The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-04-11
Something Interesting on the
Probate Office.
Sketches of Those Who Have Had
Charge OF the onioo,
And Its Establishment In This City In
1861,
Including Judges Rafr. haaelet'' BURKE
Underh,il. HeldenbrAnd, hong'
Meyer aud paweelt,

sINfu nih NllNNf Whff 49, |
in inc State Ohio, and all business per
tanning 10 probate matters WAS done by
the elerl, Of courts, The Office was
created by the new constitution which
was adopted In 1854, ana since that
time ln stark county there have been
eight Judges who have hllbd tho once
In regular succession, via; judges
lian, llazott, Burke, underhul llel'
denbrand, Mong, Meyer and the PRESENT
incumbent FawoetL
Unlike most Of the county offices, the
old party custom OF Two terms dota
not aplly TO the probate ONCE, Judge |
Underhil WIS elected to four sueet'SlYo |
terms, Judge lloldenband was elected !
10 three successive terms and came !
within few votes of securinga fourth !
term,
or tho eight judges, four survive
Updefhill, Mong ana Fawcett, who live
ln tLls CITY Pud Meyer, who lives IN
california. llnfi, Burke and Meyer
were Democrats and lla1lelt, Under
nm, lleldenbrand, Mong and faWeeIt
were Republicans
JUDGE RAfE
George w, Ran was the lr6t Probate
f. ne M stark county being elected 10
i.t. Unlcr In 1851, lie was born M Fns'
cn.tWaa township, stark county March
%. 1925. lie tpbut most Of hla OOyhuOd
d. .hln thr western part Of thH county
~ ghpa3rOl "a he came 10 Canton TO
usssJ W8 uucIc Who was county lttcptd'
co. Az Che same time ht CltTktd ln me
6tuyu Uf Martin Wlhdal Ills uncle
VIVA Uccepdrl by ArnOuld Lynch,
f,fHar0t William Aaud Austin Lyuch,
iu hr Recorders but No retained Nh
Ran lO do clerical work, lu 1914 AlS
uuus had been Up Olnlrd clerk OF
rurB and be- rendered him the posi-
tIuu uf grrol Vi deputy lie began read
I.u IuW in 1913 win Hiram GrlSwOld
n.l WAS one of stark cOunlyb leading
.. vera aud he was admitted 70 the
o.. m July 1870. A year later he was
u rd lr0hnlr Judge on ihr Demo
d.. ticket. llis Republican compel
... Was Ellis N Johnson, VINO IL sun
t,I.gin $40. Union and WAS 100 years
u,I uu lg.t Monday Judge Ran wnS
.Nu Youngest mnn that ever lllled the
ulIuo uplug only 20 years Of age Whtn
hu fuue oath OF ulllce,
Upun retiring from the 0Olce hc eu
lsrrl iu,ou iAW partnership with Mr.
John llhm OF this city lIu aller'
wWus became a IW wnlrr and pu0.
hghpd fuuF books. viz lluI'S Guide. . Is
pruuOu muuuui % wNF claimants guide |
ua book styled, Rams ioad Laws /
winch Hre much used aud considered |
good authority by ONO attorneys. In !
1919 hp formed law partnership with
George h., Baldwin, \ year later he
was mpIp thr confidential attorney OF
q. AulUnnu & Go, and he continued iu
thr service of the company until Dc,
1881 In me- prlng OF 1887 le aud his
SON Edward orgauiaed the Central say
lur# Dunk. he was elected president !
90, Ihr bank and served Va This capacity !
Wul uls death he WIS uu able law !
ypr Uul hs opinion upon legal QucS |
tiuu WIS generally regarded by tNu nt !
iurupi8 ,u the county S safe aud lt'
.lHu.t,
lWmEI'N2LErT,
rno Know Ns,hmg eruption 81 1854 |
defeated Judge iiuh Tor his second |
term sud lWHr lu2.rtt OCCgmC his sue !
cpssur llp WINS born lu Canton NOV |
/. lS2luud WIB educated ln tir Caution ,
public schools liu ftrWWdl studied |
IaW ana WVUdWI,ud 20 the bUr M 1850. |
Nc puG.nHH IHW uH.l Ne was elected |
pfuuUr Judge Although not va 40.
ypCuug., ,.tWH regarded as % good |
LAWYER Wul nNlH 100 excellent 'udgc /
LlNc Iuirn NnW hr wHs defeated for
his ..rbud Hrw Upon his retirement
ffum H, .'igr lp entered into . law |
rNwBH@h'p m.b Juhu Lahm and con
i'm. IU .Hr practice null about the
yehr 1860 WhaH the partnership was
diayvlr, pY reason Installing health,
lie ea,,.jN. ,ll 2l, 1874 and is buried 10
West Lawn.
I'M. 'GE nuRNr
mls57 the p,m, 'crats regeinrd con
trol ol the pronate on. zee Dy tlle eltetioh
of WliIm il. burke. Ills Gompetitor
was Judge iiH2lett JUdh, nuHS nuaHG was ,S
born ~ tue year 1913 and h ",iou m. wy
trade nf q Glilor lie fOilOwaf ''ls w,
cupatlOu until 1916 when he W,As cl,. oVVu
auditor of this. county AfAr hlNIS
the OllinN Tor I years he Uepgn N'orklug1 !
lt hts trade aud was engaged IN the
business ~ MaBslllun when no REQ siyed
,he nomination Of his party for N, OF.
ice OF Probhle Judge. Ills cOmph tor
was Judge ll1lnl whO wes rnnnlngi OF
lts second term aud Burkes electiD Y
,yer sucll gn abe aud competent mtA
~ HnHlelt was not considered probable.
Burke WAS elected however 10y Z votes. l
He wns % very prominent MasOu and T.
lis election Was attributed ~ The siren 3
loua effort Of che Masons throughout
he county He was not a lawyer but
vas u man possessed Of good Judgment >,
md lillpd The Office very NCCpptably. He | L
vas t1ie only man that ever filled the o
illco who WAS not Il regular admitted "
ttmcy iln dlgd Ia 1874, n
JupGE uNDEmuLL. y
James w. Underhill was born in q
ireen county, N. Y. Oct, q, 1878. He
,as Of Quaker parentage and was the p
eC0nd of family of three children. II
Ie came 10 Stark county In 1927 but y
hen his father died in 1883, he return. n
/ 10 New York 10 live with his uncle. \
10 remained with his uncle for three
ears, attending school and working on
farm, and then went back TO Massil.
m. In 1910 he began reading law with e
amuel Poase, uncle of Judge Pease
nd was admitted 10 the bar In l8i2.
le practiced law In Mnssillon and was /,
with several different law q,
rms. In 1855 he was elected 10 the ~
'gislature from Stark county and ri
eryed one term In 1860 he was elect +,
d to the Office Of probate Judge, defeat. n,
lg Judge Burke for his second torn. N
le was reelected In 1863, 1866 and 1869. a
,iter retiring from TIE probate Office -,
Q formed u partnership with John ssSt
,ahm, under the firm name of Under. ~
III and Lahm. The partnership was :,