Local History: Chapter IV ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION. Bell's History of Northumberland Co PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Tony Rebuck Tar2@psu.edu USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. Transcribed from Bell's History of Northumberland County Pennsylvania CHAPTER IV Pages 142 - 176. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION. ERECTION OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY - DISINTEGRATION OF ITS TERRITORY - PRESENT BOUNDARIES - INTERNAL SUBDIVISION - ORIGINAL TOWNSHIPS - FORMATION OF PRESENT SUBDIVISIONS - STATISTICS OF POPULATION - PUBLIC BUILDINGS - EARLY FISCAL AFFAIRS THE three original counties of Pennsylvania were Chester, Philadelphia, and Bucks, formed in 1682 at the founding of the Province. Lancaster was erected in 1729 from the western part of Chester, York in 1749 from that part of Lancaster west of the Susquehanna, and Cumberland in 1750 from the northwestern part of York. Northampton and Berks were formed in 1752, the former from the northern part of Bucks, the latter from the corresponding portions of Philadelphia, Chester, and Lancaster. At that time the lines separating Berks from Northampton and Lancaster were ran only so far as the settlements then extended, and in 1769 William Maclay, William Scull, and John Biddle, Jr., were appointed to continue them "as far as the lands lately purchased by the Honorable the Proprietaries of this Province from the Indians do extend." The western boundary of Berks county was accordingly surveyed beyond the Susquehanna, crossing that river near the month of Mahanoy creek and extending as far as the West Branch. That part of the present area of Northumberland county inclosed by this END OF PAGE 142 line, the Susquehanna river, and Mahantango creek thus remained in Lancaster county; west of the Susquehanna the western line of Berks separated its territory from that of Cumberland. The purchase of 1768 was followed by a rapid influx of population into the region about the confluence of the North and West Branches of the Susquehanna, and, with the seats of justice of Berks, Lancaster, and Cumberland counties at Reading, Lancaster, and Carlisle, respectively, the convenience of the inhabitants early demanded better facilities of civil administration. This desirable result was finally attained, March 21, 1772, by the passage of an act erecting Northumberland county, with boundaries described as follows:- Beginning at the month of Mahantango creek, on the west side of the river Susquehanna; thence up the south side of said creek, by the several courses thereof, to the head at Robert Meteer's spring; thence west by north to the top of Tussey's mountain; thence southwesterly along the summit of the mountain to Little Juniata; thence up the northeasterly side of the main branch of Little Juniata to the head thereof; thence north to the line of Berks county; thence northwest along the said line to the extremity of the Province; thence east along the north boundary to that part thereof which is due north from the most northern part of the great swamp; thence south to the most northern part of the swamp aforesaid; thence with a straight line to the head of the Lehigh or Middle creek; thence down the said creek so far that a line run west-southwest will strike the forks of Mahantango creek where Pine creek falls into the same, at the place called Spread Eagle, on the east side of Susquehanna; thence down the southerly side of said creek to the river aforesaid; thence down and across the river to the place of beginning. In order to render this intelligible to the general reader some explanation may be necessary. There are two streams known by the name of Mahantango: the one first mentioned flows into the Susquehanna from the west, forming the present boundary of Juniata and Snyder counties; the other sustains the same relation to Northumberland and Dauphin. It is probable the county line struck the Little Juniata no great distance above its confluence with the Raystown branch, and the West Branch near the mouth of Bald Eagle creek. The northwestern boundary of the county was the line of the purchase of 1768. The "great swamp" is identified as the southwestern part of Wayne county and the adjoining part of Lackawanna; the line from the northern boundary of the State south to the "great swamp" and thence to the Lehigh is the present western boundary of Wayne county. Part of the southeast line between the Lehigh river and Mahantango creek still possesses geographical significance as the line of division between the counties of Carbon and Luzerne, Schuylkill and Columbia, and Northumberland and Schuylkill, respectively. On the 21st of March, 1772, the Assembly passed an act defining the boundaries of Bedford county, which was erected in 1771 and adjoined Northumberland on the southwest; this act and the act passed the same day erecting Northumberland assigned to those counties different and incon- END OF PAGE 143 sistent boundary lines, and in order to rectify this discrepancy the line in question was again defined, September 30, 1779. As thus established, the southwest boundary of Northumberland, beginning on the Juniata at the terminus of a north line from the gap in Tuscarora mountain near Path valley, coincided with that river as far as Jack's Narrows, where it deflected to the north along the summit of the watershed between Kishocoquillas and Standing Stone creeks; from the head of the latter it extended westward along the summit of Tussey's mountain, the ridge separating Bald Eagle and Little Juniata, and Chestnut ridge to the head of the southwest branch of Bald Eagle, thence a direct course to the head of Moshannon creek, and down that stream to its junction with the West Branch. Considerable territory was thus added to this county. Although a large county as originally formed, it is problematical whether Northumberland was the largest in the State at that date. If not of equal or greater extent, Bedford was certainly scarcely inferior in size, but Westmoreland was formed from the latter in 1773, and from that time until 1795 the position of Northumberland as the most extensive subdivision of the State is unquestioned. Its greatest proportions were attained in 1785, when, by the act of April 9th, all that part of the purchase of 1784 east of the Conewango creek and Allegheny river was placed within its limits. The county thus extended along the northern line of the State from Conewango creek to the line of Wayne county and from the Lehigh river to the Allegheny, with a maximum breadth equal to nearly two thirds that of the State. The extent of this region exceeds that of several States of the Union. The first curtailment of this generous domain resulted from the erection of Luzerne county, September 25, 1786. West of the Susquehanna the first county to which Northumberland contributed was Mifflin, erected on the 10th of September, 1789, but the part taken from Northumberland, with additional territory from Northumberland and other counties, was erected into Centre, February 13,1800. The formation of Lycoming county, April 13, 1795, deprived Northumberland of the large extent of territory acquired under the purchase of 1784, with a considerable part of its original area. The line of division was described as follows:- From the Mifflin county line, on the summit of Nittany mountain, thence running along the top or highest ridge of the said mountain to where the White Deer Hole creek runs through the same; and from thence by a direct line, crossing the West Branch of Susquehanna at the mouth of Black Hole creek, to the end of Muncy hills; thence along the top of Muncy hills and the Bald mountain to the Luzerne county line. Northumberland was thus reduced to the position of an interior county, and with the opening of the present century its original boundaries remained undisturbed only on the south. Bounded on the east by Luzerne, on the west by Centre, on the north by Lycoming, and on the south by Mifflin, END OF PAGE 144 Page 145 contains a portrait of Charles J. Bruner Page 146 is blank Dauphin, and Berks, its location with reference to the area of the State was nearly central. Although somewhat irregular in form, its proportions did not lack symmetry; its territory was nearly equally divided by the Susquehanna and the West Branch, while the location of the county seat was central to the population and conveniently accessible from all parts of the county by the natural highways of the region. But in the first decade of the century there was a marked increase in population, and with the growth of settlements at the extremities of the county arose the desire and necessity for further territorial subdivision. A movement for the erection of a new county seems to have taken definite shape in the region west of the Susquehanna first; the agitation in the valley of the North Branch for the accomplishment of a similar object was begun a little later, and in the pursuit of interests so closely allied the promoters of the two projects rendered mutual assistance. At length the popular will found expression in the election of State representatives favorable to division, and with friends at court the desired end was consummated in the passage of two acts, erecting Columbia and Union counties, respectively, which were approved, March 22, 1813. To the former was assigned that part of the former area of Northumberland west of the Susquehanna and the West Branch; the boundaries of the latter were described as follows:- Beginning at the nine-mile tree on the bank of the Northeast Branch of the Susquehanna, and from thence by the line of Point township to the line of Chillisquaque township; thence by the line of Chillisquaque and Point townships to the West Branch of the river Susquehanna; thence up the same to the line of Lycoming county; thence by the line of Lycoming county to the line of Luzerne county; thence by the same to the line of Schuylkill county; thence along the same to the southwest corner of Catawissa township; thence by the line of Catawissa and Shamokin townships to the river Susquehanna; and thence down said river to the place of beginning. The formation of two new counties had been effected, but not to the entire satisfaction of the dismembered territory. The townships of Chillisquaque and Turbut had been separated from the parent county in opposition to the wishes of nine tenths of their inhabitants, who remonstrated strongly and at length secured their re-annexation to Northumberland county, February 21, 1815. The question had not reached a final adjustment, however; the real issue involved was the separation of sufficient territory from Northumberland to render Danville eligible as the county seat of Columbia, and on the 22d of January, 1816, that part of Turbut and Chillisquaque west of the following line was again annexed to Northumberland:- Beginning at the corner of Point and Chillisquaque townships in the line of Columbia county; thence by the lines of said townships along the summit of Montour's mountain to where what is called "Strawbridge's road" crosses said mountain; thence by said road to where the road from Wilson's mills to Danville intersects said road; thence to the bridge over Chillisquaque creek at James Murray's; thence by what is called "Harrison's road" past Chillisquaque meeting-house to the corner of Turbut and Derry townships in the line of Lycoming county. END OF PAGE 147 This line constitutes the present eastern boundary of the county north of the river. A history of the roads mentioned is given in this work in the chapter on Internal Improvements. The location of these roads changed in course of time, and thus the line became a subject of dispute, greatly to the inconvenience of township officers in Northumberland and Montour counties. At length petitions were presented to the courts of both counties praying for a re-survey, in compliance with which a commission was appointed, composed of George W. West, of Danville, A. J. Guffy, of Watsontown, and C. D. Eldred, of Muncy, by whom the line was resurveyed, February 22-25 and August 22-25, 1881. Their report,* showing the courses and distances of the line from the southwest corner of Montour county on Montour ridge to the line of Lycoming county, received the concurrent approval of the courts of the respective counties, and is the authoritative description of the line in question. The eastern boundary of the county south of the North Branch was run and marked in 1830 by Elias Hoyt and Joseph Whitacre, commissioners appointed in pursuance of the act of April 7, 1830, whose report gives the following as its courses and distances:- Beginning at the Susquehanna river at the mouth of Little Roaring creek; thence up said creek the several courses and distances thereof, establishing said creek as the boundary line, to a white oak tree by a spring at the head of said creek; thence east, following a ridge of land most of the way, seven hundred sixteen perches to a hemlock on Big Roaring creek; thence up said creek, the south branch thereof the several courses and distances thereof, establishing said creek as the division line, to Yarnall's path; and thence from a white oak on said path south twenty degrees east fourteen hundred perches to the line of Schuylkill county.† The line of separation from Lycoming was established in 1795 by the formation of that county. On the west Northumberland includes the channel of the river, as the townships originally formed on the eastern side extended to the western bank. The southern boundary, originally established in 1772, was again defined by legislative enactment, April 17, 1795, by which the Governor was directed to appoint three commissioners for running and marking a line "Beginning at the forks of Mahantango and Pine creeks at the place called the Spread Eagle, and from thence north fifty six degrees east until the same shall intersect the line dividing the counties of Berks and Northampton, and from thence the same course to the Lehigh creek; thence along the east bank of the said Lehigh creek to the head thereof; from thence a due north course to the boundary of the State." Northumberland and Luzerne counties were north and west of this line; Dauphin, Berks, and Northampton, south and east of it. As commissioners the Governor appointed Philip Myer, John Eckman, and John Reese; under date of June 1, 1796, they presented their account to the commissioners of _____________________________________________________________________ *Quarter Sessions Docket of Northumberland County, No. 1, December Sessions, 1880. †Quarter Sessions Docket of Northumberland County, April Sessions, 1831. END OF PAGE 148 Northumberland county, from which it appears that the survey required forty days, at a total expense, including the services of the surveyors and their assistants, pack-horses, etc., of three hundred sixty-seven pounds, four shillings, nine and one half pence. The present area of the county, as given in Smull's Legislative Handbook, is four hundred sixty-two square miles. The following is a list of counties situated wholly or in part within the limits of Northumberland in 1785: Armstrong, Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Elk, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, and Wyoming, a total of twenty-eight. It is with eminent propriety, therefore, that Northumberland has been called the "Mother of Counties." INTERNAL SUBDIVISION. At the time of its erection the larger part of the present area of Northumberland county was included in Augusta township, Berks county, which extended eastward to the line of Northampton and embraced the incipient settlements about the confluence of the East and West Branches of the Susquehanna. The present line of Dauphin and Schuylkill, extended in a northwesterly direction, was the southwestern boundary of Augusta; and the triangular area inclosed by this line (then the line of division between Berks and Lancaster), Mahantango creek, and the Susquehanna river was part of Upper Paxtang township, Lancaster county. On the 9th of April, 1772, at a court of private sessions of the peace, the county was divided into seven townships, for which the following boundaries were respectively established:- Description of Penn's Township.- Beginning at the mouth of Mahantango on the west side of Susquehanna; thence with the county line up Mahantango creek to Meteer's spring; thence with the same line to the top of Tussey's mountain; thence along the top of the same easterly to Penn's creek and down Penn's creek to the mouth thereof at the head of the Isle of Que; thence down Susquehanna to the place of beginning. Description Augusta Township.- Beginning at the mouth of Mahantango on the west side of Susquehanna; thence with the county line crossing Susquehanna to the month of Mahantango on the east side; thence with the same county line up Mahantango to the Spread Eagle in the forks of said Mahantango; thence with the said county line east-northeast to the old line formerly run for a division between Berks and Northampton counties; thence by the same old line northwest to the East Branch of Susquehanna; thence down the same to Fort Augusta; thence crossing Susquehanna and down the same to the place of beginning. Description of Turbut Township.- Beginning on the east side of Susquehanna at Fort Augusta; thence up the easterly side of the Northeast Branch to the old line formerly run for a division between Berks and Northampton counties; thence by the END OF PAGE 149 same line northwest to the top of Muncy Hill; thence along the top of the same westerly to the West Branch of Susquehanna, and crossing the same to the west side, and down the same to the junction of the branches, and crossing Susquehanna to the place of beginning so as to include the forks and island. Description of Buffalo Township.- Beginning at the mouth of Penn's creek at the head of the Isle of Que; thence up the same to the forks; thence by a north line to the West Branch of Susquehanna; thence down the West Branch of Susquehanna to the forks; thence down Susquehanna to the place of beginning. Description of Bald Eagle Township.- Beginning at the forks of Penn's creek; thence by a north line to the West Branch of Susquehanna; thence up the same to where the county line crosses it; thence by the county line south to the head of Little Juniata; thence down the same to the end of Tussey's mountain; thence along the top of the same easterly to the place of beginning. Description of Muncy Township.- Beginning on the west side of the West Branch of Susquehanna opposite the end of Muncy Hill; thence up the West Branch to opposite the mouth of Lycoming; thence crossing the Branch up Lycoming to the head thereof; thence by a southeast line to the Muncy Hill; thence along the top of the same to the West Branch, and crossing it to the beginning. Description of Wyoming Township.- Beginning at the heads of Lycoming; thence southeast to Muncy Hill; thence along the top of the same westerly to the old division line between Berks and Northampton;* thence southeast along the same line to the present county line; thence by the lines of the county to the bounds of the present purchase near Chenango; thence westerly by the bounds of the present purchase to the beginning at the heads of Lycoming aforesaid. The policy of the court in the formation of these subsidiary divisions was analogous to that of the legislature in the erection of the county. In both instances political autonomy was conferred upon territory vast in extent, comparatively unexplored or sparsely inhabited, and comprehended within vaguely defined boundaries. "Magnificent distances" were a characteristic of the various townships no less than of the county at large. Of the original townships east of the Susquehanna the smallest were Turbut and Muncy: Turbut included all of Northumberland and Montour counties north of the North Branch, with a portion of Columbia, while Muncy embraced that part of Lycoming between Lycoming creek and Muncy hills. Augusta, consisting of the present area of Northumberland and Montour south of the North Branch, with adjoining territory in Columbia and Schuylkill, ranked next in size. The most extensive was Wyoming, comprehending within its ample limits the whole of Luzerne, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, Wyoming, and (probably) Sullivan counties, with portions of Bradford, Columbia, and Schuylkill. Of the three townships west of the Susquehanna, Penn's, embracing nearly the whole of Snyder county, with considerable adjacent territory, was the smallest; Buffalo included nearly the whole of Union, with the contiguous por- __________________________________________________________________ *It is problematical whether this line was ever regarded as the western boundary of Wyoming. When Mahoning was formed in 1775 Fishing creek was declared its eastern limit; in 1785 Augusta is represented as extending "from the town of Sunbury till near the plains of Wyoming;" and Fishing Creek, formed in 1789 entirely from Wyoming, was bounded on the west by the stream of that name. When Wyoming was restricted to that part of its original territory north of the North Branch and east of Fishing creek can not he satisfactorily determined from existing county records. END OF PAGE 150 tions of adjoining counties; while Bald Eagle comprised the extensive region west of Buffalo and northwest of Penn's. The first change in the internal geography of the county was the formation of Potter's township, May, 1774, from Penn's, Buffalo, and Bald Eagle. Sometimes it appears as "John Potter's township;" the name still retains political significance as applied to a township in Centre county. East of the Susquehanna the disintegration of the extensive townships originally formed began in 1775. In the territory south of the North Branch the new township of Mahanoy was formed at February sessions in that year from the southern part of Augusta, with Mahanoy mountain as the boundary line. A decade elapsed before Augusta was again curtailed; but when, at August sessions, 1785, Catawissa was erected, the parent township was reduced to a comparatively narrow area with Gravel run as its eastern limit. Three years later Ralpho was formed from Catawissa, receiving a year afterward the name of Shamokin; but Catawissa was still thirty miles long and fifteen miles wide, and Mifflin was formed from the eastern part of its territory before the close of the century. Sunbury borough was erected into a township in 1803, and Mahanoy was divided at August sessions, 1866. North of the North Branch the disintegrating process also began at February sessions, 1775, when Mahoning was erected from the southern part of Turbut, with Chillisquaque creek and Fishing creek as its northern and eastern limits, respectively. At February sessions, 1786, Point was formed from the southwestern part of Mahoning, and has retained its original boundaries substantially unimpaired longer than any other subdivision of the county. At May sessions following Turbut was further reduced by the erection of Derry and Chillisquaque: the former was taken entirely from its territory, with "the road leading from Muncy Hill to Montgomery's mill" as the line of division; Mahoning contributed partly to the latter. The formation of Luzerne county in 1786 divided the extensive township of Wyoming, and at August sessions, 1789, it was ordered that so much thereof as remained in Northumberland should receive the name of Fishing Creek. Green Brier Creek was formed from its southern part in 1797; in the following year a movement was made to divide Brier Creek, and Bloom was formed. At August sessions, 1799, Greenwood was erected from the northern part of Fishing Creek. In 1801 proceedings were instituted for the division of Mahoning, subsequently resulting in the formation of Hemlock. At April sessions, 1812, a third division of Fishing Creek was petitioned for; no decision was reached until January sessions, 1814, when Harrison was erected. This was the last case relating to the territory beyond the present limits of Northumberland county that was considered by her courts; and it is worthy of mention that popular choice ultimately overruled the decision of the court in this instance, as the township in question, the most northerly in Columbia county, now bears the name of Sugar Loaf. END OF PAGE 151 In the meantime important developments were in progress west of the Susquehanna in the extensive region within the jurisdiction of the county courts. White Deer township was erected at February sessions, 1776, comprising that part of the former area of Buffalo, north of Buffalo and Spruce creeks. It thus extended along the West Branch from the mouth of Buffalo creek to Bald Eagle township; and within the next decade the population had increased sufficiently to warrant the inhabitants north of White Deer mountain in asking separate municipal privileges, which were accordingly conferred, the new township receiving the name of Washington at August sessions, 1785. At this time Bald Eagle extended through Clinton and Centre counties a distance of seventy miles, and was, with the exception of Wyoming, the largest subdivision of the county. Three townships were formed from its original territory at May sessions, 1786, under the respective names of Nippenose, Bald Eagle, and Upper Bald Eagle. Penn's was considerably curtailed by the erection of Beaver Dam and Mahantango, the former at February sessions, 1787, the latter at April sessions, 1795, but this was partly compensated at February sessions, 1789, by the annexation of that part of Buffalo within the forks of Penn's creek and the Susquehanna. At the last mentioned term of court that part of Potter's remaining in Northumberland county after the formation of Mifflin received the name of Haines. West Buffalo was erected at August sessions, 1792; Centre, (from Penn's,) at August sessions, 1804; and Hartley, (from West Buffalo,) at April sessions, 1811. North of the West Branch the purchase of 1784 and subsequent legislation extended the administration of the county courts over a vast territory. At August sessions, 1785, a petition was presented setting forth the absolute necessity that this territory should be organized "for the purposes of order and a civil state of society," and praying the court "to erect that part between Lycoming and Pine creeks, being near fifteen miles, into one township; and from Pine creek upwards into another township;" which was accordingly done, the former receiving the name of Lycoming, and the latter that of Pine Creek. In this same region Loyalsock was formed at February sessions, 1786, from that part of Muncy above Loyalsock creek. In 1786, when the county extended from the Lehigh river on the east to the Allegheny on the west, with the line of New York as its northern boundary, there were twenty-one townships within its comprehensive limits, the names of which were as follows: Augusta, Buffalo, Bald Eagle, Catawissa, Chillisquaque, Derry, Loyalsock, Lycoming, Mahanoy, Mahoning, Muncy, Nippenose, Penn's, Pine Creek, Point, Potter's, Turbut, Upper Bald Eagle, Washington, White Deer, and Wyoming. The county was deprived of nearly the whole of Wyoming township by the erection of Luzerne in 1786; the whole of Upper Bald Eagle and half of Potter's were embraced in Mifflin at its organization in 1789; and after the formation of Lycoming and END OF PAGE 152 Page of a series of Maps of Northumberland Co. 1772 to 1813. Blank page. Centre, in 1796 and 1800, respectively, Muncy, Loyalsock, Lycoming, Pine Creek, Nippenose, and Bald Eagle were also beyond its limits. The counties of Columbia and Union were organized in 1813: twelve townships - Bloom, Brier Creek, Catawissa, Chillisquaque, Derry, Fishing Creek, Greenwood, Hemlock, Mahoning, Mifflin, Sugar Loaf, and Turbut - were apportioned to Columbia; nine - Beaver, Buffalo, Centre, Hartley, Mahantango, Penn's, Washington, West Buffalo, and White Deer - to Union; leaving to the "Mother of Counties" but six - Augusta, Lower Mahanoy, Point, Shamokin, Sunbury, and Upper Mahanoy. Turbut and Chillisquaque were re-annexed to Northumberland in 1815, as previously stated in this chapter. In the political development of the county since the year 1813 that part of its territory south of the North Branch has been principally affected. Four large townships - Augusta, Shamokin, Upper and Lower Mahanoy - with the borough of Sunbury, comprised this territory at that data Little Mahanoy was formed in August, 1813, from Augusta and Shamokin, extending longitudinally across the county from near the Susquehanna to the Schuylkill line, with Upper and Lower Mahanoy on the south the entire distance. In August, 1819, Rush was erected from the northern part of Shamokin, receiving its name in compliment to Benjamin Rush, the distinguished physician, and Jacob Rush, first president judge in this county under the constitution of 1790. January 6, 1836, Jackson was formed from Upper and Lower Mahanoy, with Middle creek as part of its eastern limits. Its southwestern boundary was identical with the present northeastern line of Lower Mahanoy. In November, 1837, Coal was formed from Shamokin and Little Mahanoy; the latter was thus restricted to its present area, while the new township became one of the most extensive in the county at that date. Cameron was formed from its territory in 1851; Zerbe, March 11, 1853, and Mt Carmel, in 1855. Jordan was formed in August 1852, from that part of Jackson and Upper Mahanoy south of Jacob's ridge; these two townships also contributed to the territory of Washington in 1856. After a long continued agitation, Augusta was divided in 1846; Limestone valley was transferred from the lower to the upper division, November 4, 1846, and Rockefeller was formed from the eastern part of Lower Augusta, May 7, 1880. Three years later (February 5, 1883), Shamokin was divided and Ralpho erected from that part of its former territory adjacent to Columbia county. Gearhart was erected from the northern part of Rush, September 10, 1890. Although re-annexed to Northumberland county in 1815, the boundaries of Chillisquaque and Turbut were again disturbed in 1816 by the excision of a part of their area in favor of Columbia. This reduced Chillisquaque to its present limits; and in 1843 Delaware and Lewis were formed from Turbut, thus bringing the northern pad of the county to its present geographical status. The boroughs of the county have been incorporated in the following order: Sunbury, March 24, 1797; Milton, February 26, 1817; Northumberland, January 16, 1828; McEwensville, November 7, 1857; Turbutville, END OF PAGE 153 January 3, 1859; Mt. Carmel, November 3, 1862; Shamokin, November, 1864; Watsontown, November 4, 1867; Riverside, May 4, 1871; Snydertown, May 26, 1871; East Sunbury, December 5, 1890. STATISTICS OF POPULATION. In 1800 the population of Northumberland county by townships and boroughs was as follows:- SUBDIVISIONS. Free Slaves SUBDIVISIONS. Free Slaves. Persons Persons Augusta 1,037 5 Mahantango 1,070 Beaver 1,257 Mahoning 1,102 Beaver Creek 543 Mifflin 450 Bloom 806 Miles 588 Catawissa 1,315 Penn's 2,309 Chillisquaque 1,098 4 Point 874 2 Derry 1,510 Shamokin 1,466 3 East Buffalo 1,982 2 Sunbury 611 2 Fishing Creek 419 Turbut 2,364 5 Greenwood 663 Washington 380 Haines 1,387 1 West Buffalo 1,691 1 Mahanoy 1,810 White Deer 977 4 The census of 1820 was the first after the county was reduced to its present limits. The following table exhibits the population by townships and boroughs at each decennial census since that date:- SUBDIVISIONS. 1820. 1830. 1840. 1850. 1860. 1870. 1880. 1890. Augusta 2,074 2,131 2,409 Cameron 402 603 976 1,034 Chillisquaque 1,035 1,199 1,399 1,344 1,341 1,597 1,737 1,007 Coal 918 1,461 1,769 2,920 4,320 8,616 Delaware 1,908 1,903 1,879 2,037 1,864 Jackson 1,584 1,935 717 880 959 1,046 Jordan 960 924 973 914 Lewis 1,475 919 1,228 1,173 1,151 Little Mahanoy 447 563 213 326 323 269 326 327 Lower Augusta 2,019 2,095 1,802 1,194 839 Lower Mahanoy 1,214 1,738 1,199 1,474 1,664 1,790 1,806 1,750 McEwensville 391 342 283 262 Milton 1,016 1,281 1,508 1,649 1,702 1,909 2,102 5,317 Mt. Carmel* 1,289 2,378 8,254 Mt. Carmel 1,088 2,451 3,126 3,192 Northumberland 1,095 928 1,041 1,108 1,788 2,298 2,744 Point 1,373 987 746 876 1,015 938 926 778 Ralpho 1,001 Riverside 336 394 Rockefeller 836 1,071 Rush 1,192 1,078 1,028 1,178 1,219 1,324 1,263 1,346 Shamokin* 4,320 8,184 14,403 Shamokin 1,820 1,909 1,983 2,191 2,159 2,282 2,218 1,448 Snydertown 209 242 Sunbury 861 1,057 1,108 1,218 1,869 3,131 4,077 5,930 Turbut 2,752 3,388 3,872 1,047 1,760 1,803 2,821 792 Turbutville 380 417 414 441 Upper Augusta 862 912 1,246 1,735 2,749 Upper Mahanoy 1,689 1,742 1,131 1,268 990 878 922 891 Washington 870 801 811 788 Watsontown 1,181 1,481 2,157 Zerbe 1,432 1,446 1,147 1,355 *Borough. END OF PAGE 154 The aggregate population of the county at each decennial census has been as follows:- 1790. 1800. 1810. 1820. 1830. 1840. White 16,963 27,633 36,130 15,310 18,051 19,922 Free Colored 109 115 194 113 100 105 Slaves 89 29 3 1 Total 17,161 27,797 36,327 15,424 18,133 20,027 1850. 1860. 1870. 1880. 1890. White 23,180 28,807 41,311 Free Colored 92 115 133 Slaves Total 23,272 28,922 41,444 53,123 74,698 PUBLIC BUILDINGS Section VIth of the act erecting Northumberland county appointed William Maclay, Samuel Hunter, John Lowdon, Joseph Wallis, and Robert Moodie, or any three of them - To purchase and take assurance to them and their heirs of a piece of land, situate in some convenient place in the said county, to be approved by the Governor, in trust, and for the use of the inhabitants of the said county, and thereupon to erect and build a court house and prison sufficient to accommodate the public service of the said county, and for the ease and convenience of the inhabitants. It is to be observed that the selection of the site was left almost entirely to the discretion of the commissioners; nor had the location of the county seat been definitely determined at the date of the act above quoted. While the interest of the Proprietaries, governed by the location of the manor of Pomfret, favored the selection of the site of Sunbury, there were other circumstances that also claimed consideration and affected in a measure the ultimate result. The larger part of the area of the county was west of the Susquehanna and north of the North Branch. In the latter direction, particularly, there was an aggressive and increasing population. That the site of Northumberland was seriously considered with reference to the location of the county town is evident from the following instructions of James Tilghman to William Maclay:- You are to treat with Mr. Lowdon, and if his title be good, and he will take a sum named in the instructions (two hundred pounds), the town is to be laid out in the forks; otherwise on the fort side. Wallis and Haines have said they had a right, and they must relinquish it. As Lowdon's application was in his wife's name, she must convey. As putting the town in the Forks is a concession against the interest of the Proprietaries to accommodate the people, if the place can not be clear of claims, the town must be on the other side. Subsequent developments can not be satisfactorily traced; but at a meeting of the Executive Council on the 16th of June, 1772, the surveyor general was directed to "lay out a town for the county of Northumberland, to be called by the name of Sunbury, at the most commodious place between the fort [Augusta] and the mouth of Shamokin creek," with a "commodious square in the most convenient place for public buildings." It is unnecessary to add that the proceedings under this order disposed of the question at END OF PAGE 155 issue most effectually, and permanently fixed the seat of justice for the county at its present location. The act erecting the county directed that until a court house should be built the courts should be held at Fort Augusta; and there the first county court, a private sessions of the peace, was held on the 9th of April, 1772. How long the courts were held at the fort can not be definitely ascertained; it is evident from the minutes that the sessions were uniformly held there more than a year, and after that at occasional intervals. It is probable the residence of William Maclay did temporary duty as a court house, but this is largely matter of conjecture. It is entered of record at August sessions, 1775, that "the common pleas adjourned to Tuesday, the 26th day of September, to the house of Samuel Harris in Sunbury." After the jail was completed it became also the place of holding the courts, but this arrangement does not appear to have given entire satisfaction, and the public house of Christian Gettig was secured for this purpose. The offices of the recorder and prothonotary were kept at various places. Among the expenditures of the commissioners in providing facilities for the transaction of public business at this period were the following:- 1792, January 28.- To Christian Gettig, for the use of his house for the January court, and for the £ s. d. room for the commissioners three weeks 6 0 0 1793, February 1.- To Christian Gettig, for the use of his house for November and January courts last, and the room for the commissioners 6 0 0 1794, March 14.- To Christian Gettig, for the last year's use of his house, fire and candles for the court, and for the room for the commissioners 7 10 0 1795, May 1.- To Christian Gettig, for one year's use for his house, firewood and candles for the court and commissioners, ending the 14th day of March last 7 10 0 1795, September 3.- To John Simpson, for rent for his office to this date in full 30 0 0 1796, January 8.- To John Simpson, for one year's rent for the recording office, commencing the 1st of January, 1795, and ending the 1st of January, 1796 7 10 0 1796, February 27.- To Jacob Prisinger, for rent for the office of the prothonotary in full to the 15th day of May, 1795 $20 00 A considerable period thus elapsed before the "commodious square" in the town of Sunbury appropriated for the public buildings of the county was improved in the manner designed. For this two principal reasons may be assigned: first, the Revolutionary war had left the people in an impoverished condition, and precedence was naturally given to personal rather than public necessity; second, the county embraced a wide extent of territory, from which the formation of new counties was only a question of time, and in anticipation of this the inhabitants of the more remote districts were reluctant to contribute toward improvements in which they could not expect to have a permanent interest. But the necessity of providing better facilities END OF PAGE 156 for the courts and greater security for the public records at length became imperative, as evidenced by the following proclamation from the county treasurer which appeared in the Sunbury and Northumberland Gazette of January 1, 1794:- WHEREAS, The county may shortly expect to be called upon to refund to the State the principal and interest of the eight hundred pounds borrowed from the State before the Revolution for the purpose of building a court house in Sunbury; and whereas the president and associate judges of this county have called upon the commissioners and threatened them with immediate prosecution in case they do not next summer proceed to build a new court house, gaol, and an office to keep the county records in, as the gaol and court house is now become ruinous: I therefore call upon all delinquent collectors in this county to come in and settle off their respective duplicates. December 18, 1791. FREDERICK ANTES. Whether the county commissioners evinced a disposition to disregard the mandate of the judges is not known, but legislative authority was next invoked, and by an act approved on the 18th of April, 1794, they were directed to levy a tax not exceeding five thousand three hundred thirty-three dollars, thirty-three cents, for the erection of a court house. For the expenditure of this fund and the general supervision of the work of construction the act appointed three trustees, viz.: John Weitzel, Alexander Hunter, and William Gray, all of whom resided at Sunbury and were doubtless selected because of the local interest they would naturally feel in having the work done in the best manner possible. From "a list of vouchers of the trustees for building the court house in Sunbury," now in the possession of Captain John Buyers, of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, it is ascertained that the lime was furnished by Joseph McCleery, Isaac Stewart, Christian Miller, and William P. Brady; hewed stone, by Jacob Snyder; stone, by Robert Walker and Zachariah Robins; bricks, by John Lyon and John Young; scantling, by Hezekiah Boone, Jacob Gearhart, Jacob Snyder, Robert Gray, William Dewart, and John Haas; shingles, by Henry Antes, Seth Stone, and W. Spring; boards, by Christian Ertle, Robert Gray, and Hughes & Higgins; nails, by Andrew Grove and William Wilson; glass, locks, etc., by Joseph Sinton, and flaxseed oil, by David Smith. The foundation was dug by Robert Walker; the mason work was done by George Seitz, the carpenter work by Conrad Beck, the plastering by George Seitz and Jacob Waters, and the hauling by Leonard Epley, Valentine Billman, William Gray, Frederick Myers, James Smith, Elijah Barrett, Henry Bucher, Allen & Cox, Thomas Giberson, Paul Weitzel, and Alexander Hunter. The well was dug by Zachariah Robins, and W. Hoffman furnished the pump. The vouchers aggregate seventeen hundred sixty-one pounds, two shillings, seven pence; the orders of the trustees, drawn upon Frederick Antes, county treasurer, amount to eighteen hundred three pounds, fifteen shillings, three pence half penny, beginning with October 1, 1795, and ending, November 28, 1798. It may fairly be presumed that the interval END OF PAGE 157 between these dates was the entire period of construction; there is also evidence that the internal arrangements of the building were completed in 1797. This building, the first erected in Northumberland county for the special purposes of a court house, was situated at the western end of the public square in the borough of Sunbury. It was a square brick structure, two stories high, with gables on the east and west. The entire lower floor was used as a court room; it was entered from the east, west, and south, the judges' bench being at the end opposite the southern entrance. In the southeast corner a stairway ascended to the second story, where there was a large jury room, while a smaller apartment in the northeast corner was occupied by The Masonic fraternity. At the center of the building a belfry surmounted the roof; on top of the belfry as originally built were a plow and cornstalk, probably emblematic of the agricultural character of the community. On the 14th of July, 1838, James Dieffenbacher was awarded the contract for the erection of a steeple, (so called in the commissioners' minutes; perhaps better described as a belfry); on this the rustic ornaments of its predecessor were replaced by a conventional weathervane. The court house bell is now the property of the Presbyterian church of Sunbury; it bears the legend, "George Hedderley, Philadelphia, 1794." An important accessory to the building was the public well, in front of the east entrance; of the improvements once situated on the park this alone remains. The court room appears to have been practically unfurnished for a number of years. At November sessions, 1820, the grand jury presented the necessity of procuring seats, urging that they knew "no good reason why suitors, witnesses, spectators, and jurymen should be treated as rabble," and stating that "persons compelled to attend the trial of a cause are now obliged to stand the whole day, or sit amidst the dirt of the steps in the back of the court house;" whereupon the court directed the commissioners to appropriate a sum not exceeding a hundred dollars to provide suitable accommodations. In 1845 the bar inclosure, formerly semi-circular, was made rectangular; benches were placed on either side for jurymen and various conveniences were provided for the lawyers, including tables, chairs, etc. Two wooden pillars, situated just within the railing of the bar inclosure, supported the floor above. The first stoves were placed in the court room in the winter of 1801-02. There were two of them; they were brought from Reading by Matthias Persing and John Snyder, respectively, and placed in position by William Myers. They were purchased from Matthias Bobb, the consideration being one hundred three dollars, thirty-three cents. As early as 1815 the use of "stone coal" was recommended by the grand jury, but it does not appear that this fuel was introduced until 1837, when the expenses of Frederick Lazarus in making a journey to Centre and Lewistown furnaces to procure three coal stoves were paid by the board of commissioners, of which he was a member. END OF PAGE 158 Up to this time there was no regularly established place for the transaction of business though the offices of the prothonotary, register and recorder, and commissioners, and provision for the requirements of public convenience in this respect next received consideration. The first formal action of the commissioners regarding this matter is the following resolution, which occurs in the minutes under date of February 14, 1798:- Resolved, That John Lyon forthwith erect and complete the public offices, as stipulated in the condition of his obligation of this day's date and filed in this office. The work of construction had already begun, however, as evidenced by an order for three hundred dollars in favor of Mr. Lyon for fifty thousand bricks, issued by the commissioners, January 3, 1798. The brickyard was situated at the southeast corner of Walnut and Awl streets, upon a lot of ground recently sold by Dr. R. H. Awl to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company. No great degree of energy characterized the building trades at that period, and it was not until the autumn of the year 1800 that the "public offices" were completed. The following minute occurs in the records of the board under date of October 28, 1800:- The board proceeded to the settlement of John Lyon's account respecting the county offices on the report of William Montgomery, Samuel Maclay, Simon Snyder, and Samuel Dale, and finally settled the same, which amounts to £1915 15s. 6d. Mr. Lyon received a final payment of one hundred ninety-four dollars, fifty-two cents, November 12, 1800. His contract probably included only the main parts of the building; the shelves in the prothonotary's office were constructed by Theodorus Kiehl, and those in the recorder's office by Abraham Kiehl; the smithwork was done by John Hill; and John Alter furnished certain "necessary appurtenances" not enumerated in his account. This building was popularly known as the "state house," but the origin of the name or the period when it first acquired general currency can not be satisfactorily determined. It was a two-story brick structure, aligned with Market and Second streets, with its greatest length (sixty feet) from east to west. About two thirds the distance from the west end a hall extended through the building from north to south, opening upon Market street and into the yard at its opposite extremity. From this hall the stairway ascended to the second story on the west side. There were three rooms on the second floor - a large jury room and two smaller apartments. The building was divided on the first story into three sections and the hall by heavy brick walls extending from the front on Market street to the rear or south wall; and each section was divided into a room, and a fire proof vault for the preservation of records and papers. The walls of the vault were of brick, with the floors and the ceilings brick arches; the doors of the vaults were made of heavy wrought iron, and there was a window to each, with an inside iron shutter. The office of the prothonotary had the same relative position as in the present court house, occupying the eastern end of the building; END OF PAGE 159 those of the recorder and commissioners were west of the hall, the former communicating with it, the latter entered only from the street. In the year 1819 the words "Prothonotary's Office," "Register's and Recorder's Office." and "Commissioners' Office" were printed in large black letters over their respective doors. In the yard at the rear was a frame building in which the apparatus of the Washington and Good Will fire engine companies was kept. The gradual development of the county and the large increase in population and wealth incident to the discovery of its mineral resources augmented the volume of legal business to a corresponding degree, and the time at length arrived when the buildings erected at the close of the last century were found to be utterly inadequate. At January sessions, 1860, the grand jury recommended the sale of the "state house" and the application of the proceeds to repairs for the court house. This could have proven but a temporary solution of the difficulty, however. The first measures officially suggested for the erection of a new court house emanated from the grand jury at January sessions, 1864, when the citizens of Sunbury were recommended to contribute five thousand dollars and the limit of the total amount to be expended was placed at forty- five thousand dollars. This action received the indorsement of the grand inquest at the following term of court; the borough council of Sunbury assumed the amount mentioned, and the preliminaries having been thus arranged, the board of commissioners, on the 30th of November, 1864, unanimously resolved to take immediate measures for carrying into execution the recommendation of the grand jury. To this end arrangements were made to visit the court houses recently erected in adjoining counties, in order that plans and specifications might be prepared before the close of the year. This was accomplished, the court house of Lycoming county being taken as the model. On the 5th of January, 1865, proposals ranging from ninety-seven to one hundred five thousand dollars were received, and the contract was awarded D. S. Risel at the amount first named. On the 21st of March apartments in the residence of Mrs. Donnel were rented for one year for the offices of the prothonotary and register and recorder, and George Hill's office for the county commissioners. On the 24th of the same month the old court house was sold to Lodge No. 22, F. & A.M., for the sum of eight hundred dollars. The work of construction began in the early spring, and was pushed with energy. Within a year the new building was ready for occupancy; and on the 27th of March, 1866, the commissioners, prothonotary, treasurer, and register and recorder took possession of their respective offices. The aggregate cost considerably exceeded one hundred thousand dollars. The present court house of the county is a brick building with an extreme length of one hundred twenty-two feet eleven inches, and an extreme width of sixty-six feet two inches. At the northwest corner a tower ascends to the height of one hundred twenty-five feet; it contains a clock with four dials, END OF PAGE 160 and a bell bearing the inscription: "Presented by the Hon. Simon Cameron to the citizens of Sunbury, Pa., June, 1866." The projecting corners of the building give to its exterior a symmetrical appearance. The main entrance is from Market street, from which a corridor extends the entire length of the first floor, communicating with the offices of the register and recorder, commissioners, and sheriff on the west, and those of the prothonotary and treasurer and the arbitration room on the east. A transverse hall crosses the center of the building. Two stairways in front and one on the east side in the rear ascend to the second floor. This is mainly occupied by the court room, a well furnished apartment of ample dimensions and good acoustics. Above the seat of justice is the figure of an eagle in bronze, and a portrait of Alexander Jordan, the first judge elected in Northumberland county. A large apartment in the rear of the court room and in the southwest corner of the second floor is devoted to the purposes of a law library; argument courts are usually held here in the interim between the regular terms. The corresponding space on the southeast is occupied by a jury room. Above the law library on the third floor is the grand jury room; there is also a jury room on this floor, and a waiting room for witnesses. The stairways in the front of the building are continued to the third landing, from which the ascent is made to the clock room. As a whole the court house is well adapted to its purposes, and will doubtless be sufficient for the requirements of the county for some years to come.* County Prisons. The jail is the inevitable accessory of the court in the administration of justice, and the enforcement of law in a community composed largely of a class who had sought to escape the restraints of civilized society by retiring to the frontier early demanded a place of confinement for offenders against "the peace and dignity" of the State. It was a duty enjoined upon the trustees of the county to take measures for the erection of a prison, but a divergence of views seems to have prevented concert of action in this matter. The extent to which this was the case is shown by the following extract from a letter of William Maclay, addressed to James Tilghman and dated April 2,1773:- I inclose you a letter from three of the trustees for the public buildings of this county respecting some measures which we have lately fallen on to rescue us from the scandal of living entirely without any place of confinement or punishment for villains. Captain Hunter has address enough to render abortive every attempt that was made _______________________________________________________________ *The location of the present court house was decided upon by the commissioners, December 20, 1864, when "the 'state house' lot and lot No. 8, known as the Snyder lot" were selected. The former, No. 5, had been reserved for the Proprietaries; It was conveyed by John Penn, Jr., and John Penn, Sr., through Anthony Butler, their attorney, to Daniel Levy by deed of July 18, l794; consideration, forty-five pounds, with a quit rent of one pepper corn on the 1st of March, annually, if demanded, forever. - Recorded in Deed Book K, p. 243. The conveyance from Daniel Levy to the commissioners was executed, April 5, 1798; consideration, four hundred dollars. The commissioners to whom the deed was made were Nathan Stockman, Charles Irwin, and John Lyon. - Recorded in Deed Book K, p. 244. Lot No. 8 was conveyed to Northumberland county by John A. Snyder and wife, December 20, 1865; consideration, seven thousand dollars. Recorded in Deed Book XX, p.137. END OF PAGE 161 last summer for keeping a regular jail, even after I had been at considerable expense in fitting up this magazine, under which there is a small but complete dungeon. I am sorry to inform you that he has given our present measures the most obstinate resistance in his power, and impeded us with every embarrassment in the compass of his invention. We know nothing of the footing on which Captain Hunter has possession of these buildings, and only beg that the county may be accommodated with this old magazine, with the addition proposed to be made to it, and with the house in which I now live, to hold our courts in. I have repaired the house in which I now live, but expect to have an house ready to remove to in Sunbury before our November court. As the present repairs are done entirely by subscription, you will readily guess that Captain Hunter is not among the number of subscribers. As there are many pieces of old iron, etc., which formerly belonged to the fort, not of any use at present, the trustees propose using any of them which can be converted to any advantage for grates, etc. for our temporary gaol, unless they receive contrary directions from Philadelphia.* James Tilghman was then secretary of the land office and a member of the Executive Council. As there is no record of the request of the trustees having been denied, it is presumed that the magazine, with the "small but complete dungeon" under it, were accordingly fitted up, thus removing from the newly formed county the "scandal" of being "without any place of confinement or punishment for villains." Of this first public prison in Northumberland county only the dungeon remains. The magazine, with whatever additions the trustees may have made to it, has entirely disappeared. By whom and in what amounts the funds requisite for this object were contributed can not now be ascertained. In 1791 John Lowdon was paid the sum of six pounds by the commissioners "in full for money advanced by him for enlarging the jail, etc., in Fort Augusta in the year 1773," from which it would seem probable that this was a loan rather than a subscription. The second county prison was built by Robert McBride, presumably upon lot No. 41 or No. 42, on the north side of Market street above Fourth; on a map of the town plot showing the original lot owners it is stated that these lots were returned under date of September 7 and 13, respectively, 1774, so that it is not probable the jail thereon, if built there, was erected prior to that year. All that is definitely known concerning this jail is contained in the following document, the original of which is still preserved in the county archives:- To the Worshipful Justices of Northumberland County in Court of Quarter Sessions met for the said county at Sunbury on Tuesday November 28, 1775,- The petition of Robert McBride, of Sunbury aforesaid, humbly showeth: That your petitioner, in compliance with the desire of some of the magistrates of said county, erected a house which he appropriated to a prison for the use of the county, which house was to have been finished in such a manner as to serve for a temporary gaol: that your petitioner has been active in the discharge of the duty of a gaoler; notwithstanding, several have made their escape from said prison, owing to the insufficiency of the prison house. Your petitioner, being young in the office of gaoler, __________________________________________________________ *Pennsylvania Archives, VOL. IV. pp. 462-463. END OF PAGE 162 Page 163 contains a portrait of Stephen Bittenbender. Page 164 is blank. prays if he is longer continued therein your - Worships will occasion the house to be strengthened, the fees for debtors and criminals to be adjusted, and also the allowance to he made for the sustenance of poor debtors and criminals, their fuel, etc. And your petitioner will, etc. ROBERT McBRIDE. Indorsed: November sessions, 1775. Petition of Robert McBride respecting the gaol he built. Robert McBride's petition. To be read. This petition referred to the commissioners. - Per curiam. By the act providing for the organization of the county its commissioners were authorized to levy a tax not exceeding one thousand pounds, for the erection of public buildings but the resources of the county were found utterly inadequate to meet the demands such an expenditure would have entailed, and in 1774 the Assembly generously re- enforced local exertions with an appropriation of eight hundred pounds. This imparted immediate vitality to the enterprise; harmony was restored among the trustees, who united in selecting lot No. 13, at the corner of Market street and Center alley, and transmitted to the Council the result of their deliberations. The approval of the Proprietary was expressed in the following letter:- Philadelphia, September 6, 1774. GENTLEMEN: I do hereby approve of the lot No. 13 which you have fixed upon for the purpose of building a public gaol in the town of Sunbury. I am, gentlemen, Your very humble servant, JOHN PENN. To Samuel Hunter, Robert Moodie, William Maclay, Esquires, three of the trustees for erecting the public buildings in the County of Northumberland.* Building operations were not, however, immediately begun, and at November sessions of the following year (1775) the grand jury reported "having carefully examined the gaol," and presented the same "as unfit to detain prisoners in its present state." This evidently refers to the magazine and the dungeon beneath it. This presentment probably spurred the trustees to renewed activity, and 1776 is generally assigned as the year in which the jail was completed. Hunter, Maclay, and Moodie seem to have been charged with the responsibility of the undertaking, as is clearly shown by their orders upon the treasurer in payment for work done and materials furnished. From these orders it has been ascertained that the stone was quarried by James Chisnall; the iron was furnished by John Harris, Sr., of Harris's Ferry, the _________________________________________________________________ *This important document appears to have been misplaced, and the title of the commissioners to the property received but little attention until its sale became probable. On the 20th of May, 1799, before Thomas McKean, chief justice of the State, John Simpson stated under oath that he was familiar with the chirography of John Penn, and verity believed the name attached to the letter given above to be his signature; it was thereupon recorded in Deed Book K, p. 402. February 14, 1803, John Penn and Richard Penn, through John P. Coates, their attorney, executed a conveyance for the lot in question to Flavel Roan, David Taggart, and Solomon Markley, county commissioners, for the nominal consideration of one dollar. -Recorded in Deed Book M, p. 263. By act of April 1, 1803, the commissioners were authorized to sell this lot; it was exposed at public sale at the court house in Sunbury on the 9th of March, 1807, and purchased by Thomas Robins, to whom a deed was executed by Henry Vanderslice, Flavel Roan, and James Longhead, April 22, 1813, the consideration being eight hundred dollars. -Recorded in Deed book S., p. 128. Thus the lot passed out of possession of the county, and from that date it has experienced a number of changes in ownership. END OF PAGE 165 lime, by John Lee, the hinges, rivets, etc., by Frederick Weyman; John Buyers and John Maclay were employed as carpenters, William Atkinson as blacksmith, Henry Crawford and Robert Lenet as masons, and Joseph McCarrell, Zachariah Robins, and Conrad Platner, to haul the various materials, etc. This building stands at the corner of Market street and Center alley, and is one of the historic landmarks of the Susquehanna valley. The wall aligned with the street is built of brick; that adjoining the alley, of stone. From the immense thickness of the walls throughout it is evident that the projectors endeavored to make their work substantial and enduring. That they succeeded is amply attested by the present condition of the structure. For a time the jail thus erected was sufficient for all reasonable requirements, and was probably creditable to the county at that period. But with increasing population at the close of the Revolution better facilities were demanded; and at May sessions, 1783, the following report was made by the grand jury:- We, the grand inquest for the body of the county of Northumberland, .... having duly examined the jail of the said county in the town of Sunbury at May term, 1783, are unanimously of opinion that the said jail ought to be condemned as not being sufficient for the purposes it was built for, and do agree that our foreman shall sign the same. May 29, 1788. JAMES CRAWFORD, Foreman. In November, 1788, the jail and jail yard were presented by the grand jury as "insufficient to detain prisoners confined therein." It is probable that additional security was provided in compliance with these presentments; at all events, there is no record of any movement for the erection of a new prison until some years later. Various improvements were made in the intervening period, however, among the most important of which was the construction of a palisade around the yard in 1788. It is probable the largest number of persons ever incarcerated here at one time was thirty-six; an account for that number of prisoners from Wyoming was rendered to the commissioners under date of August 30, 1784. Two prisoners - Edward Jones and William Armstrong - were taken from this jail to expiate the crime of murder; the former was hung by Martin Withington, the latter by Flavel Roan. In the case of Jones the expense was five pounds, fifteen shillings, six pence; in that of Armstrong, twenty-four dollars, eighty cents. Withington received payment, January 6, 1796, and Roan, January 27, 1797. These were the only judicial executions in the early history of the county. The agitation for the building of a court house naturally extended to the erection of a new jail; and as soon as the county offices were well advanced to completion, the jail received the attention of the authorities. On the 10th of March, 1801, the commissioners - John Metzgar, John Frick, and Abraham McKinney - met with John Weitzel, William Gray, and Alexander Hunter, END OF PAGE 166 trustees for the building of the court house, and definitely determined upon the erection of a new jail. An agreement was entered into with Frederick and Matthias Hawger to furnish two thousand bushels of lime; with Zachariah Robins, for five hundred perches of stone; with George Suits, to execute the mason work; with Andrew Grove and Jacob Durst, for all the smith work, large and small, at ten cents per pound; and with John Frick, to superintend the work and exercise an oversight over the materials, etc., at a reasonable percentage. Subsequently James and Michael Collins were employed as plasterers, and Jacob Prisinger as carpenter; John Young furnished bricks, and Henry Bardshare lumber; the well was dug by John Epley, and William Hoffman constructed a pump for it; Henry Zimmerman built the stable. April 27, 1801, Evan R. Evans executed a conveyance for lots No. 149 and 150 on the plan of Sunbury, upon which the jail was then being built, the consideration being four hundred fifty dollars.* The grounds thus secured extend from Arch street to Center alley, fronting on Second street. Regarding the completion of the structure the following minute appears in the records of the court of quarter sessions under date of August, 1802:- Information being made to the court that the new gaol is finished and in such a condition that the prisoners confined in the old gaol may be removed thereto with safety; whereupon the court order and direct the sheriff of Northumberland county to remove the prisoners aforesaid out of the old gaol into the new gaol. The settlement of the accounts of John Frick was effected through the intervention of arbitrators; their report was as follows:- We, the subscribers, by mutual consent chosen by the commissioners of the county of Northumberland for the time being of the one part, and John Frick of the other part, (who was superintendent for building the new gaol in the borough of Sunbury,) for the purpose of adjusting the accounts of the said John Frick with the county of Northumberland aforesaid with respect to the superintendence aforesaid, do report: that we have examined the accounts of the said John Frick and do find them regular and just in our opinion, and do hereby conceive that the said John Frick should have for his services aforesaid at the rate of six per cent. On the moneys by him paid over to the different workmen engaged at the building of the said gaol. Given under our hands this 4th day of November, 1802. THOMAS GRANT SIMON SNYDER, JR., JOHN HAYS. This jail was a stone structure, fronting on Second street and situated somewhat nearer Mulberry alley than Arch street. Attached on the north side and communicating with it was the sheriff's residence, a brick building two stories in height with frame addition. The jail was also two stories high. It was entered from Second street by a narrow vestibule, on the south side of which was the sheriff's office. The vestibule terminated at a wrought iron _______________________________________________________________ *Lot No. 149 was originally patented to Philip Bobbenmeyer, June 13, 1774; lot No. 150, to John Lukens, October 26, 1776. Both subsequently came into possession of Joseph Jacob Wallis; by partition of his estate they were apportioned to Evan R. Evans and Grace his wife (nee Wallis), by whom they were transferred to John Metzgar, John Frick, and Abraham McKinney, April 27,1801. END OF PAGE 167 door, popularly known as the "Ten of Diamonds," which was fattened on the outside by a chain and hook and also by a lock and key. This was the entrance to the prison proper. On the interior a passage led to the rear of the building, where a door opened to the yard. On either side of this passage was a room, and a stairway led to the upper story; where there were four rooms, occupying the entire floor, and making six apartments altogether. There was also a dungeon under the northwest corner. Throughout the building were rings in the floors at various places, and to these refractory criminals were frequently chained. Prisoners committed for minor offenses were given the liberty of the yard, which was also occasionally used as a ball ground by the denizens of the borough. This inclosure was entered from Second street by a gate large enough to admit a horse and wagon. It was partly bounded on the north and east by the jail, and elsewhere by a stone wall, upon which a brick addition was built after several informal jail deliveries had demonstrated that its original height was insufficient. The stable, a frame structure, stood at the corner of Second and Arch streets. There is reason to think that the jail, like the court house, was practically unfurnished for some years. This is evident from the following presentment of the grand jury at August sessions, 1813:- The grand inquest of the county aforesaid present to the court that in compliance with the request of the court they have viewed the jail and the state of the prisoners, and find the rooms in the most cleanly state, but that there are no beds, bedsteads, or blankets for the use of the prisoners; that a grand inquest for August sessions, 1811, and another for January sessions, 1812, had directed to the attention of the court the necessity of providing, for the comfort of the unfortunate people within the prison walls, two stoves and six blankets. It appears that these salutary recommendations have been acted upon in no other manner than to be entered on the records, where they stand as memorials of the attention of the grand jury to the necessities of the unfortunate, and of the neglect of those whose duty it was to carry them into effect. The present grand jury therefore recommend that the court will be pleased to direct the present commissioners to provide immediately for the use of the prison two stoves, six bedsteads, suitable canvas to hold chaff for beds, twelve blankets, and six rugs. The grand jury further take the liberty to recommend that the court will be pleased to direct an inventory of the said articles to be kept in the jail, so that on the re-visitation of every succeeding grand jury they may see that the articles are kept in good order and remain in their proper places for the use of the prison. LEONARD RUPERT, Foreman. This plain and unequivocal arraignment of the commissioners had the desired result, as shown by the reports of succeeding grand juries. That the ordinary comforts of life should have been withheld from the inmates of the prison to the extent stated in the foregoing presentment seems almost incredible, but the era of prison reform had not yet begun, and it is not probable any considerable number of persons were ever confined in the county jail at that date. It has been stated that the grounds occupied by the jail property were END OF PAGE 168 purchased from Evan B. Evans in 1801. It appears, however, that there was some defect in the title, and in August 1819, in an action brought by Joseph Wallis for the use of George Grant, acting executor of Thomas Grant deceased, against Samuel Hunter Scott administrator of the estate of Grace Evans, late Grace Wallis, deceased, for the recovery of a debt of six hundred fifteen dollars, forty-six cents, the jail was levied upon by the sheriff. The commissioners consulted Charles Hall, their attorney, who gave as his opinion "that in a court of equity the commissioners might hold out against the claim; but in a jury trial the jury might be imposed upon, and we would lose it and pay the costs." This undecided expression from Mr. Hall divided the opinions of the board. John G. Youngman was willing the jail should be sold by the sheriff and bought for the proper use of the county, but Daniel R. Bright and John Miller, his colleagues, were in favor of resisting the levy. When the jail was exposed at public sale by the sheriff, however, they had become less inclined to risk the uncertain issue of protracted litigation, and Mr. Youngman became the purchaser at his bid of seven hundred one dollars, fifty cents, January 19, 1820.* The extraordinary nature of this proceeding - the exposure of a county jail at sheriff's sale - excited much interest at the time. It is doubtful whether the history of the State furnishes a precedent or a parallel. Although usually occupied, for there has never been a period in the history of the county when the agencies that produce crime were not more or less active, the jail was occasionally empty so far as prisoners were concerned. An instance of this nature occurred in 1846, as shown from the following action of the grand jury at August sessions in that year:- Resolved, That the grand inquest of this county are well pleased to find that under the influence of the present tariff of '42 we have found the jail entirely empty. S. JOHN, Foreman. At August sessions, 1848, the grand jury reported the jail "without any inmates in the shape of prisoners except two bears in the back yard, which they recommend to be moved at the expiration of the present sheriff, or ___________________________________________________________________ *The following abstract of these proceedings occurs In Sheriff's Deed Book A, p. 307: Be it remembered that on the 28th day of January, A. D. 1820, William Shannon, Esquire, high sheriff of Northumberland county, came into court and produced to the court a deed poll from him to John Miller, John G. Youngman, and Daniel R. Bright, commissioners of the county aforesaid, dated the 27th day of January, A. D. 1820, for the jail of the county of Northumberland and the lot upon which the same is erected, seized and taken in execution as the property of Grace Evans, late Grace Wallis, deceased, by virtue of a certain writ of fieri facias issued out of the court of common pleas of the county of Northumberland, tested at Sunbury the 28th day of August, A. D. 1819, at the suit of Joseph Wallis for the use of George Grant, and by virtue of a certain other writ of venditioni exponas issued of the same court bearing date at Sunbury the 27th day of November, A. D. 1819; exposed the premises aforesaid to sale on the 17th day of January, 1820, and sold the same by adjournment on Wednesday, the 19th day of January, in the year last aforesaid, to John Miller, John G. Youngman, and Daniel R. Bright, commissioners of Northumberland county aforesaid, to the only proper use and behoof of the aforesaid commissioners and their successors in office of the county aforesaid, for such public purposes and uses they or their successors shall think fit, for the sum of seven hundred one dollars and fifty cents. END OF PAGE 169 chained." It would be interesting to know what relation the tariff legislation of the period sustained to this state of affairs. The project for the erection of the present jail first assumed definite proportions in the presentment of the grand jury at November sessions, 1875, from which the following with reference to the old prison is an extract:- It was a creditable structure to our grandfathers, who in their poverty built it, but its usefulness has ceased, and it should give place to another. We deem it unsuitable in arrangement, insufficient in capacity, and unfit in other respects for the proper restraint and treatment of prisoners.......We believe that the prisoners who are not confirmed and hardened criminals should be treated with a view to their reformation and reclamation to the path of virtue, and that they ought not to be thrown into companionship with abandoned criminals. We therefore recommend the erection of a new jail, suitable for the separate accommodation of prisoners. In January, 1876, the grand jury characterized it as "the worst constructed, illy ventilated, and most insecure jail in Pennsylvania, if not in the United States," and strongly indorsed the recommendation of their immediate predecessors. In this the grand jury at March sessions concurred, and the matter was thus brought to the official cognizance of the commissioners. Architects were invited to submit plans and specifications, and on the 28th of March, 1876, those of C. S. Wetzel were adopted. The financial responsibilities of the undertaking were next considered, and on the 1st of May the style of county bonds to be issued to cover the expenditure was decided upon. Proposals for the erection of the jail were advertised for, receivable until May 16, 1876; they were opened, May 22, 1876, and the contract was awarded to Ira T. Clement at his bid of ninety-one thousand six hundred thirty-six dollars. The old jail building was also sold to Mr. Clement for the sum of three hundred eighty dollars, on the 22d of May. On the 29th of the same month the persons confined in the prison, twelve in number, were removed to the jail of Lycoming county at Williamsport, thenceforth the place of incarceration for criminals from this county until the completion of the present jail, in which the first occupant was placed on the 7th of August, 1877. The present county prison occupies the lots purchased in 1801. The main building fronts on Second street at the center of the lot; it is three stories high, and surmounted by a tower in the center. The main entrance opens into a vestibule, from which a hallway extends to the prison proper, crossed at the center of the main building by a transverse corridor, at either end of which stairways ascend to the second story. Here there is a large room for the accommodation of jurors, and in the third story are two large tanks from which the water supply of the entire establishment is distributed. The warden's office is situated on the first floor, and several rooms are used for storage purposes; except as otherwise indicated, the main building furnishes accommodations for the warden and his family. From the hallway extending from the vestibule on the first floor two passages diverge, leading to the END OF PAGE 170 wings in which prisoners are confined. These are distinguished as the north and west or right and left corridors, respectively. Each has an extreme length of nearly one hundred feet. The cells are arranged in two tiers, there being twenty-three in each tier; iron stairways, and an iron platform extending around the interior, furnish access to the second tier. Light is admitted from skylights, and into each cell by an aperture in the exterior wall. The west corridor is used for penitentiary purposes, and here is conducted the industrial* feature of the institution. Carpets are the principal product of this department; knit goods are also made, and the manufacture of paper bags also received some attention at one time. A partition divides the right corridor, part of which is appropriated exclusively for female prisoners. There is a basement under the entire building, part of which is utilized for culinary purposes; that under the prison corridors is divided into cells, not yet finished for occupancy, however, so that the present capacity of the jail is capable of being increased one half. A steam-heating plant provides for the requirements of the institution in this respect. The inclosure is surrounded by a substantial stone wall twenty-three feet high, and is entered by a wagon gate from Mulberry alley. A marble block in the center of the tower is inscribed with the names of J. C. Durham, D. S. Reitz, H. Henrie, and P. Hile, commissioners; C. S. Wetzel, architect, and Ira T. Clement, contractor; and the date, 1876. The wardens of the prison, elected at the respective dates given, have been as follows: John Peeler, 1879; James Dalton, 1882; William Kellagher, 1886; F. M. Moore, 1888, and John Kehoe, 1891, present incumbent. A County Poorhouse was agitated in the decade ending 1850, and the project was received with some favor in the northern part of the county. On the 5th of April, 1849, an act was passed by the legislature submitting the question to a popular vote at the ensuing general election. The measure was overwhelmingly defeated, however, as shown by the following returns: TOWNSHIP. For. Against. TOWNSHIP. For. Against. Sunbury 54 33 Little Mahanoy 1 49 Upper Augusta 12 68 Northumberland 135 8 Coal 6 47 Point 36 30 Shamokin 7 208 Chillisquaque 32 101 Rush 8 186 Milton 204 5 Lower Augusta 15 205 Turbut 19 96 Upper Mahanoy 132 Delaware 29 184 Jackson 173 Lewis 3 234 Lower Mahoning 141 Total 562 1,840 The agitation has not been renewed, and the indigent classes are cared for under the supervision of the local authorities. Regular poor houses have been erected in several of the districts. _____________________________________________________________ *The erection of a workhouse for the employment of person, confined in the jail was recommended by the grand jury as early as 1810. END OF PAGE 171 EARLY FISCAL AFFAIRS. Present methods of civil administration differ materially from those under which the fiscal affairs of the county were conducted a century ago. While the relation of the county commissioners to the assessment and application of the revenues has always been that of immediate and direct responsibility, constitutional and statutory enactments have deprived the board of some of its former important prerogatives. Of the public officers concerned in levying and disbursing the county taxes, only the commissioners and assessors were elective when the Province became a Commonwealth: the county treasurer was appointed by the commissioners; collectors were also selected by that board, from persons recommended by the respective assessors, and the duties now assigned to the county auditors were performed by the grand jury. That body made an inquiry into the condition of county finances in August, 1787; their report, the first on this subject of which there is any record, relates to the accounts of William Gray and John Buyers, county treasurers, and is purely statistical. The earliest report of county auditors extant is that of Abraham Scott, James Jenkins, and John Kidd, dated August 28, 1793. Balances were reported against Robert Martin, treasurer of State taxes, 1777-80; William Gray, treasurer of State taxes, 1780; William Gray, county treasurer, 1777-81, and David Mead, county commissioner. Frederick Antes was treasurer of the county longer than any other incumbent of that position. He was first appointed in 1782, Serving until December, 1784, and was reappointed in 1788, serving probably until his death in 1801. His accounts were audited on several occasions, but, owing to the fluctuating value of the currency and various other causes, there was a considerable discrepancy between them and those of the commissioners when his successor assumed office. The matter was referred to the courts for adjudication, and after a period of litigation a final settlement was reached in the decision of Samuel Maclay, Daniel Montgomery, and Joseph Priestley, arbitrators, awarding to the county the sum of one thousand fifty-seven dollars, sixty-two cents. Their report was rendered, August 25, 1807. The minutes of the county commissioners reveal much that is of interest in connection with financial matters. Unfortunately, the early records have disappeared, and diligent search among the archives of the county has failed to discover any minutes of the board until near the close of the first decade after its organization. It is not probable that the revenues of the county were very considerable during the Revolutionary period, and not improbable that the functions of the board were partially suspended during that time. This is sufficiently indicated by the following action of the commissioners, which appears in the minutes under date of October 19, 1781:- Resolved, That notices be sent to the several collectors of the year 1778 in order for settlement. Resolved, That a letter be prepared and sent to his Excellency the President, set- END OF PAGE 172 ting forth our intention forthwith to proceed in settling all the tax books; that many of the books are lost, collectors dead or moved away, [and] no credit given in the books for taxes paid; and requesting advice respecting the taxes before the Revolution, and what the exchange since the Revolution; and also how delinquent treasurers may be dealt with. Resolved, That fair lists be made out of all the taxes on uncultivated land for the years 1773, 1774, and 1776, and have them advertised according to law. A letter was accordingly transmitted to President Reed on the 26th of October. It contains the following interesting paragraph:-. The tax business we have in hand and are determined to proceed with dispatch as far as our circumstances and abilities will possibly admit. Many of the county books and papers are yet in Paxtang, being removed thither on the break of Wyoming. We find by such as are in our hands that no credit hath been given in the books to any person since this was a county, but it appears by several settlements with sundry collectors since the year 1773 that divers sums remained in the hands of the treasurer, and that the inhabitants generally paid their taxes, and the non-residents none or but very little.* In pursuance of the action of the board the unpaid taxes for the years 1773, 1774, and 1776 were advertised in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1781. This was effectual in securing payment of delinquent taxes only in part, however, and on the 28th of May, 1782, the lands upon which taxes remained unpaid were offered at public sale at the court house in Sunbury. This was continued under the auspices of the commissioners on the 28th of August and the 26th of November in the same year, and on the 1st of January, 1783. These were the first commissioners' sales for taxes in the history of the county. The opposition of the holders of unseated lands was at once aroused by these proceedings. It was urged that the State had not furnished adequate protection to the frontier; that its development had been thereby restricted, and that there had been practically no returns from the lands in question; and that taxation without protection to property was unjust. This seems to have resulted in a temporary suspension of the proceedings on the part of the commissioners, but in 1786, in compliance with instructions from the auditor general, lands subject to sale for arrears of taxes were advertised; the same opposition was again encountered, whereupon an address "to the landholders nonresidents of Northumberland county" was published in the Philadelphia papers by the commissioners, who assured them that they "never had the most distant thought of defrauding any landholder of a single acre, much less of a plantation," at the same time expressing their determination to enforce the payment of taxes. Commissioners' deeds have since entered largely into the titles to land in many parts of the county.† _______________________________________________________________ *Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. IX. pp. 440-441.] †A curious system of notation was devised in 1819 for the records relating to unseated lands. As "scribbling" throughout the books could not be permitted, the following private marks were established: A small triangular character-"Improved;" the letter D- "no land;" the letter O, with a period in the center,- "sold." and when followed by the letter C- "sold to commissioners; "the letter O, crossed by a perpendicular line,- "unsold;" the plus sign + -"paid to collector;" the letter V inverted, with a horizontal line crossing the apex.- "not advertised;" a small rectangular character- "part Improved;" the first letter of the treasurers name indicated his receipt. A knowledge of this key is almost indispensable in tracing titles that have been affected by commissioners' sales. END OF PAGE 173 At an early period in the history of the county, State and county taxes, although levied by the same commissioners, were disbursed through different treasurers, and, in some instances, audited by different boards. An instance of the latter class occurred in the year 1799, when the auditing of State taxes was referred to a commission specially constituted for that purpose. The report, embodying the results of an investigation into the financial relations of the county and State during nearly a score of years, with the intricate questions growing out of the formation of several counties from the territory of Northumberland during that period, is one of the most interesting documents extant relating to early county finances. The following is an extract: The commissioners of accounts for the counties of Northumberland and Luzerne are of opinion that the dismemberment of Northumberland county by the erection of the northern part thereof into the county of Luzerne ought to disincumber the parent county of one third of the quotas charged upon it in the accounts submitted herewith to the comptroller general........ The inhabitants of the township of Wyoming, (which at one time nominally included all the present county of Luzerne, extending as far down the Northeast Branch as Fishing creek,) were never assessed beyond the present limits of Northumberland county in that direction. Some of the unseated lands were returned, but, owing to the disturbances of the Connecticut claimants, they were not exacted. No formal assessment ever took place within their intrusions. The dismembered part, by the act of separation, was admitted to a third part of the representation in the General Assembly. The erection of Mifflin county in the year 1789, struck off from Northumberland about the half of Potter's and the whole of Upper Bald Eagle townships. We are therefore of opinion that Northumberland county should have credit on that amount proportionate to the dismembered territory. The report, signed by John Simpson and John Kidd, was transmitted to the comptroller general under date of November 2, 1799. Orders drawn by the commissioners at that early date were frequently lost by those in whose favor they were drawn, and instances are on record of counterfeit orders having been presented to the treasurer and cashed by him, thus producing confusion in the public accounts. To remedy this it was decided to number orders as they were issued, and the treasurer was instructed to honor numbered orders only. Order No. 1 was issued, January 27, 1798. This marks an important step in the evolution of systematic methods. A disposition to keep within the literal meaning of the law in the disbursement of county funds is noticeable in the proceedings of the early commissioners. In the year 1806 the construction of a stone bridge over Chillisquaque creek was authorized by the grand jury and undertaken by the board. It became apparent that the work could not be completed before the ensuing winter, and the contractor asked an allowance for the construction of a temporary roof, in order that the unfinished masonry might be protected from the inclemencies of the season, The commissioners presented a state- END OF PAGE 174 ment of these facts to the court and grand jury, giving their reasons for so doing in the following language: "Small as this expense in the estimation of the board may appear, yet they think themselves not justified to order this roof to be made without the intervention of that tribunal which holds the public purse." The tribunal in question was pleased to consider the matter favorably, and the proposed roof was accordingly provided at the expense of the county. This punctilious exactness occasionally brought the board into conflict with the court. In August, 1807, Joseph Harris presented an account for his services as court crier, amounting to more than a hundred dollars. The commissioners refused to pay it, upon which he withdrew, but returned in a short time and again presented the account, to which was affixed the following note from the judges:- The court can not proceed in the business of the county without a crier; such a person is absolutely necessary. No one can be procured for the common fees in the fee bill. The court therefore think that a dollar a day is not unreasonable pay, and that the commissioners ought to furnish the means of obtaining the attendance of a proper person as a crier. If the commissioners object we know not any other person bound to pay such a man, nor can we hold court without one. THOMAS COOPER, J. MACPHERSON. The commissioners replied as follows:- In answer to the within note of the court the commissioners beg leave to state that they do not conceive it necessary to inquire whether the fees allowed by law to the crier of the court are sufficient or not, as they do not think themselves authorized in any case to add to them out of the county stock. C. MACLAY, SAMUEL AWL, SAMUEL BOND, Commissioners. Commissioners' Office, August 20, 1807. At the same term of court Andrew Kennedy presented a bill for publishing lists of causes, etc., amounting to upwards of eight pounds, to which was attached a note from the judges recommending its payment. To this the commissioners replied that they knew of no law which would authorize an appropriation for that purpose, that they had reason to believe there was none, and that they had strong doubts of the public utility of publishing lists of the causes. They therefore declined to pay the bill. What reply the judges made to this ultimatum does not appear, but the friction thus engendered doubtless contributed to the influences that finally resulted in Judge Cooper's deposition. There was also a divergence of views between the commissioners and Judge Chapman, but not so radical as that in which Judge Cooper was concerned. For two successive years the Judge declined to pay an occupation tax, justifying his refusal by the State constitution. In April, 1828, he END OF PAGE 175 agreed with the commissioners to refer the question to a committee of three members of the bar. John Lashells, Samuel Hepburn, and James Merrill were selected as arbitrators; they decided that the exemption claimed was untenable, and that the tax was legally assessed and payable. Thus again the civil administration demonstrated its superior legal knowledge. The financial stringency of 1837 occasioned great inconvenience in paying jurors and settling other small accounts, silver coin having been practically withdrawn from circulation in this part of the State. In order to facilitate the transaction of business, the commissioners "entered into a resolution to issue small bills under five dollars." It is believed that this is the only instance in which the county in its corporate capacity has assumed the functions of a bank of issue.