1/4-cents on each $100 valuation, and 75 cents on each poll. The
cash receipts on the county levy was small indeed, and the delinquent list began
to run up. The first court house was completed early in 1846, and a jail was
built during the previous winter. Roads began to be laid out in the more needy
locations of the county. Township officers and county officers were paid in
county orders, at a discount of about 10 per centum. The rapid settlement of the
county began to be felt in the presence of money brought in by the new settlers.
Business was done, however, largely by a system of exchanges, balances often
being disposed of by the transfer of some article of value. Butter, eggs, pork,
etc., were worth so much sugar, coffee, calico, tobacco, etc. Deer skins were
marketable at about $1 each. The county only gradually grew out of its early
financial difficulties.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

COUNTIES OF HOWARD AND TIPTON, INDIANA.

HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.
ILLUSTRATED.

CHARLES BLANCHARD. EDITOR.
CHICAGO: F. A. BATTEY & CO.
1883.


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