Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1867-04-10
HISTORY Y
-OF-
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY,
OHIO
Entered according TO Act of Congress, in the
year 1861, by J. W. HoUX, in the Clerks
Office of the District Court for the
Southern District of Ohio.
CHAPTER III.

Legislature OF Ohio passed an act estab
fishing the county of Champaign to EN-
brace " so much of the counties of Greer
and Franklin as comes within the follow
ing boundaries beginning where tn,
Range line between the Sth Range anC
9th Rnge intersects the eastern boun
dairy of the county of Montgomery, theme,
east to the eastern boundary of the coun
tv of Green and to continue six miles IL
the county of Franklin; thence north tC
the State line; thence west with said line
to the county of Montgomery and thence
to the beginning. The act also ordained
that from and after the first day of March
1905, the said county should be vested
with all the powers, privileges and i'm
munities Of a separate and distinct coun,
ty, and it also provided that the tempor-
ary seat of justice should be at the town Of
Springfield at the house Of George Fifth
an, until the permanent seat of justice be
fixed according to law.
It will be observed that the name Of
Green county is spelled without the final
E in all the early laws. But as it was
named after General Nathaniel Greene, in
practice it is now spelled in accordance
with the true name.
A. New counties were Of course a ne
cessity in a new country, as the increase
of population permitted the people to
take upon themselves the duties and the
expense of new organizations and besides
it was desirable to bring the administra-
ton of law, and the proximity of records,
as near as possible to the people But
it often happened that the location of
county seat was the prime impulse for
making a new county, so as to build up
a town and promote sale of lots. The
act for establishing Champaign county
provided that permanel seat of justice
should be fixed according to law. This
was provided for, by a general law passed
at the first session of the First General
Assembly, entitled an act for establishing
seats of justice. That law required, that
for each new county established, there
should be appointed by the General As
sembly, three commissioners, whose duty
it should be, to examine and determine
what part of the county so established
was most eligible for holding the courts
Of said county. The law also provided
that no person should be eligible to the
Office Of Commissioner, who resided with
in the new county, or who was the holder
Of real property therein and who had not
arrived at the age Of twenty-five years
and been a resident one year within the
State.
10. These Commissioners were requir-
ed to meet within sixty days after notifca-
tion of their appointment, and thereupon .
take an oath to perform their duties and
then, having given 20 days public notice
to the inhabitants, proceed to select a
proper place for the seat of justice as
near the center Of the county as possible.
The Commissioners were required to
make report to the Court of Common
Pleas, setting forth what place they had
fixed on for the county seat, and if no
town had been previously laid off at the
place chosen, the Court were to appoint
4 Director who should purchase the land,
lay off the same into lots and streets and
sell the lots at public or private sale for
.ho benefit of the New County, first pay
ng the cost of purchase and the expense
IF survey.
16. This law gives an interesting pic
uro of the times, and of the means adopt
ID to secure to the public, the incidental +
benefit of profit in laying out town. J
The law also gave stringent remedies a
gainst the Commissioners of location in |
ase of corruption in their acts, and in
ase of bribery they were liable to a c
leayy fine. This was sixty two years |
go, and it is sad to learn, as we do, by
hese statutory safeguards and implications !
hat even then men were suspected Of be-
ng liable to use their public places for !
rivatc gain, as men have been suspected b
nd charged in later times. t
Il. The General Assembly having thus y
the existence of the county, v
t the same session, they appointed Icha- t
cd B Halscy and George Harlin of War II
en- county and William McCIeIland of S
3utler county, as commissioners to 10 q
ate the county scat of the new county. n
hey also met in joint session to elect o
lree associate Judges for the county t.
hen the choice fell upon J Ohm Reynolds, .
ohm Runyon and Samuel McColloch. d
18. Thus did Champaign county be- b
ONE the Twenty y-secOnd county establish n