WHEN the Hon. Ebenezer Lane was president judge and lived in Norwalk, his circuit embraced the entire northwestern portion of Ohio, including Huron, which extended north to Lake Erie.
     The first court was held in Tiffin, on the 12th day of April, 1824.
     President:  E. Lane, President Judge: William Cornell, Jacques Hulbert, Matthew Clark, Associate Judges; Neal McGaffey, Clerk; Agreen Ingraham, Sheriff.
     Under the old constitution of Ohio clerks of the supreme and circuit court were appointed by the judges thereof.  The judges themselves were elected by the legislature for seven years.
     The first lawyer who settled in Fort Ball was Mr. F. Dickinson, a sketch of whose life appears elsewhere.  Mr. A. Rawson was the second lawyer who made his home here.  Mr. Dickinson remained but a short time in Tiffin, from whence he moved to Lower Sandusky.  Mr. Rawson remained here the rest of his life.
     The first session of the supreme court began here on the 28th day of July, 1826, before Jacob Burnett and Charles R. Sherman,  supreme judges.  The next term was held by Judges Calvin Pease and Charles R. Sherman.
     The judges holding these courts generally traveled their circuits on horseback, and the pioneer lawyers traveled with them in the same manner; all with large saddle-bags on their saddles, with law books and briefs, etc., in one end and refreshments in the other.  Among the foreign lawyers who attended court here at that time were many distinguished gentlemen of marked character.  Andrew Coffinberry, John C. Spink, John M. May, O. Prish, Frank Parish, James Purdy, were all able and distinguished lawyers.  There was also Charles Olcott, and later came Charles L. Bolt, Ezra Stone, Mr. Beecher and others.  My venerable old friend, Mr. James Purdy, of Mansfield, is the only survivor of all these foreign lawyers.  He has promised to send a sketch

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of his early recollections of frontier practice, but said in a note of the 10th of February, 1880, to the writer: "At the age of 87 my memory is not retentive, but I will comply with your request a best I can in due time; at present my whole time is occupied with business.
                                          J. PURDY."

     The record of the lives of these gentlemen, their practice, and incidents connected therewith, the scenes they participated in, and the events that transpired in their time would make a highly interesting book, and the writer had intended to write out sketches of some of them, but to keep this book within the limits marked out for it, he must abstain.  I will say, however, that Mr. Coffinberry (Count Coffinbery as he was familiarly called) was the most remarkable figure of them all.  In appearance he was the very image of Oliver Goldsmith.  He had large features and a very striking appearance; he shaved smooth and his face carried a smile mixed with sarcasm.  He was learned and witty, a good historian and exceedingly entertaining a conversation.  He was a natural poet and published one of his poems called "The Forest Ranger" in book form.  Selah Chapin settled here in the law practice at an early day; also Mr. Curtis Bates and Mr. Joshua Seney, Sidney Smith, William W. Culver, John J. Steiner and others.  John K. Gibson, a promising young man, and older brother of General Gibson, was the first law student in Mr. Rawson's office in Tiffin.  He died before he was admitted to practice.
     The writer became associated with the profession when he commenced reading law in Tiffin, in 1840, and having, for forty years, been in daily intercourse with legal gentlemen, and amongst whom he counts his warmest and best friends, it would be a very great pleasure to remember them all and make a pen-picture of each one; but for the reasons already assigned a few only are sketched to any length.
     During a number of years, when Judge Lane and Judge Reuben Wood were on the supreme bench together, they took for their part of the work the northwestern part of Ohio.  They formed a wonderful contrast on the bench.  Judge Lane was a very short, compactly built man; was near-sighted, had small black eyes, wore spectacles, had black hair, which he brushed straight down over his forehead, and when he read he held the book or paper close to his nose.  He was a rapid talker and exceedingly active.  Judge Wood was a six footer, very straight; had large forehead, light brown hair, brushed over to the right side; had large blue eyes, a large fleshy nose, clenched lips, deep and sonorous voice; spoke slowly and very impressively; thus they formed a striking contrast in their personal appearance on the bench.  

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A. RAWSON

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LIFE OF ABEL RAWSON

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JOSHUA SENEY

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LUTHER HALL

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fluent and forcible way of relating them.  He is gone, and another tie of friendship that has lasted forty-seven years is broken; an old heart left to mourn.]

OLIVER COWDERY.

      Near the end of the Mormon Bible is added the testimony of Oliver Cowdery as the the "Golden Plates."
     He was one of the brightest minds amongst the leaders of the Mormons, and the history of the order would have been a better one had his counsel and advice prevailed.
     Mr. Cowdery was born in the state of Vermont, on the 3d day of October, 1804.  After he had acquired a good common school education, he applied himself with great industry to the study of the dead languages and became very proficient in the Greek and Chaldee.  He came to Ohio when he was a young man and entered the law office of Judge Bissel, a very distinguished lawyer in Painesville, Lake county, as a student, and was admitted to practice after having read the requisite length of time and passed an examination.  His unfortunate association with the Mormons blasted the high hopes and bright prospects of an otherwise promising career, and planted a thousand thorns along the wayside of a life that was as pure and undefiled as that of the best of men.  Cowdery had more to do with the production of the Mormon Bible than its history had ever given him credit for.  He was the best scholar among the leaders.  While others advocated the doctrine of polygamy, Cowdery opposed it, not only on moral grounds, but also, and principally because it was contrary to the great principles of christianity, and above all, because it was opposed not only to the great demands of civilization but to the spirit of the free institutions of our country.  This opposition to polygamy brought Cowdery into conflict with the other leaders, and especially with Joe Smith; and while Cowdery gathered around himself the better and most intellectual element among the Mormons, Joe Smith became the leader of the coarser forces, with whom his great force of character soon made him very popular.  The conflict came and Cowdery had to flee for his life, leaving his wife and two children behind him.  Mrs. Cowdery's maiden name was Whitmer, and a sister of one of the Whitmer's who figured as a leader.  She was a beautiful woman, whose quiet nature, sweet temper and kind disposition won her friends whenever she was known.
     Mr. Cowdery came back to Kirtland.  In the spring of 1840, on the 12th day of May, he addressed a large Democratic gathering in the street, between the German Reformed church of Tiffin and the present

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residence of Hez. Graff.  He was then on a tour of exploration for a location to pursue his profession as a lawyer, having entirely abandoned and broken away from all his connections with the Mormons.  In the fall of the same year he moved with his family to Tiffin and opened a law office on Market street.
     Mr. Cowdery was an able lawyer and a great advocate.  His manners were easy and gentlemanly; he was polite, dignified, yet courteous.  He had an open countenance, high forehead, dark brown eye, Roman nose, clenched lips and prominent lower jaw.  He shaved smooth and was neat and cleanly in his person.  He was of light stature, about five feet, five inches high, and had a loose, easy walk.  With all his kind and friendly disposition, there was a certain degree of sadness that seemed to pervade his whole being.  His association with others was marked by the great amount of information his conversation conveyed and the beauty of his musical voice.  His addresses to the court and jury were characterized by a high order of oratory, with brilliant and forensic force.  He was modest and reserved, never spoke ill of any one, never complained.
     He left Tiffin with his family for Elkhorn, in Wisconsin, in 1847, where he remained but a short time, and then moved to Missouri, where he died in 1848.
     The writer read law with Mr. Cowdery in Tiffin, and was intimately acquainted with him, from the time he came here until he left, which afforded me every opportunity to study and love his noble and true manhood.