thereof, are hereby granted to and required of the officers and other persons elected by the qualified voters of the county of Vermillion.
"SECTION 8, The said county of Vermillion shall have both civil and criminal jurisdiction over all the country north of said county, which is or may be included in ranges nine and ten west, to the northern boundary of the State.
"SECTION 9, The said new county of Vermillion shall be attached to the counties of Pike and Vigo, for the purpose of electing Representatives to Congress, and to the same Senatorial and Representative districts to which said counties now belong, for the purpose of electing Senators and Representatives to the General Assembly, and to the first return district for the purpose of returning votes for electors of Preseident and Vice-President of the United States.
For the space of a year Vermillion County thus had jurisdiction over more than a hundred miles of country north and south -- to Lake Michigan, but a few miles from the modern city of Chicago. The presidential election referred to in the closing sentence was that at which John Quincy Adams was chosen, and during the administration of President Monroe. It takes us back almost to "ancient" history.
The county is thirty-seven miles long, north and south, by an average of seven miles in width, east and west. It is bounded on the north by Warren County, on the east by the Wabash River, or Fountain and Parke counties, on the south by Vigo County and on the west by the State of Illinois, that is, by Edgar and Vermillion counties, that State.
The county seat was located at its present point, in what was then (1824) a wilderness, by Commissioners Robert Sturgis, Samuel M. Caldwell, William Pugh, and William McIntosh, of adjoining counties. A fifth commissioner was probably appointed, but did not act. Tradition gives four reasons why the seat of government was fixed at Ne[w]portt: First, the site is nearly central; second it was convenient to a good big spring, and to a grist and saw mill on the Little Vermillion River; third, those who owned the land were more liberal in their donations to the county than were others who sought the seat of government elsewhere; and fourth, a few have intimated that the commissioners were bought up by parties in interest; but of course no proof of this has ever been given; the first three reasons are sufficient. There has never since been a serious effort made to remove the county seat; and, although Dana may outgrow the other towns in the county and some day bid strong for the honor the present railroad system of the county constitutes an additional reason, and a more cogent reason than all the others combined, for retaining the seat of county government at its present place. It is more convenient than any other point in the county can be, unless Dana should grow to a city and become a kind of railroad center.
The earliest acts of the commissioners of Vermillion County were recorded in a "home-made" book manufactured for the purpose by the clerk. This record was left in some place exposed to the depredations of mice, which mutilated it seriously, and some of the minutes therefore cannot be deciphered. In March, 1882, by order of the commissioners, as much of this mutilated record as was possible was carefully transcribed in a large, well-bound book of modern manufacture. This transcript begins with the minutes of the March session of 1824, the year the county was organized, and therefore but very little
of the record is really lost. This first session was held at the residence of James Blair, situated near the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 16, in township 17 north, of range 9 west. That was on the west side of the old wagon road leading from Eugene to Newport, and about half way between those two towns. As these earliest acts of the County Legislature gather increasing interest with lapsing years, we print the first few pages of them.
"At a special meeting of the board of commissioners of Vermillion County, begun and held at the house of James Blair, on Tuesday, the 23d day of March, 1824, and the commissioners having their certificates of election, and having taken the necessary oath, took their seats. Commissioners present -- John Haines, Thomas Durham and Isaac Chambers.
"1st. Ordered, That William W. Kennedy be and is hereby appointed clerk of the board of Commissioners of Vermillion County for this session.
"2d. Ordered, That Caleb Bales be and is hereby appointed lister of the County of Vermillion, upon his giving bond and security.
"3d. Ordered, That all that part of the County of Vermillion contained in the following bounds, to wit: Beginning at the Wabash River where the line dividing townships 13 and 14 crosses the same, thence with said line to the line dividing the States of Indiana and Illinois, thence north to the line dividing townships 14 and 15, thence east with said line to the Wabash River, thence south with said river to the place of beginning, shall constitute the township of Clinton; and that the election in said township be held in said township at the house of John Sargeant, in Clinton.
"4th. Ordered, That all that part of the county of Vermillion contained in the following bounds, to wit: Beginning at the Wabash River where the line between townships 14 and 15 crosses the same, thence west with said line to the line dividing the States of Indiana and Illinois, thence north with said line to the center of township 16, thence east with said central line to the Wabash River, thence wouth with said river to the place of beginning, -- shall constitute the township of Helt, and that elections for said township be held at the house of John Van Camp.
"5th. Ordered, That all that part of Vermillion County contained in the following bounds, to wit: beginning at the Wabash River at the center of township 16, thence west with said central line to the line dividing the States of Indiana and Illinois, thence north with said line until it strikes the Big Vermillion River, thence east with said river until it empties into the Wabash, thence south with said river to the place of beginning, shall constitute the township of Vermillion; and that elections in said township be held at the school-house on section 16 in township 16.
"6th. Ordered, That all that part of Vermillion County contained in the following bounds, to wit: Beginning at the Wabash River at the mouth of the Big Vermillion River, thence west with said river to the line dividing the States of Indiana and Illinois, thence north with the said line to the line dividing townships 19 and 20m thence east with said line to the Wabash River, thence south with said river to the place of beginning, shall constitute the township of Highland, and that elections in said township be held at the house of Jacob Andrick."
The next four orders appoint inspectors of the elections first to be held in the above described townships -- Salmon Luck, for Clinton; William Bales, for Helt; John Gardner, for Vermillion; and Jacob Haines, for Highland.
The next four orders direct that justices of the peace be chosen at these elections, and that the sheriff give due notice of the time, place and purposes of the same.
The succeeding four orders appoint constables for the townships -- Charles Trowbridge, for Clinton; John Harper, for Helt, Jacob Custer for Vermillion; and George Hansucker, for Highland; upon their giving bond and security.
The above constitutes the business of the first day's session.
Clinton and Helt townships remain unchanged to this day; but the other two townships have been made into three as follows: The line between Vermillion and Eugene townships is the line dividing sections 19 and 30 of surveyed township 17 north and 10 west, running east to the northeast corner of section 21, township 17 north and 9 west, thence north a half mile, and thence east to the river; the line dividing Eugene and Highland townships is the line dividing sections 19 and 30 of township 18 north and 10 west, running east to the river; and from the northern side of Highland Township has been cut off one tier of sections of Congressional township 19 north, 9 west, and thrown into Warren County.
On the second day of the session the following were appointed grand jurors for the May (1824) term of the Circuit Court: David W. Arnold, Horace Luddington, Rezin Shelby, Andrew Thompson, John Tipton, William Coffin, John Scott, Jesse Higgins, Morgan De Puy, William Hedges John Vannest, William Boyles, James Andrews, James Harper, Sr., and James Davis; and the following as petit jurors: Joel Dicken, Robert Elliott, James Groenendyke, John Thompson, Simeon Dicken, Isaac Worth, Lewis Zebreskey [or Zabriskie], Benjamin Shaw, Alexander Bailey, William Rice, Harold Hayes, Amos Reeder William Hamilton, John Clover Ralph Wilson, John Wimsett, Abraham Moore, John Maxadon, Joseph Dillow, Thomas Matheny, John E. Anderson, Obed Blakesley, John Van Camp, and Joshua Skidmore.
For some reason, however, the most of those appointed as grand jurors failed to serve, as the Circuit Court record for the May (1824) term opens by giving the following named gentlemen as constituting the grand jury: Simeon Dicken, Ralph Wilson, Joseph Schooling, Obed Blakesley, James Harper Sr., Carter Hollingsworth, Joshua Skidmore, Amos Reeder, Joel Dicken, Robert Elliott, Jesse Higgins, John Thompson, John Tipton, Joseph Dillow, Ludlow Ludwick, James Davis and William Rice.
This day they also appointed "superintendents" of the school sections -- Harold Hughes for Clinton Township William Bales for Helt, James Davis for Vermillion, William Coffin for that in 17 north, 9 west, in Highland Township, Horace Luddington in 18 north, and Jacob Andrick in 19 north, also in Highland.
For overseers of the poor, John Vannest was appointed for Clinton Township, James Andrews and Augustus Ford for Helt, Zeno Worth and John Tipton for Vermillion and John Haines and William Gonger for Highland.
John Collett was appointed "agent for laying out a county seat," and also "for selling such lots as were donated by John Justice and George Miner for the use of the county, and such lands as were by them donated as more fully appears by their bonds." Josephus Collett and William Fulton were accepted as security for John Collett.
Alexander Bailey was appointed collector of State and county tax.
James Blair was appointed agent for the
library of the county, and authorized to receive the moneys appropriated for the purpose from the sales of the county seat lots. (There is no "county library" now.
On the third day of this session the bills of the Sheriff and commissioners appointed by the State government to locate the county seat were audited and ordered paid. William Fulton was allowed $35 "as a sheriff in organizing the county of Vermillion," and also $2.50 for obtaining a copy of the laws regulating the duties of sheriffs in new counties.
John Collett was authorized to receive a deed of the land for the county seat from John Justice, Josephus Collett and Stephen Collett the land being "all that part of the west half of the southwest quarter of section 26, in township number 17 north, of range 9 west which may be south of the Little Vermillion Creek, should the same contain more or less."
William Fulton was substituted for Alexander Bailey as collector of taxes.
For the May (1824) session the same commissioners first met at the house of James Blair, and, before transacting any business, adjourned to 4 P.M., at the house of Josephus Collett, at Vermillion Mills. At this place Mr. Haines did not appear. The other two commissioners decreed that ferry licenses be $7; "that the clerk list all property liable to taxation for county purposes to the full amount allowed by law;" that tavern licenses be $5; that the seat of justice shall be known as "the town of Newport," and that the lots in said town be laid off according to the following form, viz: Lots sixty-six feet in front and 181-1/2 feet in depth; the main street to be 100 feet in breadth, all other streets eighty feet; the alleys running north and south to be thirty-three feet, those east and west sixteen; and that the sale of lots take place on the first Monday in June next at the public square in said town, one-fifth of the purchase money to be paid in hand, the residue in four semi-annual installments; and one-half of the lots donated to the county only shall be offered at said time."
Next, the county was divided into thirteen road districts, and supervisors for them were appointed.
James Blair was authorized to run a ferry at Perrysville, at the following rates: Wagon and five horses 75 cents; wagon and four horses, 62-1/2 cents; wagon and three horses, 50 cents; wagon and two horses, 37-1/2 cents; man and horse, 12-1/2 cents; pedestrian 6-1/4 cents; neat cattle, 4 cents a head; hogs and sheep, 2 cents a head.
John Gardner was authorized to run a ferry across the Wabash about two miles north of Newport.
For the proceedings of the next day the record says that "the grand and petit jurors, being duly selected for the present year, were deposited in a box prepared for that purpose!" No wonder they dreaded to serve!
"License to vend foreign merchandise for the present year [remainder of 1824] was established at $10."
At the June (1824) session the commissioners ordered a contract to be let for the building of a court-house of the following description: "36 feet in length, and 24 feet in depth; containing two jury rooms, to be furnished with a window of fifteen lights, and a door opening from each into the court-room; the latter to have eight feet for a passage between it and the jury room; balance of sixteen feet to be finished, laid off and worked in a semicircular form in a workmanlike manner; with seats for the judges, bar and jury; with bannisters to separate the said court and jury rooms, eight feet one from the other across said court-house at the dis-