Civil Lists.

By act of March 20, 1873, the office of register of wills and clerk of Orphans' Court was made a separate office. Thomas Lees, the first register under this act, commissioned Dec. 13, 1874, is the present incumbent, he having been elected four terms in succession, the last time in November, 1883.

Coroner. - The first reference we find to the office of coroner is at a court held 6th day of Fifth month, 1684, when the sheriff and clerk of court complained that court fees had not been paid them; execution was issued to collect the amount claimed, and on the 8th day of Seventh month, 1684, "James Kenela, Coroner," made the return to the writs. To show the manner of making the return of inquest in the early days, and "Ay, marry, is't crowner's-quest law," I append two of these returns:

"The 5th of 5th mo 1699, We whose names are here subscribed being summoned & attested by the Coroner to View the Corpse of Ann Cruett do find by the best evidence that can find by two witness & several others big in place that nothing did procure her death but the heat of the weather and it been please God to visit her sudden death. As witness our names:

"Edgemond the 6 of the 5 mont 1699. We whose names are under written summoned and attested by the coroner to view the body of Sarah Baker having made strict enquiry & also have what evidence could be found attested to what they know & we find no other but that it pleased Almighty God to visit her with death by the force of thunder and to this we all unanimously agreed. Subscribe with our names the day and year above written:

The following list embraces the persons who have been commissioned coroners of Chester County until the erection of the county of Delaware, in 1789, and from that date those who have held the office in the latter county:

James Kennerly, in office 1684; Jacob Simcock, 1696; Henry Hollingsworth, 1707; Henry Worley, 1710; Jonas Sandelands, Oct. 3, 1717-20; Robert Barber, Oct. 4, 1721; John Mendenhall, Oct. 4, 1726-27; Robert Parke, Oct. 3, 1728; Abraham Darlington, Oct. 4, 1729; John Wharton, Oct. 3, 1730-31; Anthony Shaw, Oct. 3, 1732-33; John Wharton, Oct. 4, 1734-36; Stephen Hoskins, Oct. 4, 1737; Aubrey Bevan, Oct. 4, 1738-42; Thomas Morgan, Oct, 4, 1743-45; Isaac Lea, Oct. 4, 1746-50; Joshua Thomson, Oct. 3, 1751; John Kerlin, Oct. 4, 1752; Joshua Thomson, Oct. 3, 1753-60; Philip Ford (vice Thomson, deceased), May 22, 1761-62; Davis Bevan, Oct. 4, 1763-64; Abel Janney, Oct. 4, 1765; John Trapnall (vice Janney, resigned), May 27, 1766; Joseph Gibbons, Jr., Oct. 4, 1768-70; John Crosby, Jr., Oct. 5, 1771-72; John Bryan, Oct. 4, 1773-75; Harvey Lewis, Oct. 2, 1775; David Denny, Nov. 24, 1778; Allen Cunningham, Oct. 19, 1780; Benjamin Rue, Oct. 12, 1782; John Harper, Oct. 20, 1783; Isaac Thomas, Oct. 4, 1785; John Harper, Oct. 3, 1786; John Underwood, Oct. 15, 1787.

Jonathan Vernon, Oct. 16, 1789; Caleb Bennett, Oct. 21, 1791; William Price, Jan. 25, 1793; John Odenheimer, Jr., Oct. 17, 1795; James Birchall, Oct. 12, 1798, Oct. 21, 1801, Oct. 16, 1804, Oct. 23, 1807, Oct. 26, 1810, Nov. 8, 1816, Dec. 6, 1819, Dec. 4, 1822; Abraham Kerlin, Nov. 13,1829; Daniel Thomson, Nov. 2, 1830; Joel Lane, Oct. 25, 1833, Dec. 22, 1836; John Lloyd, Dec. 4, 1839; Moses Reed, April 14, 1840; John Lloyd, Dec. 3, 1842; Stephen Horne, Dec. 1, 1845; Seth C. Thomas, Dec. 23, 1848, Dec. 1, 1851; Reuben H. Smith, Nov. 6, 1854; Isaac Johnson,¹ Nov. 28,1857; William A. Minshall,² April 24, 1858; Samuel Long, Sr., Dec. 7, 1858; Washington B. Levis, Nov. 27, 1861, Jan. 9, 1865; George H. Rigby,³ Nov. 23, 1865; Dec. 8, 1868; William Anderson Minshall, Dec. 29, 1871, Jan. 19, 1875; Horace W. Fairlamb, Dec. 18, 1877; Abram J. Quimby, Dec. 20, 1880; Horace W. Fairlamb, Dec. 27, 1883.

³ For unexpired term of W. B. Levis.

Sheriffs. - Under the Dutch authority on the Delaware an officer, entitled a schout, performed duties such as are now required from the sheriffs, but the jurisdiction was more varied, and had legislative as well as executive powers reposed in that officer. Under the Duke of York, on May 17, 1672, Governor Lovelace and Council decided that "the office of Schout to be converted into a Sheriff for the Corporation and River, and that he be annually Chosen." The electors in that early day named two persons for the office, and from those two the Governor made his selection, a system which was adopted by Penn in the "Charter of Privileges," granted in 1701, and prevailed under the State Constitutions of 1776 and 1790. Until the Constitution of 1838 gave the people the right, by their votes, to elect one person to the office, the absurd provisions of the Constitution of 1776 prevailed, which was to elect two persons from whom the Governor made his selection, and to whom he issued the commission.

The following list of persons who have filled the office of sheriff is believed to be as accurate as it is now possible to make it:

Capt. Edmund Cantwell, 1676-81; John Test, September, 1681-82; Thomas Usher, November, 1682-83; Thomas Withers, December, 1683-84; Jeremy Collett, January, 1684-85; Thomas Usher, June, 1686, to April, 1687; Joshua Fearne, June, 1687, to June, 1689; George Foreman, August, 1689, to March, 1691-92; Caleb Pusey, June, 1692, to April, 1693; Joseph Wood, April 28, 1693-97; Andrew Job, December, 1697-1701; John Hoskins, June, 1701-8; John Simcock, 1708; John Hoskins, 1709; Henry Worley, 1715; Nicholas Fairlamb, Oct. 3, 1717-19; John Crosby, Oct. 4, 1720; John Taylor, Oct. 4, 1721-28; John Owen, Oct. 4, 1729-31; John Parry, Oct. 3, 1732-34; John Owen, Oct. 3, 1735-37; John Parry, Oct. 4, 1738-39; Benjamin Davis, Oct. 3, 1740-42; John Owen, Oct. 4, 1743-45; Benjamin Davis, Oct. 4, 1746-48; John Owen, Oct. 8, 1749-51; Isaac Pearson, Oct. 4, 1752-54; John Fairlamb, Oct. 4, 1755-58; Benjamin Davis, Oct. 4, 1759-61; John Fairlamb, Oct. 4, 1762-63; Philip Ford, Oct. 4, 1764-66; John Morton (vice Ford, deceased), Oct. 28, 1766-68; Jesse Maris, Oct. 5, 1769-71; Henry Hayes, Oct. 5, 1772-73; Nathaniel Vernon, Oct. 5, 1774-75; Robert Smith, March 29, 1777; Charles Dilworth, Oct. 17, 1778; Robert Smith, Nov. 21, 1773; David Mackey, Oct. 16, 1779; John Gardner, Oct. 19, 1780; William Gibbons, Birmingham, Oct. 20, 1783; Ezekiel Leonard, West Bradford, Oct. 13, 1786.

Nicholas Fairlamb, Oct. 16, 1789; same, Oct. 21, 1790; James Barnard, Oct. 18, 1792; Abraham Dicks, Nov. 12, 1795, date of commission for