Hancock County OhArchives History - Books .....Chapter V, Part III 1886
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Ann Anderson ann.g.anderson@gmail.com July 17, 2005, 6:52 pm
Book Title: History Of Hancock County
CHAPTER V.

PUBLIC OFFICIALS—MEMBERS OF CONGRESS—STATE SENATORS—STATE
REPRESENTATIVES—PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS, AND MEMBERS or CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS
— COMMISSIONERS—AUDITORS—TREASURERS — RECORDERS—
CLERKS—SHERIFFS—SURVEYORS—CORONERS—PROBATE JUDGES—PUBLIC BUILDINGS—COURT HOUSES,
JAILS AND INFIRMARY—POLITICAL STATISTICS.

MANY unforeseen obstacles were met with in the compilation of a reliable and
authentic roster of public officials. Comparing the lists heretofore published
with the records, it was soon discovered that, though most of the names are
given, the dates of service are very erroneous, and reliance had to be almost
solely placed on the musty, age-dimmed election returns stowed away in the
clerk's office. The result derived from a careful inspection of these returns
fully repaid the time expended, and the lists are here given with confidence
that they are correct and beyond dispute. The roster of members of Congress,
State senators and representatives begins with the erection of the county in
1820, while the balance of the lists date from its organization eight years
later. The reader will therefore bear in mind that wherever Wood County appears
as a part of the senatorial or legislative district, prior to 1828, it also
includes Hancock, which was under the jurisdiction of Wood till March, 1828.*

*For Common Pleas, and Associate Judges, and Prosecuting Attorneys see Chapter VI.

   Members of Congress.—Joseph Vance, of Champaign County, 1821 to 1835; Samson
Mason, of Clark County, 1835 to 1843; Henry St. John, of Seneca County, 1843 to
1847; Rodolphus Dickinson, of Sandusky County, 1847, died in 1849; Amos E. Wood,
of Sandusky County, vice Dickinson deceased, 1849, died in 1850; John Bell, of
Sandusky County, 1850 to 1851; Alfred P. Edgerton, of Defiance County, 1851 to
1855; Richard Mott, of Lucas County, 1855 to 1859; James M. Ashley, of Lucas
County. 1859 to 1863; Francis C. Le Blond, of Mercer County, 1863 to 1867;
William Mun-gen, of Hancock County, 1867 to 1871; Charles N. Lamison, of Allen
County, 1871 to 1873; Charles Foster, of Seneca County, 1873 to 1879; Frank H.
Hurd, of Lucas Countv, 1879 to 1881: John B. Rice, of Sandusky County, 1881 to
1883; George E. Seney, of Seneca County, 1883 to 1887.

   State Senators.—George Fithian, district Clark, Champaign Logan, and Wood,
1820-21; James Cooley, same district, 1821-23; George Fithian, same district,
1823-24; Robert Young, district Miami, Shelby, Logan and Wood, 1824-26; Daniel
M. Workman, same district, 1826-28; David Campbell, district Hancock, Wood,
Seneca, Sandusky and Huron, 1828-30; Samuel M. Lockwood, same district, 1830-32;
Philip Lewis, district Hancock, Hardin, Logan, Union and Madison, 1832-34;
Samuel Newell, same district, 1834-36; John E. Hunt, district Hancock, Wood,
Henry and Lucas, 1836-37; Curtis Bates, district Hancock, Hardin, Wood, Lucas,
Henry, Williams, Paulding, Putnam, Allen, Van Wert and Shelby, 1837-39; John E.
Hunt, same district. 1839-40; John Goodin, district Hancock, Wood, Seneca,
Sandusky and Ottawa, 1840-42; Moses McAnelly, same district, 1842-44: Charles W.
O'Neal, district Hancock, Wood, Lucas and Ottawa, 1844-46; Jesse Wheeler, same
district, 1846-48; Joel W. Wilson, district Hancock, Seneca and Wyandot,
1848-50; Michael Brackley, same district, 1850-51. Under the constitution of
1851, the State was divided into fixed senatorial districts, and the counties of
Hancock, Wood, Lucas, Fulton, Henry and Putnam, became the Thirty-third
District. The senators since that time have been as follows: William Mungen,
1852-54; Samuel H. Steedman, 1854-56; William S. Lunt, 1856-58; Josiah N.
Westcott, 1858-60; George Laskey, 1860-62; Charles M. Godfrey, 1862-64; James C.
Hall, 1864-66; James C. Hall and Parlee Carlin, 1866-68; Abel M. Corey and James
C. Hall, 1868. The latter died in 1868, and in December of that year Charles A.
King was elected to fill vacancy, and with Mr. Corey served till 1870; Abel M.
Corey, 1870-72; Dresam W. H. Howard and Hanks B. Gage; 1872-74; William A.
Tressler and Emery D. Potter, 1874-76; T. P. Brown and Charles J. Swan, 1876-78;
James B. Steedman and David Joy, 1878-80; John A. Wilkins, 1880-82; Joseph H.
Brigham and Jonathan D. Norton, 1882-84; William H. McLyman and Orlando B.
Eamey, 1884-86; Ezra S. Dodd and Herman C. Groschner, 1886-88.

   State Representatives.—John Shelby, district Logan and Wood, 1820-28; Samuel
M. Lockwood, district Hancock, Wood, Seneca and Sandusky, 1828-30; Josiah
Hedges, same district, 1830-31; Harvey J. Harmon, same district, 1831-32; Samuel
Newell, district Hancock, Hardin, Logan, "Union and Madison, 1832-34; Nicholas
Hathaway, same district, 1834-36; John. Hollister, district Hancock, Wood,
Lucas, Henry and Williams, 1836-37; Parlee Carlin, same district, 1837-38;
William Taylor, same district, 1838-39; Moses McAnelly, same district, 1839-40;
Amos E. Wood and Moses McAnelly, district Hancock, Wood, Seneca, Sandusky and
Ottawa, 1840-41; Amos E. Wood and George W. Baird, same district, 1841-42;
George W. Baird and Henry C. Brish, same district, 1842-43; William B. Craighill
and Samuel Waggoner, same district, 1843-44; Elijah Huntington, district
Hancock, Wood, Lucas and Ottawa, 1844-45; Lyman Parcher, same district, 1845-46;
John McMahan, same district, 1846-47; Emery D. Potter, same district, 1847-48;
Machias C. Whiteley, district Hancock and Wyandot, 1848-50; Henry Bishop, same
district, 1850-51. Since the adoption of the constitution of 1851, Hancock
County has formed a separate legislative district, and has been represented by
the following citizens: Henry Bishop, 1852-54; John F. Perkey, 1854-56; Parlee
Carlin, 1856-58; John Westcott, 1858-62; William Gribben, 1862-64; Gribben
obtained certificate of reelection in 1863, but near the close of first session
in 1864, the seat was given on contest to his opponent. Parlee Carlin, who
served till 1866; Isaac Cusac, 1866-70; Aaron B. Shafer, 1870-72; Charles
Osterlen, 1872-1874; William M. McKinley, 1874-76: Alexander Phillips, 1876,
died in office, same year; Henry Sheets, 1877-80; William H. Wheeler. 1880-84;
Absalom P. Byal, 1884-88.

   Presidential Electors and Members of Constitutional Conventions.—John Dukes,
of Blanchard Township, was the elector of this district on the Harrison and
Tyler ticket in 1840; William Taylor of Findlay, was the Fremont and Dayton
elector in 1856; and Jacob F. Burket, of Findlay, the Gar-field and Arthur
elector in 1880! These were the only citizens of Hancock County who ever filled
that position in the district to which Hancock belonged. John Ewing, of Findlay,
served in the Constitutional Convention of 1850; and Absalom P. Byal, of
Findlay, in that of 1873.

   Commissioners.—Godfrey Wolford, from April, 1828, to October, 1828; John
Long, April, 1828, to October, 1828; John P. Hamilton, April, 1828, to October,
1828; John Long (re-elected), October, 1828, to December, 1829; Charles
McKinnis, October, 1828, to December,  1830; John P. Hamilton (re-elected),
October, 1828. to December, 1831; Mordecai Hammond, December, 1829, to December,
1832; Charles McKinnis (re-elected), December, 1830, to December, 1833; Robert
L. Strother, December, 1831, to December, 1834; John Hose, December, 1832, to
December, 1835; John Byal, December, 1833, to December, 1836; Jolm L. Carson,
December, 1834, resigned in December, 1835; William Taylor (of Findlay),
December, 1835, to December, 1838; Darius Smith (to fill vacancy caused by
Carson's resignation), December, 1835, to December, 1837; John Byal
(re-elected), December, 1836, to December, 1839; Aquilla Gilbert, December,
1837, to December, 1840; Daniel Fair-child, December, 1838, to December, 1841;
George Shaw, December, 1839, to December, 1842; Aquilla Gilbert (re-elected),
December 1840, to December, 1843; Andrew Ricketts, December, 1841, to December,
1844; George Shaw, (re-elected), December, 1842, to December, 1845; Peter
George, December, 1843, to December, 1846; John Lafferty, December, 1844, to
December, 1847; William Taylor (of Findlay), December, 1845, to December, 1848;
Peter George (re-elected), December, 1846, to December, 1849; William W. Hughes,
December, 1847, to December, 1850; Thomas Kelley, December, 1848, to December,
1851;Elias Cole, December, 1849, to December, 1852; William W. Hughes
(re-elected), December, 1850, to December, 1853; Thomas Kelley (re-elected),
December, 1851, to December, 1854; Elias Cole (re-elected), December, 1852, to
December, 1855; Jacob Bushong, December, 1853, to December, 1856; William Davis,
December, 1854, to December, 1857; John McKinley, December, 1855, to December,
1858; Jacob Bushong (re-elected), December 1856, to December, 1859; John Graham,
December, 1857, to December, I860; John McKinley (re-elected), December, 1858,to
December, 1861; Isaac Cusac, December, 1859; resigned late in 1861. or early the
following year; John Graham (re-elected), December, 1860, to December, 1863;
Conrad Line, December, 1861, to December, 1864;  Jacob Bushong, appointed in
February, 1862, to serve the unexpired term of Isaac Cusac up to December, 1862;
John Cooper, December, 1862, to December, 1865; William Taylor (of Washington
Township), December, 1863, to December, 1866; David W. Engle. December. 1864, to
December. 1867; John Cooper (re-elected), December. 1865, to December, 1868;
William Taylor (re-elected), December. 1866, to December, 1869; David W. Engle
(re-elected), December, 1867, to December, 1870; William M. Marshall, December.
1868, to December, 1871; Samuel Creighton, December, 1869, to December, 1872;
Joseph Saltzman. December, 1870, to December, 1873; William M. Marshall
(re-elected), December, 1871, to December, 1874; John D. Bishop, December. 1872,
to December, 1875; Joseph Saltzman (re-elected), December. 1873, resigned June
9, 1876; John Edgington, December, 1874, to December, 1877; John D. Bishop,
December, 1875, to December, 1878; Ross W. Moore appointed June 9, 1876, to fill
the vacancy caused by the resignation of Joseph Saltzman, and elected as his own
successor the following October, first regular term expiring in December, 1879;
John Edgington (re-elected), December, 1877, to December, 1880; Louis Luneack,
.December, 1878, to December, 1881; Ross W. Moore (re-elected), December, 1879,
to December, 1882; Bateman B. Powell, December, 1880, to December, 1883; Andrew
S. Beck, December, 1881, to December, 1884; Charles S. Kelley, December, 1882,
to December, 1885; J. M. Moorhead, December, 1883, to December, 1886; Andrew S.
Beck (re-elected), December, 1884, to December, 1887; Charles S. Kelley
(re-elected), December, 1885, to December, 1888.

   Auditors.—Matthew Reighly, April, 1828, to October, 1828; William Hackney,
October, 1828, to March, 1831; Thomas F. Johnston, March, 1831, resigned in
June, 1832; Joseph C. Shannon, appointed to fill vacancy in June, 1832, and
served till his death in May, 1836; Edson Goit, appointed May 23, 1836, to serve
the unexpired term of Joseph C. Shannon, deceased, up to March, 1837; Charles W.
O'Neal, March, 1837, to March, 1839; William L. Henderson, March, 1839, resigned
September 29, 1842; James H, Barr, appointed to fill vacancy September 29. 1842,
served to March, 1845; James S. Ballentine, March, 1845, to March, 1847; William
Mungen, March, 1847, to March, 1851; Elijah Barnd, March, 1851, to March, 1855;
Henry Brown, March, 1855, to March, 1857; Aaron Howard, March, 1857, to March,
1861; Henry Sheets, March, 1861, to March, 1865; Solomon Shafer, March, 1865, to
March, 1869; John L. Hill, March, 1869, to November, 1873; George S. Mosher,
November, 1873, to November, 1877; Joseph E. Kagy, November, 1877, to November,
1883; William T. Platt, November, 1883, to November, 1886.

   Treasurers.—Joshua Hedges, April, 1828, to October, 1828; Edwin S. Jones,
October, 1828, to June, 1831; Squire Carlin, June, 1831, to June, 1839; Edson
Goit, June, 1839, to June, 1848; Levi Taylor, June, 1843, to June, 1845; Wilson
Vance, June, 1845, to June, 1847; Mahlon Morris, June, 1847, died August 5,
1849; Levi Taylor, appointed to fill vacancy, August 8, 1849, to June, 1851;
Samuel Howard, June, 1851, to June, 1855; Benjamin Huber, June, 1855, to June,
1857; William Vanlue. June, 1857, to September, 1861; Benjamin Huber, September,
1861, to September, 1863; Samuel Spitler, September, 1863, to September, 1867;
Henry B. Wall, September, 1867, absconded in September, 1870; Henry Sheets,
appointed September 7, 1870, to serve Wall's unexpired term up to September,
1871; Benjamin Huber, September, 1871, to September, 1875; Peter Hosier,
September, 1875, to September, 1879; Samuel Howard, September, 1879, to
September, 1883; William J. Creighton. September, 1883, to September, 1887.

   Recorders.—Wilson Vance, June 3, 1828, resigned in June, 1835: Parlee Carlin.
appointed June 1, 1835, served till October, 1835; Wilson Vance, October, 1835,
to October, 1838; Jacob Barnd, October, 1838, to October, 1844; John Adams,
October, 1844, to October, 1847; Paul Sours, October, 1847, to October, 1853;
Isaac J. Baldwin, October, 1853, to January, 1860; Adam Steinman, January, i860,
to January, 1866; Luther B. Robinson, January. 1806. to January, 1872; Paul
Kemerer, January, 1872, to January, 1878; Joseph F. Gutzwiller, January, 1878,
to January. 1884; John B. Foltz, January, 1884, to January, 1887.

   Clerks.—Wilson Vance, March 14, 1828, to March, 1835; William H. Baldwin,
March, 1835, to October. 1842; William L. Henderson, October, 1842, resigned
July 27, 1848; Absalom P. Byal, July 28, 1848, to February, 1855; William W.
Siddall, February, 1855, to February, 1864; James Dennison, February, 1864, died
in office January 26, 1870; Peter Pifer was elected in the fall of 1869, and
upon the death of Mr. Dennison he was appointed to serve the few remaining days
of the latter's second term. His own began in February, 1870, and he held the
office till February, 1876; Scott W. Preble, February, 1876, to February, 1879;
Henry H. Louthan, February, 1879, to February. 1885; Presley E. Hay, February,
1885, to Februrary, 1888.

   Sheriffs.—Don Alonzo Hamlin, April, 1828, to November, 1828; John C. Wickham,
November, 1828, to November, 1830; Joseph Johnson, November, 1830, to November,
1834; Christian Barnd, November, 1834, to November, 1838; Jacob Rosenberg.
November, 1838, to November, 1842; Elisha Brown, November, 1842, to November,
1844; Alonzo D. Wing, November, 1844, to November, 1846; Absalom P. Byal,
November, 1846, resigned July 27, 1848, and the Coroner, Hiram Williams was
acting sheriff till the following November; Thomas Buckley, November, 1848, to
November, 1852; James Robinson, November, 1852,to November, 1854; William W.
Yates, November, 1854, died near the close of December, 1855, and D. D. McCahan,
Coroner, was acting sheriff until November, 1856; James N. Neibling, November,
1856, to January, 1861; Cloys B. Wilson, January, 1861, to January, 1865; D. D.
McCahan, January, 1865, resigned September 23, 1867, and the Coroner, Abraham
Yerger, filled the office till January, 1869; Samuel Myers, January, 1869, to
January, 1873; James L. Henry, January, 1873, to January, 1875; Samuel Myers,
January, 1875, to January, 1877; Parlee C. Tritch, January, 1877, to January,
1881; Charles B. Hall, January, 1881, to January, 1885; Lemuel McManness,
January, 1885, to January, 1887.

Surveyors.—William Taylor, November, 19, 1828, to April, 1832; William L.
Henderson, April, 1832, to October, 1838; Joel Pendleton, October, 1838, to
October, 1854; George W. Powell, October, 1854, to October, 1857; Joel
Pendleton, October, 1857, to January, 1876; Edwin Phifer, January, 1876, to
January, 1885; W. K. Stringfellow, January. 1885, to January, 1888.
Coroners.—Thomas Slight, April, 1828, to November, 1830; Joseph De Witt,
November, 1830, to November, 1832; Thomas Slight, November, 1832, to November,
1834; Richard Watson, November, 1834, to November, 1835; Thomas Slight,
November, 1835, to November, 1836; Peter Byal, November, 1836, to November,
1837: Henry Lamb, November, 1837, to November, 1839; Noah Wilson, November,
1839, to November, 1840; Joshua Hedges, November, 1840, to November, 1842; Allen
McCahan, November. 1842, to November, 1844; Norman Chamberlin, November, 1844,
died in 1845,-and the sheriff, Alonzo D. Wing, served the unexpired term to
November, 1846; Hiram Williams. November, 1846, to November, 1850; Harmon
Warrell, November, 1850, to November, 1852; Garret D. Teatsorth, November, 1852,
to November, 1854; D. D. McCahan, November, 1854, to November, 1856; Edwin
Parker, November. 1856. to January, 1861; Parlee C. Tritch, January, 1861, to
January, 1865; Abraham Yerger, January, 1865. to January. 1869; Parlee C.
Tritch, January, 1869, to January, 1873; Frank J. Karst. January, 1873, to
January, 1875; Daniel F. Cline, January, 1875, to January, 1877; Tobias G.
Barnhill, January, 1877, to January, 1881; John C. Tritch, January, 1881, to.
January, 1885; Tobias B. Barnhill, January, 1885, to January, 1887.

   Probate Judges. —James H.  Barr, February, 1852, to February, 1855; Nathaniel
E. Childs, February, 1855; to February, 1858; James H. Barr, February, 1858, to
February, 1861; Alfred W. Frederick, February, 1861, to February, 1867; Gamaliel
C. Barnd, February, 1867, to February, 1873; Samuel B. Huffman, February, 1873,
to February, 1879; Sylvester J. Siddall, February, 1879, to February, 1885;
George W. Myers, February, 1885, to February, 1888.

   Public Buildings. —On the 2d of February, 1824, the General Assembly passed
an act appointing three commissioners to select a seat of justice for Hancock
County, and the following October said commissioners reported to the Court of
Common Pleas of Wood County, then in session at Perrysburg, that they had
selected Findlay as the most suitable location for said county seat. Upon the
organization of Hancock, in March, 1828, the old log school-house, erected the
previous year on the site of the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western Railroad
depot, was utilized as a Court House, and all of the courts were held in that
building until the completion of the first Court House in 1833.

   A Jail, it seems, was the first public building erected by the county. At a
meeting of the commissioners held July 26, 1830, plans for a Jail were
considered, and it was ordered that said Jail be a one-storied building, 16x24
feet in size. It was built of hewed logs, and divided into two rooms by a
partition through the center, one of which was the "debtors' prison," wherein
those unfortunates unable to pay their debts had plenty of time to ponder over
the inconvenience of honest poverty. There they remained without any hope of
relief until Shylock relented or received his "pound of flesh." This was one of
those obnoxious laws handed down from colonial days, and still existing in some
of the States. The contract for the erection of this old Jail was let to Squire
Carlin for $450, and called for "the timbers to be white oak twelve inches
square." Mr. Carlin employed Henry Shaw to do the work, who, though not a
carpenter, was sufficiently capable to put up such a building as specified. It
stood about twenty feet south of the Court House recently torn down, between the
latter and the fence, its west end being on a line with the rear of that
structure. The citizens of Findlay did not look upon this rude log prison with
much favor, and in December, 1830, a petition was presented to the commissioners
praying for its removal from the public square, which the board refused to
comply with. The building was never regarded as very safe, and any determined
man could escape therefrom without much effort. It was therefore customary to
guard the Jail whenever it contained a prisoner whom it was desired to hold
safely, the guards to receive no pay in case the prisoner escaped. This old log
structure was used as a Jail until burned down by a prisoner confined therein in
the winter of 1851-52.

   December 5, 1831, the commissioners took preliminary steps toward the
erection of a "temporary Court House." The auditor was instructed to advertise
for sealed proposals for erecting a two-storied frame building, 24x36 feet in
size, said proposals to be handed into the auditor's office on or before January
14,1832, the commissioners to meet on Monday, January 16,1832, for the purpose
of considering said proposals. On the latter date the contract was let to Wilson
Vance, Frederick Henderson and Jonathan Parker, for the sum of $700, and March
16, 1833, the-commissioners accepted the building as finished. The contract of
Vance, Henderson & Parker did not include plastering, and this was let to Parlee
Carlin, June 29, 1833, to be completed by November 1, following. This building
stood on the southwest-corner of Main and Crawford Streets, now the site of the
First National Bank, and was used until the erection of the brick Court House,
built by John McCurdy on the public square. It was sold, together with the lot
upon which it stood, June 3,1840, for $634, to Jacob Rosenberg, who fitted it up
and opened the American House. He ran this hotel till his death in 1844, and his
widow continued the business until her marriage to Jacob Carr. The latter
changed its name to the Carr House, which he carried on till 1862, when he sold
the lot and removed the building to its present site on Main Street, immediately
north of the Presbyterian Church, and has since occupied it as a private residence.

   In a few years the old frame became inadequate to the wants of the county,
and the subject of a new Court House began to be agitated. On the 6th of June,
1837, the board of commissioners "Resolved that the commissioners of this county
will borrow $10,000 for the purpose of erecting public buildings in Findlay."
The auditor was ordered to give notice in the Courier that proposals would be
received on the 4th of July, 1837, to furnish the county 200,000 good bricks to
erect county buildings, and he was also instructed to furnish the board with a
draft of a Court House. The contract was finally given to John McCurdy, an
Irishman, who came to Findlay about this time. During the process of erection
McCurdy fell from a scaffolding and had one of his legs badly shattered. The
Court House was so far completed in the spring of 1840 that the officials took
possession of their respective offices. But it seems from the records that it
was more than two years afterward before the structure was accepted by the
commissioners as finished. Considerable trouble arose between the board and the
contractor, the former twice threatening to bring suit against McCurdy's
bondsmen unless the building was completed according to contract. The case was
finally settled by arbitration in June, 1843, McCurdy being ordered to pay the
county $30 and costs. In December, 1847, the commissioners ordered this money,
with interest, returned to McCurdy, a fair evidence that the latter was wronged
by the board with whom he had the disagreement. When the Court House was first
occupied the auditor, recorder, clerk, sheriff and commissioners' offices were
located in the second story, and the treasurer's office on the first floor; but
in December, 1842, the sheriff and treasurer exchanged offices. The court room
always occupied the balance of the lower story. Upon the creation of the probate
judgeship, that official was given an office in the second story, but in the
spring of 1885 the probate judge removed to a room on Main Cross Street in the
Karst Block, and the treasurer occupied the vacated office. The old Court House
was sold to Richard Hennessey for $125, February 1, 1886, and soon afterward
vacated and torn down to make room for a more elegant structure, the officials
removing to the Glessner Block. It was a two-story brick building about 50x70
feet in size, surmounted by a wooden cupola, and cost about §11,000. A §250
bell, purchased by Frederick Henderson, by order of the commissioners, was hung
in the belfry in the spring of 1840. Four round wooden pillars, upholding a
slightly projecting gable, gave to the front a Grecian temple appearance. The
conveniences of the building, however, were far behind the age, and it was high
time it gave way to a better one.

   As there has been considerable feeling lately manifested on the question of
the ownership of the public square, and as one of the main arguments used by the
advocates in favor of city ownership was based on the claim that the city had
fenced, graded and otherwise improved said square, it will not be inappropriate
to briefly demonstrate from the commissioners' records that such improvements
have always been ordered and paid for by the county. In December, 1841, the
commissioners ordered a panel board fence, four and a half feet high, built
around the public square. In the spring of 1845. the board ordered and paid for
the grading of the square fronting Main Street; and in October, 1847, they
authorized the town council of Findlay to improve the street and sidewalk in
front of the Court House, for which the auditor was ordered to pay the city out
of the county treasury. In June, 1856, the commissioners appropriated $400 for
the purpose of fencing the public square, said money to be expended under the
direction of the town council for said purpose only. Many similar items appear
on record since the erection of the old Court House in 1840, up to the
construction of the last fence and sidewalk, all of which were ordered and paid
for by the county. The fact that some of the work was done under the supervision
of the town officials, has, doubtless, led to the erroneous belief that the town
paid for the improvements.

   For many years before the burning of the old log Jail, it had become almost
useless as a prison, and it was only a question of time and money when a better
one would take its place. On the 3d of December, 1851, the auditor was
instructed to advertise in the Findlay papers for sealed proposals for the
erection of a new Jail of certain specified dimensions and finish, the contract
to be let January 9, 1852. Thomas McCrary was the successful bidder, he to
furnish all material, and complete said Jail within eighteen months from January
13, 1852, for the sum of $4,743. On the 10th of February, 1852, the
commissioners purchased of Abraham "W. Schwab, lot 58, on the west side of
Monument Park, for the sum of $175, upon which the Jail was erected. It was
finished according to contract, in the summer of 1853, and is a plain two-story
brick building of very modest pretensions, yet a great improvement on its
predecessor and was used as a Jail and sheriff's residence till the completion
of the present handsome structure on Main Cross Street, immediatlely south of
the old Jail, which, was subsequently sold to Elizabeth K. Carlin for $1,200,
and is now used as a boarding house.

   Though the question of purchasing a County Farm came before the electors of
the county in April, 1858. and the project was defeated, it was not till April
1, 1867, that the people of Hancock decided, by a majority of 1,508, that a home
for God's poor should be purchased. Prior to that time the townships took care
of their own poor, the county afterward reimbursing them, or the parties who
incurred the expense. On the 4th of April, 1867, the commissioners advertised
for a suitable Farm for county purposes, and on the 2d of May, following, 225
acres lying in Sections 10 and 15, Liberty Township, were purchased of George
Heck, for $17,000. The Farm was at once opened as a County Infirmary. Mr. Heck
being appointed its first superintendent. On the 5th of February, 1868, plans
for an Infirmary building, prepared by Jesse Guise, were approved and accepted
by the board, and the auditor ordered to advertise for sealed proposals for the
erection of the same. The contract was let to John Shall. March 7, 1868, for the
sum of $12,393, the building to be finished on or before the 1st of November
following. It is an imposing four-storied brick structure, including basement,
40x75 feet in dimensions, and stands about two miles northwest of Findlay on the
south bank of the Blanchard. A contract was let to D. C. Fisher & Co., May 8,
1869, to erect a two-story brick building 22x40 feet in size close to the
Infirmary, "for the use of insane persons." This building was completed the same
fall, and cost $3,370.50. Outbuildings of different sorts have since been put
up, and the property is now recognized as one of the best Infirmary Farms in
Northwestern Ohio. For the past nineteen years, the unfortunate poor of the
county have found here a healthy, comfortable home, while the institution has
long been self-supporting.

   The next public building erected by Hancock County, was the present elegant
Jail on Main Cross Street. On the 24th of April, 1878, the Legislature passed
"an act to authorize the board of county commissioners of Hancock County to levy
a tax for the purpose of building a Jail." On the 4th of February, 1879, lots 29
and 30, with the buildings thereon, were purchased of B. F. Kimmons for $5,000,
and: February 15, the plans of J. C. Johnson, the architect previously engaged
to prepare a design for a Jail, •were adopted, subject to changes suggested by
the board. Mr. Johnson was, on the same date, appointed superintendent of
construction. The old frame house and fence which stood on the site, were sold
for $247, and removed therefrom. The contract was let April 10, 1879, to Jacob
Karst, of Defiance, Ohio, for the sum of $17,264, the building to be finished on
or before January 1, 1880. The Jail was completed according to contract, and
accepted by the board on the 2d of January, 1880. Extras on the building
amounted to $620, while the plans and architect's commissions came to $863.20,
making a total for ground and building of $23,747.20. Mr. Karst was also paid
$250 for filling lot, and sundry other work done around the Jail, which,
however, was about offset by the amount received for the old fence and building
that originally stood upon the lot. In May, 1880, contracts were given to the
Champion Iron Fence Company, of Kenton, and M. Louthan & Co., of Findlay,
respectively, for an iron fence and stone sidewalk, which ran the total expense
to about $25,000; and the property is fully worth all it cost. The front portion
of the Jail is an elegant, two-story brick edifice, with stone trimmings, and
graced by a handsome square tower. In the rear of this is the jail proper, a
solid, substantial, one-story wing, the cells being constructed of stone and
iron in such a manner as-to be regarded as invulnerable. The sheriff's residence
will compare favorably with the finer private homes of the city, while the whole
premises reflect great credit on the architect, builder and board of
commissioners who conceived and carried out the project to a successful completion.

   The General Assembly passed an act, April 17, 1885, authorizing the
commissioners of Hancock County "to erect a Court House in said county, at a
cost not to exceed $100,000;" and on the 7th of November the contract for the
erection and enclosure of the new building was awarded to W. H. Campfield, of
Lima, for the sum of $71,576, his work to be completed by November 1, 1887. This
contract does not include the completion of the structure, the total cost of
which is expected to exceed the amount authorized by the act to be expended in
its erection. In the fall of 1885 ground was broken on the public square, and
other preliminary work begun, but that's as far as the enterprise progressed
till the spring of 1886. From the plans of the architects, Frank O. Weary and
George W. Kramer, adopted by the building committee, is gathered the following
description of the new Court House: The architecture, in the main, is classic,
though the roof is pitched, and the annoyance and inconvenience of a flat roof
avoided. The outside finish of the building will be entirely of stone, with rock
face work, and highly trimmed with cut stone. The front windows are to be large
and showy, the smallest having a five-foot and the largest a seven-foot opening.
Each window has about forty-four square feet of glass or more, and ample light
will be furnished in every part of the building. No wood whatever to be used in
the construction of the edifice, so that it will be thoroughly fireproof. The
tower will be 130 feet high from ground to top, and 107 feet to the center of
the clock face. It is to be finished with a dome roof. The tower will be built
entirely of iron, and will be twenty-four feet square. The edifice will be 142
feet long and 82 feet wide.

   Entrance into the first floor hall from the front, on the east, will be
through a stone portico supported by four polished granite columns twenty inches
in diameter. This portico is designed as a protection for the first flight of
steps so often left uncovered. This idea is peculiar to Mr. Weary's Court House
plan and is a marked improvement over others. The portico, twelve feet high, is
surmounted by an imposing entablature, ex-, tending up into the roof. In this is
a window, 12x26 feet in size, opening out upon the balcony, having an archway
top and extending through two stories. The whole effect of this is similar to
the grand triumphal arch at Paris, built by Napoleon, and called Arc de
Triomphe. Two small, easy flights of stairs, separated by a vestibule, lead
through double doors into a spacious hallway running through the building,
intercepted by a transverse hallway 18 feet wide and 75 feet long. In the center
will be an octagon rotunda 20 feet square, with a gallery up through into the
dome. To the right of the hall, near the entrance, a door opens into the
treasurer's office for the reception of city taxes, and a door from that leads
into the main office of the same official, where taxes will generally be
received. Several spacious places of entrance will be provided, and the room
will be 24 feet long by 28 feet wide, so that there will not be the
inconvenience of a crowded doorway and a crowded room. Adjoining will be the
money vault and the treasurer's private office, 13x15 feet in dimensions. This
is about the size of all the private offices. Immediately adjoining this office
to the west will be the auditor's apartments, consisting of three rooms. The
main office will be 30x35 feet in size, and will have communication with the
treasurer's office by means of a happily arranged sliding window. Besides the
private office and deputy's work room, adjoining there will be a large fireproof
record vault 13x28 feet in dimensions, and containing a window. To the south of
and adjoining the auditor's vault and office will be the commissioners' room,
17x24 feet in size. On the left side at the front entrance will be the sheriff's
office, 16x18 feet in dimensions. This is connected with the common pleas court
room on the second floor by means of a private stairway. At the south end of the
transverse hall will be the entrance to the probate court room, 24x30 feet in
dimensions, which, like the auditor's office, is to be separated from the hall
by a glass screen. Adjoining on the east side will be the probate judge's
office, while in the southeast corner will be the deputy's work room and the
record vault. A retiring room completes the probate judge's suite. The southwest
portion of the first floor will be used by the recorder, who will have a private
office and record vault, besides a spacious room in which to transact business
with the public. This completes the description of the first floor.

   The second floor may be reached by climbing a grand double iron staircase at
the rear of the main hall. It is designed to have mahogany railings and a midway
landing, and a large window will look out in the rear. In the southwest part of
this floor, away from the din and noise of the street, will be the common pleas
court room, in dimensions 35x40 feet. It will be furnished with amphitheater
tiers of seats, and the general public may gain entrance through large double
doors. Back of the bar railings will be several private entrances for officials
and those having business with the court, so that they need not push their way
through the crowds in the court room. The judge's bench will be in an archway in
the partition dividing the court room from the judge's room and a room for the
law library and for attorneys' consultation with clients. On this floor also
will be conveniently located apartments for grand and petit juries and waiting
witnesses. These will be handsomely furnished, and will have cloak and water
closets attached. The clerk's desk in the court room is to be connected directly
with the clerk's suite of three offices in the front part of the second floor.
In the northeast corner the prosecuting attorney is to have a good-sized office
and convenient consultation room. To the west of this and at the north end of
the transverse hall there will be an office for the county school examiners. In
the northwest corner a room of ample size has been set apart as a circuit court
room, and immediately joining this on the south is a large room for the circuit
judges. The county teachers' examinations will be held in the circuit court
room. It is the design, we believe, to have an elevator for use from the
basement to the first and second floors.

   The basement will have a spacious assembly hall for conventions and public
gatherings, with an ante-room and committee room. Besides this, there will be
the surveyor's office, a public library room, reading, janitor's, boiler and
work rooms, most conveniently arranged. Judging from the foregoing description
it may be safely concluded that the new Court House, when completed, will not
only be one of the most convenient, but also one of the finest public buildings
in Northwestern Ohio. The progressive people of Hancock County can then feel a
pardonable pride in their elegant Court House, Jail and Infirmary, as few
counties of the State will be able to boast of their equals in design, solidity,
finish and the many conveniences necessary in such institutions.

   Political Statistics.—The political complexion of Hancock County, since its
organization in 1828, can, it is conceded, be fairly illustrated by a comparison
of the vote cast for the several gubernatorial candidates at each election
during the past fifty-seven years. In the compilation of the following table the
vote given at a few of the presidential contests has been added thereto, which
will, perhaps, assist the reader in tracing the growth and changes of the
different political parties in this county.

   1828—Vote cast for governor: Allen Trimble (National Eepublican), 44; John W.
Campbell (Democrat), 30. Total, 74.

   1830—Vote cast for governor: Duncan Me Arthur (National Eepublican), 43;
Robert Lucas (Democrat), 94. Total, 137.

   1832—Vote cast for governor: Robert Lucas (Democrat), 260; Darius Lyman (Whig
and Anti-Mason), 34. Total, 294.

   1832—Vote cast for president: Andrew Jackson (Democrat), 181; Henry Clay
(Whig), 85; William Wirt (Anti-Mason), 0. Total, 266.

   1834—Vote cast for governor: Robert Lucas (Democrat), 371; James Findlay
(Whig), 102. Total, 473.

   1836—Vote cast for governor: Eli Baldwin (Democrat), 525; Joseph Vance
(Whig), 376. Total, 901.

   1836—Vote cast for president: Martin Van Buren (Democrat), 701; William Henry
Harrison (Whig), 464. Total, 1,165.

   1838—Vote cast for governor: Wilson Shannon (Democrat), 829; Joseph Vance
(Whig), 505. Total, 1,334.

   1840—Vote cast for governor: Wilson Shannon (Democrat), 1,024; Thomas Corwin
(Whig), 642. Total, 1,666.

   1842—Vote for governor: Wilson Shannon (Democrat), 986; Thomas Corwin (Whig),
616; Leicester King (Abolition or Free Soil), 4. Total, 1,606.

   1844—Vote cast for governor: David Tod (Democrat), 1,214; Mordecai Bartley
(Whig), 870; Leicester King (Abolition or Free Soil), 3. Total, 2,087.

   1846—Vote cast for governor: David Tod (Democrat), 1,149; William Bebb
(Whig), 751; Samuel Lewis (Abolition or Free Soil), 6. Total, 1,906.

   1848—Vote cast for governor: John B. Weller (Democrat), 1,320; Sea-busy Ford
(Whig), 868. Total, 2,188.

   1850—Vote cast for governor: Reuben Wood (Democrat), 1,299; William Johnston
(Whig), 707; Edward Smith (Abolition or Free Soil) 0. Total, 2,006.

   1851—Vote cast for governor: Reuben Wood (Democrat), 1,417; Samuel F. Vinton
(Whig), 742; Samuel Lewis (Abolition or Free Soil), 7. Total, 2,166.

   1853—-Vote cast for governor: William Medill (Democrat), 1,664; Nelson
Barrere (Whig), 576; Samuel Lewis (Abolition or Free Soil), 55. Total, 2,295.

   1855—Vote cast for governor: William Medill (Democrat), 1,329; Salmon P.
Chase (Republican), 1,238; Allen Trimble (American or Know-nothing), 30. Total,
2,597.

   1857—Vote cast for governor: Henry B. Payne (Democrat), 1,868; Salmon P.
Chase (Republican), 1,611; Philip Van Trump (American or Know-nothing), 8.
Total, 3,487.

   1859—Vote cast for governor: Rufus P. Ranney (Democrat), 1,796; William
Dennison (Republican), 1,674; total, 3,470.

   1860—Vote cast for president: Stephen A. Douglas (Regular Democrat), 2,301;
Abraham Lincoln (Republican), 2,135; John C. Breckinridge (Bolting Democrat),
24; John Bell (American or Union), 16; total, 4,476.

   1861—Vote cast for governor: Hugh J. Jewett (Democrat), 1,817; David Tod
(Republican), 1,772. Total, 3,589.

   1863—Vote cast for governor: Clement L. Vallandigham (Democrat), 2,277; John
Brough (Republican), 2,296. Total, 4,573.

   1865—Vote cast for governor: George W. Morgan (Democrat), 2,228; Jacob D. Cox
(Republican), 2,120. Total, 4,348.

   1867—Vote cast for governor: Allen G. Thurman (Democrat), 2,509; Rutherford
B. Hayes (Republican), 2,172. Total, 4,681.

   1868—Vote cast for president: Horatio Seymour (Democrat), 2,528; Ulysses S.
Grant (Republican), 2,279. Total, 4,807.

   1869—Vote cast for governor: George H. Pendleton (Democrat), 2,483;
Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican), 1,946. Total, 4,429.

1871—Vote cast for governor: George W. McCook (Democrat), 2,401; Edward F. Noyes
(Republican), 2,218; Gideon T. Stewart (Prohibition), 0. Total, 4,619.

   1872—Vote cast for president: Horace Greeley (Liberal Republican and
Democrat), 2,449; Ulysses S. Grant (Republican), 2,311; James Black (Greenback),
3; Charles O'Connor (Independent Democrat), 0. Total, 4,763.

   1873—Vote cast for governor: William Allen (Democrat), 2,259; Edward F. Noyes
(Republican), 1,794; Gideon T. Stewart (Prohibition), 39; Isaac Collins (Liberal
Republican), 53. Total, 4,145.

   1875—Vote cast for governor: William Allen (Democrat), 2,833; Rutherford B.
Hayes (Republican), 2,559; Jay Odell (Prohibition), not given in State report.
Total vote, 5,457.

   1876—Vote cast for president: Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat), 3,215; Rutherford
B. Hayes (Republican), 2,811; G. Clay Smith (Prohibition), 8; Peter Cooper
(Greenback), 4. Total, 6,038.

   1877—Vote east for governor: Richard M. Bishop (Democrat), 2,854; William H.
West (Republican), 2,366; Henry A. Thompson (Prohibition), 39; Stephen Johnson
(Greenback), 14. Total, 5,273.

   1879—Vote cast for governor: Thomas Ewing (Democrat), 3,308; Charles Foster
(Republican), 2,911; Gideon T. Stewart (Prohibition), 13; A. Sanders Piatt
(Greenback), 47. Total, 6,279.

   1880—Vote cast for president: Winfield S. Hancock (Democrat), 3,350; James A.
Garfield (Republican), 3,124; James B. Weaver (Greenback), 33; Neal Dow
(Prohibition), 9. Total, 6,516.

   1881—Vote cast for governor: John W. Bookwalter (Democrat), 2,985; Charles
Foster (Republican), 2,716; Abraham R. Ludlow (Prohibition), 197; John Seitz
(Greenback), 29. Total, 5,927.

   1883—Vote cast for governor: George Hoadly (Democrat), 3,524; Joseph B.
Foraker (Republican), 3,098; Ferdinand Schumacher (Prohibition), 42; Charles
Jenkins (Greenback), 28. Total, 6,692.

   1884—Vote cast for president: Grover Cleveland (Democrat), 3,497; James G.
Elaine (Republican), 3,245; Benjamin F. Butler (Greenback Labor Reform), 32;
John P. St. John (Prohibition), 84. Total, 6,858.

   1885—Vote cast for governor: George Hoadly (Democrat), 3,283; Joseph B.
Foraker (Republican), 2,800; Adna B. Leonard (Prohibition), 388; John W.
Northrop (Greenback Labor Reform), 24. Total, 6,495.

   The county has been carried by the Democratic party at every presidential and
gubernatorial election since its organization, except those for governor in 1828
and 1863. It will thus be seen that Hancock County has always been a stronghold
of Democracy, though the majorities given for the candidates of that party have
often been quite small.
   



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