That matrimonial affairs were not allowed to go unnoticed even in an early day, is shown by the following:
State of Arkansas
County of Drew
This 5th day of Jan., 1847, this is to certify that I. Y. R. Royal, being a duly licensed minister of the Gospel, did on the third of January; A. D. eighteen hundred and forty-seven, in the county and state aforesaid, duly join in marriage Thomas Cotham and Elizabeth Griffity, both being of age.
John Berryman and Martha A. Grindoll were the second couple whose marriage is recorded. There were thirty-eight couples married in 1847; forty-one in 1848; twenty=four in 1849, and twenty-one in 1850.
The following certificate or ordination is first one spread on the records:
Know all men by these presents, that I, Robert Paine, one of the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church. South, in the United States of America, under the protection of Almighty God, and with a singular eye to his Glory, by the imposition of my hands and prayer (being assisted by the elders present), have this day set apart William G. Guice, for the office of elder, In the said Methodist Episcopal Church, South; a man, who in the judgment of the Arkansas Annual Conference, is well qualified for that work, and he is hereby recommended to all whom it may concern, as a proper person to administer, the sacraments and ordinances, to feed the flock of Christ, so long as his spirit and practice are such as become the Gospel of Christ, and he continueth to hold fast the form of sound words according to the established doctrines of the Gospel. In testimony whereof. I hereunto set my hand and seal, this twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and forty-six. Robert Payne
Of Drew County’s Circuit Court proceedings the first were held at the May term, 1847, as follows:
State of Arkansas
County of Drew
At a Circuit Court begun and holden, in and for the County of Drew, State of Arkansas, at the court house thereof, being the house known as Rodger’s school house, the place appointed and established by the county court of said county, as the temporary seat of justice of said county, on the first Monday after the fourth Monday in April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, being the third day of May, of said year. Present the Honorable William B. Field, Judge of the firth judicial circuit of said state.
James Thompson was appointed deputy clerk, and as Solon B. Jones, prosecuting attorney, was absent, Robert Anderson was appointed prosecuting attorney pro tem. The following named men were sworn as grand jurors: Stephen Gaster (foreman), Resun Bowden, Robert A. Thompson, John P. Fisher, John Goodwin, Isaac C. Burrow, William B. Daniel, Benjamin Franklin, John Jones, Ralph Griffith, Seaborn Greer, Daniel Holcomb, John Smith, William P. Holliman, Arthur Whitney and John Fannin. This jury found two true bills, after which, there being no further business, they were discharged. There were ten civil suits on the docket at this term, two of which were jury cases. These special juries were composed of Richard Stanley, Joseph Adams, Creach Roberts, William Ross, William Nowls, D. M. C. Oneal, Isaac D. Price, Wiley D. Crook, Ezekiel B. Owens, Stephen Greer, B. Patton and Phillip S. Wolfe in the first case, and in the second, Thomas F. Edmonds, Lewis Ivy, Paul H. Baldy, James Bussey, Isaac Denson, John Grendall, William Everett, Richard Standley, Joseph Adams, Creach Robert, William Ross * * * September 24, 1849, John B. Brandon renounced his allegiance to Victoria, queen of England, and took the oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. William H. Harrison, Thomas N. Byers, Benoni S. Dubose and Henry S. Hudspeth showed that they were duly licensed to practice as attorneys and counselors at law, and solicitors in chancery in this circuit, and were enrolled as such in this court. The first case of manslaughter was the trial of Henry S. and Leonidas Hudspeth, of which charge they were acquitted March 27, 1857. March 30, 1857, Richard Chance was arraigned for murder. The case was continued until the November term of court, and in the meantime the accused cut his own throat.
In 1880 the real estate of the county was assessed at $800,305, the value of personal property being $578,298.21, or a total of $1,378,603.21. In 1889 the real estate assessment aggregated $1,127,245, and personal property $1,049.800, a total of real and personal property of $2,177,045. This shows an increase in nine years of $708,441.70. The real estate is divided as follows: Lands $810,855; city lots, $174885; railroad realty, $141,505; total $1,127,245. Of the city lots, Monticello is credited with $158,745; Selma, $1,548; Tracy $420; Collins, $4,505; Baxter $4,210; Tillar, $4,545; Winchester, $915; total $174,885.

The population of Drew County, be decades, has been as follows: in 1850, 3,276; 1860; 9,087; 1870, 9,960; 1880, 12,231; 1889, estimated 15,500.
The railroad property is distributed as follows: St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway, 5.25 miles, $34,12,5; side tracks, $8,730; Warren Branch, $97,680; buildings at Winchester, $415; buildings at Tillar, $235; buildings at Baxter, $225; buildings at Collins, $350; buildings at Wilmar, $800; buildings at Monticello, $4,445; total, $141,505.
Personal property is distributed, in the several townships throughout the county, as follows:
Bartholomew: Number of horses, 191, value $7,825; cattle, 956, value $6,122; mules, 279, value, $17,510; sheep, 146, value $160; hogs, 867, value $1,046; total number of animals, 2,589, value $31,028; total of all kinds of personal property, $60,465.
Bearhouse Township – Number of horses, 191, value, $7,825; cattle, 956, value, $4,930; mules 98, value $5,465; sheep, 105, value $105; hogs, 977, value $995; total number of all domestic animals, 2,327; value $10,320; total value of all personal property, $26,845.

Collins Township – Number of horses, 170, value, $8,725; cattle, 1207, value, $6,250; mules, 186, value, $9,800; sheep, 94, value $87; hogs 1020, value $1,058; total number of all domestic animals, 2666, value, $24,920, total value of all personal property $70,540.
Crook Township – Number of horses, 117, value, $4,995; cattle, 894, value, $4,575; mules, 79, value $4,375; sheet, 161, value, $172; hogs, 980, value, $978; total number of all domestic animals, 2,237, value, $17,095, total value of all personal property $20,740.
Clear Creek Township – Number of horses, 285, value, $13,160; cattle, 1339, value, $6,965; mules, 211, value, $12,575; sheet, 511, value, $509; hogs, 1,333, value, $1,336; total number of all domestic animals, 3,679, value, $84,550; total value of all personal property, $75,080.
Franklin Township – Number of horses, 313, value, $12,800; cattle, 1,978, value, $10,492; mules, 306, value, $22,280; sheep, 442, value, $433; hogs, 2155, value, $2,169; total number of animals, 5,284; value $48,124; total value of all personal property, $109,325.
Marion Township (outside of Monticello) – Number of horses, 453, value $19,325; cattle, 2,411,value $13,045; mules, 333, value $19,880; sheet, 663, value, $720; hogs, 1815, value $2,072; total number af all domestic animals, 6,115; value, $55,042; total value of all personal property, $118,145.
Prairie Township – Number of horses, 148, value, $6,625; cattle, 1,250, value $6,570; mules, 110, value $6,790; sheet, 48, value, $50; hogs, 1,004, value, $1,145; total number of animals, 2,50, value, $21,180; total valuation of all personal property, $35,145.

Saline Township—Number of horses, 249, value, $11,340; cattle, 1,444, value $8,205; mules, 165, value, $11,260; sheep, 437, value, $422; hogs 1,261, value, $1,288; total number of animals, 3,756, value $32,515.
Spring Hill Township – Number of horses, 246, value, $11,490; cattle, 1,398, value $7,435; mules, 181, value, $11,065; sheep, 304, value, $298; hogs, 1,036, value, $1,067; total number of domestic animals, 3,165, value, $31,355; total valuation of all personal property, $64,580.
Veasey Township – Number of horses, 239, value, $15,125; cattle, 1559, value, $8,550; mules, 127, value, $k6,875; sheep, 113, value, $110; hogs, $1,298; value, $1,300; total number of domestic animals, 3,468, value, $39,960; total valuation of all personal property, $54,500.
Town of Monticello – Number of horses, 180, value, $6,590; cattle, 601, value, $8,715; mules, 71, value, $5,175; sheep, 33, value $33; hogs, 237, value, $287; total number of animals, 1050, value $15,800; goods and merchandise valued at $75,690; moneys, credits, book accounts, etc., $123,560; a total valuation of all personal property inside the corporation $291,220.
The St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad pays a personal tax on property valued at $56,715, and the Western Union Telegraph Company on property valued at $1,495.
There is a total of 2,799 horses in the county, valued at $124,190; cattle, 16,195, value $86,704; mules, 2,216, value, $133,000; sheep, 3,057, value, $3,099, hogs, 14,079, value, $14,771; a grand total of all domestic animals of 38,346, valued at $361,54. The sum total of the personal property valuation is $1,049,800. The tax levied for 1889 amounted to – General State tax, $4,376.70; 7-mill sinking fund, $2,187.91; school fund, $4,376.70; ordered county tax, $10,941.75; Monticello corporation tax, $1,151.755; a total of $23,034.815.
The officials of Drew County who have been elected to represent their constituents in different relations are as follows, some having served two or more terms:
Judges – W. H. Wells, W. H. Lucas, E. K. Haynes, W. B. Daniels, T. N. Cotham, J. W. Colquit, C. M. Preddy, T. M. Cotham, W. T. Wells, H. J. Stanley, S. J. Matthews, H. M. Wells, S. G. Twitty, E. K. Haynes.
Clerks – Y. R. Royal, S. J. Matthews, Samuel Gibson, J. F. Bussey, W. P. Montague, R. F. Hyatt, S. G. Twitty, S. J. Matthews, J. H. Hammock
Sheriffs – D. D. Greer, W. D. Ford, J. S. Jordan, D. S. Wells, J. L. Haynes, J. A. Baker, J. H. Hammock, S. E. Cole, T. W. Haynes, J. H. Hammock, C. F. Hudspeth
Treasurers – W. C. Guice, Jesse Newton, George Prosise, W. P. Montague, P. R. Smith, J. H. Rayland, Z. E. Kerr, H. M. Hankins
Coroners – T. Hale, Jacob Martin (J. D. Berry succeeded Martin), J. Werrett, H> H> Wells, S. H. Dabney, D. D. Greer, V. Garrison, H. H. Crook, S. H. Grubbs, W. P. Burk, G. W. Gill, J. W. Crook, R. E. Owens, Jesse Bowden, C. T. Duke, R. F. Hyatt.
Surveyors – E. J. Howard, M. G. Welch (Elijah Henry appointed July 9, 1857), T. W. Gullege, R. H. Hestor, M. L. Stinson, Ab. Wilson

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Last Update Saturday, 16-Feb-2013 17:25:39 MST