Abstracts of Historical and Genealogical Interest

Culled From the

Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors

Herkimer County, 1865

Source: Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Herkimer for the Year 1865
L.L. Kane, Chairman
J.G. Burrill, Clerk
J.C. Graves, Assistant Clerk
West Winfield, N.Y.: C. Ackerman, Book, Card and Job Printer 1866

At the Annual Meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Herkimer County, held at the Court House Nov. 15th, 1865, the following named Supervisors were in attendance from their respective towns, viz:-

Nov. 15 - varied committees were chosen and session adjourned until Thursday at 8:00am.

Nov. 16 Thursday - half the supervisors slept in. Committees and rules drawn up. Adjournment until 8:30am Friday.

Nov. 17 Friday - All towns present at morning roll call except German Flatts. Discussion of bills presented to the county.

Nov. 18 Saturday - A resolution was made "That the Board of Supervisors of the County receive sealed proposals until Thursday, Nov. 23d, at 1 1/2 o'clock P.M., for doctoring the poor at the Poor House and also at the Jail for the ensuing year; and that said proposals shall include doctoring, medicine, and all surgical operations at both Jail and Poor House."

The absence, injuries and deaths of men who had fought in the Civil War was causing financial hardship to local families:

A resolution was made "That the Supervisor, President of the village, and the Commissioner of Alms of the town of Little Falls, and the Supervisor, Town Clerk and Justice of the Peace, in each of the other towns of Herkimer county shall constitute a board of relief to the families of volunteers of their respective towns, and said board are authorized from time to time as occasion may require, to grant such relief to the indigent families of volunteers from their respective towns as shall seem necessary and proper, and all such relief so rendered and furnished shall from the 23d day of November, 1865, be, and the same hereby is declared a charge upon the respective towns and audited and collected as other town charges and expenses are audited and collected and paid, together with the expenses for services of the aforementioned board." Mr. Priest of Little Falls wanted the charges to go to the county. A vote was taken, there was a tie, and it was decided to make a special order about it on Tuesday.

Nov. 20 Monday - discussion of making corrections to various town assessment rolls.

Nov. 21 Tuesday - audits of various committees and county accounts.

A resolution was made "That the several Overseers of the Poor in the several towns of this county be required to keep a just account between the county and themselves, for poor money received by them from the county, and the money disbursed by them for transient poor, and that said Overseers of the Poor be required to present their accounts to the Board of Supervisors for settlement, on the first week of each Annual Session hereafter."

Resolution that aid to soldiers' families be chargeable to the towns was adopted. Motion made that the physician contracted for doctoring at the County Poor House be required to visit twice a week carried.

Nov. 22 Wednesday - Various audits and accounts discussed. Included was "The bill of Mr. Warner Bargy, $13, on motion of Mr. Barry, laid on table." Also resolved that the salary of the county treasurer be set at $1,000 per year.

The Superintendent of the Poor's yearly report was made, including the following facts:

148 people had been in the poor house in 1864 with the addition 76 new residents, for a total of 224. 8 persons died, 9 were let on trial, 63 discharged, with 144 remaining on Nov. 1, 1865. 80 were male, 64 females, 21 males of foreign birth, 15 females of foreign birth. 8 idiots, 26 lunatics, and 4 mutes. 34 children between the ages of 4 and 16 were in residence, 27 were instructed at the Utica Orphan Asylum. The average number of residents at any given time was 165, at an average cost per person of $1.77 and 2/5 per week. "The whole expense of maintenance of paupers in the past year is $ 15,224.01 ($3,270 of which is chargable to the several Tows, by order of their Overseers.)" There had been two cases of smallpox, making it necessary to build a pest-house for isolation and provision of extra care.

A resolution was made "That a Committee be appointed to investigate the claim of Elijah S. Peak, for bounty of his deceased son, Dewitt C. Peak, and if it is found upon investigation that said Dewitt C. Peak enlisted in 1862, when the county was paying bounty of $50, and that he was credited to the county and did not receive said bounty, then on proof of death of said Dewitt C. Peak, the bounty of $50 be paid by County Treasurer, on order of Chairman of this Board, to said Elijah S. Peak."

Nov. 23 Thursday - The District Attorney reported that as of Jan. 1, 1865 there had been 53 indictments, 47 convictions, 8 sent to state prison, 8 to the penitentiary, and 2 to the county jail, with $1.055.00 being collected in fines.

It was unanimously passed that all stationery, lights and fuel needed by the serveral courts and board of supervisors, as well as repairs to the Court House and Jail, be paid by fines belonging to the county.

It was found that the County Poor House had $360.70 worth of expenditures for which there were no receipts and the Superintendent must start keeping a book with expenditures written down.

James E. Casey of German Flatts and A.M. Gray of Herkimer were appointed Plank Road Inspectors for the county. Winfield was allowed $10 for bed and bedding furnished the county house and $347.88 given to Fairfield for a volunteer fund. Dr. Schermerhorn was accept as County House physician if he provided medicine, otherwise contract should be given to Dr. Devendorf at $125/yr. The contract for doctoring and medicine at the Jail was given to Messrs. Doolittle and Harter at $8/yr.

The town of Salisbury made a statement that $742.87 had been expended for the support of Mary Miller and family between Feb. 1862 and Nov. 20th, 1865, all being paid to Daniel G. Condon and D.D. Cool.

The amount of money received by the county treasurer from all sources during the year was $397,436.82, with $372,553.03 coming from the various town Collectors.

Nov. 24 Friday - The Inspector of the County Poor House said he visited it "as often as once per month" and that its condition was "in as good order as could be expected." Dr. Schermerhorn had performed his duties to the satisfaction of all and the condition of the insane had not materially changed. Children were kept at the Utica Asylum. Repairs had been made to buildings and it was recommended that the old team of horses be changed.

It was resolved that the County Treasurer pay out of moneys on hand demands against the county by the Albany Penitentiary, the Deaf and Dumb Asylum (no location given), the Institute of the Blind (no location given) and the Utica Asylum. Towns were ordered to contract with physicians in or near their respective towns for doctoring of the poor in 1866.

Resolved that $31.88, balance of bounty tax assessed against William Steward of Winfield in 1865 and not collected, be added to the tax list of that town against said Stewart and collected with other taxes.

Resolved that a committee be formed to investigate whether a new safe is necessary for the Surrogate's Office, as well as what repairs and improvements, if any, are necessary to the dome of the Court House, Clerk's Office, and Jail.

J.G. Barry of Newport, A.M. Gray of Herkimer, and John Green of Fairfield were appointed to investigate charges made against the present Superintendent of the County House.

The Journal & Courier and Herkimer County Democrat, as well as the Standard Bearer of West Winfield, were appointed the papers to do the printing for the County.

Major S.W. Stimson was appointed Superintendent of the County House and Albert Abeel appointed Inspector.

Nov. 25 Saturday - Sums of money were determined to be levied and collected for various county expenses.

Authorization to change the present team of horses at the Poor House. Moved that the Board recess until Dec. 20.

Dec. 20 Wednesday - Determined that all Excise fines belong to the county, not the towns. It was determined that bounty had never been paid to Dewitt C. Peak, and that his father was entitled to the full bounty of $50, payable to him by the County Treasurer. Discussion of repairs to Court House.

Dec. 21 Thursday - Resolutions about repairs - the Court House should be enlarged by adding 30' to the east end, the County Clerk's Office be newly roofed with slate, and that G.M. Cleland, A.M. Gray and J.H. Wooster, of Herkimer, be authorized to borrow no more than $3,000 to do so. Repairs to Court House disapproved and all three men asked to get a real estimate and report at next year's session. Roofing o.k.'d. Mr. Barry, chair of committee to investigate the Superintendent's accounts, said he had not done so as no charges had been made against the Superintendent.

$38 was added to the town schedule of German Flatts in favor of L.B. Root, $2.63 be alowed to L.E. Hodgkins for error in auditing his account, $250 allowed to town of Russia for bridge upkeep, and thanks tendered to L.L. Kane, Chairman, and J.G. Burrill and J.C. Graves, Clerks.

Continue on to Part 2 - Names of Persons and Accounts Paid Monies by the Towns and County

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