Kingman Government
February 29th, 1874 - County Organization
Find information for this section.
March 5th, 1874
The first meeting of the county was held in W. H. Child's shack. The meeting as recorded read:
"Kingman County, Kansas, was organized by his Excellency, the Honorable Governor Thomas A. Osborne on February the 29th A.D. 1874, and he appointed J. Harmony, County Clerk, J. K. Fical, J. M. Jordan and G. W. Lacy as County Commissioners to fill said offices temporarily and that Kingman be designated temporarily County Seat of Kingman County. According after the above named officers had received said appointments, they met at Kingman, the temporary County Seate of Kingman County on the 5th day of March A.D. 1874, for the purpose of organizing said board of County Commissioners and transacting such other business as may be lawfully brought before them. On motion of J. K. Fical, J. M. Jordan is elected temporary Chairman and J. Harmony temporary Clerk. On motion of G. W. Lacy all members of the board are respectfully ordered to present to the clerk their credentials in order to show by what authority they are authorized to act in their respective official capacities, after which the following persons are found to be duly authorized and commissioned by his Excellency the Governor Thomas A. Osborne to act in official capacities as follows to wit: J. M. Jordan, G. W. Lacy and J. K. Fical, Commissioners, J. Harmony, Clerk and that the said Commissions are dated February 27th A.D. 1874. On motion of J. K. Fical, J. M. Jordan is elected temporary Chairman of the Board. On motion of J. M. Jordan, Kingman Municipal Township organized and attached to Reno County, Kansas, is declared an organized Township of Kingman County, Kansas.
On motion of G. W. Lacy, W. C. Frink is appointed Trustee of Kingman Township to fill the vacancy as J. K. Fical had tendered his resignation to the Commissioners of Kingman County, Kansas. After which a Petition is presented by a legal number of citizens asked the Board to call a Special Election for the purpose of voting on the question of issuing Bonds of said County to the amount of seventy thousand dollars for the following named purposes to wit: twenty-five thousand dollars for a courthouse, ten thousand dollars for bridges, thirty thousand dollars for general expenses. Said bonds to be payable in ten years from date of issue bearing interest at the rate of ten percent per annum, payable semiannually. On motion of G. W. Lacy, an election is ordered for said purposes according to the prayer of said petition to be held at Kingman on the 7th day of April A.D. 1874 and the clerk is ordered to post notices accordingly. On motion of J. K. Fical, an election is ordered for the purpose of electing all County and Township Officers, said election is to take place at Kingman on the 7th day of April A.D. 1874, and the clerk is ordered to post notices accordingly.
There being no further business to transact, the Board adjourned subject to call from the Chair.
Kingman, Kansas, March 5th A.D. 1874.
J. Harmony
County Clerk"
May 20th, 1878 - First Court Session
From The Mercury, the first court session was held in the school house.[1] There was singing and organ playing and was opened by Deputy Sheriff McClain. Two cases were held of "slight importance." The people there at the time was:
- S. R. Peters - Judge
- George E. Filley - Attorney
- W. R. Brown - former judge of the 9th Judicial District
- F. E. Gillett
- H. L. Ball
- Major Bross (spelt "Major Bress" on page 2, but mentioned as "Major J. H. Bross" on page 3) - Probate Judge[2]
- W. C. Hawk
- C. D. Price
