Ohio County Politics

Ohio County Politics and

Newspaper Announcements

In the nineteenth century, Ohio County citizens were fiercely loyal to their political and community life, as reported in the weekly local county newspapers – The Hartford Republican and The Hartford Herald.

Strong loyalties and rivalries occasionally erupted into bitter strife among its citizens, turning election time into high-spirited, political county-wide feuds, with outbreaks of ill-feeling between town and county voters.  Rival newspapers often put in jokes and poems about the opposing Republican or Democratic party.

In past times, there were periods when county government offices, such as justices of the peace and court officials, made up a self-perpetuating county court; later came the more democratic period when the buying of votes replaced the buying of offices.  Those days may be past, but the tradition of Ohio county loyalties and rivalries remains as strong today as it always has in Kentucky.

Hartford, Ohio County, was settled by 1790 and named Fort Hartford. It was made the seat when Ohio County was formed in 1798. Hartford was incorporated in 1808 and the Hartford Court House post office opened in 1801. The first Ohio County Courthouse was built of logs in 1800. The present 2015 structure, the fourth, was built in 1940.

 Ohio County 1910 courthouse - home to the local court of law.

                               According to Chad Schapmire, the picture was taken in 1910.                                                                                           Shared by Judith Wilson.

Typical newspaper announcements:

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INDORSEMENT

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M. L. Heavrin Asked to Announce

For State Senator

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In view of the long and faithful service and the eminent qualifications and fitness of the Hon. M. L. Heavrin for State Senator, we the undersigned voters of the Fordsville voting precinct, respectfully petition and urge him to allow his name to be presented in the Republican Convention for the nomination of said office and pledge him our hearty support.

We believe the nomination is due him and urge him to grant this, our request.

E. R. James           J. W. Cheek

H. D. Loyd           S. G. Autry

A. T. Gard             Rusaw Bard

M. C. Basham       Alex Wells

J. T. White             Huston Dewitt

W. C. Petty            Nuton Anderson

J. L. Roberts          James E. Hedden

Jas. Morton            W. T. Whittinghill

W. D. Turman        S. G. Dalton

T. C. Aubrey          L. R. Duvall

John Allen              Geo. H. Hedden

Lafe Byers              Ernest Basham

W. C. Petty             F. H. Hedden

           R. J. Williams        S. P. Roby  

           Jno M. Key            John W. Huff

           W. S. Gaines          Buck Owen

           Mitt Withum          Jesse Newton

Joe Hillard              A. J. Harris

Lafe House            G. H. Roberts

Manul Brooks        Jas. A. Boling

J. R. Murphy          O. T. Cobb

J. W. Smith             S. T. Kissinger

Jas. W. Martin        C. C. Brown

A. Shapero              J. W. Burden

Charley Shown       P. B. Martin

Elvis Hines              J. H. Murphy

G. H. Smith             J. H. Lloyd

Ike C. Adair            Andrew Henderson

Warren Craig          Joseph Eskridge

Dock Oiler               Frank Robertson

Frank Hines             C. C. Baird

R. R. Bransford        M. S. Wise

S. O. Keown            George Holts

James Turpen           J. J. Roberts

Tom Dean                Sherman Rusher

E. Hedden                Joe Hedden

Sherd Basham          George Cheak

Geo. W. Roberts       Edwin Forbes

J. W. Hale                 J. A. Wells

Similar petetions were announced for Hon. M. L. Heavrin on behalf of the voters of Rosine, Ceralvo, Rockport and Aetnaville, with names of each petitioner of the voting Precinct...(much too long to print here).

  Source:  The Hartford Republican,

                May 15, 1903, Image 1

A Call and Endorsement for

Sam A. Anderson

          We, the undersigned Republicans of Ohio County, hereby solicit Circuit Court Clerk, S. A. Anderson to make the race for re-election, and we pledge him our hearty support.  We feel that he should have the nomination from the Republican party without opposition, considering the long contest he had with the Democrats after he was elected to office in 1897.

CERALVO

John Duncan             E. M. Kimmel

W. T. Bishop              J. M. Bishop

W. C. Batton              J. E. Bishop

R. W. Smith               H. T. Maddox

Lige Davis      E. T. Allen

J. T. Carter                E. T. Southard

HEFLIN

Robt Webb                A. Webb

E. G. Stewart             Gideon Heflin

L. B. Shaver               W.B. Heflin

W. M. Heflin              Felix Shaver

Sam Shaver

           

MAGAN

Joel H. Roach             E. H. Morgan

C. B. Baughn              G. A. Ralph

H. A. Babbitt              J. L. Roach

J. C. Roach

HORSE BRANCH

Lon Thomas              W. C. Leach

G. W. Stewart                        C. V. Christian

Oscar Autry               J. T. Haynes

S. Foster                     J. R. Johnson

Levi Allen                   Jacob S. Ford

Job Arnold                 Norman Camp

W. M. Miller              Emmett Wallace

Robert A. Miller                    Alex Foster

E. D. Ford                  Elbert Ford

T. H. Awtry               W. W. Gatton

L. W. Camp               J. B. Allen

Ed Tabor                   W. H. Burden

Jas. Perguson             Joe Miller

A. C. James                R. L. Boyd

W. P. Miller               G. W. Bond

W. F. Maiden             James M. Miller

W. T. Jamison                       J. A. Arnold

H. Mercer                   J. W. Ford

C. W. Royal               W. M. Combs

Wm. W. Crowder     M. B. Crowder         

SULPHUR SPRINGS

W. H. Davis                J. S. Lee

E. Bowers                   W. M. Murphy

O. P. Willis                 J. T. Tucker

                                         Peyton Sullenger           Len Able

                                         Henry Lawrence           Pal Coots

I. P. Wimsatt              J. B. Wedding

Mark Renfrow          Thomas Whittinghill

W. P. Coots                W. V. Midniff

J. T. Cox                    G. W. Russell

A. B. Wedding                       C. L. Armendt

H. C. Crawford         Joe H. Roach

Wesley Hines              M. F. Jones

Thos. F. Johnson                   A. R. Renfrow

J. W. Thomas                        W. H. Renfrow

Claude Renfrow                    Sam Smallwood

R. H. Crawford                     T. F. Crawford

R. F. Bean                  James Wimsatt

FORDSVILLE

G. H. Smith                S. P. Roby

E. W. Johnson                       G. V. Anderson

T. H. Hedden             G. H. Hedden

S. L. Basham             J. T. White

W. C. Hedden                        Jas. E. Hedden

D. F. Hedden             J. W. Cheek

W. C. Beatty              W. T. Whittinghill

A. P. Loyd                  L. R. Dowell

Ernest Basham                      W. D. White

W. T. Wells                S. F. Aubrey

T. C. Aubrey             D. W. Taul

H. C. Petty

COOL SPRINGS

A. B. Stanley              C. H. Stanley

S. H. Haws                 T. S. Williams

E. A. Williams                        W. L. Williams

H. S. Haskins             Hiram Taylor

G. W. Benson

                                                              NARROWS

                                        Jno. M. Graham           W. J. Graham

A. F. Grahaffi               H. L. Carter

       W. H. Carter                James Carter   

L. W. Camp               J. B. Allen

C. C. Carter          S. W. Carter

Thos. M. Shultz          Thos. B. Shultz

       W. H. Petty          Jas. R. Whitescarver

Geo. Cummings          Andy Cummings

                                        J. T. Moorman             Ed Wright

J. B. Bewley          Jno. P. Johnson

J. P. Berkley          Walter V. Minkift

J. W. Condor               L. N. Askins

C. T. Gulley              W. E. Coppage

A.J. Thompson          A. J. Coppage

J. P. Petty              T. V. Bratcher

W. O. Cole          J. F. Coppage

J. W. Powers          E. R. Powers

                                             Caleb Wright            R. C. Duff

J. B. Foreman          Charles Carter

                                          H. F. Foreman          S. Brown

Owal Sulnar          F. T. Hardison

H. T. Boling          W. S. Sanders

W. F. Crawford          Matthew Duncan

Johnnie Baker          J. H. Maxwell

J. M. Coppage          G. H. Aubrey

                                          J. B. Rummage          W. P. Allen

Moses Coppage

Source:  The Hartford Republican,

                January 16, 1903, Image 3

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

For State Senator

  We are authorized to announce Hon. A. S. BENNETT as a candidate for State Senator from the Seventh Senatorial District , subject to the action of the Republican party.

   We are authorized to announce S. L. STEVENS as a candidate for State Senator from the Seventh Senatorial District, subject to the action of the Republican party.

   We are authorized to announce D. BAKER RHOADS as a candidate for State Senator from the Seventh Senatorial District, subject to the action of the Republican party.

Source:  The Hartford Republican,

                May 15, 1903, Image 1

Older Ohio County Courthouse - Seat of Justice

Old Ohio County City Hall – Scene of Municipal Government

Many thanks to Janice Brown for submitting this article.