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CHAPTER VI.

TRANSACTIONS OF THE SUPERVISORS.

Owing to the earnestness of the settlers of 1830, and the glowing reports previously circulated by the Blackmans, Jacksonburgh attracted the attention of the Legislature as early as 1829, and proved the suggestive point, which resulted in laying out the southern counties, including Jackson. In opening this chapter the act of general organization takes precedence, followed by subsequent legislative enactments affecting the district, and a resume of the first township election. A review of the important labors of the board of supervisors and that of the commissioners, during the brief time of their official existence, from 1831 to 1880, is given.

THE LEGISLATURE ORGANIZING THE COUNTIES.

An act, approved Oct. 29, 1829, by the governor and council of the Territory of Michigan, which provided for the laying out of counties, ordained, that the boundaries of Washtenaw county should be a line beginning on the base line where the line between ranges seven and eight east of the principal meridian crosses the base line; thence west along the base line to the intersection of the line between ranges six and seven east of the meridian; thence north between said ranges six and seven to the intersection of the line between townships two and three north of the base line; thence west between said townships, two and three north, to the intersection of the line between two and three east of the principal meridian; thence south on the line between said ranges two and three, to the intersection of the line between townships four and five south of the base line; thence east on the line between said townships to the intersection of the line between ranges seven and eight east of the meridian; thence north on the line between said ranges to the base line.

Ingham County.-This county was comprised within the following boundaries:-North of the base line, and south of the lines between townships four and five north of the base line, and east of the line between ranges two and three west of the principal meridian, and west of the line between ranges two and three east of the meridian, be, and the same is, hereby set off into a separate county, and the name thereof shall be "Ingham."

Eaton County.-The boundaries, ordained by the act of 1829, were: North of the base line, and south of the line between townships four and five north of the base line, and east of the line

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between ranges six and seven west of the principal meridian, and west of the line between ranges two and three west of the meridian be set off into a separate county, and the name thereof shall be "Eaton."

Jackson County.-The council enacted that so much of the country included south of the base line, and north of the line between townships four and five south of the base line, and west of the line between ranges two and three east of the meridian, and east of the line between ranges three and four west of the meridian, be set off into a separate county and the name thereof shall be "Jackson."

Calhoun County-comprised the country lying south of the base line, and north of the line between townships four and five south of the base line, and west of the line between ranges three and four west of the meridian, and east of the line between ranges eight and nine west, be set off and called "Calhoun."

Hillsdale County-comprised the country lying west of the meridian, and east of the line between ranges four and five west of the meridian, and south of the line between townships four and five south of the base line, and north of the boundary line between this Territory and the State of Ohio, be named "Hillsdale."

Branch County.-That portion of the country lying west of the line between ranges four and five west of the meridian, and east of the line between ranges eight and nine west, and south of the line between townships four and five, south of the base line, and north of the boundary line between the State of Indiana and this Territory, was called "Branch county."

Other Acts. The council approved of an act setting off and organizing the township of Jacksonopolis, July 30, 1830. This act recognized Jackson county as a township in these words: "That all that part of the country lying within the limits of the county of Jackson be, and the same is, hereby set off into a separate township, and the name thereof shall be Jacksonopolis; that the first township meeting to be held in said township shall be at the dwelling house of J. W. Bennett, in said township, on the third Tuesday of August, in the year 1830; that the officers who shall be appointed in said township shall transact the business of said township, in all things as far as may be, in the same manner as they were by law required to do if they had been elected at the annual township meeting, provided the officers who may be appointed at said special township meeting shall not hold their offices longer than until the first Monday in April, which will be in the year 1831.

By authority of an act of the Legislative Council of the Territory, approved Nov. 4, 1829, the counties of Jackson and Ingham were attached to the county of Washtenaw for judicial purposes.

The council enacted in 1829 that the counties of Jackson and Ingham should be attached to Dexter, in Washtenaw county, and form a part of that township. This was approved Nov. 5, 1829.

For some reason this meeting, as directed in the act, did not take place in due form, as the premier election was held in 1831. This is known as the first.

TOWNSHIP MEETING, 1831.

At the first annual township meeting held in and for the town of Jacksonburgh, at the house of W. R. Thompson, Alexander Laverty was chosen moderator, Samson Stoddard, clerk, who, with Wm. R. De Land, Justic of the Peace, formed the Board of Election, and proceeded to ballot first for supervisor, when, on canvassing the votes, there were 17 for Ralph Updike, 13 for Wm. R. Thompson, and one for Alexander Laverty, whereupon Ralph Updike was declared duly elected. They then proceeded to ballot for township clerk, and on canvassing the same there were 15 for Christian Prusia, 13 for David Striker, and one for Hiram Thompson, whereupon Christian Prusia was declared duly elected.

For Assessors--Horace Blackman, 15 votes; Isaac Sterling, 15 votes; Ezekiel T. Critchett, 15 votes.

For Constable-Horace Blackman, 18 votes; Ezekiel T. Critchett, 4 votes. For Commissioners of Highway--Alexander Laverty, 36 votes (el cted); Isaac Sterling, 30 votes (elected); Isaiah W. Bennett, 21 votes; Russell Blackman, 14 votes.

For Overseer of Poor-Lemuel Blackman, 19 votes (elected).

For School Commissioners-Samson Stoddard, Wm. R. De Land, and Oliver Russ, chosen by uplifted hand.

For School Inspectors-Osgood H. Fifield, Hiram Thompson, Daniel Walker, Isaac N. Swaine and James Valentine.

For Fence Viewers--John Durand, Martin Flint, Samuel Roberts and Timothy Williams.

For Overseers of Highway-Chester Wall, Horace Blackman, Ralph Updike and Wm. C. Pease.

Pound Master-Martin Flint.

The act to change the name of the township of Jacksonopolis was approved Feb. 18, 1831, in the following terms: "Be it enacted by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, that the township of Jacksonopolis shall hereafter be called 'Jacksonburgh,' any law to the contrary notwithstanding.

JACKSON COUNTY ORGANIZED.

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The act of the council organizing the county of Jackson was not approved until June 26, 1832, and was not ordered to come into force until Aug. 1, the same year. The act says, "That the county of Jackson shall be organized from and after the taking effect of this act, and the inhabitants thereof entitled to the rights and privileges to which, by law, the inhabitants of the other counties of this Territory are entitled; that all suits, prosecutions and other matters now pending before the Courts of Record of Washtenaw county, or before any justice of the peace of said county of Washtenaw, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and execution, and all taxes heretofore levied, or which may be hereafter levied

for the year 1832, shall be collected in the same manner as though the said county of Jackson had not been organized.”

JACKSON COUNTY IN 1832.

“When Jackson county was young and struggling, 48 years ago, it had about the same machinery for county government as it now has, except that there was not so much of it. The records show that the first meeting of board of supervisors met at the house of Lemuel Blackman, in the village of Jacksonburgh, the first Tuesday in October, 1833. At that time the county was divided into only four towns, which, with their supervisors, were as follows: Spring Arbor, Amasa B. Gibson; Jacksonburg, C. Harrington; Napoleon, H. Austin; and Grass Lake, W. H. Pease. Amasa Gibson was elected chairman, and Hiram Thompson, clerk. At this meeting it was voted that a sum of $2.50 be paid for the scalp of any fullgrown wolf killed within three miles of the dwelling of any white inhabitant. Claims for such killing were allowed to the amount of $35. The total of bills allowed at this session was $220.19. Property was not quite so valuable then as now, neither were taxes so heavy. The assessed valuation and total taxation of the towns was as follows:

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In the tax for Jacksonburgh were $25 for sickness. The pay of the supervisors was $1 per day. The next meeting was held in March, 1834, the members of the same board being present. Among the accounts then allowed were $1.50 to Alexander Laverty for crying at court. The treasurer was allowed three per cent. for collecting taxes, and at that rate Dr. Stoddard managed to earn the princely sum of $6.72. There was a balance reported in the treasury, but only of 26 cents. At that early day there were individuals so poor that the county had to provide for them. At this session the names of two sufferers were mentioned, and accounts for their maintenance presented.

A special session was held in April to see about building a jail. John Daniels succeeded C. Harrington as supervisor for Jacksonburgh, and he was instructed to act as a committee of one to secure a safe room for use as a jail. In October it was voted to raise $355.72, and the taxes this year were considerably higher than before. Spring Arbor had outstripped Jacksonburgh, and was the wealthiest town, and its share of the tax was $238.76; Jacksonburgh, $226.62; Grass Lake, 43.82; Napoleon, $138.68.

In March, 1835, $21.09 were reported in the treasury, and $116.79 had been allowed. Joseph Morris and others objected to the line of the Washtenaw Territorial road, and it was ordered to

be changed, if the change could be made without doing greater public or private injury than the one complained of.

In October a new board appeared. Col. Abram Bolton represented Napoleon, and was elected chairman; Samuel Hamlin, from Jacksonburgh, and Caleb Culver, from Grass Lake, with W. R. De Land as clerk. Property was rising, and the assessment-roll showed an increase in the valuation of from 200 to 450 per cent. Spring Arbor was valued at $111,817; Jacksonburgh, $72,084; Napoleon, $51,749; Grass Lake, $18,657. This session was marked by nothing special except that the board forgot to approve the proceedings, and had to meet the next week to set the seal of approval on the record.

În October, 1836, the number of towns were increased to ten, namely Jacksonburgh, Concord, Grass Lake, Hanover, Leoni, East Portage, West Portage, Spring Arbor, Napoleon, Sandstone. The assessed valuation was $737,624. In January, 1837, a resolution was adopted to issue bonds for $10,000 to build a jail and court-house, Jerry G. Cornell and Geo. B. Cooper being appointed to negotiate the loan, which was to run 10 years and draw interest at seven per cent. Proposals were advertised for, and a contract for stone building awarded to David Porter.

"State

This was the last time the board met in "Jacksonburgh," for before the October session the last syllable was dropped, and it became "Jackson." Michigan was lifted to the plane of a State, and now all through the record appears a new item, Tax." Owing to there being so many non-resident landholders, the treasurer could not collect the State tax as assessed, and he was directed to pay it out of the first moneys he might collect, and to sell the lands of non-payers. In the minutes of this session appear the names of Parma, Rives, Liberty, as new towns. There were also represented Aurelius and Stockbridge, of Ingham county, which county was then attached to this for business purposes. In 1838 Pulaski, Springport and Tompkins were added. In this year the record closed somewhat abruptly, on account, as a note says, of the board of supervisors being abolished by law.

For the next four years, the affairs of the county were conducted by a board of three county commissioners, who were Nicholas Townley, of Tompkins, Drusas Hodges, of Spring Arbor, and Alvin Clark, of Grass Lake. During the first two years of their rule. nothing of interest occurred, except the addition of Columbia to the sisterhood of towns in 1839. In 1840 the commissioners of Jackson and Ingham counties met to settle up the joint affairs,-Ingham being now old enough to run alone. The Jackson commissioners were Clark, Townley and Hodges, with the treasurer, John N. Dwight. Ingham county was represented by J. Loomis, William A. Dryer and Henry Lee, Commissioners, with H. H. Smith as Treasurer. It was agreed that Ingham should pay $120 for her nursing.

In 1840 West Portage drops out, and Henrietta appears; but it was seven years before Waterloo took the place of East Portage.

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