Second Change of the County Seat.—In March, 1856, under the law of March, 1855, the question of the relocation of the county seat came before the board. At that time Charles H. Mason went before the board and moved that the number of legal voters of the county be fixed as the basis on which to receive petitions for the relocation, the number being 2,100. The general law of March, 1855, gave county boards the conditional power of relocating county seats; before that a special .enactment was necessary, the work being done by a special commission. Mr. Mason pressed the question, but for some reason, probably a lack of the necessary two-thirds of the votes, the board refused to grant the removal to Cannelton, asked for by the petitioners, Sampson dissenting. The question still continued to be leading, though inactive, until 1858, when it again came before the people with renewed zeal. A petition signed by 1,451 citizens, was presented by Ballard Smith, and William P. Beacon. Complete arrangements had been made in pursuance of law to have the seat of justice changed to Cannelton. A two-storied brick schoolhouse was selected as the court house. A deed from the American Cannei Coal Company for a tract of land in tho heart of the town, was made out and presented with the petition. The authorities of the town obligated themselves to transfer the brick schoolhouse and all necessary claim t« the streets, etc., and the petitioners further agreed to erect a suitable building for the county offices. Upon the land was a mortgage held by John Hilton and Stephen Fairbanks, both of whom released their claims. The board took the matter under advisement. In December, 1858, the Legislature passed an amendment to the law of March, 1855, concerning the relocation of county seats, and under this the question was resumed in March, 1859. The citizens had paid the county treasurer $3,500 for the county, and had presented a certificate of the coal company to erect a structure for the county officers. March, 8, 1859, the county board accepted the proposals, and formally announced the change of the county seat from Rome to Cannelton. The matter was stubbornly contested by George P. Deweese, Elijah Huckaby, and others^ their counsel being James C. Veatch. It was taken before the Circuit Court, but without avail, as the change was made. W. P. Beacon, in June, 1859, contracted to erect a stone jail, 26×30 feet, walls two feet thick, for $2,000. Eben Dow, for $10, prepared the plan for remodeling the schqplhouse for * court house. William McKinley did the work for $435. Charles H. Mason and Joseph M. Gest superintended the work. They, with Michael Dusch, procured the furniture. By December 7, 1859, all the buiWiuge were ready, court house, jail, county offices, jailor’s residence, etc., and on that day the removal of all records, offices, etc., was ordered under the supervision of W. P. Beacon. Thus was the change effected. Now Tell City wants the ” boon.”

Relocation of the County Seat:—The State constitution of 1816 contains the provision that whenever a portion of the citizens of Spencer and Perry Counties are so inclined, they may establish metes and bounds of a new county, to be formed out of about equal portions of each, not exceeding one-third thereof, and that there shall be held an election and a majority of the voters of the two counties shall determine whether a new county shall be formed. It would be interesting to know why a provision of that kind was inserted in the constitution. Was it the influence of the town of Troy? Rev. Charles Polk represented Perry County in the convention, and Daniel Grass represented Spencer. Why should they want a clause of that kind inserted? The evidence leads to the conclusion that it was a movement of the citizens of Troy, at the head of whom was John P. Dunn, who saw that the old Perry County bounds could not endure, to render secure if possible the contingency of the re-establishment of that town as a county seat at some future day. At the time the act creating Spencer County was passed (January 10, 1818), another providing for the relocation of the county seat of Perry County was also passed. William Harrington of Gibson, Jacob Zenor of Harrison, Ignatius Abel of Harrison, Samuel Chambers of Orange and Samuel Snyder of Spencer were appointed by the act commissioners to meet at the house of Aaron Cunningham, on the first Monday of March, 1818, to relocate the seat of justice. The county agent, Samuel Connor, was authorized to annul every contract made to individuals for lots in Troy who so desired, and to advertise and sell the remaining land there owned by the county. The donations of the McDaniels, except such portions as had been sold, were to revert to them, and they were to be paid with interest the amounts which had been received as the price of donated lots. Every purchaser of lots could give up the same, and receive the money he had paid with interest. Ten per cent, of the sale of lots realized, was to be used for the establishment and maintenance of a county seminary (library ?). The town of Troy could be vacated if the citizens so desired. These were the provisions of the relocation, and all were carried into effect. The commissioners above mentioned, or a majority of them met at the house of Aaron Cunningham and after inspection and deliberation selected Rome as the county seat. It was then known as Washington, and all the land of the original plat, except *such as had already been sold, was donated to the county by Uriah Cummings, in consideration of the location there of the county seat. The number of acres was not stated, and the tract was opposite the mouth of Sinking Creek, Ky. At the same time John Crist sold to the county for $300, a tract of thirty-five acres, adjoining the Cummings’ donation. A little later Mr. Cummings donated to the county forty acres adjoining. Lots were offered for sale, and proceedings were instituted to erect public buildings. The records, courts, offices etc., were all transferred to the new county seat.

Important Acts of the Board.—The records of the County Board prior to November, 1826, are missing. Protracted search failed to reveal them. At that date the justices of the peace were doing county business. The proceedings of greatest importance will be noticed. Samuel Frisbie, who had been county treasurer since 1822, was reappointed; James Mallory was appointed to take charge of the court house, to permit no further trespass there. In 1828, Ansel Hyde was appointed county collector. Samuel Hyde was “pound-keeper.” Samuel Connor kept the ferry at Rome. Pressley Hall was county collector in 1826. November, 1828, Aquila Huff was paid $10.35, the balance due him for building the court  house at Troy. Moses Mallory was county Lister in 1829. Robert Gardner in 1829, succeeded Israel Lamb, deceased, as county agent. Ansel Hyde was county collector in 1829. Samuel Connor was authorized by legislative enactment to build a warehouse on Water Street, Rome. Moses Mallory was county lister in 1830.   Samuel Connor had been county agent before Israel Lamb. Huff was the first, then Connor, then Lamb, and then Gardner. In November, 1830, Stephen Shoemaker succeeded Gardner; William Litherland was surveyor, and Ansel Hyde, county Lister, in 1831.  Joshua B. Huckaby, was “pound-keeper.” Lewis Taylor was lister in 1832.  Eli Carr, was collector in 1832-33 and William Marshall in 1835-36—37. George Ewing became county agent in 1835. John Elder was surplus revenue agent May, 1837. Samuel Connor, who had been school commissioner, was succeeded by John C. Reily in the fall of 1836. For a bridge over Oil Creek $6.50 was appropriated out of the three percent fund.

In September, 1837  Huckaby was directed to build a new astray pen.  (AN ACT regulating the taking up of Animals going astray, and Water Crafts, and other articles of value adrift.  [APPROVED FEBRUARY 17, 1838.] enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Indiana. Animals normally referred to Farm Livestock.)  John A. Decker and William B. Campbell, appointed to oversee the repairing of the court house reported that, owing to the depreciation in the value of county orders, they being worth only 75 cents on the dollar, and changeable at that, they could not secure a contract unless the county would furnish all tho material to begin with. The board ordered issued $200 worth of orders to be used in buying material. The work was done in 1838, and cost $224. A new roof, the floor of the second story, stairways, etc., were among the repairs. The jail was also strengthened. The county at this time was several thousand dollars in debt. County lots in Rome, were ordered sold on the best terms possible. James Hall was collector in 1838. Elijah Huckaby, was collector in 1839. J. E. Anderson, was pound-keeper. James Hall was county assessor.  Presley Hall became county agent in 1840. The first county auditor, Harvey McCoy, appeared in 1841, the office having just been created. In this year, James Wheeler was elected county treasurer, but failed to qualify, and Joshua B. Huckaby was appointed, who failed to qualify, and Jehu Hardy was appointed, who failed to qualify, and B. F. Axton was appointed, who failed to qualify, and James Hall was appointed, who failed to qualify, and there the county board stopped for breath. The treasurer’s bond was fixed so high, that the appointees could not or would not get security. Frisbie served until June, 1842, when Elijah Huckaby took his place. Much the same thing occurred in the auditor’s office. W. S. Lamb, Jehu Hardy and Fred Connor, each in turn, failed to qualify. A special act of the Legislature made B. B. Lea auditor, surplus revenue agent, treasurer of the school fund and three per cent agent, the bond for all being $27,000, a large sum at that day.

In March, 1842, Presley Hall was appointed tobacco inspector. Taylor Basye made several shrouds for county paupers. In 1842 W. C. Sampson became county agent.   G. W. Patterson became school commissioner, and Charles Haskell, assessor. John M. Daniel was sent as a student to the State University. In March, 1843, Joshua B. Huckaby succeeded John Ewing, as surplus revenue agent. B. F. Bates was student to State University. Jehu Hardy, becameschool commissioner in 1843, but a year later was succeeded by Jesse C. Esarey. William Ricks became county agent in 1844. In the fall of 1844 the clerk, recorder and auditor were ordered to remove the county records from the jail building to the new brick, owned by E. Huckaby. A set of standard weights and measures and a seal were ordered obtained in September, 1845. The upper story of the court house was ordered partitioned into rooms, one for the county treasurer. September, 1846, upon the petition of the American Cannel Coal Company, the town of Cannelton was ordered vacated. Only four men besides the company owned lots. Aaron Polk, student, 1846.  Caspar C. Gardner served as county agent from June to September, 1848, his successor being John Tipton Connor. William Basye and H. P. Brazee were students to the State University in 1851. In 1851 an iron safe for the county offices was bought for $80.