Hall County NEGenWeb
Early Precinct and Township History of Hall County

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From the ©1920 "History of Hall County," by Buechler, Barr, and Stough

Township Offices are not usually very keenly sought, nor sometimes considered such high honors. But, nevertheless, it is unquestionably the few men in any given township who will year after year discharge the duties of township clerk, treasurer, assessor, justice of the peace, or road overseer who constitute the foundation stone of an individual structure for that township. The American township is a unit small enough to cement the neighborhood within its borders into a community with distinctive individuality.

After 1872 the county began to be divided into various precincts, and the different communities began to take on individual form along the lines that the township eventually emerged. In the fall of 1872 the call for the general election embraced four precincts. A vote on township organization was held November 6, 1877, and the following townships were named:

• Alda
• Douglas
• Grant
• Lake
• Lee (present Cameron)
• Martinsville (present Martin)
• Mayfield
• Prairie Creek
• Sheridan (present Center)
• South Loup
• South Platte (south line of present Doniphan)
• Union
• Washington (with the city of Grand Island)
• Wood River
• Zurich (present Harrison)

Before the county board, appointed under this arrangement, could qualify, the supreme court handed down an act declaring the legislative act under which the said organization was created, was unconstitutional. In the meantime the board had appointed for each township a set of officers. This list might be mainly valuable to show who were the leading and active spirits in local governmental affairs of the county at that time:

Alda:

Supervisor, William Powell

Clerk, Henry Lamb

Treasurer, Squire S. Lamb

Assessor, Z.H. Denman, Sr.

Justices of the Peace, Andrew Hofmeister and George Moody

Constables, Peter Pehrs and Dan Baker

Douglas:

Supervisor, Henry C. Denman

Clerk, S. Smith

Treasurer, W.J. Berger

Assessor, Martin Ennis

Road overseer, D. Whittecar

Justices of the Peace, Walter Smith and Moorefield

Constables, Joseph Hilton and C. Lowery

Grant:

Supervisor, J.M. Powers

Clerk, George Humphrey

Treasurer, Irving Cole

Assessor, W. Olthoff

Road overseer, John R. Britt

Justices of the Peace, Lucas Henry and John Walker

Constables, J.L. Brookover and John Creason

Lake:

Supervisor, E.C. Walker

Clerk, A.D. Tilley

Assessor, Frederick Suehlsen

Treasurer, Frederick Locscher

Road overseer, Peter Mohr

Justices of the Peace, Emerson Rogers and H.E. Kent

Constables, Chas. Peterson and Dunning Giccu

Lee:

Supervisor, S.E. Benton

Clerk, J.B. Stephens

Assessor, E.O. Palmer

Treasurer, Lester Houghton

Road overseer, S.K. Guy

Jusices of the Peace, J.P. Goodrich and H.C. Streator

Constables, W. Stuart and S.H. Rader

Martinsville:

Supervisor, Seth W. Wilson

Clerk, Wm H. Austin

Treaurer, Walter Miller

Assessor, O.F. Foote

Road overseer, Austin Wilson

Justices of the Peace, R. Wescott and D.J.J. Hornbeck

Constables, Jas. H. Sweeting and John Creason

Mayfield:

Supervisor, William Partridge

Clerk, W.C. Calvert

Assessor, R.C. Perkins

Treasurer, J.C. Bishop

Road overseer, C.C. Alford

Justices of the Peace, J.H. Hulitt and Geo. P. Dean

Constables, Eugene J. Mix and Wm. E. Preston

Prairie Creek:

No records

Sheridan:

Supervisor, Ira M. Ware

Clerk, Wm. A. Gillett

Treasurer, George Cornelius

Assessor, Edgar Varney

Justices of the Peace, John Leckenby and Jacob Shoemaker

Constables, James Walsh and Martin Powers

South Loup:

Supervisor, J.E. Locke

Clerk, J.T. Mahaffie

Treasurer, Edmond Locke

Assessor, Geo. Bellany

Justices of the Peace, T.P. Rundlett and Calvin Goodrich

Constables, Edward S. Rundlett and James Paul

South Platte:

Supervisor, J.W. Smith

Clerk, Geo. H. LaMonte

Treasurer, Wm. Reese

Assessor, S.L. Loucks

Road overseer, Jacob Mushrush

Justices of the Peace, L.S. Orcutt and S.S. Shultz

Constables, Thomas Caldwell and Geo. W. Burger

Union:

Supervisor, Patrick Nevills

Clerk, Patrick Moore

Treasurer, Issah Lewton

Road overseer, Edward O'Brien

Justices of the Peace, E.F. Jonte and George H. Peck

Constables, J. Ross and J. Dunn

Washington:

Supervisor, Wm. Larrabee

Clerk, D.M. Amsberry

Treasurer, Fred Roby

Assessor, Henry Geise

Road overseer, Christian Menck

City of Grand Island:

Supervisors, 1st Ward, H.P. Makely;

2nd Ward, C.E. Jerome;

3rd Ward, James Cleary;

4th Ward, C.E. Lykke.

Wood River:

Supervisor, N.T. Britton

Clerk, Chas. E. Towne

Assessor, Stephen Jones

Treasurer, David Barrick

Road overseer, James Tracy

Justices of the Peace, John G. schaupp and J.B. Firman

Constables, Wm. G. Eldridge and H. Jones

Zurich:

Supervisor, W.H. Harrison

Clerk, Jas. A. Veeder

Assessor, Henry W. High

Treasurer, J.H. Leonard

Road overseer, John L. Johnson

Justices of the Peace, Louis Richard and Lafayette Martindale

Constables, Jesse Boring and O.H. Taylor