26

"PETITION.

"To the Honorable Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Iowa:

    "Your petitioners, citizens of Kishkekosh County, Iowa, ask of your honorable body the adoption of a bill referring the re-location of the seat of justice of the county to the people, at the coming election in April, 1846.

    "Your petitioners ask of your honorable body that the citizens of said county may be privileged to vote for Princeton or Clarksville as the future seat of justice of said county.

    "Your petitioners would respectfully represent to your honorable body that the location of the seat of justice of said county by Commissioners appointed by your honorable body has resulted much to the dissatisfaction of a large majority of the inhabitants of said county.

    "Your petitioners believe that it is for the interest of the present, and will also be for the interest of the future population of said county, that its seat of justice should be re-located.

    "Your petitioners would respectfully represent to your honorable body that the quarter-section on which the town of Princeton is located is three miles east of the geographical center of said county, to its nearest point; that it is fifteen miles from the west line of said county, and eight and one-half miles from the east of line of said county; that the geographical section upon which the town of Clarksville is located is one mile north and one and one and one-half miles east of the geographical center of said county; that it is a handsome, eligible town-site, and is situated upon the main divide running diagonally through the county from the southeast corner to the northwest corner of the county. And it is far superior as a central point for natural divide roads, and is one and one-half miles from two good mill-sites, on Cedar River, with good ridge roads running to the same, and good bodies of building timber convenient to said mill-sites; that the town of Princeton is situated four and one-half miles from a good mill-site, and a road cannot be obtained nearer on suitable ground.

27

    "Your petitioners would respectfully say to your honorable body that two, only, of the Commissioners officiated in the selection of the present town-site (Princeton), and that they commenced their labors on Tuesday evening at about four o'clock on the fifth day of August, ultimo, and finished on Friday following, examining the county as such not to exceed two and one-half days, mainly without roads and when the exuberance of vegetation would necessarily retard their examination.

    "Now your petitioners firmly believe that no Commissioners can, in so short a time, sufficiently examine this county, and that in this hasty examination great injustice has been done to our county.

    "Now your petitioners would respectfully represent to your honorable body that there were polled at the present August election in said county one hundred and thirty-two votes for Congressional Representative, and the same number for and against the Constitution, and that the number of voters within the county will not materially swell the above number at the present time; and that while the population is small, and before any expense shall have been incurred by the improvement of the said town of Princeton, the question of selection should be referred to the people.

    "Your petitioners fully believe that if the town of Princeton is suffered to remain the seat of justice in said county, that it will ever be a subject of contention between the citizens of the county, and that an inland county like the present Kishkekosh should have as central a location as could be selected.

    Your petitioners would further say that that portion of the county lying west of the geographical center is not settled as fully and as thickly as it is east of said center, and for this reason, that the east part of the county lies the most convenient to the Old Purchase, on which most of the settlers are at first dependent for the common necessities of life; but that the west portion of the county will compare favorably with any other portion of the county; that it has fine bodies of timber and good prairie, and will, in all probability, very soon be as densely settled and improved as any other portion of Iowa."

    To this petition were attached the following signatures:

    Robert Husted, H. W. Brown, Geo. Root, Elijah Johnson, Henry Barnes, N. E. Hendrix, Wm. Hendrix, Amos

28

Strickland, R. O. Strickland, Joshua Flecheart, Geo. Weaver, Daniel McIntosh, Daniel Chance, John Chance, John Sappenfield, John Hammer, Nathaniel P. Jackson, Michael Hittle, James Findley, Orlando Myers, Solomon robinson, Peter Cain, M. H. Clark, Henry H. Harrison, Geo. Bougher, Wm. H H. Daivs, Jacob Hammer, Daniel Cone, David Ramsey, Matthias Hogg, Allen C. Phinney, Christopher K. Wilson, Andrew Gillespie, Wm. Records, Joseph McMullen, T. G. Templeton, Jonas Wescoatt, James McCarroll, H. Runnels, Eliphalet Johnson, Samuel Tyrell, John Miller, Job Rogers, Madison Anderson, Nelson Wescoatt, Wm. Bailey, Michael Blair, John Bougher, J. G. Epperson, Wm. Stewart, Oliver Tyrrell, John Clark, N. B. Preston, Levi Dungan, James Stephenson, Roland Inghan, John Stephenson, Harden Searcy, John Bailey, H. F. Bailey, Wm. Garland, Nelson Cain, E. H. Brandon, Geo. Cain, I. C. Layton, A. Wilson, Reuben D. McKinney, Wm. Murphy, Wm. Miller, Jeremiah Miller, Orrin Miller, Aaron, Pickerell, Wm. V. Beadle, Chas. Anderson, Jas. Anderson, Orrin Wilson, B. F. B. Bates, Harry Miller, Daniel Judson, Philander L. Tyrrell, Josiah Edmonds, Marshall S. Tyrrell, Elam Judson, Smith Judson, Chas. Bates, Homer J. Tyrrell, James O. Bender, Lewis M. Bentley, Nathaniel Newman, Andrew De Koven, Thos. E. Forest, John Copple, Willis Stephens, Ezra P. Cone, Leonard Copple, Jesse Combs, Samuel Cane, Joseph H. P. Stewart, John H. Wilson, James Stewart, Nathan H. Wilson, Wm. Clodgelter, Solomon Byerley, W. G. Clark, Thos. Coppedge, Isaac Hopper, Ivan Beebe, Peter Wells, James Hilton, John Stephenson, S. J. Warden, Otho Williams, Jesse Walker, Allan Williams, Joseph Kerns, Marvin Williams, Walter H. Cross, Harry Cross, Thos. H. Brock, Jacob M. Davis, Samuel Davis, Johnathan Mason, John Davis, Wesley Cain, C. H. Brandon, Willoughby Randolph, Geo. H. McLaughlin, Geo. Cain, Thos. Williamson, Abner Barbour, Jackson Scott, William Bisland, John M. McIntyre, John McGinnis, Peter Johnson, Jas. Brandon, Robert Finley, Robert Henderson, Perry Runells, Abram Williams, Geo. Cline, James Pomeroy, Anson Wiseman, John M. Wallace, James R. Bruce, Levi Hagan, David Cooper.

    Notwithstanding that the foregoing petition was accompanied by an indorsement from one John Bailey, who certified among other things that he had lived on the creek

29

for about nine months, and had explored the stream both ways, and had found elegant timber, good rock, and fine spring water in abundance, etc., for a verification of which statements he invites the public to visit his residence, about five miles south west of Clark's Point; and notwithstanding the averments in the foregoing petition, to the effect that there were "two good mill-sites" on the lordly "Cedar River," within one and one-half miles of Clarksville, the county seat remained at Princeton.

    The patrons of the town of Princeton, however, retorted by a

"REMONSTRANCE.

"To the Honorable Council and House of Representatives of the Territory of Iowa in Legislature assembled:

    "Whereas, A petition is gotten up for an Act to be passed by your honorable body for an election to decide whether our county seat shall remain at Princeton, or be removed to Clarksville;

    "We, the undersigned citizens of said county, feel it our duty to oppose the same, believing your Honors will see the propriety of this opposition in the following reasons to-wit:

    "We, as a county, petitioned your honorable Legislature for Commissioners to be appointed by them to locate our county seat, which was granted, and according to law they have acted. Although the petition aforesaid is said to contain evidence that said Commissioners traveled and labored but two and a half days, it is well known to us to be a misrepresentation. We know they commenced operations on Tuesday in said county, and stuck the stake on Saturday following, on the northwest quarter of section 22, range 7, west.

    "We oppose said petition from the fact that at least two-thirds of their signers have never seen the location of either Princeton or Clarksville, and know nothing of the propriety or impropriety of removing it.

    "Again, many of the names on the petition were under the age of 21.

    "The northeast corner of the county being more thickly settled than the south, but not likely to be so in the future, serious inconvenience will necessarily be suffered by future population. The center of the county is in Cedar Bottom, consequently not suitable for a town. Your Commissioners

30

located Princeton on the center line of the county running east and west, and the north-and-south line on the west of the town is just three miles from the center.

    "Again, the quarter of land Princeton contains is worth at least double, to the county, what the quarter at Clarksville is worth, from the situation of both. Clarksville is a narrow, crooked ridge, interrupted by sloughs, while Princeton is a beautiful, level prairie.

    "We oppose the unnecessary expense for the county to make an election on the subject.

    "Your petitioners, therefore, request your honorable body to let the county seat of Kishkekosh County remain at the town of Princeton, according to its location, for which your petitioners would ever pray."

    To this remonstrance were attached the following signatures:

    F. R. S. Byrd, Aliathan Newton, Noah Bonebrake, John Bonebrake, Geo. W. Bethards, Wm. Olney, Josiah C. Boggs, L. M. Boggs, Jeremiah Wilson, A. M. Walker, John Walker, Michael Lower, John Lower, Jas. McRoberts, Wm. Scott, Jas. R. Boggs, Joseph Lundy, Wm. Bellsland, Eliphalet Johnson, Abram Tilley, Lawrell Tyrrell, Creath Renfro, John Renfro, John B. Gray, John A. Massey, Abraham Webb, Andrew Gillespie, Andrew Elswick, Jonathan Elswick, Calvin Elswick, John Walker, F. New, Jabez Tuttle, Thornton F. Chapman, Thos. R. Barbour, Christopher K. Wilson, Abner Harbor, Jas. T. Bradley, Horace I. Tyrrell, F. Healy, Robt. M. Hartness, Oliver Tyrrell, Philander Tyrrell, I. Beebe, G. Judson, Joseph Bruce, John Midlain, Wm. McBride, George Anderson, Job Rogers, John Gunther, Israel Green, Oliver P. Rowles, David Rowles, James Hardestay, Reuben Mock, Thomas McSouth, Ira Beebe, Peter Miller, Andrew Barber, B. F. B. Bates, Chas. Anderson, Wm. H. McBride, Wm. Buchanan, Geo. Day, Jas. Gordon, Jas. McIntyre, Jacob Zigler, John M. McIntryre, John R. Bruce, Mesach Pluffs, Lawson Bradley, Orwin Judson, Wm. bonebrake, A. Dorothy, Smith Judson, Harry Miller, Chas . Bates, Joseph Franks, John Webb, Wm. Lower, Jacob Bonebrake, M. Cross, Alfred Marvin, Geo. Marvin, Foster Marvin, John Mock.

    To the petition calling for an election to reestablish the county seat, and in behalf of the town of Clarksville, there were 149 signatures, and the remonstrance were attached

31

88 names, among which Ira Beebe and Wm. McBride each subscribed his name twice. The names of Andrew Gillespie, Ira Beebe, Philander Tyrrell, and B. F. B. Bates occur in both petition. [Note: there are more names that are identical in both petitions, i. e. Smith Judson and John Miller; whether they are the same person or not, is not stated in the book.]

    An election was held in April, 1846, and it was decided, by a bare majority of 4, to allow the county seat to remain at Princeton. Accordingly, on January 19, 1846, the Legislature passed a bill permanently locating the county seat at Princeton, or Albia, as it was named in the bill—an act having been passed the same day changing the name.

    At the county-seat election there was considerable political wire-pulling. At the same election some officers were to be elected, among which was a delegate to the constitutional convention called for the purpose of adopting a State constitution. Wareham G. Clark, W. H. H. Davis, and Mr. Leighton were the aspirants. The Princeton crowd were Whigs, and Clark and Davis were Democrats, but the Whigs entered into a compact to support Davis if he would use his influence in behalf of Princeton. He did so, but the Whigs went back on him and voted for Leighton. Mr. Clark, on the other hand, was elected delegate by a good majority.

    The county-seat question now being settled for all time, the Board of Commissioner, consisting of Smith Judson, Wm. McBride, and Andrew Elswick, met on the 17th of August, 1846, for the purpose of arranging plans to erect a court-house. According to specifications, the structure was to be 20 feet square and 14 feet high, and constructed of hewn logs 7 inches in thickness and hewn on two sides, and the cracks between the logs were to be not more than 3 inches wide at the corners. The roof was to be composed of clapboards 3 feet in length and nailed to rafters hewn on one side. The gable ends of the building were to be weatherboarded in the prevailing architecture of the period. The architect undertaking the erection of this edifice was placed under a bond of $160 to secure its completion by the 25th of September.

    Another session of the Board of Commissioners convened in extra session on the 18th of August, to consider plans and proposals for the chinking and daubing of the court-house, and the transaction of other matters of importance.

    In 1847 the subject of liquor traf[f]ic came up, and at the April election a vote was taken on the proposition to issue

32

a license for the sale of intoxicants; 82 votes were cast in favor of license and 42 against the measure.

    When the court-house was finally completed, and the contractor paid for the job, which amounted to $75, the Board of County Commissioners next began to canvass the question of erecting a county jail. In April, 1848, arrangements were made to build a jail 16 feet square. The walls, loft, and floor were to be composed of hewn logs 1 foot square, and there was to be one window 14x16 inches, secured by suitable fastenings. Alpheus Miller and Doster Norland were awarded the contract for building the jail. The cost of the structure was $174.

Chapter IV.