Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2012, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== Page 13 HISTORY OF MANISTEE COUNTY HOMELESS RECORDS Public records at an early day were homeless wanderers. Salaries were meagre, and of public buildings there were none. The early postoffice was kept in some mill or boarding house, and some times in the hollow of some faithful tree. The first postmaster at Manistee was Luther G. SMITH, and the office was kept at his mill. Afterwards, when James DEMPSEY became postmaster, it was changed to BUSWELL'S boarding house, and part of the time was kept in CANFIELD'S Mill. The county offices and records also led a migratory life. They were pilgrims and wanderers in the earth. At first they found tem- porary shelter in law offices and private dwellings, and the affairs of the various offices were conducted on a sort of co-operative plan. Then they found room in some hall, changing location so frequently that their whereabouts was at all times a matter of great uncertainty. In 1875, when the question of building a new court house was being agitated, one of the local papers, urging the necessity of a county building, reviewed the situation as follows: "In 1867 the Circuit Court in Manistee was held in a small room called BURPEE'S Hall over a billiard saloon, near the spot where WILLARD & HALL'S store now stands. The click of the billiard balls chimed in sweet harmony with the forensic eloquence inspired by COKE and BLACKSTONE, while the inspiration below would sometimes become so high that the court would dispatch the sheriff to put them down. "The county clerk's office was held in a small corner room just south of the bridge, and the treasurer's office was down near CAN- FIELD'S store, with the funds in a safe so unsafe, that some scamp, with the aid of a knife or a similar instrument, cut his way in and scooped the deposits. "We next find the Circuit Court in ELLIS' Hall. Then it was transferred to THURBER'S Hall where the winds whistled at the court and helped the counsel howl at the jury, while the witnesses had the truth froze out of them around the stove. "Then it slid back to ELLIS' HALL. Then it took a trip up to the City Hall, now the billiard saloon near the livery stable. There it tarried long enough to take breath, and then the court was hustled up to the Temperance Hall, where its sessions are sandwiched be- tween temperance lectures, prayer meetings, negro shows and dances; all for the dignity of the city and the good of its people." In course of time, however, both the city and county provided munificently for their public offices. The first Board of Supervisors of Manistee County met at the office of the county clerk, April 14, 1855, Andrew C. SHERWOOD was chosen chairman, and Henry S. UDELL, county clerk, acted as Page 14 HISTORY OF MANISTEE COUNTY clerk of the board. The board being organized, adjourned to the house of William MAGILL for the transacton of business. May 4th the second meeting was held and a resolution adopted to license Joseph SMITH to keep a ferry across the river at his mill. Also, a resolution to receive proposals for the location of the county seat. The August meeting was held at the store of John CANFIELD. A bounty of $8 was granted John MATOWEN for killing a full grown wolf. At the October meeting the assessment rolls were examined and the aggregate valuation of taxable real and personal property in the townships determined as follows: Manistee, $58,122.40; Stronach, $32,946; Brown, $22,157. It was determined to raise $800 for county purposes, $500 of which should be used for the erection of county buildings, and $300 for incidental expenses. a resolution was adopted prohibiting the throwing of saw dust, slabs, etc., into the Manistee River. At a meeting held November 27th, the following resolution was adopted: Resolved, By the Board of Supervisors of Manistee County, that the county seat be located on Lot 6, Section 1, of Town 21, north of Range 17 west, to consist of a tract of land twenty rods square, to be selected by a committee to be appointed for that pur- pose, as most suitable for a site for county buildings, etc. The first meeting in 1856 was held January 26, at which An- drew C. SHERWOOD was appointed a committee to draft plans for a court house and jail. February 9th, a meeting was held and bids for the construc- tion of a court house examined. William MAGILL being the lowest bidder, the contract was awarded to him at $3,000. At a June meeting the assessment rolls, as equalized, were ex- amined and determined as follows: MANISTEE Number of acres of land assessed, 12,989.88 Aggregate valuation, $63,163.15 Aggregate valuation of personal property $38,390 Aggregate tax, $649.85 BROWN Number of acres of land assessed, 16,488.29 Aggregate valuation, $56,738.38 Aggregate valuation of personal property $12,188.50 Aggregate tax, $502.65 STRONACH Number of acres of land assessed, 8,182.77 Aggregate valuation, $18,937.86 Aggregate valuaton of personal property $23,113.55 Aggregate tax, $247.84 At a meeting in September the two offices of clerk and register of deeds were united. In July, 1857, the board adopted a resolution authorizing the sheriff to keep the river free from obstructions to navigation. The aggregate amount of real and personal property assessed for 1857 was as follows: Manistee, $139,313.51; total tax, $246.94. Brown, $94,411.17; total tax, $167.65. Stronach, $64,104.24; total tax, $113.34. In 1858 the amount of state tax apportioned to the county was $121.83. For contingent expenses there was raised $1,100; also, $250 for a bridge over Bear Creek, and $128.17 for a poor fund. In October, 1858, a settlement was had with William MAGILL, contractor for the erection of county buildings. He had constructed a jail, but the supervisors had withdrawn the contract for the court house, and he was awarded suitable damages. The amount of state tax apportioned for the county in 1859 was $290.25; total county tax, $2,702.99. For 1859 the salaries of county officers were fixed as follows: Clerk, $125; treasurer, $75; prosecuting attorney, $50. In March, 1860, a contract for building a dwelling for the sheriff at the jail was let to Holden N. GREEN, the consideration being $290. The aggregate valuation of real and personal property in 1860 was as follows: Manistee, $145,695.63; Brown, $32,967.38; Stronach, $55,658.78. The county treasurer's salary was raised to $100 for 1860. Three thousand dollars was raised for a contingent fund. The prosecuting attorney's salary was also raised to $250. At the October meeting a license was granted Charles SECOR to keep a ferry across the river. =========================================================================== SOURCE: History of Manistee, Mason and Oceana counties, Michigan With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some Of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers Chicago: H. R. Page & Co., - 1882