Civil Lists.

² Sheriff Esrey dying in office, his son was appointed to fill the vacancy.

County Commissioners. - The office of county commissioner, we are told by Judge Futhey, was created not long prior to 1820, the duties discharged by them being first performed by the justices and grand jury conjointly, and afterwards by the grand jury and assessors. The first commissioners of the county were elected to serve one year, and the board at that time comprising four members, is inferred from a petition presented from Chester County to the Assembly at the session of 1721-22, asking "that three commissioners may be elected yearly." Petitions of like tenor being presented from other counties, on May 12, 1722, the act to that effect was passed, excepting that it provided that one commissioner should be elected annually, thus extending the period of service of the commissioners to three years.

The following is a list of commissioners since 1721, and the date of their appointment or election:

1721, David Lloyd, Nathaniel Newlin, Henry Miller (in office); 1722, Robert Pyle; 1723, Nathaniel Newlin; 1724, Samuel Hollingsworth; 1725, Robert Pyle; 1726, Isaac Taylor; 1727, William Webb; 1728, Henry Miller, Evans Lewis, elected by commissioners and assessors in August, vice Isaac Taylor, deceased; 1729, Samuel Nutt; 1730, Evan Lewis; 1731, Jacob Howell; 1732, Samuel Lewis; 1733, George Aston; 1734, John Davis; 1735, Richard Jones; 1736, Samuel Lightfoot; 1737, John Parry, Jr.; 1738, William Jeffries; 1739, John Davis; 1740, John Parry, Jr.; 1741, John Yarnall ; 1742, John Davis; 1743, Jacob Howell; 1744, Joseph Mendenhall; 1745, John Davis; 1746, Thomas Pennell; 1747, Joshua Thompson; 1748, Isaac Davis; 1749, Thomas Pennell; 1750, Edward Brinton, Samuel Bunting, vice Thomas Pennell, deceased; 1751, William Lewis; 1752, John Fairlamb; 1753, Robert Miller; 1754, Thomas Pearson; 1755, Joseph Ashbridge; 1756, Joseph Davis; 1757, Joseph James; 1758, John Hannum; 1759, Jonas Preston; 1760, Joseph Pennock; 1761, John Griffith; 1762, Lewis Davis; 1763, John Price; 1764, Benjamin Bartholomew; 1765, Richard Baker; 1766, John Davis; 1767, Robert Pennell; 1768, John Webster; 1769, John Evans; 1770, Jesse Bonsall; 1771, Robert Mendenhall; 1772, John Fleming; 1773, Thomas Levis; 1774, Thomas Taylor; 1775, William Evans; 1776, Sketchley Morton; 1777, David Cloyd; 1778, Andrew Boyd; 1779, Benjamin Brannan; 1780, John Bartholomew; 1781, Joseph Strawbridge; 1782, Caleb James; 1783, John Davis; 1784, Joseph McClellan; 1785, Caleb James; 1786, Caleb North; 1787, John Worth; 1788, Joseph Gibbons.

After the erection of Delaware County, in 1789, at the general election in that year the following commissioners were elected and served:

1790, Edward Hunter, Gideon Gilpin, James Barnard; in 1791, John Jones was elected in place of Hunter, and Gilpin, Barnard, and Jones served for that and the year 1792, when all record is lost until 1797, when David Platt and Richard Lloyd were commissioners; in 1798, Isaac G. Gilpin was elected; 1799, Thomas Bishop; 1800, Thomas Vernon; 1801, Jones Eyre;³ 1802, John Hunter, Josiah Lewis; 1803, John Odenbeimer died, and Pierce Corsly was appointed to fill vacancy; 1804, Pierce Corsly; 1805, Joseph Gibbons, and Josiah Lewis having died or resigned, Nehemiah Baker was appointed to fill vacancy, and was also elected that year; 1807, Joseph Engle; 1808, William Mendenhall; 1809, George B. Lownes; 1810, Thomas Bishop; 1811, Preston Eyre: 1812, Thomas Hemphill; 1813, Maris Worrell; 1814, John Brooke; 1815, Robert Fairlamb; 1816, John Willcox, William Levis, Jr.;⁴ 1817, Joseph Davis; 1818, William Hill; 1819, John Lindsay, Jr.; 1820, Joseph Henderson; 1821, George Green; 1822, Joseph Engle; 1823, Edward Hunter; 1824, William Johnson; 1825, James Sill; 1826, Samuel H. Eves; 1827, James Maddock; 1828, Joseph Bishop; 1829, Oliver Levis; 1830, Evan Evans; 1831, David Siter; 1832, David Trainer, John Aitkins; 1835, James Serrill; 1836, James S. Peters; 1837, Isaac Fawkes; 1838, Spencer McIlvain; 1839, Edward Lewis, Jr.; 1840, Davis Beaumont; 1841, Thomas Williamson; 1842, Thomas Steele, Jr.; 1843, Isaac Yarnell; 1844, George Harvey; 1845, David Worrell; 1846, Samuel Palmer; 1847, Edmund Pennell;⁵ 1848, Mark Bartleson; 1849, Caleb J. Hoopes; 1850, John D. Gilpin; 1851, Annseley Newlin; 1852, James Barton; 1853, William H. Grubb; 1854, Robert Plumstead; 1855, Thomas Pratt; 1856, Percipher Baker; 1857, Samuel Leedom; 1858, James Clowd; 1859, Elwood Tyson; 1860, Vanlear Eachus; 1861, Thomas Reece; 1862, Nathaniel Pratt; 1863, Joseph Lewis; 1864, Daniel James; 1865, George Drayton; 1866, William D. H. Serrill; 1867, Charles Johnson; 1868, T. Baker Jones; 1869, Jacob M. Campbell; 1870, William Russell; 1871, John B. Heyburn; 1872, John B. Holland; 1873, James McDade; 1874, Elias Baker.

⁵ "Feb. 25, 1847, the petition of Samuel Palmer and Edmund Pennell was presented, showing that a vacancy had occurred in the board of Commissioners of Delaware County by the death of David Worrell. Whereupon the court, together with the two remaining commissioners of said county, have appointed Thomas Steele, Jr., of the township of Marple, in said county, a commissioner to fill said vacancy until the next general election."

The same commissioners remained in office until the first Monday of January, 1876.

Before the expiration of the period of service of the old board of commissioners, before the provisions of the Constitution of 1874 went into effect respecting that office, James McDade, one of the commissioners, absconded. When the county statement was published, the people stood aghast at the exhibit made, and on March 17, 1876, -

"The grand jury reported that the commissioners for the year 1875 have exceeded their authority in borrowing money on promissory notes, which sums amounted to $206,227.57, and the discounts to $3043.90, while tax-collectors were permitted to remain in arrears on collections, with discounts allowed to them to the amount of $40,952.18.

"In the opinion of the grand jury this is highly improper, and should be fully investigated, and measures taken to collect said tax. That by the said report (that of the county treasurer) it appears that the expenditures for repairing bridges and for new bridges has cost the county for the same year the sum of $58,375.66. That in the financial condition of the county the grand jury deems this an extravagant expendi-