AREA HISTORY: History of Adams County, Chapter XVII, Adams County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/adams/ _______________________________________________ History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1886 _______________________________________________ Part III, History of Adams County, Pages 98-103 CHAPTER XVII. LAWYERS-FIRST COURT-"CIRCUIT RIDERS"-VISITING ATTORNEYS-JONATHAN F. HAIGHT, FIRST RESIDENT ATTORNEY-LAWYERS FROM 1801 TO 1885. The judges and officers of the courts are given in another chapter. The first court held in the county was in June, 1800, and this brought the first nimble limbs of the law that ever met in Gettysburg to ply their arduous vocation. None of these were residents of the new county; they were simply following the courts and attending to the business of such clients as chose to employ them, as there was not a home attorney yet in the county. In the Western States, while the country was still new and sparsely settled, these traveling lawyers have gone into history as the ?circuit riders,? who rode at one time in the wide range of large counties over half of the State in which they practiced. The judge and attorney, making quite a cavalcade, and hard life, in storms and cold, swimming rivers and fording swollen streams, and in hotels of but three rooms, and all the country around coming to town ?to court,? and the rough roistering and sometimes fighting and ?stag-dancing,? and general ?whoo-o-oping up,? as the slang expressed it, was much of the school where such men as Ed Baker, Douglas, Lincoln, Judge Breese and many others of the eminent men of the country received their baptism into the experiences of real and practical life. The following were the visiting attorneys, who attended the first court in Gettysburg: Ralph Bowie, John Clark, James Kelly, David Cassat, William Ross, William Barber, William Maxwell, George Smith, Robert Hayes, Richard Brook; these were all admitted to the practice on the first day of court. The next day shows Andrew Dunlop, James Orbison, John Shippen and James Brotherton. August 25 William M. Brown was admitted. The new attorneys at the November term of the court were Ralph Marlin and Jonathan F. Haight. The latter, it seems, came to stay, and he rented an office and swung out his newly painted sign, and became Adams County?s first resident attorney. He had hunted up the new county to grow up with the country, but after two years faithful seeking for clients, he probably found he had made the palpable mistake of trying to make a living in a county where there was but one attorney. If there are two attorneys then business may prosper, but never where there is only one, and so Haight folded his tent and departed to greener fields. At the May court, 1801, James Dobbin was admitted to practice; May term, 1802, Samuel Riddle; August 25, same year, Francis S. Key, author of ?Star Spangled Banner,? appeared; in August, 1804, William Montgomery; May, 1805, George Metzgar and James Riddle; January, 1806, William Reed, Jr.; February, John McCanaughy; November, Moses McClean; April, 1807, William N. Irvine; November, Andrew Carothers and James M. Russell; 1808, Upton S. Reed, David Snively, Thomas S. McCullough and John Reed; 1809, Thomas Hartley Crawford; 1810, James Gilliland; 1811, Alexander Mahon, Charles A. Barnitz and John Lashells; 1812, Mathew S. Clark; 1814, Isaac Brown Parker; 1815, Samson S. King, Nathaniel Dearbon, Stephen Duncan, George Chambers and Samuel Bacon; 1816, William M. McDowell, Samuel Ramsey, who had read law in James Gilliland?s office. The examining committee in his case were Ralph Bowie, David Cassat and William Ross. In 1817 there were admitted to practice in the courts in this county James Hamilton, Jr., Calvin Blythe and G. W. King; the latter read in the office of John McConaughy; examining committee, James Kelly, David Cassat and James Dobbin. The year James Dunlap was admitted. In 1819-John D. Mahon. At the same time James G. McNeely, who read with John McConaughy; committee, David Cassat, Samuel Alexander, Thaddeus Stevens. 1820-William H. Brown. 1821-John Gardner, Walter S. Franklin and Daniel Durkee. Judge Durkee, a native of Vermont, a hatter by trade, subsequently read law, removed to Lebanon, Penn., and commenced the practice, and removed to York in 1820. He served two terms as president judge of the York and Adams Court. 1822-James Dixon and W. V. Randall. This year James Buchanan, afterward President of the United States, was admitted to practice in the Adams County Circuit Court. 1823-X. H. Cushman, who had read with Thaddeus Stevens; committee, James Dobbin, John McConaughy and Samuel Ramsey. Also admitted, Samuel R. Russell, William Miller, Jr., and John S. Crawford. 1824-Calvin Mason, John Evans, Charles B. Penrose, John L. Fuller, Edward Burnham and Samuel Hughes. 1825-William D. Ramsey, Robert S. King, Fredrick Watts, Henry H. Cassat and Hugh Gallagher. 1826-Moses McClean, read with John McConaughy, but applied for license in Franklin, Venango County, in 1825, and was admitted. Returned to Gettysburg where he was in active practice for forty-five years. He was much in public life-in the county offices, Legislature and Congress. A man of vigorous intellect and dauntless courage in the pursuit of his convictions. In going patiently over the early records of the leaders among the grand race of men who wrested the wilderness from the savage and made it this fair garden of civilization, we confess we found no character to which we could give unmixed admiration beyond what has come down to us with the memory of Moses McClean. This year also William Ramsey and Andrew G. Miller. The latter served as United States Judge in the Territory and State of Wisconsin. 1827-Thomas Kelly, Morgan Ash and Willett C. Oglesby. 1829-Thomas Craighead. 1831-William Price, Daniel M. Smyser, who had read with Thad. Stevens. Smyser was elected president judge of Bucks and Montgomery District in 1851 where he served with eminent ability ten years. He served in the Legislature and filled other positions. This year was admitted also William Maxwell. 1832-William Frazier. 1833-John Williamson, James Devor. 1834-James Cooper and Joseph Chambers. Mr. Cooper read in Stevens? office. Committee, Charles B. Penrose, Andrew G. Miller, Fredrick Watts. He was an able lawyer and brilliant politician; in the Legislature a number of times; a member of Congress, and when serving a term in the Legislature was elected United States Senator. 1835-Andrew P. Wilson, Thomas C. Hambley, Joseph M. Palmer, Robert J. Fisher, Albert C. Ramsey, Robert F. McConaughy, William Carothers, Samuel Hepburn. Judge Fisher read law with his father in Harrisburg, and was licensed in August, 1828; removed to York the same year and there made his permanent home. 1839-Gottleib S. Orth, Conrad Baker, A. R. Stevenson. Orth and Baker both went to Indiana and became leaders in the Republican party. Baker was lieutenant- governor and governor of that State. Orth served in Congress and was the Republican candidate for governor, but defeated. 1840-James X. McLanahan, James McSherry, Jr. 1841-Jacob F. Welsh, who had read with D. M. Smyser. 1842-William Baker, John Withrow, William McSherry. The latter is now the senior practicing member of the bar in the county. He has served ably and well the people of the county in both houses of the Legislature. 1843-Isaac H. McCauley, William H. Miller. 1844-William E. Barber read with James Cooper; Samuel Baird, Edward B. Beuhler, Robert G. McCreary, William B. McClellan, Cyrus G. French. 1845-Andrew Neil, Henry Reed, Thomas McCreary; David McConaughy read with Moses McClean; James Malcom. 1846-L. G. Brandenburg, John P. Blaine, Thomas C. Cochran, Carson C. Moore, Thomas J. McKaig, Benjamin Herr. 1847-James H. Hauke, James J. E. Naille, Henry Y. Slaymaker, James G. Reed. 1850-Henry L. Fisher. 1851-H. B. Woods, student of Moses McClean; James S. Ross. 1852-William H. Stevenson, Wilson Reilly, John A. Marshall, Thomas P. Potts. 1853-David Wills read with Thaddeus Stevens. Judge Wills was appointed president judge in 1874, and served to the end of the term in that year. 1854-Jacob S. Stahle; William McClean read in Moses McClean?s office. He was appointed president judge in 1874, and is the present incumbent, and has just been unanimously re-elected. 1855-J. Alexander Simpson. 1856-D. A. Beuhler read with E. B. Beuhler and James Cooper. 1857-Nesbitt Baugher read with D. McConaughy. 1858-J. Charles King read with D. McConaughy; James McElroy. 1859-Andrew D. Hill; J. C. Neely read with D. McConaughy; William A. Duncan, A. J. Clover; two latter read with R. G. McCreary. James Kerr McIlhenny read with Judge D. Wills. 1860-S. J. Vandersloot read with D. A. Buehler. Arthur N. Green, William Adams, William Hay, J. J. Herron. [Writing of the bench and bar of Bureau County, Ill., a short time ago, I became acquainted with the history of an attorney, J. J. Herron, who died a few years ago in Princeton, Ill. His career there had been remarkable and brilliant, and I learned he was regarded at the time of his death as the ablest attorney in that part of Illinois. He died before reaching the fullness of his great promise. I am strongly inclined to the belief this is the same man.?ED.] 1861-William A. Sponsler. 1862-J. Frank Siess, Calvin D. Whitney. 1863-J. Q. A. Pfeiffer, read with R. G. McCreary. 1864-J. Harvey White. 1866-J. McDowell Shorpe. 1867-John M. Krauth read with D. McConaughy. 1868-John M. Young read with Judge D. Wills; Joseph H. Le Fevre, read with D. McConaughy. 1869-William R. Eyster. 1870-Rudolph M. Shick read with Judge Wills. 1871-John Hay Brown, student of D. A. Buehler; J. A. Kitzmiller, student with Judge Wills; Hart Gilbert read in office of R. G. McCreary; M. W. Jacobs, also with McCreary; Robert E. Wright. 1872-Joseph Douglas, Edward S. Reilly, William S. Stenger; Robert Agnew read with Judge Agnew. 1873-W. Hamilton Bailey read with Judge Wills; George J. Bond, M. C. Herman; the latter served as president judge of the Cumberland District. 1874-H. C. Dean, John A. Kuhn, Joseph R. Kuhn, H. E. Sheaffer, John Cornman. 1875-Steward M. Leidich. 1876-S. McSwope read with Judge Wills; W. C. Stover read with D. McConaughy; John L. Kendlehart, student of Judge Wills; John L. Hill, Jr. read in office of R. J. McCreary. 1877-Charles M. Wolf, now in Hanover; Edward J. Cox read with R. G. McCreary; D. McC. Wilson, with D. McConaughy. 1878-William McSherry, Jr., student of E. S. Reilly (deceased) and William McSherry, Sr.; Charles E. Fink; David Horner (deceased) read with David Wills. 1879-Benton Dully, W. A. Scott, with Judge Wills. 1880-Calvin F. O. Eames, with R. G. McCreary. 1881-George J. Benner, with R. G. McCreary. 1882-A. W. Fleming, Jr. (deceased) read with J. C. Neely. 1885-Charles S. Duncan read in Philadelphia; William Arch. McClean read with his father, Judge William McClean; E. A. Weaver read with McCreary & Duncan; George W. Walter, student of Judge David Wills.