Madison County History and Genealogy

History and Genealogy



History of Madison County


Seat of Justice


During the session of the Legislature of 1810-11, three Commissioners were appointed by that body to select a seat of justice for Madison County, and, on the 19th of August, 1811, the report of these Commissioners was presented to the Court of Common Pleas then in session, which was as follows:

To the Honorable Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, next to be Holden for the County of Madison:
We, Peter Light, Allen Trimble and Lewis Newsom, having been appointed by the last Legislature of Ohio Commissioners for fixing the seat of justice in said county of Madison, having notified the inhabitants and attended agreeably thereto, we took the oath prescribed by law, and proceeded to view and examine said county, and have mutually selected and agreed on a tract or piece of land of 200 acres owned by John Murfin, including the cabin where he now lives, on the northeast side of Oak Run, on the road which passes E. Langham's, and is on the plat of the county two miles and eighty-six poles from the upper center A, and one mile two hundred and ninety-three poles from the lower B, which piece of land, or such part thereof as the court may think proper, is, in our judgment (from the law under which we act), the most eligible place for the seat of Madison County. The proposition of a donation of Murfin is inclosed to be used as the court may think proper. Given under our hand this 9th day of April, 1811.

Peter Light,
Allen Trimble.
Lewis Newsom.

The donation spoken of, dated April 6, 1811, reads as follows:

I, John Murfin, do offer my tract of land on Oak Run, adjoining Elias Langham's land, containing 200 acres, which I will cause to be laid out into a town at my own expense under the direction of the County's Director, the streets and alleys to be made commodious for the public good, a convenient public square shall be laid out, which, together with one-half the in and out lots shall be for the use of the county, and to all of which there shall be made a general warrantee deed. The above is humbly submitted for the consideration of the gentlemen Commissioners.

John Murfin.

The court at the same session appointed Patrick McLene, Director, and ordered him to prepare evidence of title of Mr. Murfin and make his report. This was subsequently accomplished, and the title proving satisfactory it was ordered by the court "that the director proceed to purchase one hundred or one hundred and twenty-five acres, as nigh a square as possible of Mr. Murfin's land, on Oak Run, at a sum not exceeding $1 per acre, and the donation of the lot on which his cabin maybe situated, and pay for the same out of the proceeds of sale, and on delivery of deed for purchased land, he proceed to lay out or off a town into lots, streets and alleys, the main streets to cross each other at right angles one hundred feet wide, and the other streets not exceeding seventy-five feet wide, and the alleys sixteen or eighteen feet wide; the lots to be in front not more than sixty-five feet and not more than one hundred and thirty-two feet back to an alley, and that he lay out not more than one hundred and twenty even lots, the residue of the ground to be laid off in outlots of two acres each, and that he reserve one lot for court house or public square at the intersection of main streets, two lots for churches and academy, one for jail and one for outlot for a burial-place; that he call streets and alleys by appropriate names, and that he get the plat so laid off recorded; after acknowledgment, that he sell the lots at public sale, after the purchase and laying-off as aforesaid, on the third Monday and Tuesday of September next, or at a convenient time after in same month; that he give certificate of sale to purchaser and receive contracts for payment—one-third in three months, one-third in nine and residue in eighteen months: and the conditions of sale be that, if purchaser fail to pay first installment, to sell the lot so sold to another person at the direction of director, and that he lay off a town in neat form as convenient to the water as possible, adjourn the sale at discretion and sell after public sale, taking into consideration the average price, and that the lots on intersection of main streets be sold for not less than $50 each; and further ordered that said town or city, when so laid off, be called and known by the name of London, and that the director keep a book in which he will regularly record the conditions of sale, the lots sold and to whom, the moneys received, and make a separate and a distinct entry for every purchase and exhibit the same to the court at the next term and make report of lots sold by number, etc."

Prior to the above action relative to the county seat, as has appeared in the general history of the county, the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin County, in 1810, appointed Philip Lewis, Director, to lay out a seat of justice for Madison County. A town was laid out and platted which was designated by the name of Madison, the plat was acknowledged before Thomas Gwynne, a Justice of the Peace of Deer Creek Township, November 18, 1810, and placed on record in the County Recorder's office. We have been unable to find anything of record designating the site of the town of Madison, further than that in the index book referring to the plats of towns appears "Madison (Deer Creek T. S."). It is a tradition that London was built upon the site of Madison. We give below all matters pertaining to the town of Madison that we have been able to find on record in the court house. December 4, 1810, John Pollock and George Jackson were allowed the sum of $14 each for their services for fixing on the place for the county seat of Madison County, by order of the Board of County Commissioners.

December 14, 1810, Robert Shannon, William Reed and Alexander Morrison, Associate Judges of Franklin County, were allowed $6, $6 and $2 respectively, for attending at the town of Franklinton, by the request of Philip Lewis, Esq., director of the town of Madison, for giving him directions and fixing on the day of sale of the lots in said town, by order of the Board of County Commissioners. Also under the same date, "ordered that there be allowed to Elias N. Delashmutt, Sheriff of Franklin County, $2.50 for summoning court at the request of P. Lewis, Esq., director of the town of Madison."

"January 3, 1811, ordered that there be allowed to Philip Lewis the sum of $20 for part of his services in laying off the town of Madison, in the county of Madison."

January 8, 1811. the Board of Commissioners ordered $150 to be appropriated for the purpose of erecting a jail in the town of Madison, and that the same be advertised, the sale to be on the 14th of January next. On the latter date the Commissioners met, and after being informed that there was a new committee appointed by the Legislature to explore the county and affix the seat of justice, permanently, agreed to postpone the sale of the jail.

"June 10, 1811, ordered that there be allowed to John Arbuckle, Esq., the sum of $4 for acting as a crier for two days in the sale of lots in the town of Madison, by the orders of the director."

Returning to London, we will state that 103¾ acres of the Murfin tract was, on the 14th of September, 1811, in consideration of $415, deeded to the director of the town. However, the town had previously been laid out and platted on this ground, as the plat was acknowledged by Patrick McLene and certified to before Samuel Baskerville, one of the Associate Judges of Madison County, September 13, 1811. The plat comprised 128 inlots and twenty outlots, the former being four by eight poles in size. The lots were bounded on the north by Fifth street, on the south by Front street, on the west by Water street and on the east by Back street. The original number of streets was ten; Main and Main Cross (now High) streets were made six poles wide, and all others four and one-half poles. Two lots were reserved for county buildings, two for churches and academies, one outlot for a burying-ground and one for John Murfin.

The cabin of Mr. Murfin as early as 1809 stood on the south side of West High street, on the site of the present lumber yard of J. F. Morgan. He was a Virginian. His wife's name, as written in the deed for the land, was Janey, but very likely, if properly written, would be Jane. He removed from London at an early day to the State of Indiana, thence to Illinois, where he died. In the autobiography of David Watson, it is stated that three houses were built in London in the spring of 1811. He says: "One I helped to build, and Rev. Father Sutton, living here at the time, built one of them." It is not stated who built the third.

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