66 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



The summer of 1837 was a most excessive wet one, as 

 in fact was that of '36. 



In October '37 the first term of the Circuit Court was 

 held by Judges Sample & Clark — Judge Crooks having 

 previous stept out — And a very quiet and peaceable ses- 

 sion it was, for at that time we had none of those dens 

 of moral pestilence which have since polluted the place 

 with drunken brawls. 



It is worthy of our observation to look back and see 

 what a change has taken place in the short space of ten 

 years. Of nine members of the bar who attended the first 

 term of this court, only one attended the last. 



Of 28 grand & pettit jurors, only 14 remain in the 

 county. These are John Wood, J. P. Smith, Elias Bryant, 

 Henry Wells, Wm. W. Payne, Levi D. Jones & Geo. Earle, 

 who were on the first Grand Jury. And Orrin Smith, 

 Daniel May, Richd. Fansher, Robt. Wilkinson, Jona" 

 Brown, J. V. Johns & Stephen P. Stringham, who were 

 on the first pettit jury — One of the other 14, old Mr. 

 Thomas Sawyer, died here, and the other 13 have moved 

 from the county. I have already shown that the change 

 in the whole population has even exceeded this ratio. 



At the first term there were 30 cases on the docket, 

 which was certainly a pretty strong beginning in law for 

 a new county — Of the 70 plaintiffs and defendants then 

 here, only 15 are here now. And only three of the absent 

 ones died here. These were Milo Robinson, Calvin Lilly 

 & Daniel Cross. The first marriage license issued in the 

 county was for John Russell & Harriet Holton — unfortu- 

 nately it did not stick. A little singular that 2 out of 3 

 of the first marriages in the county should be divorced. 



In the winter of 1837 & 8 congress established several 

 mail routes through Lake County, which until then had 

 none except the old route from Detroit to Fort Dearborn. 

 One of these routes was from here to Monticello in White 

 County & was taken by Mr. Pelton, but was afterwards 

 found to be through such an interminable wilderness that 

 it was discontinued. One from La Porte to Joliet, also 



