The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1898-03-11
EARLY HISTORY.
Another Letter on the Early His
tory of Linn County.

AnOtner Letter on the Early HIS.
tory of Linn County.
EDITOR DEMOCRAT.
That was valuable communication,
that you received from T. A. Riggs and
published in last weeks DEMocRAT. foN
the reason that it clears up several mat
ters OF history that were in doubt. After
reading it and talking personally with
other pioneers I now have no doubt but
that an election was held in this county
under the provisional government in
June of 1898. At that time Anderson
Cox, II. J.Peterson and John A. Dunlap
were elected to the legislature and Jason
Wheeler was elected sheriff At the
same time James kaox, after whom the
butte four miles northeast of Albany
was named, was elected justice Of the
peace.
The county officers had very little TO
do. Early in lS49 Gen Joe Lane reach
ed Oregon, having been appointed gov
ernor OF the territory. Under his direc-
tion q census OF the territory was taken,
and as sheriff Mr.. Wheeler did this
work in Linn county. Late in the same
year the first election ~as held under
the new territorial government, the re-
suit being as stated in my last COM
munication.
The first court We nov know was held
in q school house on the farm of Rev H.
IL. Spau.dinR. near Brownsville, on Dec.
IL, 1910. This point was cleared up by
Mr.. Riggs
will now give you little more Of the
history oil the county as shown by the
records:
At the regular meeting OF county court
held in December, 1850. petitions were
filed for the frat three roads In the coun-
short distance below where Jefferson
Mckenzie. aud 10 so by way OF Albany
and john McCoy's place on Muddy. The
viewers we're Jacob Spores, Milton Hale
and John Layton. Another vas TO run
"irom Aibsnv TO the crossing OF the CAL
apooia St Kinks" brownsville TIE
viewers were Walter Monteith. James
| Blakely aud Truitt Davis. The other
road was to run from 'sSyrscuse to A
Kinks on the Calapooia" and the viewers
we're A Kirk, James Knox and Thos
Ramsdell. Luther White vas employed
~ surveyor.
At the meeting OF court held in April.
1851, VIM McCaw resigned The Office OF
county clerk. and M. @ Chambers wss
! appointed to fill the vacancy. Mr..
Chambers is still residing on his dons-
tion claim At the foot OF Knox Butte He
provided q new book and very carefully
copied all the previous records into IL.
Every line and every signature up TO this
date appears in his penmanship. The
old gentleman Was tine penm.n for
those days, and took great deal OF pains
in preparing his records The FIRST page
OF bis Journal 10 very ornamental, sur
rounded by .sotder Of artistic design,
ali executed with pen which was prob
ably the s'old goose quill /"
In June, 1851, the court divided the
county iuio nine road districts. and ap
pointed supervisors as follows:
| Syracuse district-Exum Powell
Albany--John Layton.
+. Muddy Creek-HirAm Bond.
wilsons-John Wilson.
Caiapooia-Jas Blakely
Brush Creek-JosIah osburn.
kees-Jas Gore.
/ Santiam-Ias Cutl
Lake Creek-Russell Watts
In June, 1851, another election occur
red. There were seven election precincts
at this time and the judges OF election
were a. follows:
Albany-Jas Mcfarland, John Layton
and Aaron Hyde.
Syracuse-Milton Hale, Jacob L Mil
Ter and John Crooks.
Santiam-Wm Cyrus, Jas Carl and B
B Griffin.
Kees-wm Gore, Reuben Coil and
Henry Clymer.
Ia!Apoois-Jas Blskeiy. John Findley
and A 7 Hall
Muddy S Dill. Russell Watts, and
Jonathan Braitain.
Spores-M wilkins, Isaac Briggs and
John Diamond.
The name Of this last precinct and the
conclusiyely that fhe southerntboundary
OF The county at that time was the Nc
kenzie river.
i This election Was just q little bis ir-
regular. or we would consider il 90 nov.
sdsys al least. ii an election should be
held now In the same way the probabil.
ity is that some Unsuccessful candidate
would ask to have the Yote OF Spore'.
precinct thrown out. Uncle Johnny
Diamond, who lie still living on his old
claim near Coburg. acted as one OF the
judges, and at the next term OF enurl
after the election, he appeared before
. the judges and asked TO be made az
: American citizen. OF course his request
yas granted and the oath he took is en-
|. tered up in due form as follows:
do solemnly swear that / renouuc,
all fidelity and allegiance TO all foreign
princes and states, and declare my in.
tention 20 become citizen OF the Unit
ed States. JoHS DIAMOND.
Subscribed and sworn TO before me th,
Goth day Of August, 1851.
/, NJ. G. CHAMBERS, Clerk.
i There 10 no doubt but that Uncle
j Johnny exercised the rights OF an Amer
u ican citizen In the case mentioned abov
It while he WAS yet an Irishmsn, and
think 1t is not too late yet for him {
d suffer for his misdemeanor. He ough
y to be given fair and impartial trial a
: the next annual meeting OF the Pioneers
3. At this election in 1852, Mccoy, Dun
Q lap and Baber were reelected probat
10 judges. Chambers and Hutchins wer
he again chosen az clerk and sheriff, and
- Riggs was elected assessor.
At the september term Assessor Rigg
made his report, which showed the tar
able property Of the county TO be $32S ,02l
The tax was placed at four mills
Q. ii. STEWART.
3. a. Sanford and Alex Moir, OF Lad
,e 4 Bush's bank, OF Salem, spent Sunda
y in Albany.
Id Miss Dorothea Nash, OF the o. A. G
Id is in the city the guest OF Miss Berth
Ellis.
C. Miss Mary Cundiff has finished b,
Id school at Harrisburg and has returns
home.
License has been issued for the ma
,t. riage OF Mr.. John o.. Fry and Miss &c
trude Holloway.
.s The Portland Telegram speaks as 70
lows of the funeral OF the father Of Ha
.o. ry Taylor OF this city: The remains
a a., the late w. B. Taylor were laid to re
yesterday in Lons Fir, the attendan,
being very large and the services mo
ng than unusually impressive. The ord
OF services as outlined in SATURDAYS Te
egram was faithfully carried out and
ek their close the grave was profnsely CO
IT. cred with choice floral pieces and maj
ill bouquets. Among the pieces OF mo
'ch than rare beauty was floral flag In Il
,h~ national colOrs contributed hv Gnn, M,