[Formerly called Iowa City township. The township is divided into two voting precincts, East and West Lucas, on the two sides of the Iowa River.] Madison......Oct. 15, '60...n 1⁄2 80........7 and 8...Chase. [It was from 1846 to 1860, included in Penn township.] Monroe...... Feb. 10, '46......81........ 7 and 8... Gregg, Danforth. [Jefferson township was afterward detached from Monroe.] Newport ..... Feb. 10, '46 ......80........5, e 1⁄2 6...No post-office. [Graham township was afterwards detached from the territory of Newport township.] Oxford ...... Mar. 3, '56.......80........8........Oxford. [Was formerly a part of Clear Creek township.] w 1⁄2 of 6.. Penn......... .Feb. 10 '46.......80. .. (n 1⁄2 of 7... North Liberty. [Then included what is now Madison township.] ....... Pleasant Val'y. Feb. 10, '46. . . . . . . 78. . . . . . . . . 5, e 6.. Morfordsville. [Then included the present territory of Lincoln township.] Union.......Mar. 6, '54. . . . . . . .79....... 7........ No post-office. [North half formerly included in Clear Creek township, and the south half in Liberty township.] 78 and s Washington...Feb. 10, '46........ of 79..8.. [At the time of organization it included s 1⁄2 of tp 79, r 8; Oct. 4, 1847, the n. 1⁄2 of said tp. was attached also. These were afterwards detached, and formed into what is now Hardin township. Iowa City... Jan. 15, '73.... [Iowa City Township now comprises only the territory within the corporate limits of Iowa City, and is divided into two voting precincts, North and South. But from 1846 to 1873 the territory now called Lucas township was included in Iowa City township.] CHAPTER II.-PART 1. POLITICAL RECORD. Historic Elections-Successive County Officers-The Grand Parliament-Higher Political Honors-Post-office Matters-Census by Townships, 1850 to 1880. THE FIRST ELECTION. About May 26, 1838, S. C. Trowbridge went to Rochester, then the county seat of Cedar county, and on the 28th he was commissioned as deputy sheriff for Johnson and Keokuk counties. [See the documents in another place.] Iowa was still a part of Wisconsin Territory, but the matter of separating it was already under discussion in Congress, and the Iowa people 186 HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY. were generally expecting that they would soon be set off as a territory by themselves. Johnson county had been named, and its boundaries defined, but the people settled there had never been authorized to hold an election. They wanted to be getting themselves into proper civil and political relations with "the powers that be," and take their rightful part in the government, whether it were Wisconsin or Iowa Territory. It was to bring this about that Trowbridge had been sent to Rochester by the settlers in the vicinity of the trading houses. Accordingly, the same day he was commissioned deputy sheriff he went before the board of commissioners of Cedar county, and applied for an order of election. The application was granted, and an election ordered to be held at Gilbert's trading-house, on the first Monday in August; and it was to be known as the Iowa precinct of Cedar county. Trowbridge nominated officers for the election, which were confirmed by the county board, as follows: Judges-Eli Myers, Henry Felkner and Pleasant Harris. [These matters are of record in Cedar county, but have never been recorded in any shape in Johnson county until now searched out for and printed in this history.] But that proposed election was never held, for, before its time arrived, Johnson county had obtained a special act of the legislature organizing the county, naming and locating its county seat, appointing a sheriff, etc., so that it could run its own business in its own way, instead of being a mere appendage of Cedar county. The proceedings and documents in regard to organizing the county and investing it with civil jurisdiction are given in another place. Iowa Territory began to exist for itself on July 3, 1838, and the next day, July 4, was the day that had been set by the Wisconsin territorial legislature for Johnson county to begin its separate political existence. Of course everything was to go on just the same under the new territorial rule as before, until changed by proper authority. Wm. B. Conway had been appointed Secretary of the new territory of Iowa, and arriving here a few days before Gov. Lucas, he made indecent haste to issue a proclamation for a territorial election, signing himself "Acting Governor." But when Governor Lucas arrived (August 15,)* he issued a proclamation on the same day for an election to be held on September 10. This of course overruled and wiped out all of Conway's premature acts. Sheriff Trowbridge had taken some steps for an election under *Governor Robert Lucas arrived in Iowa for the first time, on the steamboat "Brazil." from Cincinnati, Ohio, landing at Burlington on Wednesday morning, August 15, 1838. The same day he issued his proclamation for the election of members of territorial legislature, and delegate to Congress. These historic facts are gathered from the Burlington Territorial Gazette, dated August 18, 1838, and should settle all disputes in regard to the matter. HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY. 187 Conway's proclamation, but nothing which interfered with his prompt attention to the more rightful order of the Governor. As before remarked, Governor Lucas issued his proclamation on the same day he arrived in the territory, calling an election to be held Sept. 10, 1838. All of that proclamation which specially concerns Johnson county, was the following paragraph: The counties of Johnson, Cedar, Jones and Linn, shall form an election district, and elect one meinber of the council and one member of the house of representatives. The parties interested in the town site of Napoleon as the county seat, had "chipped in together" and raised money to build a frame house twenty by thirty-two feet, and two stories high, to serve as a court house. These were Gilbert, McCrary, Smith, Felkner, Trowbridge, etc.; and the house erected was really a formidable and creditable enterprise, considering the difficulties of getting lumber and other building materials, at that time. (See the diagram on another page). And here, in this house, occurred the first formal election ever held in Johnson county, the territory which now constitutes Iowa county being an adjunct precinct. About the time of this first election Robert Walker had been commissioned by Governor Lucas as the first justice of the peace, in Johnson county; but the imperfect county records do not anywhere show this fact. The officers of that first election were: Judges-Wm. Kelso, David Sweet, and Isaac N. Tesh. WHO WERE ELECTED. There were four candidates for Congress, namely: W. W. Chapman, Virginia State Rights Democrat; P. H. Engle, Jackson Democrat; David Rohrer, Democrat anyway; B. F. Wallace, Whig. Chapman had been specially friendly and helpful in securing the legislation which the Johnson county people wanted, so he was the favored man, without much regard as to where he stood on the national questions of the time. These pioneers had their politics nearer home just thenand the vote of Johnson county, as canvassed and certified to Governor Lucas at the time, was: For Chapman, thirty-six votes; for Engle, one vote. Rohrer and Wallace got no votes here. The other officers elected at the same time were: For member of legislative council-Charles Whittlesy, of Cedar county. For member of house of representatives-Robert G. Robert, of Cedar county. For county commissioners-Henry Felkner, Wm. Sturgis, and Abner Wolcott. For county recorder-I. P. Hamilton. For county assessor-S. B. Mulholland. For constables-Peter Crum, and Wm. C. Massey. The county treasurer and the assessor-elect failed to qualify; and consequently the board of county commissioners appointed Wheten Chase to be treasurer, and S. C. Trowbridge to be assessor. Trowbridge held a three-years' commission as sheriff from Governor Dodge, unless Governor Lucas should see fit to revoke it, which he did not, but gave him another commission for the next term; and the law at that time imposed on the sheriff the duty of tax collector, as well as roguenabber-so Trowbridge had business at every pot-boil in the county. [See under head of First County Records.] Owing to the incompetency, laziness or neglect of Clerk Douglass, no record was preserved of that first election. And it has not been secured and made of record by the county since; so that it remained for this historian to rake up the scattered fragments of fact and recollection, out of which a connected, systematic and authentic record of that first election is now for the first time made and placed before the people of Johnson county. THE SECOND COUNTY ELECTION. Clerk Douglass also failed to make any record of the second county election. In the first case there might be some excuse for it, but no reasonable excuse can be offered for the second time this delinquency occurred, for he was then fully in office, had every convenience, and it was his duty to make the record; but he failed to do it. However, among Col. Trowbridge's old papers, documents, etc., we found the whole bunch of the original tickets, just as they were written out and voted at Napoleon, the county seat, on the first Monday in August, 1839-and from these musty relics of almost á semi-centennial antiquity, we present the following accurate canvass of that second election ever held in Johnson county, the judges of which were Andrew D. Stephen, John Eagan and S. C. Trowbridge For representatives in the legislature: John Frierson, democrat, received 32 votes; T. T. Clark, whig, received 14 votes; S. C. Hastings,* democrat, received 32 votes; S. S. Lathrop, democrat, 1 vote. There were two to be elected from Muscatine, Johnson and Iowa counties jointly, and Clark and Hastings were the ones elected, as they got good majorities in the other counties. For county commissioners: John Morford, received 21 votes; Abner Wolcott, 32: Henry Felkner, 44; Philip Clark, 29; A. C. Sutliff, 16; Wm. Sturgis, 1; A. Arrowsmith, 1. Why the above voting was done at all is not clear, for Felkner had already been chosen (at the election of Sept. 10, 1838), county commissioner *Hastings was elected to the legislative council from the same counties in 1840; and in 1846 he was elected to congress. He was afterwards appointed chief justice of Iowa by Gov. Ansel Briggs. Then during the legislative session of 1848-49, Hastings and Judge Joseph Williams were candidates for chief justice. Williams was elected. Hastings resigned before his time was out and went to California. The same fall (1849) he was elected and took his seat as chief justice there. He thus filled this high position in two different states inside of one calendar year-the only case of the kind on record. for three years and Wolcott for two years; but Sturgis' first term was only for one year, as decided by lot when county court was first organized. We cannot solve the puzzle. For county treasurer, John Fagan received 44 votes; Wheten Chase received 1 vote. For county surveyor, Cyrus Sanders received 45 votes; John Eagan, 1 vote, and David Switzer 1 vote. For assessor, S. B. Mulholland received 44 votes. This vote was merely complimentary, for Trowbridge was still sheriff and therefore ex officio assessor, as the law then stood; so of course Mulholland did not qualify, or act as assessor. For coroner, John Hawkins received 45 votes. For constable, John Royal received 25 votes; John Trout, 28; David Cox, 28; Peter Crumen, 15; Wm. C. Massey, 15; A. D. Stephens, 8. Some of Stephens' votes were marked "for sheriff," and one vote was cast for S. C. Trowbridge for sheriff; but as there was no sheriff to be elected at this time, of course these votes were cast as a matter of sport, or else from not knowing the legal statu quo. FIRST OFFICERS OF THE COUNTY. The following list has been carefully compiled from every source where authentic information could be obtained, the county records being greatly deficient. First Sheriff.-S. C. Trowbridge, from May, 1838, till 1842. First appointed as deputy sheriff by Sheriff Tallman, of Cedar county; then commissioned as sheriff by Gov. Dodge of Wisconsin territory; then recommissioned by Gov. Lucas of Iowa territory; then elected by the people in October, 1840. Resigned in September, 1842. First Justice of the Peace.-Robert Walker; commissioned by Gov. Lucas, in August, 1838, and held the office almost continuously for forty years. First County Commissioners.-Henry Felkner, William Sturgis, Abner Wolcott; elected at Napoleon, Sept. 10, 1838. First County Recorder.-I. P. Hamilton, elected Sept. 10, 1838. First County Treasurer.-John Eagan, elected Sept. 10, 1838, but failed to qualify; and on April 1, 1839, the commissioners' court appointed Wheten Chase to fill the vacancy. [Chase died in Tama county, in 1870.] First County Assessor.-S. B. Mulholland, elected Sept. 10, 1838, but failed to qualify; and on April 1, 1839, the county commissioners appointed S. C. Trowbridge to fill the vacancy. First Constables.-Peter Crum and William C. Massey; elected Sept 10, 1838. First County Clerk.—Luke Douglas, appointed by the commissioners' court March 29, 1839, its first session. |