|
HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY, OHIO
By D. B. Beardsley - Findley, O.
Publ. Springfield, O. Republic Printing Co.
- 1881 -
CHAPTER II.
First Organizaton of the County
Pg. 23 - 26
ON the 12th day of
February, 1820, the General Assembly of Ohio, with
Allen TRIMBLE as President of the Senate and
Joseph RICHARDSON as Speaker of the Hose, passed an
"Act for the erection of certain counties named
therein." In that Act we find the following
reference to Hancock county," * * * * * fifth, to
include townships, one and two, south, and one and two,
north, in the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth ranges,
and to be known by the name of Hancock County."
Section 2 of the same Act provides, "That the counties
of Hancock, Henry, Putnam, Paulding and Williams shall
be attached to the county of Wood."
The following order was made by the Commissioners of
Wood County on the 4th of March, 1822: "Ordered by the
Board that the township of Waynesfield, within the
jurisdiction of the county of Wood, be co-extensive with
the boundaries of Wood and Hancock, and to include the
same."
The territory thus included in one township, is now
divided into two counties, which counties are
sub-divided into thirty-six townships, any one of which
perhaps today has a greater population than had the two
counties of Hancock and Wood at the date of that order.
The following order was made by the Commissioners of
Wood county on the 28th day of May, 1823:
"Ordered further, that so much of the township of
Waynesfield as is included in the unorganized county of
Hancock, be set off and organized, and the same is
hereby organized into a township by the name of Findley,
and that the election for township officers be held on
the first day of July, A.D., 1823, at the house of
Wilson VANCE, in the said township."
The first record of the township we have is that of the
election of April 5th, 1824, at which election Job
CHAMBERLAIN, William MORELAND and Jacob POE
were Judges, and Matthew REIGHLY and Wilson
VANCE clerks, who certify that there were
eighteen votes cast, and that Job CHAMBERLAIN,
Wilson VANCE and Jacob POE were elected
Trustees, Matthew REIGHLY, Clerk; Wilson
VANCE, Lister (Assessor); Philip McKINNIS,
Constable; John HUNTER and John GARDNER,
Fence Viewers; Robert McKINNIS and William
MORELAND, Overseers of the Poor; and Job
CHAMBERLAIN, senior Treasurer.
A search of the records of Wood County for a duplicate
of the taxable property of Hancock County6 fails to
disclose any prior to the year 1826.*
In the year 1826 there were twenty-six tax-payers in
the county, and the value of taxable personal property
was about two thousand dollars. The total tax was
fifty-six dollars and twelve cents. In 1827 there
were fourteen taxpayers, the largest of whom was
Elnathan CORY, and the total tax was fifty dollars
and twenty-nine cents.
Not much labor in auditing that duplicate, and not a
very fat salary for collecting it. An Assessor,
might have some trouble in finding the property, but he
would certainly not have much trouble in making his
report to the Auditor. The people of the county,
at that day were not rich, certainly in this world's
goods. Their capital was their strong arms and
willing hands, and their wealth was their honesty,
contentment and indomitable pluck.
During these years of dependence on the protection of
Wood County, and the inconveniences of transacting
public business, so remote from home, if it was counted
an inconvenience by the pioneers, which we were very
much doubt, emigration was flowing into the county in a
steady, if not a rushing stream. Settlements were
being formed all over the county, and farms were being
opened in every direction. Neighbors were getting
closer than a day's journey of each other.
Ministers of the Gospel had already visited the
locality, and had formed religious societies. So
much had the population increased that the county had
outgrown its township clothes, and now asked to be
advanced to a separate county organization, and to be
entitled to all the privileges and conveniences incident
thereto. Wood County had also increased in
population, and so much territory was cumbersome to it,
and the people of that county were willing to release
their guardianship of Hancock, and allow her to try the
experiment of taking care of herself. The General
Assembly of Ohio said "Let it be done."
During this transition state, as it were, from 1820 to
1828, the authorities had very little trouble in
preserving the peace, and protecting the lives and
property of the people, as all the early settlers were
intent on building themselves homes, and felt in all its
force the necessity of each on living an orderly and
peaceable life. This quietude was occasionally
disturbed by some inroad of the red-man, but against
these foes, the instinct of self-preservation did not
ask the intervention of law and law officers to repel
them. Each man considered himself in duty bund to
aid in the general defense, without the formality of an
election, as one of the public guardians.
-----------------
*See Chapter VI for earlier duplicate, found since
writing the above. |
<
BACK TO HISTORY
TABLE OF CONTENTS >
|
