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| James G. Robinson |
The powers that be, some years ago, asked me to compile a brief history of Chariton's founding for the new city web site.
So I included, briefly, a favorite story: That James G. Robinson, a founding commissioner of Lucas County, arriving late on a September morning in 1849 at the spot (now the southwest corner of the Chariton square) where those assigned to establish a county seat had decided to drive the stake locating it, found these gentlemen relaxing in the grass, having consumed one jug of whisky and preparing to send a boy back to Buck Townsend's cabin for another.
Sadly, the story was considered inappropriate --- and deleted. Oh well.
But here's the source of the story --- a letter written by Mr. Robinson during July of 1899 to newspaper editor Henry Gittinger, published then in The Russell Union and republished 10 years later in The Chariton Leader.
This is the second of two history-related letters that the pioneering Mr. Robinson wrote that July from Farnhamville, in the neighborhood where he had relocated his family in 1872 after leaving Lucas County's LaGrange. He was 78 at the time and planned to write more --- but succumbed to a heart attack on August 19 and that was the end of that. You'll find the text of the first letter here.
To put the following letter in context: Lucas County's first election was held Aug. 6, 1849, at the cabin of William McDermott at "Ireland," just west of what now is Bethel Cemetery in Cedar Township. At that election, Robinson, Jacob Phillips and William T. May were elected county commissioners. The commissioners and others elected that day were to serve a year --- until the next election was held on the first Monday in August, 1850.
Lucas County's official founders met to organize the county on Sept. 10 and 11, 1849, at the Chariton Point cabin of William "Buck" Townsend. Another commission, appointed by the Iowa Legislature, had been touring the county and reached its decision as to where the county seat should be located on Sept. 11. Its decision was affirmed by the county commissioners on the same day the locating stake was driven.
Here's the text of Mr. Robinson's second letter:
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Shortly after the election (Aug. 6, 1849) the officers met and qualified, except the two clerks. A commissioner's clerk was appointed. If there was ever a session of the district court during the first year, I have forgotten it, but I feel very sure there was none.
The commencing of the county business was quite embarrassing to the commissioners; none of them had ever acted in that capacity before and there was no former record to throw light on the line of business belonging to the office.
We had no legal adviser, the law making no provision for a county attorney, and if it had there was not an attorney in the county. We had plenty of advisers, telling how such business was transacted in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, but the law must have been different, as they all gave different advice, and with so much jargon we took such as we thought was for the best.
We held rather a secret session, and passed a resolution which we did not have put on the record, but we lived as strictly to it as if it had been recorded. It was that we would do the best we could, let what come, and we would hand the county over to our successors free of debt. Taxes were not heavy, as we had but little property to be taxed --- although the territory included six counties there was not a foot of taxable land within it. There were no monies and credits; no general merchandise. One man sold whisky but it was not taxable in those days, neither did we resort to the dog tax.
We paid no county road or bridge tax, no poor, insane or soldier's relief tax, and, one thing I claim was creditable to those early days, we never paid a bond tax. The assessment had been made by Monroe county, and a part of the tax collected, but the amount was small. The treasurer's balance sheet, when we settled with him on the first of January (1850), showed that from the time he took office up to the time of settlement, he had collected of the county fund about three dollars and fifty cents; the amount paid over by the treasurer of Monroe county I do not remember, but it was small.
To meet the county expenses with so small an amount, and carry out our resolution, was a knotty question. In the first place we reduced our own pay. The commissioners were allowed $2.50 per day, but no mileage --- we took only $1.25. The clerk was allowed $2 and he took $1. And then we insisted on all that had claims against the county to do the same and to a great extent it was done.
The legislature had appointed three commissioners to locate the county seat, Wareham G. Clark of Monroe county, Pardon M. Dodge of Appanoose county, and a Mr. Fisher of Wapello. They came on in September (of 1849); was the county two or three weeks.
I received word from Mr. Clark stating the day they would determine where to drive the stake and wishing the commissioners to meet them. I went to Chariton Point and was told the men were out on the prairie northwest. I went to the corner of sections 19, 20, 29 and 30 and there I found five men and two boys with handkerchiefs spread down on the grass, with a deck of cards. They had drunk one jug of whisky and was putting a boy on a horse to go for another. They told us at that section corner the committee had determined to drive the stake. That afternoon they did so, and as they were all three democrats, and anxious to do honor to the democratic administration that had gone out the March before, named the new county seat "Polk."
Here was another problem to rack the brains of the county commissioners. The county seat had been located on public land and (the county) had not a dollar to pay the government for it. We made a deal with one William Record for a Mexican (War) land warrant, as they were known then, calling for 160 acres. We were to give him $100 as soon as we could raise the money from the sale of lots --- he was to also have two choice lots and had the right to select them anywhere in the town, only they should not be adjoining the public square. We had the town surveyed and platted, a Mr. Bratton, of Appanoose county doing the work, and when the plat was recorded we thought Chariton a more appropriate name and had it thus recorded.
We then determined to have a lot sale and offer each alternate lot for sale, and reserve the others until some time in the future when the town improved and the county became more thickly settled. We thought they would then demand a better price.
The policy of the commissioners was to keep the fund raised by such sale entirely separate from the general county fund, to be used only in paying off the expenses connected with the town. The locating commissioners were to be paid and the land warrant had to be settled for, besides the surveying and platting of the town, and other expenses.
A day was set and the lots were offered for sale at public outcry. W.A. Townsend cried the sale and lots went tolerably brisk but we could never get them to reach what we thought they should, but others thought differently. W.T. May and I held a short consultation, half the lots not yet being sold, but enough had been raised to meet the expense, and we concluded to stop the sale, and started to where Mr Townsend was.
On our way we met Uncle Xury West and told him what we had decided to do. He was on his horse, and raising his hand high in the air and shaking his bony fingers, shouted: "Boys, don't you do it. Go ahead and sell every lot in the town. You may keep these lots for forty years and you will never get a better price than you are getting now."
The lot cornering with the southeast corner of the square brought the highest price of any sold, which was about $31.00. One lot adjoining the square had brought $17. We closed the sale and there were no more lots sold during our term of office.
The warrant had to be laid by an individual and not by the county. I was appointed as a committee to attend to it, went to Fairfield, laid the warrant and at the same time give a bond for a deed when I received a deed from the government. The law was changed and the county business was done by a county judge before I received the deed.
Our general election came the first Monday in August (1850). We had to establish suitable voting precincts to accommodate the electors, and as there were few voters west of Lucas county, no precinct had been asked for, so we concluded all would like to have a good visit on that day, and we established but one precinct and that was at Chariton.
A new board of commissioners was elected which served but one year. The new law had abolished the commissioner's office and the county business passed into the hands of a county judge. The new commissioners thought best to differ with the old, and during their term of office sold the balance of the town lots at about the prices they brought at the former sale. On two sides of the plat the blocks were not full and were known as "out lots." these brought ten dollars per acre. I still think we were right, but others honestly thought not. (signed) J.G. Robinson, Farnhamville, Iowa, July 25th, 1899.
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