Tag Archives: county commissioners

Dearborn County Deaths from Commissioners’ Records

The following list of deaths that were recorded in the Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners’ record books, covering 1826 to 1851. Additional information about the lives of the deceased may be found elsewhere in the commissioners’ records since most pauper deaths or from coroner’s inquests.

Learn more about County Commissioners Records.

For additional indexes and abstracts, see Dearborn County Commissioners’ Records.

Digital copies may be requested from the Records Request page.

Dearborn County Commissioners Record Book 5 Index

The following in an every name index for Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners Records Book 5, covering 1849-1851. This index only covers up to page 219 because that was all that was microfilmed.

Learn more about County Commissioners Records.

For additional indexes and abstracts, see Dearborn County Commissioners’ Records.

Digital copies may be requested from the Records Request page.

Dearborn County Commissioners Record Book 4 Index

The following in an every name index for Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners Records Book 4, covering 1845-1849.

Abstracts available in Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners’ Records, 1845-1849 | Paperback | PDF ebook

Learn more about County Commissioners Records.

For additional indexes and abstracts, see Dearborn County Commissioners’ Records.

Digital copies may be requested from the Records Request page.

Dearborn County Commissioners Record Book 3 Index

The following in an every name index for Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners Records Book 3, covering 1840-1845.

Abstracts available in Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners’ Records, 1840-1845 | Paperback | PDF ebook

Learn more about County Commissioners Records.

For additional indexes and abstracts, see Dearborn County Commissioners’ Records.

Digital copies may be requested from the Records Request page.

Dearborn County Commissioners Record Book 2 Index

The following in an every name index for Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners Records Book 2, covering 1835-1839.

Abstracts available in Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners’ Records, 1835-1839 | Paperback | PDF ebook

Learn more about County Commissioners Records.

For additional indexes and abstracts, see Dearborn County Commissioners’ Records.

Digital copies may be requested from the Records Request page.

Dearborn County Commissioners Record Book 1 Index

The following in an every name index for Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners Records Book 1, covering 1826-1835.

Abstracts available in Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners’ Records, 1826-1835 | Paperback | PDF ebook

Learn more about County Commissioners Records.

For additional indexes and abstracts, see Dearborn County Commissioners’ Records.

Digital copies may be requested from the Records Request page.

County Commissioners Records

Have you used county commissioners’ records in your genealogy research?

County commissioners handled county business. They still do today. Minutes of the county commissioners have many details about life with a county and activities of many individuals living in the county. Some of their duties included:

  • Creating townships and altering township boundaries
  • Auditing treasurer and auditor’s reports
  • Defending the county in the courts
  • Appointing constables
  • Appointing overseers of the poor
  • Appointing trustees to the county seminary
  • Appointing school trustees
  • Granting licenses for liquor, taverns, retailing foreign merchandise, ferries, etc.
  • Opening and maintaining public roads and bridges
  • Building and maintaining county buildings, including the courthouse, jail, and county asylum
  • Purchasing materials and supplies for the county
  • Levying county taxes
  • Appointing assessors
  • Selecting juries
  • Poor relief, including boarding, food, clothing, medicine, and burials
  • Overseeing the county asylum or farm for the poor
  • Offering rewards
  • Military bounties

Records produced before 1850 are rich in details about people who were only enumerated as tally marks on the census. Women are recorded boarding the poor or receiving poor relief themselves. Poor men, women, and children are recorded when someone else was paid to provide their coffin or dig their grave.

You may find details about the criminals within your family. The Sheriff and his constables were paid for fire wood, food, clothing, and ironing (not their clothes) the county’s prisoners.

You may be able to recreate a neighborhood by reading petitions for roads or changes in township boundaries.

Liquor, tavern, store, and ferry licenses may tell you more about your ancestors’ professions. Or your ancestor may have been reimbursed for flour or shoes he provided the poor.

County commissioners records contain a wealth of information about our ancestors. Abstracts for the Dearborn County, Indiana County Commissioners’ Records are online from 1826 to 1852.

Find online records of county commissioners Records:

Franklin County Commissioners Records, 1817-1819

The following is an every name index of Franklin County, Indiana Commissioners Record Book E, 1817-1819. The Board of Commissioners was created in 1817 to handle the business of the county.

See Franklin County Early Court Records for additional court records between 1811 and 1819.

Digital copies may be requested from the Records Request page. Abstracts are available in Franklin County, Indiana Court Record Abstracts, 1811-1819 | Paperback | PDF ebook

Dearborn County Asylum Deaths 1867-1919

The following is a list of deaths for the Dearborn County, Indiana Asylum from a 4-part series called “Deaths Recorded at the Dearborn County Asylum for the Poor, 1867-1919” by Chris McHenry published The Hoosier Genealogist from the Indiana Historical Society.

This list includes the name of the individual and the year of death. Additional details can be found in The Hoosier Genealogist from the Indiana Historical Society:

  • Part 1: Alexander to Flannigan – Fall 2003 Issue
  • Part 2: Folenius to Junker – Winter 2003 Issue
  • Part 3: Kaiser to Mathews – Spring 2004 Issue
  • Part 4: McAdams to Young – Summer 2004 Issue

Dearborn County Commissioners Proceedings – Sep 1891

Proceedings of the September 1891 Session of the Dearborn County, Indiana Commissioners appeared in:
Aurora Dearborn Independent – 24 Sep 1891 – Page 2, Column 3

County Commissioners Court.

N. Vogelgesang, G. W. Johnston, G. A. Swales, Commissioners.

S. K. Gold, Trustee of Harrison Township, filed a petition praying for the authority to borrow $500 on account of the Township Fund for the purpose of purchasing a stone crusher. The prayer of the Trustee was granted.

Matthew Whiteford, Trustee of Sparta township, filed a petition praying for assistance in constructing an iron bridge across Allen’s Branch, about one-fourth of a mile west of the village of Sparta, on the Sparta and Moore’s Hill road. Estimated cost of bridge and masonry $275. The Commissioners appropriated the sum of $150 for the purpose of building said bridge.

Andrew J. Cheek was reelected Superintendent of the County Asylum for one year at a salary of $450, and Mrs. A. J. Cheek was re-elected Matron at a salary of $120 per year. Mr. Cheek has made an excellent Superintendent, and keeps the County Asylum in “apple pie order,” and his good wife is a kind and successful Matron. Together they guard well the interests of the county and at the same time keep the wards of the county in the best possible condition. The welfare of the unfortunate wards of the county are well looked after in a manner that makes them forget as far as possible, their misfortunes. To make the Asylum as near “home” as far as possible, to the poor unfortunates is the aim of the Commissioners, and the Superintendent and his wife carry out their wishes to the letter.

The bid of H. G. Freeman to furnish 1500 bushels of coal at $2.75 per ton delivered at the Court House was accepted.

Sarah J. Darrigen was granted a refunder of $2.25 on erroneous assessment.

Grant Liddle and Robert Frazier were appointed constables of the Bright Horse-thief Detective Association.

Bids were opened for a tin roof for the Court House, as follows: George Knepfle, Harrison, O.; John Scherer, Newport, Ky.; H. Held, Aurora, Ind.; George Schneider, Cincinnati, Ohio; E. Barrott & Son, Lawrenceburgh.

The contract was awarded to Geo Knepfle. Estimated cost of work $1,300.

The Board awarded the contract for insurance on Court House as follows: R. A. McConnell, V. W. Huber, C. M. Bowers, Martin Kieffer.

The insurance to be written for five years.

Vogelgesang and Swales voted aye on awarding the insurance, and Johnston voted nay.

Joseph Gould, of Lawrenceburgh, was unanimously chosen Janitor of the Court House for a term of one year.

Henry P. Busse, Henry Meyer and O. C. Gatch, appointed viewers of a road in Manchester township, petitioned by T. C. Cryder and others, report said road “unfavorable and of no public utility.”

Jacob Fillenworth, James Aikens, and Lafayette Plummer appointed viewers of a road in Hogan township petitioned by James House and others, report said road “unfavorable and of no public utility.”

Maggie Crozier and twenty-four others petitioned for the location and vacating of a road in Hogan township. Henry Bobrink, Joseph K. Corbin and Charles W. Blasdell were appointed viewers of said road and instructed to inspect said road November 26th and report their doings December 11th.

The Board ordered the opening of the road up Jamison creek in Harrison township, and ordered the payment of damages on October 15th.

James Lods, George Singer and Thomas Gaynor appointed viewers of a road in Kelso and Miller townships report “said road favorable and of public utility.” John [illegible].

[Illegible]

Liquor licenses were granted to Herman Allermeyer, Gustave Frank, Frank Federic, George Knorr and [?] Bryant.

[Illegible]