Polk County, Iowa History...part of Genealogy Trails

Polk County, Iowa Genealogy Trails
[Transcribed and Contributed by: Frances Cooley - 2008]
Source: The Annals of Polk County and The City of Des Moines

FIRST COUNTY ORGANIZATION

County of Polk was organized at an election held on April 6, 1846, and on April 13, of that mouth the newly elected Board of Commissioners met at the chosen county seat, Fort Des Moines, for the transaction of business.

The commissioners were Benjamin Saylor, William H. Meacham, Eri W. Fonts.
All the county business of the term was transacted by Commissioners Saylor and Meacham, the latter being chairman. first order was that the temporary seal of the county should be the eagle side of a half dollar. At this first session the bills of judges and clerks of election were allowed, and licenses were granted to W. W. Clapp and to Addison Michael to keep a grocery for the sale of intoxicating liquors for three months from April 7, 1846, for the sum of $6.25 each. These were the first persons allowed by law to sell such liquors in Des Monies or Polk County. It will be noticed that are now called saloons or barrooms were then called groceries, and this was the name given them by the law of Iowa then in force. During the first year the board was in session only few days.

In August of that year an entire new board was elected: Thomas Black, Edward Martin and James Mount.
In August, 1847, Members Black and Mount were retained on the board and Andrew Gloseclose took the place of Martin.

The board thereafter was composed of the following members:

1848-50 Thomas Black, Andrew Gloseclose, John D. McGlothlin

1850-51 Thomas Black, John D. McGlothlin, Josiah Hopkins

It will be seen that Thomas Black served all except one year of the entire existence of the County Board. Under the new code of 1851 these County Boards were abolished and what was called the County Judge system was adopted. This gave this judge the control of all county business previously vested in the Board of Commissioners and also gave him jurisdiction over all probate business. This gave extensive powers to the county judge, but at the same time much expedited all county business. It was well adapted to the new counties, and for a time was very popular with the people. But in course of time and through the ill-advised action of these judges in some of the counties the people became dissatisfied and in 1860 the General Assembly created the Board of Supervisors to attend to the business of the counties. The office of judge was retained, shorn of much of its former powers, until 1869, when it was finally abolished, and the office of county auditor created.

The first county judge of Polk County was F. B. Burbridge, who was elected in August, 1851. He died in October, 1851, and was succeeded by Byron Rice, who had previously been elected prosecuting attorney. The law provided this officer should succeed in event of a vacancy in the office of county judge. Byron Rice immediately assumed the office upon the death of Judge Burbridge, and at the next election was duly chosen by the people. Judge Rice served, until June, 1855, when he resigned to become a member of the banking firm of Greene, Weare & Rice, which was one of the strong banking firms of those days. Judge Rice remained a member of this firm until it retired from business several years later. He was one of the leading pioneers and business men of the county and city, and having accumulated a fair amount of wealth has traveled extensively, although retaining his home in the city, of which he has so long been an honored and respected citizen.

At the time of the resignation of Judge Rice, Barlow Granger, so well known to all the older and to a large proportion of the younger people of the county, was prosecuting attorney. By operation of law he became county judge and served from June 29 to August 23, 1855.

At the August election of this year Thomas H. Napier, who had previously been sheriff, was elected county judge. He was re-elected in 1857, and retired in 1859, after serving four years. During his term of office local feeling ran its highest between the East and West Sides, the erection of new Court House was commenced, bonds were voted for the Court House, and also to aid in the construction of the Mississippi and Missouri (now the Rock Island) Railroad and other questions of grave importance to city and county came up for a decision by the county judge. After retiring from the judgeship Judge Napier remained for a number of years a citizen of the city and for some time held the office of justice of the peace in Des Moines. His son having removed to Nebraska the judge finally went there a few years ago. Thomas Napier will long be remembered as a man taking deservedly high rank in the early settlement and building up of Polk County. He died in 1894.

John H. McClelland, of Des Moines, was elected in October, 1859, to succeed Judge Napier and held the office six years. During his term, January, 1861, many of the responsible duties of the office were transferred to the Board of County Supervisors. Judge McClelland was an Ohio man, a graduate of Oberlin College and came to Des Moines in 1855, and was for some years engaged in the mercantile business with the Laird Brothers. He was a most excellent man, just and honest in all his dealings, public and private, and won for himself a deservedly high reputation as a public officer. Retiring from office he was for a time engaged in business, but not long thereafter his health failed and a few years after he died; deeply regretted by W. O. Bentley was the next county judge.
He had been a gallant, soldier, gaining the rank of colonel, and had not been long a resident of Des Moines when elected to this office in October, 1865. He served less than one year, resigning September 15, 1866, and removing to the City of St. Louis. M. W. Folsom was appointed his successor, serving only a short time.

At the next election in October, 1866, John G. Weeks was elected county judge and served as such one year. Judge Weeks came to Des Moines in 1855, and engaged in business as a. land agent, and soon acquired a large connection in this line. He was the pioneer abstractor of the county and made the first set of abstract books. He was indefatigable and careful in his work, and soon was familiar with the title to every tract of land and town lot in Polk County. His system was adopted and is still continued in Polk and many other counties in the State. Dr. Weeks was an active and energetic member of the Presbyterian Church, and did much toward aiding the spread of religion in the city and county. He was also for some years receiver of the United States land office in this city. He was a good officer, citizen and man. He died several years ago.

John B. Miller was the last judge of the county. He was elected in 1867, and served two years, when the office was finally abolished, and that of county auditor created. Judge Miller became the first county auditor, being-elected in October, 1869, and was re-elected in 1871. He came to Des Moines in 1857, though he had long been a resident of Iowa, and engaged in the mercantile business. He was a shrewd business man and also a shrewd politician, for many years wielding a wide influence in the Republican Party. He soon became familiar with county business and handled the same with skill and good judgment. After serving the county for six years he retired to private life. Subsequently, however, he became an officer of the United States government and removed with his family from Des Moines. His death was announced a few years ago.

George C. Baker was in the office with Judge Miller for several years, and in October, 1873, was elected his successor. He was re-elected in 1875, serving four years as county auditor. He was a faithful and popular officer. He had been mostly reared in the county, having lived in Polk City prior to moving to Des Moines, and being only eleven years of age when his parents settled in this county. He enlisted when only seventeen years of age in the Twenty-third Iowa Infantry, and served over three years in the army, making a fine record as a soldier. After retiring from office he engaged in dealing in hardware, etc., and was successful. Later he, with others, engaged in the manufacture of barbed wire, and the business grew to such large proportions the main works were established in Chicago. Successful in business Mr. Baker turned his attention to submarine vessels and navigation. He was possessed of inventive genius and built at his own expense a submarine torpedo boat, which commanded the attention of this and other governments. Unfortunately, failing health prevented the full completion of his invention, and death claimed him two years ago, and this prevented the full fruition of his inventive hopes George C. Baker was one of the best of men and had hosts of sorrowing friends to mourn his untimely death.

George W. Bristow was the successor of Auditor Baker, being elected in October, 1877, and re-elected in 1879, serving four years. He had been a deputy for several years and familiar with the duties of the office, which he conducted in a satisfactory manner. Not long after his term of office expired he removed with his family to the State of Kansas, where he now resides.

Bruce E. Jones was elected auditor in 1883 and reelected in 1885, holding the office four years. He also had previously been a deputy, and thoroughly understood his office duties, which he faithfully discharged. He was born in Indiana, but came with his father, Ben T. Jones, to Des Moines in 1856, a young lad.
He is now a farmer in Bloomfield Township and a successful business man.

Amos W. Brandt held the office of auditor for the longest period, having been first elected in 1889, and twice re-elected. He held the office for seven years, the General Assembly having added one year to his term, so that the auditor and treasurer of a county should not be elected the same year. Amos W. is the son of Isaac Brandt, a well known early settler, who first came to Iowa in 1856 and settled in Des Moines in 1858. Amos W. was mostly reared in this city and received his collegiate education at Monmouth College, Illinois. As a public officer he was painstaking and thorough in his work, and clever and accommodating to every one that had occasion to call at the office. At the close of his long term he prepared with much labor a complete history from the official records of the county, so far as the county was officially concerned, giving a complete register of all the county officers from the beginning up to this year, and other matters of much general local interest. This work or report of Auditor Brandt has been of great help and benefit to the writer of this history, and he takes this occasion to return his grateful thanks for the same.

John S. McQuiston is the present auditor of the county, having been elected in November, 1894, and inducted into office in January, 1895. He was a deputy under Auditor Brandt, and is thoroughly posted in the affairs of the county and of the office of which he is the chief.