Board of County Commissioners Records

RECORDS OF THE UNION COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

BLIND RELIEF RECORDS (1904-1944)

2 Volumes
Arranged Chronologically

Contains applications for blind relief; showing the full name and address of the petitioner and, amount allowed by the Board of County Commissioners.  This record series covers the period 1904 to 1944 only, as on July 1, 1944, the commissioners delegated this power to the county welfare department.  From 1904 to 1913, needy blind relief was administered by a separate commission, appointed by the county probate judge which authority devolved upon the commissioners in 1913.  Hence, the records from 1904 to 1913 were consolidated with those after 1913.  Beginning January 1, 1974, the Commissioners jurisdiction in this area was repealed.

1. Blind Pension Record, Volume 1 (1904-1936)
2. Blind Relief Record, Volume 2 (1936-1944)

COMMISSIONERS’ JOURNAL (1820-2023)

60 Volumes
Arranged Chronologically

Contains the resolutions of the county commissioners regarding zoning, annexation proceedings, appropriation of transfer of funds, the letting and acceptance of bids, travel permission for other county officials, consideration and determination of budget requests, extension of a county sewer district, acceptance of insurance settlements for damages done to county property, sale or lease of county land, approval or disallowance of bills filed with the county auditor for payment, the issuance of bonds, establishment of vacation of roads, acceptance of annual reports of other county officials, appropriation of private property for public use, and approving and accepting performance bonds of county officials.  These records are indexed separately.

1. Commissioners' Journal, 1A (1820-1827)
2. Commissioners' Journal, 1B (1827-1838)
3. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2 (1838-1862)
4. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 3 (1862-1873)
5. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 4 (1874-1877)
6. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 5 (1877-1881)
7. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 6 (1881-1883)
8. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 7 (1883-1889)
9. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 8 (1889-1893)
10. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 9 (1894-1898)
11. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 10 (1898-1900)
12. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 11 (1900-1902)
13. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 12 (1902-1904)
14. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 13 (1904-1906)
15. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 14 (1906-1907)
16. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 15 (1907-1908)
17. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 16 (1908-1911)
18. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 17 (1911-1915)
19. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 18 (1915-1918)
20. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 19 (1918-1922)
21. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 20 (1922-1927)
22. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 21 (1928-1934)
23. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 22 (1934-1938)
24. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 23 (1938-1944)
25. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 24 (1944-1951)
26. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 25 (1951-1958)
27. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 26 (1958-1961)
28. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 27 (1961-1964)
29. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 28 (1964-1967)
30. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 29 (1967-1970)
31. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 30 (1970-1973)
32. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 31 (1973-1975)
33. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 32 (1975-1978)
34. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 33 (1978-1980)
35. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 34 (1980-1982)
36. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 35 (1982-1984)
37. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 36 (1984-1986)
38. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 37 (1986-1988)
39. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 38 (1988-1990)
40. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 39 (1990-1993)
41. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 40 (1993-1994)
42. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 41 (1995-1996)
43. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 42 (1997-1998)
44. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 43 (1999-2000)
45. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 44 (2001-2002)
46. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 45 (2003-2004)
47. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 46 (2005-2006)
48. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 47 (2007-2008)
49. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 48 (2008-2009)
50. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 49 (2010-2011)
51. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 50 (2012-2013)
52. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 51 (2014-2015)
53. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2016 (2016)
54. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2017 (2017)
55. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2018 (2018)
56. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2019 (2019)
57. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2020 (2020)
58. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2021 (2021)
59. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2022 (2022)
60. Commissioners' Journal, Volume 2023 (2023)

COMMISSIONERS’ JOURNAL – COUNTY HOME (1913-1987)

3 Volumes
Arranged Chronologically

Contains a record of the commissioners’ approval of bills for the county home, showing payee, amount paid, and services rendered or supplies purchased.  Also contains a record of the letting and acceptance of bids and approval of contracts for major expenditures, such as improvements to the physical plant or major equipment purchases,  Early volumes are titled “Commissioners’ Journal – Infirmary,” and include personnel appointments and resignations or terminations as well as salary raises, approval of performance bonds, inspection reports, and any investigation by commissioners of charges of misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance made against infirmary employees or officials.  Journalized entries post 1987 can be found in the Commissioner’s Journal.

1. Commissioners' Journal - County Home, Volume 1 (1913-1941)
2. Commissioners' Journal - County Home, Volume 2 (1942-1981)
3. Commissioners' Journal - County Home, Volume 3 (1981-1987)

DITCH RECORDS (1875-1958)

34 Volumes
Arranged Chronologically

Contains a record of proceedings relative to the establishment and construction of county and joint county ditches, including copies of petitions for establishing ditches, petitioners’ property boundaries, notices of hearings, reports of viewers, commissioner’s findings and orders, county engineer’s reports of surveys and construction cost estimates, notices of bid lettings for construction, orders for assessments to be placed on the tax duplicate by the county auditor, and plan of each ditch showing date of entry, name and number of ditch, contractor, conditions of contract for construction of the ditch, and date construction completed.  Records of ditch proceedings from 1861 to 1874 can be found in the County Commissioners’ Journal.

1. Ditch Record, Volume 1 (1875-1879)
2. Ditch Record, Volume 2 (1879-1882)
3. Ditch Record, Volume 3 (1882-1884)
4. Ditch Record, Volume 4 (1884-1885)
5. Ditch Record, Volume 5 (1885-1886)
6. Ditch Record, Volume 6 (1886-1888)
7. Ditch Record, Volume 7 (1888-1889)
8. Ditch Record, Volume 8 (1889-1890)
9. Ditch Record, Volume 9 (1890-1891)
10. Ditch Record, Volume 10 (1891-1891)
11. Ditch Record, Volume 11 (1891-1892)
12. Ditch Record, Volume 12 (1892-1892)
13. Ditch Record, Volume 13 (1892-1893)
14. Ditch Record, Volume 14 (1893-1894)
15. Ditch Record, Volume 15 (1895-1897)
16. Ditch Record, Volume 16 (1897-1897)
17. Ditch Record, Volume 17 (1897-1898)
18. Ditch Record, Volume 18 (1898-1898)
19. Ditch Record, Volume 19 (1898-1899)
20. Ditch Record, Volume 20 (1899-1900)
21. Ditch Record, Volume 21 (1900-1902)
22. Ditch Record, Volume 22 (1902-1903)
23. Ditch Record, Volume 23 (1903-1904)
24. Ditch Record, Volume 24 (1904-1905)
25. Ditch Record, Volume 25 (1905-1906)
26. Ditch Record, Volume 26 (1906-1906)
27. Ditch Record, Volume 27 (1906-1907)
28. Ditch Record, Volume 28 (1907-1908)
29. Ditch Record, Volume 29 (1908-1908)
30. Ditch Record, Volume 30 (1908-1911)
31. Ditch Record, Volume 31 (1911-1917)
32. Ditch Record, Volume 32 (1917-1925)
33. Ditch Record, Volume 33 (1925-1939)
34. Ditch Record, Volume 34 (1939-1958)

FREE TURNPIKE RECORDS (1874-1915)

3 Volumes
Arranged Chronologically

Contains copies of petitions from property owners for the establishment of improved roads, surveyor’s specifications for construction and estimates of cost, notices of hearings by the Board of County Commissioners, reports of viewers and surveyor, commissioners’ resolutions approving or denying petitions; if approved, commissioners’ orders to levy taxes to provide funds for construction showing date of entry, road, and petitioners.  This record is also known as the Turnpike Director’s Journal.

1. Minutes of the Directors - Improved Roads, Volume 1 (1874-1888)
2. Journal - Turnpike Directors, Volume 1 (1907-1915)
3. Free Turnpike Road Record, Volume 1 (1876-1903)

INDEX TO COMMISSIONER’S JOURNAL (1820-2015)

21 Volumes
Arranged Chronologically then Alphabetically, therein by Date

Indexes by volume and page number all matters brought before the board, including a brief synopsis of the proceedings.  Also, shows bills allowed for payment, including payee volume and page number listing approval of payment and depending on the specific index volume the amount of payment approved.  Indexes from 1997 to the present can be found in the County Commissioners’ Office.

1. Index, Volume 1 (1820-1877) Indexes Volumes, 1A-5
2. Index, Volume 2 (1877-1887) Indexes Volumes, 5-7
3. Index, Volume 3 (1887-1900) Indexes Volumes, 7-10
4. Index, Volume 4 (1900-1906) Indexes Volumes, 10-13
5. Index, Volume 5 (1906-1907) Indexes Volumes, 14
6. Index, Volume 6 (1908-1909) Indexes Volumes, 15-16
7. Index, Volume 7 (1909-1911) Indexes Volumes, 16
8. Index, Volume 8 (1911-1919) Indexes Volumes, 17-19
9. Index, Volume 9 (1920-1934) Indexes Volumes, 19-21
10. Index, Volume 10 (1934-1937) Indexes Volumes, 21-22
11. Index, Volume 11 (1938-1958) Indexes Volumes, 22-26
12. Index, Volume 12 (1959-1971) Indexes Volumes, 26-30
13. Index, Volume 13 (1971-1978) Indexes Volumes, 30-33
14. Index, Volume 14 (1978-1981) Indexes Volumes, 33-34
15. Index, Volume 15 (1981-1984) Indexes Volumes, 34-35
16. Index, Volume 16 (1984-1986) Indexes Volumes, 35-36
17. Index, Volume 17 (1986-1988) Indexes Volumes, 36-37
18. Index, Volume 18 (1988-1992) Indexes Volumes, 38-40
19. Index, Volume 19 (1993-1996) Indexes Volumes, 40-41
20. Index, Volume 20 (1997-2006) Indexes Volumes, 42-46
21. Index, Volume 21 (2007-2015) Indexes, Volumes 47-51

ROAD IMPROVEMENT RECORDS (1914-1917)

1 Volume
Arranged Chronologically

Contains a records of costs, assessments, and appropriations for county road improvements including copies for petitions by owners for road improvements showing road and date of petition, itemized accounts of improvement cost, record of assessments levied, copies of bills rendered townships and villages for their share of cost, and copy of county surveyor's itemized statements for cost of improvement.  Volumes 1-7, 1873-1914, of these records are stored at the Union County Engineer's Office.

1.  Commissioners' Gravel Road Record, Volume 8 (1914-1917)