Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1932-08-11

which brings us up to 1892.
Hoping the names may bring
pleasant memories and may cause
many of our readers to send in more
history Of Bristol folks, we will
give you some records as kept by
the j. P. of Bristol We find some
of the prominent folks of the town
ship had business before Justice
John B. Roberts. We note where
the said J. P. ordered Constables
John Whitehouse and w. B. Ham
ilton to serve summons on various
persons to appear before him to an
swer to accounts filed, to appear as
witnesses and jurors. We find
where a doctor sued doctor;
where a doctor through his agent
W. H. Bradley sued several of his
patients. Mr.. Blackledge has the
court docket dating way back which
he has offered us for inspection.
have here, we find We will be un-
able to give what we had in mind
until we get the big volume. But
We recall at this time story told
4 by the late Attorney j. A. Iyers.
/ When he had gone from McConnels-
+ vile TO the home of Squire Rob
/ erts, to appear as counsel, as he was
/ tying up his livery team his client
came out and asked him "What dc
you want us to swear to JESSE"
When we get the big book, we
/ will give you some court news per
tanning to cases tried that drew
crowds Of men. At that time wom-
en- did not attend law suits unless
! they had to. But not so now. We
! find that since women have been
! them sit through trials wherein the
/ testimony would have shocked our
grandmothers until they would have
been ashamed to appear in public
again for months. What a change
now, Women fight for places as
court officials.
We have some very good friends
who believe in signs, who plant III
the moon, and all such. We also
have some just as good friends who
do not believe in signs-who plant
in the ground. All of them raise
wonderful crops some years; all OF
them have failures or near fail
ures some years. We believe it
would be untrue to say that any
body who prepared the soil, planted
and cultivated properly, ever had a
complete failure in Bristol town
ship. If you notice, we have con-
nected the last statement with, or
tried to with, the one just before,
is getting better. Other folks will
tell us the world is going straight
to hell Oh rubber wheels. We hold
elections to remedy things in the
nation, state, and down to the town
ship, and then We hold more elec-
tions, and sometimes wish we could
hold more Perhaps you are won
dering where we are trying to take
you. Let us See-perhapS it is all
in how you feel. The invalid rich
is no happier and more satisfied
than the strong poor man. In tell
ing of the No. 10 Rowland school,
we failed to tell you that the school
house was built in the fall of 1872,
by John Blackburn This was the
year Elmer and Robert Rowland
with their parents left Bristol and
went to Union. More about these
folks later.
In looking through the record
referred to, we find some more
1S9293; Anna Parmiter, 1898 Ora
Culver, 1894 Many of the stubs to
the orders for teachers salary were
not filled out.
Two Days
There was a time in the history
of Ohio when a young man reaching
the age of 21 years was notified by
the road supervisor to appear with
shovel, pick or mattock, on the
road at a designated place, on a
certain date, to perform two days
labor. All able bodied men between
the ages of q and SIS were called TO
perform this labor. We find that
some of the men invited or notified
failed to appear, and then the su-
pervisor entered suit against them,
before the j. p, for the amount in
cash. AS we remember, only folks
in the country performed this labor.
At that time residents Of the towns
and villages felt they had no inter
est in the roads, but now we And
merchants and business men are
contributing cash for the improve
ment of the roads. Then as now the
road question was a big one. Re-
Gently our historian told us of the
appraisement of land-told of the
time when the late John Henderson
appraised the township. He started
with the north tier of sections and
through that tier and back on the
next one until he had been on every
farm. Many times much OF ap-
praising has been done by the fire.
side. Personal property appraisal
has undergone some radical changes
in the past Is years. Instead Of an
official calling on the owner and
looking the property over and fixing
a valuation, the owner now gives in
his property to the auditor, and in
this county no assessors are employ
ed. Today while walking on the
Barnesville pike, we met the Zanes-
Vile Marietta bus, which at this
time is detourlng this way until the
road down the river is improved for
detour while the road from Nc
Connelsville to Beverly is con-