900 feet to a cliff; 2,800 feet to a small stream; 4,550 feet to a small stream; 5,100 feet to P. Stipe's land. 8,400 feet to Tom Corley's land; 11,030 feet to Nixon Shomo's land; 12,300 feet to Visquesney's line; 13,400 feet to George Hayes' land; 17,176 feet to Beaver Creek; 20,495 feet to Valley River: 24,660 feet to the north bank of the river, after crossing the second time, nearly opposite the mouth of Zebb's Creek; 26,486 feet to the river again; 27,500 feet to H. G. Davis' land; 30,012 feet to Patrick Judge's land, 31,175 feet to T. Kavanaugh's land; 33,300 feet to Patrick Glannon's land; 34,281 feet to Taylor's graveyard; 53,447 feet to the mouth of Sarvis Run on the west bank of Middle Fork." Hamiltih Michael See Georg op aar. John Mudan The First Court, The minute book of Barbour County's first county court begins with an entry made April 3, 1843, and it is therein stated that the court was held at the house of William F. Wilson, and all the acting Justices of the Peace of the county were present. They were: David Holder, Jacob Keller, William Shaw, Jacob Bennett, Joseph Teter, Henry Sturm, William F. Wilson, William W. R. Callihan, Samuel Elliott, Elam D. Talbott, Isaac Booth, John H. Woodford, Joseph McCoy, William McCoy, Noah E. Corley, John Reger, Samuel Stalnaker, John Kelley, Michael H. Nevil, George Nestor and William Johnson. At that time, under the Virginia constitution of 1830, the county court was composed of the Justices of the Zedekial Morgan. Peace, and the Justices were appointed by the John Toneshe Governor. The Sheriff was nominated by the dicks Gibhen Justices and appointed by the Governor. Brich offer the Ofbem Marsteller John Har Jmp Am Grace White Job Parsons He was usually the oldest Justice, that is, the one who had been longest in office. The Justices also elected All of the Justices of the the County Clerk. Peace who lived in the territory taken from Ran dolph (east of the Valley River and Buckhannon River) had been Justices in Randolph County; and it is said that all the others had been Justices in Lewis or Harrison Counties. The first duty to which the new court gave its attention was the election of a Clerk for the term as Crane John Whores of seven years. Three candidates presented their Joe John Michael H. Nevil and Thomas Hall. The result love Int Jame button SIGNATURES OF EARLY JUS- names to be voted upon viva voce, Lair D. Morrall, was, Morrall received 11 votes, Nevil 5 and Hall 3; Morrall being elected. He at once entered upon his duties but first gave bond in the sum of $3,000, his sureties being Samuel Stalnaker, William F. Wilson, E. D. Talbott, Henry Sturm and George Harris all but the last being members of the court. The court was now organized and ready for work. Six lawyers came forward and asked to be admitted to practice, all of them being attorneys wellknown in the county at that time. They were, John S. Carlile, John S. Duncan, Edgar M. Davisson, U. M. Turner, Bernard L. Brown and David Goff. They took the required oath and were admitted to practice before the county court. At that time there was much more business in the county court for lawyers than there is under the present constitution, by which much of the business formerly done in that court is now transferred to the circuit court. At that time, as now, the office of Sheriff was one of the most important in the county; but it was not, as it now is, open to any voter of the county who might choose to try for it, but no one Crouch Samuel Bonnifield My Damely Len ward. except a Justice of the Peace was eligible, only in rare cases of vacancy when a temporary appointment of "cryer" (a substi The tute for Sheriff) might be made. tomary (a custom perhaps never varied from) for the oldest Justice to be nominated. All the Justices in Barbour had held office in the county the same length of time, and there was no "oldest." But the court recognized the Justices who had longest served elsewhere and Isaac Booth and Joseph McCoy were the candidates. Booth had been Sheriff of Randolph as long John Chenoweth ago as 1813 and a Justice there as early as And Crawford 1801. It cannot be ascertained what length Wm Martinez Sabnahe of time McCoy had been in office. rance The voting gave Booth 2, and McCoy 16. The latter was, therefore, recommended to the Governor for appointment as Sheriff: It was customary to make a second and third choice for appointment, to be considered in case a reason should arise for not giving the appointment to the man first chosen. As second choice, John H. Woodford was named; and William Shaw was third choice. Next came the naming of a candidate for Coroner, to be appointed by the Governor. The first vote stood: John Sargent 3, Peter Zinn 10, Samuel Keller 7. No choice. On the second ballot Zinn stood 12, and Keller 6. Keller was then named as second choice. SIGNATURES OF EARLY RANDOLPH Following this came the election of a Prosecuting Attorney. The court had the election of this officer without presenting the name to the Governor for approval. There were three candidates, John S. Carlile, John S. Duncan and Mortimer M. Johnson. On the first vote Duncan received 9, CarOn the second vote Duncan was chosen. lile 5 and Johnson 3; no choice. The important question of selecting a site for a court house was then taken up. A committee was appointed to make the selection, and chose the ground on which the present court house stands. The minutes of the court do not state what offers, if any, were made by different parts of the county. The committee appointed to select the ground was composed as follows: W. W. R. Callihan, Jacob Bennett, John Kelley, Michael H. Nevil and William F. Wilson. No formal report of this committee is on file; but there is reason to believe that a report was made the next day, and the site selected which has since been the place of the court. Provision was made for an election in the county. Only three voting places were named. That would seem to be inadequate, but it was much better than in Randolph when the first election was held there. That were county was six times as large as Barbour, yet only three voting places provided there. In Barbour the voting places were, first, the house of Jesse Phillips at Sandy Creek Cross Roads, with George Nestor, Joseph Teter and John Holsberry as commissioners to superintend it; second, the house of Isaiah Welch, on Elk Creek, with James Dilworth, John C. Holden and Thomas Hall as election commissioners; and third, at the court house, with William Shaw, William F. Wilson and Peter Zinn as commissioners. This completed the business of the first day of court. The next day, April 4, court met, and the first preacher in the county to be licensed to solemnize the rites of marriage, received that license. He was a Methodist minister named George L. Warner, and his bond was fixed at $1500. He gave as bondsmen, Edgar M. Davisson, Noah B. Wamsley and Samuel Stalnaker. On the same day a license of the same kind with equal bond was granted Joel Pitman, a Methodist preacher. With that, the court adjourned to William F. Wilson's mill, and there resumed busines. No sheriff had yet been appointed, and to provide an officer the court elected a "cryer." The bond was fixed at $10,000. Five candidates entered the list, and the first vote was as follows: Noah E. Corley 4, Elias Alexander 2, James Benson 2, Samuel Keller 1, Flavius J. Holden 1. There was no choice, and not until four votes had been taken was an election made, it being required that the successful candidate receive a majority of the votes cast. Elias Alexander was chosen. The county was then divided into two constable districts, the first including all of Barbour that was taken from Harrison and Lewis; and the second, all that was taken from Randolph. The constables for the first district, were John Weaver, Isaac Johnson, George W. Gall, James Welch, James Benson, Noah B. Wamsley and Alpheus Teter; in the second district Absalom Hardin, Elias Alexander, Martin D. Kittle, Samuel Keller, Isaac |