Organization of the County
When a sufficient number of settlers
had settled and located within the present bounds of Hamilton County to
entitle them to become a separate organization under the law, they made
application through the proper channel, the Legislature, for a charter
authorizing them to become a separate and independent jurisdiction.
This step was taken in the summer and fall of 1822. The application was
presented to the Legislature of 1822-3, and on January 8, 1823,
pursuant to the petition, an act was passed. The first section provides
that from and after the first Monday in April, 1823, all that part of
Marion County and north thereof contained in the following bounds shall
constitute and form a separate county, viz.: Beginning on the range
line dividing ranges 2 and 3, east of the second principal meridian at
the southwest corner of section 7, in township 17 and range 3, thence
running on said range line to the township line dividing townships 20
and 21, thence east on the said township line to the northeast corner
of section 5, in township 20 and range 6, thence south on the section
line to the southeast corner of section 8, in township 17 and range 6,
and thence west on the section line to the place of beginning. In the act the
county is named Hamilton. Commissioners were appointed by the
Legislature to carry this act into effect by laying out said county. In
order to set the machinery in motion, William P. Warrick was appointed
sheriff for the said new county by Governor Hendricks. It was Warrick's
duty to give notice of the holding of an election for the purpose of
electing county commissioners, county officers and associate judges.
This act became a law on the 7th day of April, 1823, and the first
board of commissioners convened on the I2th day of May, 1823. I have
frequently been asked when and how this county was laid out and when
organized into a separate jurisdiction. For the benefit of the readers
and in answer to the questions, I have written these notes concerning
the same:
Hamilton County was located and divided into two townships. One was
named White River Township, and the other Delaware. Governor Hendricks appointed John D. Stephenson clerk, and William Conner treasurer until 1824,
and William P. Warrick sheriff
of said county. In the spring of 1823 the first election was held. This
election was held in the cabin built for Solomon Finch at or near Horseshoe
Prairie. Solomon Finch, William Dryer
and Zenis Beckwith were
elected commissioners. John Conner
was elected Representative and John
Finch and W. C. Blackmore
were elected associate judges. The circuit judge was
appointed by the Governor. His name was Egleston. The Legislature directed
that all courts in Hamilton County should be held at the house of William Conner, in Delaware Township.
The first commissioners' court was held in May, 1823, at the house of William Conner. William Dyer, Zenas Beckwith
and Solomon Finch,
commissioners, and John D. Stephenson clerk. At this session
the county was divided into two townships. Jacob Hyers and Henry Foland were appointed
overseers of the poor for White River Township, and George Kirkendall and James Williams for Delaware
Township, for one year. The board also at this session ordered an
election for the purpose of electing two justices of the peace, one for
each township, to be held at the house of Henry Foland, at Strawtown; the
other at John Conner's house
in Delaware Township.
At the August session of the Board of Commissioners Jerry K. Learning and Andrew McClintock were appointed
constables for White River Township until February term, 1824, when it
was ordered that Edward H. Dryer
and George Wise be appointed
as such for Delaware Township for the same term, and each was required
to give bond in the sum of $500. At this session of the board the first
petit jury was drawn as follows: Allen
Baxter, Chapel W. Brown, Thomas Morris, Andrew W. Ingraham, Michael
Wise, John Duncan, Archibald Bayless, John
Tressel, John Osborn,
John Carpenter, Andrew Wilson, James Friel, Jr., Asa O. Ives, Henry
Shetterly, Henry Foland, John Conner, George Conner, Peter Custer, John
Nickerson, Timothy Nerron, Alexander McClintock, Lemuel Anton,
Solomon Wise, John Provault, Elias Hoddy, John Bingham, David Conner,
John Alman, Francis Booker, George Wise, Jerry K. Learning and Edward M. Dryer. The first grand
jury was drawn at this session as follows : John Conner, James Wilson, Curtis Mallory,
William Bush, Francis Kinkaid, William Conner, Charles Lacy, John
Hannaman, Jeremiah Learning, Michael French, James Lee, John Black,
Jacob Hier, William James, Benjamin Coy, Nathan Coy, William Peck,
Joseph Wilson, George Shirts, Robert Duncan, George Kindall, Israel
Finch, Nathan Popejoy, William Foster, Joseph Frazier, Joseph
McCormick, Archibald Johnson, Lambeth Heath, Henry Lee, Jesse H. Wood,
Thomas Provault, Alexander Booker, Solomon Finch, William Dryer
and Benoni Friel.
It was ordered that J. D. Stephenson
be allowed for books $2.37, and for making out tax duplicate $4.00;
that Curtis Mallory be allowed
$1.25 for furnishing jury boxes and boxes for election purposes; that Solomon Finch and Zenas Beckwith be allowed $8.00 each
for four days' services as commissioners, and that William Dryer be allowed $2.00, he
claiming no more.
At the November term, 1823, it was ordered that James Duncan be released from paying
$1.25 charged as taxes on a
pleasure carriage; that Chapel W.
Brown be released from paying thirty cents, charged on one yoke
of oxen. Jacob T. Hire was
released from paying thirty seven and a half cents, amount charged on
levy for a horse. John Bruitt, Francis
Kinkaid, James Friel, Sr., George
Kirkendall and Robert Duncan
were exempt from poll taxes, they being over fifty years of age. Zenas Beckwith was allowed $40.57
for purchasing books for the county;
W. P. Warrick being allowed $26.50 for his services as sheriff
for the year 1823 5 J. D. Stephenson
$10.00 for being clerk for commissioners during the year 1823; Solomon Finch, William Myers and Zenas Beckwith $2.00 per day each
for services as commissioners for this term.
At the term of the commissioners' court in the year 1823 J. K. Learning
was appointed tax lister. It was ordered by the board that all hotel
keepers within the county of Hamilton should pay a license fee of
$10.00. A petition was filed before the board asking that a public
highway be laid out and opened commencing at or near the mouth of Pipe
Creek, crossing the river near Strawtown, and again crossing the river
near Jerry Learning's, about two miles below Strawtown, and thence down
the river on the west side to the Marion County line near Bruitt's
place. This petition was filed at the August term and was the "first
petition filed for a public highway. A petition was also filed for a
road beginning at the Madison County line near Perkinsville, leading
past Jacob Dyer's farm to
Strawtown, and from Strawtown to William
Conner's farm, by way of Noblesville. The board ordered
elections to be held for the year 1824 as follows: At the house of William Bush in Delaware Township,
and appointed John Stoops
inspector; and for White River Township the election was ordered to be
held at the house of Henry Foland,
in Strawtown, and appointed J. K.
Learning inspector.
At the February session in the year 1824 it was ordered that W. P. Warrick act as collector for
one year and that Curtis Mallory
serve as treasurer. A special session of the board was held in March,
1824, to receive the report of the commissioners, appointed by the
Legislature to lay out the county seat.
At the November session x of the commissioners' court the board found
that the expenses of the county for that year amounted to $224.374;
that the credit to the county was $170,624, the balance against the
county being $53.75.
At the January session of the board a license was ordered to be issued
to William Conner to vend
foreign merchandise on the payment of a fee of $10.00. This fee was
paid and license issued and was the first license issued for this
purpose. Under this license Mr.
Conner opened the first store ever opened in Noblesville. John Hare showed to the board that
he had paid tax in Ohio in the year 1824 upon property listed against
him in this county and was released from the taxes assessed against him
here. At the January session of the board for the year 1825 it was
ordered that an election for Delaware Township be held for the year
1825 in Noblesville, and Curtis
Mallory was appointed inspector. It was also ordered that the
election in White River Township be held in Strawtown, and William Dyer was appointed inspector.
It has frequently been said that the contest between Strawtown and
Noblesville was, on the county seat question, very close. This is a
mistake. The report of the commissioners appointed by the Legislature
to locate and lay out the county seat for Hamilton County says that the
Strawtown site was not considered at all because it was too far from
the center of the county. The report says that after examining all of
the sites offered Noblesville was considered the most eligible.
The first jail building in the county was built by Josiah F. Polk. This building was of
logs and was built on ground donated to the county by Conner and Polk,
just north of the old graveyard. It was accepted by the board at its
March session, 1825.
At the February session of the Board of Commissioners, 1824, the
following rates of taxation were ordered, to-wit: For every animal of
the horse, ass or mule kind, over three years old, thirty seven and a
half cents each; work oxen, three years old, eighteen and three fourths
cents; on each two wheeled pleasure carriage, one dollar each; four wheeled
pleasure carriage, $1.50; on each brass clock, one dollar; on each
silver or pinchback watch, twenty five cents; on each gold watch, one
dollar; on each ferry, $3.00; and on each male person over the age of
twenty one years, fifty cents, provided, that persons over the age of
fifty years and not freeholders, and such as are unable from bodily
disability to follow any useful occupation for a livelihood, and all
idiots and paupers, shall be exempted from the last mentioned tax.
At the March session of the Board of Commissioners, in and for Hamilton
County, in consideration of the location of the county seat at
Noblesville, the following named persons agreed to pay the county agent
to aid in building public buildings at said county seat, the several
sums of money, labor and material set opposite each name:
| James
Willason |
in masonry |
50 00 |
| James
Casler |
in work |
10 00 |
| Hezekiah
Betts |
in lumber |
45 00 |
| John
Stoops |
in carpenter work |
50 00 |
| Stephen
Wall |
in chopping |
5 00 |
| John
Dale |
in shingles |
5 00 |
| George
Dale |
cash |
20 00 |
| Wilburn
Davis |
in shingles |
5 00 |
| Sydnor
Dale |
cash |
25 00 |
| Curtis
Mallory |
in work |
10 00 |
| J.
D. Stephenson |
cash |
10 00 |
| Peter
Chissom |
in work |
10 00 |
| John
Conner |
in lumber |
50 00 |
| Daniel
Heaton |
cash |
10 00 |
| Asael
Dunning |
cash |
10 00 |
| Charles
Lacy |
cash |
10 00 |
| Charles
Lacy |
team work |
15 00 |
| Henry
Hurlbert |
in work |
10 00 |
| William
Goe |
cash |
5 00 |
| Milo
Bush |
team work |
5 00 |
| George
Shirts |
team work |
5 00 |
| William
Bush |
in hauling |
10 00 |
| Thomas
Morris |
cash |
10 00 |
| Josiah
F. Polk |
cash |
30 00 |
| William
Conner |
cash |
40 00 |
| Mr.
Lewis |
cash |
20 00 |
| Mr.
Cottingham |
cash |
15 00 |
| Mr.
Colborn |
cash |
15 00 |
| Mr.
Craycraft |
cash |
15 00 |
| Mr.
S. Dickson |
cash |
15 00 |
| Mr.
Metsker |
cash |
15 00 |
At this session of the board Josiah F. Polk was appointed county
agent and as such agent was ordered to sell the lots previously donated
to the county by Conner and Polk.
At this session of the board John
Conner filed a petition asking that a public highway be laid out
and opened from Noblesville to the ford on White River above the mouth
of Stony Creek, thence west across the river past John Conner's mill,
and intersect a road, leading from Strawtown to the south line of
Hamilton County. This is the road now leading south from the; city on
Eighth Street.
At the May session of the Board of Commissioners, in the year 1824, the
sheriff of this county was ordered to let the building of a log jail,
to be built on the fraction of land donated by Conner and Polk to the county, situated on the
east bank of White River, north of the old cemetery. The jail was to be
twenty one feet long and in two apartments, to be built of logs closely
rotched down. The price for completing this jail building was $300 and
the contractor was to accept the labor and materials donated to the
county for the purpose of assisting in the erection of county
buildings, as part payment for building the same.
On the 31st day of January, 1824, the Legislature passed an act
abolishing the office of county commissioners. Solomon Finch and Nathan Popejoy were elected commissioners
to serve until the act would become effective, and at a session of the
board held in August, 1824, they met and were sworn to discharge their
duties as county commissioners and also took an oath against dueling.
On Monday, the 6th day of September, 1824, William Bush, William Foster, Andrew W.
Ingraham and William Dyer
met at the house of
William
Conner in Hamilton County, Indiana, and each of them produced
commissions from the Governor commissioning them justices of the peace,
upon which was endorsed the oath of office. And thereupon agreeable to
an act entitled an act to regulate the mode of doing county business,
approved January 31st, 1824, took their seats as members of this board.
Andrew W. Ingerman was selected
as president. This board was known as the Board of Justices,
superseding the Board of Commissioners.
At the November term of the Board of Justices Josiah F. Polk produced a
commission, signed by the Governor, whereby he was commissioned to
become a member of the Board of Justices and after taking the necessary
oath he took his seat as a member of said board. So long as this board
continued to do the business of the county it was known as the Board of
Justices.
At the January session of the Board of Justices, 1825, a petition was
presented for the opening of a highway down Fall Creek to intersect a
road leading from the Hamilton County line to Indianapolis. This
petition was made by John Welchel.
At this session Curtis Mallory was
appointed treasurer for the year 1825. It was also ordered that Thomas Morris be appointed
superintendent of school section No. 16, township 18, range 4, east,
for the year 1825.
At the January session of the Board of Justices, 1826, Robert
L. Hannamon produced his commission as sheriff to succeed W. P. Warrick. At this session R. L. Hannamon was appointed county
agent and ordered to sell out the building of a stray pen. Allen Osborn applied for a license
to vend merchandise for one year. Both applications were granted. W. P. Warrick was allowed $20.00 for
his services as sheriff ex-officio from the 7th day of March, 1825, to
the 18th day of October, 1825. It was ordered that the election in
Delaware Township be held at Noblesville, and in White River Township
at Strawtown. It was ordered that Curtis
Mallory act as county treasurer for the year 1826. J. D. Stephenson, clerk, was
allowed $6.00 for making duplicate of tax list for 1825. The board at
this session found that the expenditures of this county since its
organization amounted to $589.77 and that the receipts amount to the
sum of $456.40. At the March session
Zenas Beckwith produced his commission as one of the Board of
Justices and took his seat on the board. At the September session,
1826, the sheriff was ordered to cause the removal of the jail building
built by Josiah F. Polk to the
public square. The board at this session found that the receipts
exceeded the expense in the sum of $36.69!
.
At the January session of the board
in the year 1827 licenses to vend merchandise in Hamilton County were
issued to Jerry K. Learning
and Allen Osborn. At the March
session, 1827, Fall Creek Township was bounded and named by the board. Also
Delaware Township as now constituted was bounded. Noblesville Township
was also bounded and named.
At the May session of the board Dr. John Finch was allowed $28.12
for pauper service.
At the November session of the
board a license was granted to George
Shirts to keep a public tavern in Noblesville. The license fee
was $3.50. This was the first public tavern licensed in the county. At
the May session George Shirts
was allowed $1.68 for services as jailer. At this session land was
assessed for county purposes as follows: On each 100 acres of first
class land, forty cents; on each 100 acres of second rate land, thirty
cents; on each 100 acres of third rate land, eighteen and three fourths
cents.
The first notice of a probate
court in this county, in the commissioners' record, is in July, 1828.
The delinquent tax list for this year was $12.75. At the November
session George Shirts was
allowed $6.12 for dieting a prisoner in jail and for room furnished in
which to hold court for the year 1828.
John Finch and William C.
Blackmore were allowed $18.00 each for services as associate
judges.
At the January session of the
board, 1829, John Stephenson & Co. were granted a license to vend
merchandise for one year. The receipts this year exceeded expenditures
$43.11. At the January session of the board a tavern license was
granted to William S. Wallace
at Woodville, this county, for one year. Robert L. Hanamon was also granted
a license to keep a tavern in Noblesville. On the 10th day of August,
1830, the board ordered that a one story court house be built on lot
No. 1, in block No. 11, in the town of Noblesville, thirty two
feet long and eighteen feet wide.
The first license granted to
sell intoxicants was granted to James
Hughey, at his house in Woodville in January, 1831. The first
license to sell spirituous liquors in Noblesville was issued to Wilburn
Davis & Co. at the September session, 1831. At this session the
county was divided into three commissioners' districts. . The first
court house was accepted at the November session, 1831.
In 1832 the Legislature
ordered a State road built from Knightstown to Pendleton, and from
there to Strawtown. Near the same time the Legislature also ordered a
road from Morristown, in Shelby County, by way of Greenfield, in
Hancock County, and Noblesville, in Hamilton County, to intersect
the Lafayette & New Castle road at or near Kirk's Prairie, in
Clinton County. John D. Stephenson
and John Osborn were
appointed as commissioners to locate and lay out the road. Their report
of location was made in November, 1832. Pioneers had traveled from
Noblesville to the vicinity of Lafayette over this route, but there had
been no established road. This road is still used, as then laid out, to
Kirklin. In 1833, at the January session of the board, Madison
Sylvester was granted a license to retail merchandise at
Woodville, for a period of six months. At this session of the board a
building erected by Jerry K. Learning
for the county clerk's office was received. The price was
$122.00. At the same time Daniel
Heaton made a report of the expense of locating a State road
from New Castle to Crawfordsville, so far as this county was concerned.
John D. Stephenson, as recorder
of the county, was allowed the sum of $2.00 for recording apprentice
indentures.
The board at the same session
made a record of the expenditures and receipts of the county for the
year 1832. The receipts were $945.58; expenditures, $1,033,744. At the
March session, 1833, Curtis Mallory
was appointed county treasurer for one year. At the May session of the
same year the jail was ordered repaired as follows: The room where the
criminals were kept was to be lined crosswise of the logs with good oak
boards one and one half inches thick and not to exceed eighteen inches
in width, the edges to be squared and spiked; the doors were to have
new locks and the floor was to be lined in the same manner as the
walls. The debtors' room was to be lined in the corners in. the same
manner. At this term Stephen Carey and
Allen Cole were sworn in as
county commissioners.
At the September session of the board
Asa Beales petitioned the board
to lay out and locate a road from the present site of Westfield south
to the county line
.
The board also ordered the court
house repaired, and granted Asa Beales & Co. license to vend
merchandise.
It was at the November
session, 1833, at the board divided the county into townships. Without
described them, it will be sufficient to say that the nine townships of
our county, as we now have them, were named and described at that time.
At the January session, 1834,
it was ordered by the board that Lewis
G. Coy, John Murphy, Josiah West, Barton W. Wall and Jonathan Colborn each be allowed the
sum of one dollar for one day and one night's service in guarding William McDowl, a prisoner charged
with murder. This is the first record in the county of a prisoner being
charged with this crime.