Personal of the Clermont Petit Jury

Clermont County Genealogical Society

PEN PORTRAITS
Personal of the Clermont Petit Jury

Brief Sketches of the Twelve Good, Judicious
Persons who for the Past Sixty Days Have
Been Sitting on the Lives, Liberties
and fortunes of Our People

The trial by jury is to be traced in its ruder elements to the earliest periods, though probably modified and improved by the Saxon princes, but under the great Magna Charta extorted by the Barons of Great Britain from King John, it became the chief corner-stone of the liberties and unwritten law of England, and to-day is one of the grandest fundamental pillars of our American institutions, guaranteed in the National and State Constitutions and in every bill of rights in this land of freedom.

The January term of the Clermont Common Pleas Court opened January 27th, with His Honor, Judge Allen T. Cowen on the bench, and an unusually large civil and criminal docket loomed up for the attention of the Court and the twelve petit jurors selected for their honesty, clear-headed judgement, and discerning ability, by the Trustees of their respective Townships, who returned their names to the Clerk, who, with the assistance of the Sheriff, three times a year, draws from the box twelve men as petit and fifteen as grand julymen.

Raymond Gee was born March 2, 1847, in the Little Miami Valley, and was the son of George Gee, a native of Nottingham, England, and who came, when a young man, to America and settled in Hamilton County, but in 1847 moved to Clermont.

Raymond married Miss Jennie Archard, of Monroe township, on November 13, 1872, and resides on his beautiful farm in Ohio township, about a mile north-east of New Richmond. He is a Democrat in politics, was a brave soldier in the Union army of the rebellion and served over three years in Company G 59th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Is a number one juryman and has faith in Samuel J. Tilden.

Theopilus Simonton, of Loveland, is in his 72nd year and comes of a noble pioneer family that settled at the mouth of Obanion Creek in 1797, and helped to open the unbroken forests to civilization.

His father, Theopilus, and two uncles, William and John, were among the first emigrants to Miami township, five years before Ohio was admitted into the Union, and his father bought a large farm of Colonel Thomas Paxton, the first man to raise a field of corn between the Little Miami and Scioto rivers. He has been eighteen years a Justice of the Peace, and his father, long years ago, served twelve in the same position. He is a brother of the noted Colonel Hiram Simonton, many years a leading hotel keeper at Columbus. The Squire is a warm Republican, a consistent church member and one of Clermont's best citizens.

Francis Xavier Iuen was born in Alsãce, one of the two rich provinces wrested from France by Germany in the late war between those two nations. He learned in his native land the occupation of a stone-mason, and became an artisan of repute and remarkable skill. In 1838 came to America and settled in Stonelick. In 1870 he was elected County Commissioner and reelected in 1873, and for six years was one of the best officials in judgement and ability the county ever had. He resides in Boston where he keeps a large hotel and grocery besides farming extensively. He is a Catholic in religion, Democrat in politics and possessed of great wealth. While a thorough systematic business man, he is most liberal and warm hearted in his opinions and dealings with mankind. He is a brother of John B. Iuen, the Milford merchant, and of Joseph, who keeps the famous hotel in Hamilton county, opposite Milford.

Newton Hutchinson lives on his elegant farm of 87 acres in Miami township, and is a son of Silas R. Hutchinson who was elected County Commissioner in 1864, a grandson of Silas Hutchinson the last County Collector of taxes in 1826, and a great grandson, on his mother's side, of the celebrated Colonel Thomas Paxton, the first actual settler in Clermont, and who commanded the advanced guard of General Wayne's army against the Indians in the fall of 1794, and participated in the disastrous rout of the savages at the battle of Fallen Timbers. Mr. Hutchinson is a quiet, unobtrusive man of strong native intellect and remarkable force of character, and a Republican in his political notions.

Hugo Cox lives in Goshen, is a good mechanic and likes the good things of this life. For years he was the Republican machine political manipulator of his township, and is an old hand at setting up the pins and managing the wires. Whenever a case is called he is promptly in the box and pays the closest attention the the evidence, and never goes to sleep while the lawyers are spinning out their long wearisome platitudes about equal and exact justice, or fighting the air with fine-spun theories about the preponderance of testimony.

Charles R. Smith, of Batavia township, boards with Hance Holier and is a farmer and is esteemed by his colleagues on the jury as the sound and practical sense man he ever is -quick to detect sophistry and an expert in unraveling the knotty webs of tedious cases.

Charles Scott resides near West Woodville, on his beautiful farm of 237 acres, and belongs to an old family all possessed of large landed estates in Wayne township. He is a plain matter of fact man whose honesty and cool judgement is equal to any draught made upon him in the discharge of his duties.

Wm H. Brown is a Tate township juryman of strong robust physique and quick perception - is never, though, in a hurry to form a conclusion but when his mind is made up, he adheres firmly to his opinion, regardless of all consequences.

William Bunner was returned from Williamsburg township, he living at Henning's Mill's at that time, but since he has been juring here with profit and honor to himself, and the benefit of suffering mankind generally, he has removed his residence to Batavia township and now holds forth on the land of B.F. Moyer. Is a Greenback Democrat. Was born March 22, 1823, near Mt. Pisgah, and his father came to Clermont in 1804, from Pennsylvania, and was in the war of 1812.

Philip Chatterton, of Williamsburg, is one of those staid old gentlemen whose good sense, business capacity, and unsullied character, adds much to the growth and reputation of the county. He was the Republican nominee for County Commissioner, a few years since, and is a gentleman whose sound discernment fits him for any trust confided to his care.

Charles Williams is a Stonelick township farmer - is a jolly widower and a gallant, always popular with the fair sex. He is of the noted Williams family so well known in Northern Clermont, and uncle of Professor Byron Williams, of the Williamsburg Schools, and of Mrs. Dr. Bishop, of our town. "Uncle Charley" is at home in the jury box, and his judgement is rarely at fault. Is a son of Zebina Williams, who was a Clermont County Commissioner many years ago, and was born in New York State and came to Columbia, in 1805, and settled in Clermont in 1815. Charles was born November 17, 1812, at Red Bank, Hamilton County, and owns a large farm at the Glancy Cross Roads in Stonelick, and is a live man among both sexes.

Dr. A.C. King, of Ohio township, is the first colored juryman who ever sat in our Court House. He is an intelligent mulatto and owns a nice little farm on the waters of Twelve-mile creek. His conduct and bearing is that of a gentleman, and he is well liked by his brothers in the box.

He has never been challenged off and the bar justly esteem him as a man of singular, critical judgement, and his whole course and mien here during the term, has made him many Mends who regard him with considerations of respect and honor.

This petit jury sat forty-seven days and tried more cases than any previous regular jury of twenty-five years, and only disagreed on one suit.

March 24, 1880 Clermont Sun



 
 

BIRTHS
Birth Records
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Early Clermont Co. Births 1856-1857
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First Presbyterian Churches of Monroe
At Nicholsville & Bantam
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Baptisms of Children
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Anderson Township Births 1906-1907
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Old Bethel Church Baptisms
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Old Bethel Church Baptisms 1894-1908
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Early Births 1856
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MARRIAGES
Early Marriages 1800 - 1808
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 Marriage Book 13 1874-1876
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Goshen M. E. Church
Marriage

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DEATHS
Funerals Conducted by Rev. Hezekiah Hill 1862-1908
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The Old Village Graveyard

Deaths of Residents Over 75 in 1875

Infirmary Discharges That Mention a Burial Place

Death Dates from I.O.O.F. Lodge #313

Early Clermont Deaths from The Ohio Sun
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Obituaries From the Clermont Sun 1890-1891

Early Deaths from Clermont Sun 1855
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More Deaths 1857-1859
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Stirling & Moore Funeral Records 1888
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1880 Mortality Census
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Census
Goshen 1875 Quadrennial Census
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Quadrennial Census, Batavia, 1847

Quadrennial Census, Batavia, 1855

History
Incidents in The Early History of Clermont County
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Stonelick Historical Notes
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Vacation of a Road in
Union Township

Brown and Clermont County Families Mentioned
in the 1880 Clinton County History
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Day Book For Clarke & Frambes Mills 1838
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Immigration
Early Naturalizations from Common Pleas Minutes
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Citizenship Papers 1844-1900
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Names of New Found Naturalization Applicants
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Military
Veterans in Various Cemeterys
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Revolutionary War Soldiers

Clermont Courier Ads November 18, 1863
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Mexican War Veterans
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Revolutionary War Veterans
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Post Office
Post Marks of Clermont County
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Clermont Postmasters 1800 - 1930
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Early Unclaimed Letters

More Unclaimed Letters Unclaimed Letters 1855
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Bible Records
Manning Bible
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Banister Bible

Bible Records of James McKinnie 1830

Bible Records Index Volume Two

Bible Records Index Volume Three
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Churches
Old Bethel Church and Cemetery

History of Old Bethel Church 1868

Calvary Church and Cemetery Washington Twp
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Edenton Church 1861

Places

Perin Mills in 1863
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Goshen- Land Of Milk and Honey

First Settlers of Jackson Township

Legal Voters of Goshen Township 1855

Batavia in1847
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Poll Book Goshen Township 1853
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1840 Account Book, Laurel Ohio

Edenton School # 4 Pupils

Pensions

Pensions 1890

More Pensions 1890
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Other
Indentures 1825 - 1831

Index To General Store Account Book 1816-1819

Vital Statistics From An Old Record Book

Items from Clermont Courier 1836
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Clermont Pensioners 1883

Ohio Pioneers That Moved to Texas

Persons on the Petit Jury 1880

Jails and Sheriffs
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Items From Early Clermont Courier 1852
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Meeting of Patriarchs 1882
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Surrender Records From Childrens Home
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Gazetteer 1882
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Potpourri

Articles From The Clermont Sun 1889
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River Boatmen
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Sale of Delinquent Lands
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