THE FIRST ELECTION

The law to establish the county ordered an election to be held at the house of Germanicus Kent, on the first Monday in May, for sheriff, coroner, recorder, surveyor, and three county commissioners, who should hold their offices until the next succeeding general election, and until their successors were qualified. The election, however, was not held until the next August.

No county created by this act was to be organized, and an election held, until a majority of the voters of the prospective county had addressed a petition for the same to the judge of the sixth judicial circuit, or, in his absence, to another circuit judge. The voters were also required to give sufficient proof that the proposed county contained not less than three hundred and fifty white inhabitants. This task was under­ taken by Dr. Daniel H. Whitney, who had settled at Belvidere.

These facts were communicated to Judge Thomas H. Ford. He thereupon issued an order, dated July 13. 1836, for an election to be held at the house of Daniel S. Haight, on the first Monday in August. The statute had designated an earlier date and another place for this election; but inasmuch as the organization of the county depended upon a prescribed population. a subsequent section of the law necessarily referred the time and place of such election to the presiding judge of the circuit. Under the first constitution of Illinois, all elections for state and county officers were held the first Monday in August.

Germanicus Kent, Joseph P. Griggs and Robert J. Cross were chosen judges of election. Judge Ford's order has been framed, and is preserved in the office of Captain Lewis F. Lake, the circuit clerk, as an interesting relic of those early days.

The election was held on Monday, August 1st, in a decidedly primitive manner. Written or printed ballots had not then been introduced into Illinois. Under the old constitution, all votes were to be given vine voce until otherwise provided by the general assembly : and up to this time no change had been made.

Simon P. Doty. Thomas B. Talcott and William E. Dunbar were elected county commissioners Daniel S. Haight. sheriff ; Daniel H. Whitney, recorder Eliphalet Gregory, coroner ; and D. A. Spaulding, surve yor. The results of the election for member of congress and representatives in the general assembly are given later in this sketch.

One hundred and twent y votes were cast at this election. The names of the voters were as follows : David Caswell. George Caswell. David Barnes. P. P. Burnham. Thomas Crane, Thatcher Blake. Seth Scott, Joshua Fawcett, John Bar­ rett, Jeremiah Frame, John F. Thayer, William Randall. John Welch. Joshua Cromer, John Slavins. David Blake. William Barlow, Joseph B. Baker. Daniel Fairchild, Livingston Robins, Alfred Shattuck. Alva Trask, William Smith, Ira Haskins. John Bunts, Simon P. Doty, Milton S. Mason. Timothy Caswell, Charles H. Pane, Royal Briggs, Solomon Watson, Abram Watson, Ralzimond Gardner. Mason Sherburne, John K. Towner, John G. Lockridge. John Allen, John Lovesse, A. E. Courtright, Henry Enoch, Ephraim Sumner. S. Brown, A. R. Dimmick, Samuel Hicks, H. M. Wattles, T. R. J. English, Oliver Robins, J. P. Griggs, Aaron V. Taylor, Luke Joslin, William Sumner, David D. Elliott, John Handy, Jacob Pettyjohn, Daniel S. Haight, Jacob Keyt, John Lefonton, John Kelsoe, William R. Wheeler. M. Ewing, Charles Works, Sidney Twogood, Phineas Churchill, Thomas B. Talcott, Austin Andrews, Thomas Lake, Benjamin Mc­ Connell, Benjamin DePue. Lewis Haskins, Aaron B. Davis, Joel Pike, R. M. Waller, Julius Trask, William Carey, Ephraim Wyman, P. D. Taylor, William Brayton, Israel Morrill, Harlyn Shat­ tuck, David DeWitt, James B. Young, Abel Thurston, John Kaudler, John Adams, Milton Kilburn, Richard H. Enoch, Joseph Chadwick, Daniel Piper, John Hance, Henry Enoch, Jr., Peter Moore. S ylvester Sutton, V. B. Rexford, William G. Blair, Daniel H. Whitney. James Jack­ son, Isaac Adams. Isaac Harrell, E. A. Nixon, John Wood. William Mead, Joseph Rogers, A. C. Gleason, Henry Hicks. John Brink. E. Gregory, L. C. Waller, James Thomas. G. Kent, Chauncey Mead, George Randall, W. H. Talcott, William E. Dunbar, S. A. Lee. Charles Reed, Charles Sayres. Robert J. Cross. D. A. Spaulding. Benjamin White, Jacob Enoch.

The votes of two men. John Langdon and Thomas Williams. were rejected.

Not a single voter of this list is now living. The last survivor was Harlyn Shattuck, who died in 1899. near Belvidere.

On Wednesday. August 3d, the county commissioners-elect met in special session at the house of Daniel S. Haight, for the transaction of business necessary to complete the local government. D. A. Spaulding was elected clerk of the county commissioners' court and Robert J. Cross was chosen treasuurer. William E. Dunbar was sent to Vandalia, the capital of the state. with the election :turns. The term "court" might seem to imply that this body possessed judicial powers. but such was not the fact. Under the constitution of 1818, three commissioners were elected in each county for the transaction of all its business. This court performed the duties corresponding in a general way to those entrusted under the present law to the hoard of supervisors.

At this first session of the court the commis­ sioners divided the county into seven precincts, as follows : Yellow River. which included the towns of Silver Creek, Ridot, Freeport. Lancaster, and the south half of Rock River, in Stephen­ son county Rock Grove, which included the north half of Rock River. all of Buck Eye, Rock Grove, and the east half of Oneco, in Stephenson county, and Laona and Howard (now Durand) in Winnebago : Peeketolika, corresponding to the towns of Seward. Lysander (now Pecatonica) and Burritt ; Kiskwaukee, now the townships of Cherry Valley, New Milford, and part of Rockford township Rockford, which included the present townships of Winnebago, Guilford, the larger part of Rockford, and the south half of Owen and Harlem ; Rock River, including the townships of Shirland, Harrison, Rockton. Roscoe, north half of Owen and Harlem, and Manchester in Boone county ; Belvidere, which included all of Boone county except Manchester township. This precinct contained two hundred and fifty-two square miles yet at the first presidential election, in 1836, it could poll only twenty-three votes. Rock River precinct was twenty-four miles in length, and from six to twelve in width, and included six townships. At the presidential election previously mentioned this immense territory could poll but twenty votes. The number of precincts was subsequently increased to ten.

At this session of the court an order was issued, which fixed the time and place of holding an election in each precinct, for justices of the peace and constables. Upon the election of these officers the county organization was completed. There was as yet no county seat. The act to establish the county, however, had provided that until public buildings should be erected for the purpose. the courts should be held, as the county commissioners should direct.

 

History of Winnebago County-1877

 

 

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