lands. And from about 1820 until 1827, the County Collectors collected all taxes for State and county purposes. Since 1827 it has been the duty of the Treasurer to receive or collect the taxes."-Martin's History of Franklin County.

The Collectors from the organization of the county until the office was abolished in 1827, were as follows: 1803, Benjamin White; 1804, Adam Hosack; 1808, Elias N. DeLashmutt; 1811, John M. White; 1812, Samuel Shannon; 1815, Francis Stewart; 1818, Jacob Kellar; 1822, Andrew Dill; 1823, Arora Buttles; 1824, Peter Sells; 1826, Robert Brotherton, who served until the office was abolished.

COUNTY ASSESSORS.

The office of County Assessor was created by act of the General Assembly, passed February 3, 1825. Prior to that date, each township chose its own assessor at the annual spring election. An act passed January 16, 1827, provided that the assessor should be appointed by the County Commissioners, to serve until the following October, and that thereafter they should be elected by the voters, biennially. An act of March 20, 1841, abolished the office of County Assessor and provided that an assessor should be elected in each township. The County Assessors during the continuance of the office were as follows: 1825, James Kilbourn; 1827, John Swisher; 1835, James Graham; 1837, William Domigan, who served until the office was abolished.

RECORDERS.

The County Recorders were appointed by the Common Pleas Judges until 1831; since that year they have been chosen triennially by the voters. The first Recorder was Lucas Sullivant, appointed in January, 1804. He served until 1807, when Adam Hosack was appointed. Hosack's successors by appointment were Lincoln Goodale in 1813, and Abram I. McDowell in 1817. McDowell served until 1831, since when the recorders have been elected as follows: 1831, William T. Martin; 1846, Nathan Cole; 1882, F. M. Senter; 1885, Michael A. Lilley; 1888, Robert Thompson.

SURVEYORS.

An act of March 3, 1831, provided that the Surveyors should be triennially chosen by the voters; previous to that act, they had been appointed by the Court of Common Pleas. The first Surveyor was Joseph Vance, originally appointed in 1803, and continued by reappointment until his death in 1824. His successor, Richard Howe, after serving a brief period, transferred the duties of the office to his deputy, General Jeremiah McLene, who acted as Surveyor until 1827, when he was appointed to the office. Lyne Starling, Jr., was elected McLene's successor in 1832, but resigned in April, 1833, and was succeeded by Mease Smith, who was appointed for the remainder of Starling's term. The surveyors since then elected have been as follows: 1833, Frederick Cole; 1836, William Johnston; 1839, Uriah Lathrop; 1842, John Graham; 1845, William Johnston; 1848, Jesse Cortright; 1854, W. W. Pollard; 1857, Daniel Hess, resigned; 1860, C. C. Walcutt, who resigned and was succeeded by Uriah Lathrop, appointed for Walcutt's unexpired term; 1862, Uriah Lathrop, elected; 1865, W. P. Brown; 1871, Josiah Kinnear; 1875, B. F. Bowen; 1883, Josiah Kinnear; 1889, John J. Dun.

COMMISSIONERS.

The first Commissioners of Franklin County were elected in June, 1804, and their terms of service, determined by lot, were as follows: John Blair, Clerk of the Board, until October, 1804; Benjamin Sells, until October, 1805; Arthur O'Harra, until October, 1806. The subsequent members of the board have been: 1804, Michael Fisher, Clerk; 1805, Ezekial Brown; 1806, Arthur O'Harra; 1807, Michael Fisher; 1808, James Marshall; 1809, Arthur O'Harra, Clerk; 1810, Robert Armstrong; 1811, James Marshall (Adam Hosack, Clerk); 1812, William Shaw; 1813, Robert Armstrong (Gustavus Swan, Clerk); 1814, James Marshall (Joseph Grate, Clerk); 1815, William Mellvain (J. A. McDowell, Clerk); 1816, Robert Armstrong, Samuel G. Flenniken (J. A. McDowell, Clerk); 1817, Joseph Grate, James Marshall (J. A. McDowell, Clerk); 1818, David Jamison (Joseph Grate Clerk until 1821, when he was appointed County Auditor, whose duties were, and have since been, in part, to act as Clerk of the Board of Commissioners); 1819, George W. Williams: 1820, Joseph Grate; 1821, Robert Armstrong, Horace Walcutt; 1822, James Marshall; 1823, Andrew Dill; 1824, Robert Armstrong; 1825, William Stewart; 1826, John M. Walcutt; 1827, William McElvain; 1828, William Stewart; 1829, Horace Walcutt, William Miller; 1830, Matthew Matthews; 1831, William Stewart; 1832, Horace Walcutt, who died in 1833; 1833, John M. White, Matthew Matthews, and Timothy Lee, appointed vice Walcutt, deceased; 1834, Hiram Andrews, vice Stewart; 1835, Robert Lisle; 1836, James Bryden; 1837, R. W. Cowles, vice Andrews; 1838, John Tipton, vice Lisle; 1839, James Bryden; 1840, William W. Kyle, vice Cowles; 1841, Samuel S. Davis; 1842, John Greenwood, vice Bryden; 1843, William W. Kyle; 1844, Samuel S. Davis; 1845, John Clarke, vice Greenwood; 1846, Adam Stewart, vice Kyle; 1847, Thomas J. Moorman, vice Davis; 1848, O. P. Hines, vice Clarke; 1849, Jacob Slyh, vice Stewart; 1850, Eli F. Jennings, vice Moorman; 1851, Jesse Baughman, vice Hines; 1852, C. W. Speaks, vice Slyh; 1853, Edward Livingston, vice Jennings; 1854, Willis Mattoon, vice Baughman; 1855, Theodore Comstock, vice Speaks; 1856, Edward Livingston; 1857, C. P. Hines, appointed vice Mattoon, deceased; 1857, Isaac White, elected vice Hines; 1858, David L. Holton, resigned; 1859, Thomas Sparrow, appointed vice Holton; 1859, John Snider, elected; 1860, Dennis B. Strait; 1861, Jacob Slyh; 1862, James W. Barbee; 1864, John M. Koerner; 1866, John G. Edwards; 1867, William Gulich; 1868, Eli M. Lysle; 1869, J. O. B. Renick; 1870, Francis Collins, vice Lysle, resigned; 1870, William Cooper, vice Gulich, resigned; 1870, Frederick Beck; 1871, John P. Bruck, vice Beck, resigned; 1872, Adin G. Hibbs; 1873, Francis Riley; 1874, Isaac S. Beekey; 1875, Daniel Matheny; 1876, Dennis B. Strait; 1877, Isaac S. Beekey; 1878, Daniel Matheny; 1879, Thomas Robinson ; 1880, Joseph M. Briggs; 1881, Josiah C. Lunn; 1882, William Wall; 1883, Joseph M. Briggs; 1884, Richard Z. Dawson; 1886, Lewis Morehead; 1887, same as in 1886; 1888, Thomas D. Cassidy; 1889, same as in 1888; 1890, Richard Z. Dawson, Thomas Cassidy, Lewis Morehead.

CORONERS.

1805, Joseph Dixon: 1807, William Domigan; 1815, Townsend Nichols; 1817, Thomas Kincaid; 1818, Robert Brotherton; 1819, William Richardson; 1821,

Adam Brotherlin; 1825, Jacob Ebey; 1830, Jonathan Neereamer; 1835, George Jeffreys; 1839, James Walcutt; 1843, A. W. Reader; 1845, Horton Howard; 1849, A. W. Reader; 1851, James W. Barbee; 1853, A. W. Reader; 1855, Elias Gaver; 1869, Patrick Egan; 1891, John P. Egan.

DIRECTORS OF THE INFIRMARY.

The first Directors were Jacob Grubb, Ralph Osborn and P. B. Wilcox, who were appointed by the County Commissioners, in 1832. Subsequent appointments were made as follows; James Walcutt, George B. Harvey, W. T. Martin, and William Domigan. Directors were first chosen by the voters at the State election of 1842, viz.: George Frankenberg for one year, Augustus S. Decker for two years, and for the three years term Robert Riorden, who was continued in office by releëction until 1848, when he was succeeded by John Walton. Directors have since been elected as follows: 1849, S. D. Preston and Arthur O'Harra; 1852, Amos L. Ramsey; 1853, Rufus Main; 1854, Orin Backus; 1855, L. J. Moeller; 1856, John Lysle; 1857, William Aston; 1859, James Legg; 1860, John Greenleaf (appointed vice Moeller, resigned) and Newton Gibbons and Philemon Hess, elected; 1862, Fred Beck; 1867, Jacob Grau; 1868, Frederick Fornoff; 1869, Henry L. Siebert; 1870, W. H. Gaver; 1871, John Schneider; 1872, John H. Earhart; 1873, W. H. Gaver; 1874, John Schneider; 1875, John H. Earhart, 1876, W. H. Gaver; 1877, James Burns; 1878, John H. Earhart; 1879, Christian Engeroff; 1880, James Burns; 1881, Jacob Reab; 1882, Christian Engeroff; 1883, James C. Cleary; 1884, Harvey Lisle; 1885, Emery McDermith; 1886, James C. Cleary; 1887, Harvey Lisle; 1888, Stephen Kelley; 1890, Adam Fendrich; 1891, John P. Egan.

SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE INFIRMARY.

Robert Cloud, appointed in 1832, resigned and was succeeded by William King, who continued in charge until October, 1837, when he gave place to Edward Heddon. The Superintendents since then have been: 1844, C. F. Schenck; 1851, Joseph McElvain; 1852, Charles Jucksch; 1853, Joseph McElvain; 1854, Daniel Evans; 1857, L. J. Moeller; 1860, S. P. McElvain; 1869, J. J. Fanston; 1871, S. P. McElvain; 1880, Thomas A. Jackson; 1881, H. C. Filler.

CHAPTER X.

WORTHINGTON.!

At the very beginning of the Republic, the National policy with respect to the limitation of slavery, became a matter of profound practical concern. In New England, particularly, it deeply affected the movement of population to the Great West, then opening to settlement. Thousands who were eager to participate in building up new States beyond the Ohio were inflexibly determined to live under no slaveholding régime. "Make the land worth having," said Manasseh Cutler to the Continental Congress when bargaining for a tract for the New England Associates. "Unless you do," he continued, "we do not want it." The purport of this admonition was fully understood. "Exclude slavery from the Northwest, and we will buy your land there, and help you to pay off the war debt; allow slavery to enter, and not a penny will we invest." Accordingly the great political charter, then maturing, for the vast regions northwest of the Ohio, was so framed as to forever prohibit, within their limits, all "slavery and involuntary servitude."

Fifteen years later this question came again to the front. A new State was about to be created, and a territorial convention, sitting at Chillicothe, was engaged in framing its constitution. Would that constitution admit slavery or exclude it? Upon the decision of that question depended the political future of the new commonwealth, and the destiny of the thousands who desired to become its citizens. Acting in conformity with the glorious covenant of the Ordinance of 1787, the Convention gave its voice for freedom, and incorporated these epochmaking provisions into the first constitution of Ohio:

There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in this State, otherwise than for the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted; nor shall any male person, arrived at the age of twentyone years, or female person arrived at the age of eighteen years, be held to serve any person as a servant, under the pretense of indenture or otherwise, unless such person shall enter into such indenture while in a state of perfect freedom, and on condition of a bona fide consideration received, or to be received, for their service, except as before excepted. Nor shall any indenture of any negro or mulatto, hereafter made and executed out of the State, or if made in the State, where the term of service exceeds one year, be of the least validity, except those given in the case of apprenticeships.*

Among the New Englanders who awaited this verdict with deep interest, was James Kilbourn, then residing at Granby, Connecticut. Mr. Kilbourn was born at New Britain, in that State, October 19, 1770. The War of Independence broke out when he was but five years of age, and swept away nearly all the property of his father, Josiah Kilbourn, who had been, prior to that time, a prosperous farmer. This loss, together with that of three members of his family, who perished in the