The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1869-07-19
"REMINISCENCES
OF YE oLDEN HAPPY TIMES,
Organization or Lewis County-Its
Early History.
NUMBER TWO.


The next meeting of the Court was held
on the 18th of April, 1917, and among
other proceedings, We find the following
peculiar order:
"On motion Of Joel Westfall, ordered
that he have Liccuco granted him to
continue his ferry across the Buckhannon
River, agreeably to the Licence granted
him by the Court of Harrison County
the same as if this county had nerertaken
place."
Another order, which sounds strange
to modern ears, is the following, rcgula-
ting what bank notes should be current in
the County:
"Agreublc to the act Of assembly pass
cd the 10th day of January, 1917. Or
dered, that the following chartered Bank
notes be considered Current within this
County, to-wit: All chartered Bills or
notes in the District of Columbia; the
chartered Banks in the Cities ofBaltimore
and Annapolis, the Bank of Marietta in
the State Of Ohio, the Union Bank of
Pennsylvania, the Knoxville Bank in the
State of Tennessee, and the State Bank Of
North Carolina, besides the Bank of Vlr-
GINA and the farmers Bank of Virginia,
arc hereby declared to be current within
the County"
The Committee to locate the County
scat, which was provided for by the act Of
Assembly, made their report, which we
give in full, as matter Of interest to all
our readers. 1t is as follows:
"MARcu 3lst, 1917.
"Bc it remembered, that We, the I'M
dcrsigncd, Commissioners appointed by
the act of the General Assembly, to view
the County Of Lewis and to fix on suila-
bio place for the permanent seat Of JUS
tice for said County, do agree and deter
mine that the most suitable place for the
purpose aforesaid is on the farm Of Hery
Flcsher, lying and being on the Bank OF
the West Fork of the Monongahalia
River, above the mouth Of Stone Creek,
now called Stone Coal on the Est side Of
said River, aud that the particular spot Of
Ground on said farm agreed on by us, is
the rising ground east of tho said Flesh
ors dwelling house, near the Mreshing
floor Of said Fcsher, n1ere lis stacks no'o
stand.
"signcd and scaled the day aud year
aforesaid.
~EWIS MAXWELL, SEAL"
"ELIAS LOWTHER, SEAL !"
"JOHN Mccoy. SEAL"
THE italics throughout are our own.
The consequence Of the adoption Of this
report was that the County seat was loca-
ted at the present town Of Weston, and
the Court House was actually built where
Flesher's stack-yard was formerly located.
The "town" was then but portion of an
improved farm-tlero being but ono
dwclling-house on tho whole tract.
We do not find anything further Of in
tercst in the proceedings Of the May
Court, and so we pass on to the June
session, which met at Weston on the 9th
day Of that month, and was the first Court
ever held in this place.
The first order of interest is that allow
lug the Commissioner ofthc Revenue SloO
for his services, and in reading this order
we should bear in mind the fact that, at
that time, Lewis county embraced four
times as much territory rs it now does.
1t is as follows:
"The Commissioner of the Revenue
having completed his books, it is ordered
that he be allowed the sum Of Ono hun
dred and fifty Dollars for his services for
the year 1917 aud that the same be certi-
fed 10 the Auditor of publick acts"
At this term of tho Court, the first
Grand Jury was empancllcd, which con-
sisted Of George Dobson, foreman, John
Cline, William Mloneypenuy, John
Brown, Samuel Stalnakcr, Peter Hard
man, Jacob Wolf, Samuel Oliver, Nlintcr
Bailey, Manuel Alkirc, Daniel Mclean,
George stralcy, David Wolf, Palscr But
cher, William Peterson, senr., Martin
Life and Jacob Abbott, who, after having
received their charge, retired to their
chamber, and after some time returned
into Court, and in the quaint language Of
the old record presented prcscntment
agst Presley Hamilton for Keeping a
Tavern and Retailing Liquors, true
bill;' and IA prescntucnt against same
for keeping Tavern without liccncc, true
BILL"
We might infer from the reading Of tho
first prcsentment that in those good old
days it vas u crime to keep tavern, as It
simply charges Mr.. Hamilton with that
offence; but they are of interest chiefly
because they wero the first which were
found nfter the formation Of tho County