The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-06-01

Jobn Roosiuge to clear off the woods from what Is
now the village of Rayenna- AT TINS ume FRANZ
lin township included Ravenna, Rootstown and
Charlestown, and in all had 81 voters. Tappan
had got little spot cleared OF, and paper town
plat recorded extending from the top of the hill at
the Catholic Church, east to where Darius Lyman,
Esq. formerly lived. Tappan, as an inducement 10
locate at this place, offered to give the public square
north of the alley running back of the jail and
Court House, and each alternate lot. and erect a
Court House and Jail.
The Commissioners ascertaining that tile to the
land could not be had in franklin. located the
County Seat on Tappan's plats, and Ravenna be-
came known as the County Seat of Portage county
From this time the history of Ravenna Is the his
tory of the county, blended that they cannot well
be kept separate.
Tappan erected the Court House, which has since
been removed, and is now used as carriage facto
IT by Messrs. Merits & Riddle, in the east part of
the village.
At the first term of the Court held in Portage
county In August, 1S0e. the Journal was kept BY
reads: Estate of Ohio, county of Portage, Tues
day, August the sd. A D. 1903. This being the
day appointed by Law. Tor the sitting OF the Court
of Common Pleas for said county, the court open
ssPresent-Calyin Pease, Esq, President; VIII
liam Wetmore, Aaron Norton and AmZi Atwater,
Esquires, Associate Judges; Alva Day, Sheriff;
A. b. Keys, Prosecuting Attorney.
and Reasin Beail. Commissioners appointed to fix
the Seat of Justice for the County of Portage, was
made TO the Court, which being read, was ordered
Ordered that the Court adjourn till o'clock in
the afternoon, to meet at the house of Robert Ea-
tom"
The house of Robert Eaton, to which the Court
was adjourned, was two miles southeast of the
mt Re SGr tne c o no" 0ccu-
at this term, Asa D. Keys, of Shalersville. was
appointed Prosecuting Attorney, pro. tenn but
l&f. rTr1frra rf Mo
were B, Tappan t. D. Webb, r. B Parkman and
John S. Edwards. Webb walked from Warren in
shoes and carried his boots as matter of econo-
my and to have them in order 'to shine in Court.
The house served for dwelling, tavern court house,
jail. and all other purposes necessary 1or the ad
were identicaEor in legal language it was bar
| room, otherwise called kitchen. Among The fire.
quent attendants on Court and practitioners at the
Eitchen bar, were David Root Christian Carkler
and Conrad Boosinger. They were great lovers of
tobacco the juice of which they squirted in the fire
place. Dan Stow, ofNeIson, used to say the only
| bastiDg the roasting meat got, was what tobacco
| juice they squirted OF it.
his wife died in May, 1856 at Harpersfeld, aged "a
On the Sth ofJune, 1908, the first election, to Or
ganize the county, was held at the house of Tap
pan. the one formerly occupied by Lyman Hotch-
| kiss, one mile east of the village. The house is
still standing but moved back from its former 10
cation. The voters of the whole county met here.
Alva Day. Sheriff; Lewis Ely, Coroner; Joseph
Harris, Lewis Day and Joel Gaylord, Commission
ers oliver c. Dickinson was appointed Clerk OF
| Commissioners, and Elias Harmon, County Treas
| urer,-al dead The County Commissioners met
on the 23d day OF August, 1908, when the amount
of resident land tax in Franklin (incuding Raven
| ma, Rootstown and Charlestown) was $46,8 SO.
At the first general election, October II, 1853,
there 81 votes polled. The clerks of the elec
| ton, Robert Campbell and Frederick Carts, Jr,
were sworn before Robert Campbell, Justice of the
Peace by which it appears that for want of other
| authority Campbell swOre himself.
At the December term of the Court, 1903, Rial
| Macarthur, who is still living in Northampton
Summit county, was appointed County Surveyor
There is no record of the appointment of a Clerk
but the close of the term the journal is signed
| Benjamin Wheedlon, Clerk P. T.
| pointed Prosecuting Attorney, and Seth Day, Clerk
Mr.. Day held this appointment until Il think) 1896
| The first Court was held at the house of Rober
Eaton, August 23d, 1908.
| 1st Case-The State of Ohio vs. William Simcox
For disturbing religious meeting by hunting
and shooting, on the 18th day OF June, l608-be-
ing Sunday. David Hudson, Foreman. Plea
gHilty-fne, $3.50
| 2nd Case, same Term-State of Ohio vs.. VIM. Sim
| cox.-Stealing tame deer from David Jennings
| on the 18th of June, 1903 Verdict, not guilty.
| His son, Sam Simcox, stole horse in Pennsyl
vania was arrested, put in JAIL broke out, and wai
| never heard of again.
| AS specimen of the records, there is the follow
| ing entry:
| 1sZebina Weatherbee vs. John Haymaker Geo
| Haymaker, in debt. This day came the parties
and John Campbell, of franklin, personally ap
peared and undertook. for the defendants that
the defendants shall be cast in the action that the,
| shall pay the cost and condemnation money, o.
surrender themselves into the custody of the Sher
| iff of the county, or he will do it for them