The
tradition as it relates to the re-organization of
Buffalo County is substanionlly as follows:
In
the year 1869 Patrick Walsh, Martin Slattery, together
with Sergt. Michael Coady, who was stationed at
Fort
Kearney in Kearney County, and others, sent a signed
petition to Governor David Butler asking that an
election be called in the county preliminary to
the organization (or re-organization) of the county.
In response
to
this petition Governor Butler issued a proclamation,
of which the following is a copy as found in the
official records
of the executive office of the state:
"State
of Nebraska--Executive Department"
"Whereas:
The County of Buffalo in this state became
dis-organized in the year 1867 by the removal of
the county
officers to the territory of Wyoming and
"Whereas,
A large number of the citizens of the said un-organized
county of Buffalo have united in a petition asking
that an election be called for the purpose of choosing
county officers preliminary to the organization
of said
county.
"Therefore,
I, David Butler, Governor of the State of Nebraska,
by virtue of the authority in me vested, do hereby
order
that an election be held in the school house
in precinct No. a, of said Buffalo county, from
9 o'clock to
6
o'clock p.m. on Thursday the 20th of January, 1870,
for the purpose of choosing three county commissioners,
one
county clerk, one county treasurer, one sheriff,
one probate judge, one county surveyor, one county
super-intendent
of schools, one coroner, three judges and two clerks
of election, and, I hereby designate and appoint
Edward
Oliver, Patrick Walsh and William C. Booth as judges,
and C. S. Johnson and William Nutter as clerks to
conduct said election in accordance with the "Act
for the organization of counties" approved
June 24, 1867, and the
election laws of the state.
"In
testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and
caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State
of Nebraska."
"Done
at Lincoln this 1st day of December in the year
of our Lord, One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-nine."
"(Signed)
David Butler "By the Governor."
"(Signed)
Thomas P. Kennard, "Secretary of State."
The
special election for the reorganization of the County
of Buffalo was held at the school house in Precinct
No. 1
on
Thursday, January 20, 1870. The returns of
this election in the office of the secretary of
state disclose as
follows:
Probate
Judge
Patrick
Walsh
County
Clerk
Martin
Slattery
County
Treasurer
Henry
Dugdale
County
Sheriff
Roger
Hayes
Road
Supervisor
Augustus
Meyer
County
Coroner
J.
T. Walker
County
Surveyor
Geo.
P. Russell
County
Commissioners
A.
C. McLane
Thomas
Wood
Edward
Oliver
Judges
of Election
Edward
Oliver
Partrick
Walsh
Wm.
C. Boot
Clerks
of Election
C.
S. Johnson
William
Nutter